Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re thirsty, you can grab a cup of Joe with Apple CEO Tim Cook and talk to him about, well, just about anything.

Right now, Cook is auctioning off the amount of time it takes to sip a cup of coffee to one lucky (and rich) fan. As of this writing, the bid stands at $190,000, even though its estimated value is $50,000. And since there are nearly three weeks left to bid, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if that figure runs much, much higher.

But as I look at the bids rising and people lining up for the opportunity to talk to Cook, I can’t help but wonder what would happen if Steve Jobs were alive and offering the same deal for charity. And if I’m right, there’s a good chance that the cup of coffee Steve Jobs would be talking over would cost a bit more than Cook’s.

“Tim Cook isn’t the most dynamic person in the world.”

Let’s face it – Tim Cook isn’t the most dynamic person in the world. He’s undoubtedly one of the most successful people in the technology industry and if anything, he knows how to run a truly massive company. But Cook is not Steve Jobs. More importantly, Cook hasn’t elevated himself to the level of Superman within the technology industry.

The issue for Tim Cook is that he’s viewed by some as simply riding the wave that Steve Jobs created. And with reports that Jobs himself left a roadmap of products for Apple before he died, there are some who believe that Cook is only doing what he was told to do a couple of years ago. In other words, he doesn’t get much respect, even though he truly deserves it.

Steve Jobs, meanwhile, had God-like status among technology enthusiasts. When he walked on stage, it didn’t take long for the standing ovation to commence and tech lovers around the world to start to drool. And when he started speaking, Jobs had the unique ability to captivate an audience and make them truly believe that whatever it was that he pulled out of his pocket was special.

“Steve Jobs, meanwhile, had God-like status among technology enthusiasts.”

More importantly, Jobs was highly respected among businesspeople – the most likely group to win the Tim Cook bid. Jobs was able to turn around a dying company and turn it into the world’s largest. Tim Cook hasn’t achieved that just yet. And among executives, he’s not at the same level as his predecessor.

So, I ask you: how much would a cup of coffee with Steve Jobs actually cost? If I were a betting man, I’d say that it would hit $500,000 or more. Sure, it’s high, but we’re talking about the one man in the history of the technology industry that was able to turn the head of nearly everyone around the world. And some people would have given much more than a bundle of cash to sit next to him at a table.

Of course, this is not to say that Tim Cook is not worth having a discussion with or doing a good thing by offering his time. But let’s face it: Tim Cook isn’t Steve Jobs. And despite his best efforts, he never will be.

Why Steve Jobs’ Cup of Coffee Would Go for Much More Than Tim Cook’s is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’ve ever wanted to have a one-on-one with Apple CEO Tim Cook, now is your chance. He’s auctioning off a coffee meeting with him at Apple headquarters, and the highest bidder will be able to chat up the big wig of one of the world’s wealthiest companies. Of course, though, a coffee date with Tim Cook doesn’t come cheaply.

Cook is using Charitybuzz to host the auction, which is a website that gives celebrities the chance to auction off experiences with all the money going to charity. Cook’s charity of choice will see the funds from his auction go to the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights. The highest bid at the time of this writing? $10,500.

The auction page lists an estimated value of the coffee meeting with Tim Cook at $50,000, which is quite an expensive cup of coffee, but perhaps Starbucks is catering? According to the auction details, it seems that the highest bidder will be able to bring one guest, both of which will go through background checks before meeting up, and each meeting will last between 30 minutes to one hour.

However, the highest bidder will also have to pay for travel costs, but we’re guessing that shouldn’t be too much of an issue, considering that you’re already paying a few thousand dollars to meet up with the Apple head. The auction listing also says that “polite manners and respect for the generous donor and adherence to any rules or parameters are a must,” so it looks like you won’t be able to give him a hard time over when the iWatch and iTV will come out.

[via The Next Web]

Tim Cook auctioning off coffee meeting for charity is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple has just released its Q2 earnings results, and it has many analysts and stockholders pleased, however Apple’s CEO Tim Cook made a statement that should have many consumers pleased as well. Tim Cook stated, “We’ve got a lot more surprises in store”, and that there will be many new product launches beginning in the fall of this year. While its certain that a new iPhone and new iPad will be on its way, there’s also speculation that an Apple TV and an iWatch will be coming as well.

Cook stated that he acknowledges that Apple’s revenue has slowed down, and that the company failed to meet everyone’s expectations, but he assures everyone that they’re going to turn things around. He says that Apple’s objective will always be about creating innovative new products. He promises that there will be several new product launches, both hardware and software, coming this year, and in 2014. He says,

“We continue to be very confident in our product places… We’ve got a lot more surprises in store. This is the same culture that brought the iPhone and the iPad and we’ve got a lot more products in the works.”

Cook also says that the company has a “very substantial roadmap” of products that will be released, and that there will be releases all throughout 2014. One of the potential products will be in a different category compared to the iPhone and iPad, but Cook didn’t release a specific time frame for its launch. He’s most likely talking about the Apple iWatch, which 19% of consumers are already interested in, and which many other companies are already preparing to fight.

Apple did exceptionally well in Q2 2013, and exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. It sold over 37.4 million iPhones, and over 19.5 million iPads within a 3 month period alone. With the announcement of new product launches coming soon, investors will be reassured that Apple isn’t straying off the road of success its been on for quite some time. Even with tough competition from companies like Samsung and Google, Cook  assures his investors that Apple’s products are still “the best so far.”

[via Forbes]

Apple’s Tim Cook hints at new product launches come fall is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple has finally announced its financial results for Q2, 2013. There has been a lot of speculation lately on Apple’s results, on how much profit will it post and how many units it has been able to move. The company generated a revenue of $43.6 billion last quarter, posting a new profit of $9.5 billion. In Q2, 2012 Apple posted $11.6 billion on $29.6 billion revenue. These results are similar to the expectations Apple announced in Q1, 2013.

Apple sold 37.04 million iPhones this past quarter as opposed to 35.1 million units same time last year. This accounts for a 7% growth. Macs and iPods declined in sales, only 3.95 million and 5.06 million units sold respectively. iPad sales rose a staggering 65% this past quarter, 19.5 million units were sold as opposed to 11.8 million last year. At 5PM ET, CFO Peter Oppenheimer and CEO Tim Cook will be discussing these quarterly results with analysts. It will be interesting to hear their responses on tough questions related to Apple’s decreasing share prices and its product roadmap for the current quarter. Rumor has it that new iPhones, new iPads and new Macs are set to be announced in Q3, 2013.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple’s WWDC Starts On June 10 With Focus On iOS 7, OS X, Tactilize: Create and Share Visual Cards from the iPad,

Penguin, the last of five publishers, including Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan, has offered to terminate its e-book deal with Apple in order to settle with EU antitrust regulators. The e-book agreements forbade other retailers from selling the e-books from these publishers at lower prices than Apple’s iBookstore.

This settlement, while terminating Penguin’s “most-favoured nation” contracts for 5 years with Apple, will end all investigations by the EU into the price-fixing controversy. While the investigations in Europe over the matter will end, the U.S. Department of Justice will continue to investigate the issue in the United States. In the U.S., all 5 publishers have already settled, and Apple is the last company standing.

In the United States, the Department of Justice requested that Tim Cook be required to testify because they believe he may have relevant information to the case. The U.S. District Judge Denise Cote granted the DoJ its request. The trial is set to take place in June. Apple attempted to contest Judge Denise Cote’s request, saying that Tim Cook’s testimony would only be a repeat of what 11 other Apple executives have already said, but her decision remained unchanged.

If Penguin’s settlement is accepted, it will end the 16-month long investigation into the issue. Along with the termination of its e-book agreements, it will be forbidden from issuing “Most Favoured Nation” clauses for 5 years. When Penguin enters into any new agreements with retailers, the retailers will have the freedom of setting the prices of its e-books for two years, within reasonable limitations of course.

[via Reuters]

Penguin to terminate Apple e-book deal to settle EU antitrust case is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.