Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared on stage at the second annual WSJD Live conference on Monday, and discussed Apple Music, data privacy, and more. He dodged questions about Apple Watch sales numbers and his company’s much rumored car project.
The interview, led by Wall Street Journal editor Gerard Baker, kicked off with Baker attempting to get Cook to give up some sales numbers or future plans for the Apple Watch. As usual, Cook dodged the questions.
Cook did share information about the company’s new Apple Music service, revealing the streaming music service has over 15 million users, of which 6.5 million are paid users. The Verge, who covered the interview live, noted that Cook took the opportunity to tout Apple Music’s human curation features.
“It’s going really well,” Cook said. “Fortunately, lots of people are liking it.”
Cook “steered” around Apple Car rumors, merely saying the automotive industry is in for “massive change,” due to autonomous driving features and electric propulsion. Cook finished the subject off by saying “As we look at it, what we really want in the hopefully in the short term is, we’d like people as they enter their car to have an iPhone experience in their car.”
As for the subject of data privacy, which is a huge concern these days, Cook said, “We think encryption is a must in today’s world. No back door is a must.” The U.S. government recently announced that while it would continue to pressure companies such as Apple to provide a “backdoor” to allow law enforcement agencies to access data stored on Apple’s servers.
Cook spoke about social responsibility, saying Apple should leave the world a better place than they found it. Cook says this should involve a diversified workplace, improving the nation’s educational system, and minimizing environmental impact.
This was Cook’s second appearance at the WSJD Live event.
(Via AppleInsider)
