Tim Cook: Why Apple doesn’t always have to be first

Apple CEO Tim Cook has opened up about his plans for the future and some of his most personal values.

Speaking at the Dreamforce 2019 event in San Francisco today, the Apple chief revealed some of his most pertinent drives, including how he sees the future of the iPhone maker evolving in the near future.

In a revealing fireside chat with Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff, who himself was an intern at Apple back in the 1980s, Cook covered topics ranging from Steve Jobs, the environment, and gay marriage, as well as a look at Apple’s internal motivations.

Innovation

“So many people confuse innovation with change...many think innovation is change, but it's about making things better, not just merely changing something”, Cook declared.

“We've never set the objective to be first, we've always set the objective to be the best,” Cook added, “that north star has helped guide us through the temptations, we just want to make the best products.”

Cook noted how Apple’s business has become inherently enterprise-focused in the years since it released the first iPhone back in 2007, with the company’s devices now a popular sight in businesses across the globe.

Apple and Salesforce revealed a large-scale partnership at last year’s Dreamforce, with the first fruits of the collaboration being unveiled earlier this week with the launch of an iOS and iPad-exclusive version of the latter’s Trailhead GO app.

Looking forward, Salesforce looks set to continue as an important enterprise partner for Apple, with Cook noting that “I couldn’t be happier” with the work the software giant has done.

With all Fortune 500 companies now using some form of Apple products, one such advocate is Benioff himself, who revealed to Cook that he completely relies on his iPhone to work.

“I don't even own a computer anymore, I don't need one,” Benioff revealed. “The phone has really become an extension of my office wherever I am.”