Apple's Tim Cook at D10: on secrecy, Siri, Facebook, and more

You might have heard that today is a pretty big day for Apple — we're sure to hear about a variety of new Mac and iOS software, with new Mac hardware looking pretty likely as well. If you're looking to kill some time between now and the WWDC 2012 keynote (which we'll be liveblogging right here), All Things D has just released the full video of Apple CEO Tim Cook's interview with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at the D10 conference. We covered his remarks pretty closely during D10 back in May, but you can now catch his full comments on potential iOS Facebook integration, the company's renewed focus on Apple TV, and, of course, his thoughts on "doubling down" on secrecy. There's a lot more to dig into here — after all, this was Cook's first public appearance since taking over as Apple CEO — and should whet Apple fans' appetites until Cook takes the stage at WWDC 2012 later today.

Thanks, Tuan X!

Despite Apple's emergence as a dominant force in the handheld gaming market, CEO Tim Cook has no interest in taking on Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft in the console business. During a Q&A session at the D10 conference, Cook responded to a question asked by The Verge's own Joshua Topolsky about the company's future in gaming, as reported by AllThingsD:

Although Cook dispelled any notion of Apple building a gaming console, he spoke less definitively about the prospect of gaming manifesting itself in other integrated devices. In a follow-up, Cook was asked if the company was interested in bringing gaming experiences to televisions, responding: "It could be interesting."

In an interview at the D10 Conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook responded to criticism of the iPhone 4S' voice recognition software, Siri, telling attendees that the company has "a lot of people working on it" and that it plans on "doubling down" on the feature. While Cook did not provide any specific information about forthcoming updates, he did suggest larger feature expansions were on the way.

A recent report suggested that iOS 6 would include the introduction of Siri APIs, giving app developers the ability to integrate the voice assistant directly into apps. Apple is expected to discuss the latest version of iOS at its annual WWDC keynote, which was announced earlier today for 10am PST on June 11th.

Apple and Facebook have a bit of a history of not working well together. For example, iOS 5 has easy ways to share to Twitter but not to Facebook. Asked about it at the D10 conference, CEO Tim Cook said that he believes that Apple "can do more with them. Stay tuned." We would take that as a standard brush off, but when pressed by Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, Cook added:

The implication seems to be that while negotiations might be complex, the needs of Apple's users could trump any complications. Addressing Apple's relationship with Facebook, Cook called it "good" and said that although both Apple and Facebook have "their own way of doing things," he felt that he could work with Facebook. The exchange ended up with a repeated statement, "So stay tuned." It's hard not to read into that, hopefully we'll only need to keep tuned in until WWDC on June 11th.

Steve Jobs famously called the Apple TV a "hobby," but his successor Tim Cook seems to be slowly turning that ship around. At the D10 conference this evening, he said that the Apple TV is "an area of intense interest for us." While Cook wouldn't answer a direct question about whether the company is building a full television set, he seemed to hint strongly that Apple's interest is an active one:

I think most people, maybe not all, but many people would say this is an area in their life they’re not really pleased with. You know, they might not be pleased with many things about it. The whole TV experience. So, it’s an interesting area, so we’ll have to see what we do.According to Cook, the Apple TV set-top box has actually seen dramatically increased interest this year, selling 2.7 million in just the first few months of the year, compared to 3 million sales for the entire last year. Apple's CEO was clear that the existing Apple TV isn't a compelling business yet, though. "It's not a fifth leg of the stool."

Speaking at the All Things Digital D10 conference this evening, Apple CEO Tim Cook provided new insight into the company's manufacturing practices in both the US and China. In response to a question of whether or not Apple could or would invest in US manufacturing, Cook offered added background to the company's US operations, stating:

Cook's comments fall in line with previous reports, which claimed that Apple is utilizing a Texas-based Samsung plant to produce its A5 and A5X mobile processors. He went on to discuss whether or not more of Apple's efforts could be relocated to the US:

Tim Cook, speaking at the D10 conference, predictably didn't come out of the gate with new product announcements. However, he did say that Apple has "some incredible things coming," though of course he wouldn't speak about them in detail, dodging questions from Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher about WWDC next week: "We're going to introduce some great stuff. I think you're gonna love it."

What would it be? Cook was not only keeping mum, he predicted that Apple would become even more secretive in the future. He told the conference that "We're going to double down on secrecy on products." While Apple certainly hasn't been known for being a leaky ship when it comes to products, in the past year the new iPad and (likely) the next iPhone have had parts leak out early. On the other hand, if Apple is working on a 7-inch iPad or a new television, it's done a remarkable job keeping either (or both) under wraps. Cook did point out that this level of secrecy wouldn't extend to everything Apple does, however, noting that the company intends to be a lot more transparent about "what we're doing with suppliers."