Compared to exuberant co-founder Steve Jobs the showman, Apple's current CEO Tim Cook is kind of moderate and doesn't interact much with the media.
However, in a recent interview, Cook has given a very interesting take on the usage of iPhones and it has attracted a lot of attention from the media and people around the world.
As part of the first-ever Global Creativity Award, GQ's Zach Baron spoke in detail with Tim Cook about his personal and professional life.
In a freewheeling chat, Baron was discussing how his child has become a bit addicted to the phones and to that Cook replied that parents have to control the screen time of kids.
"Kids are born digital, they’re digital kids now. And it is, I think, really important to set some hard rails around it," Cook said to GQ.
Even adults too have to develop discipline, learn to balance the work-and-personal life, and reduce iPhone usage. Mobile phones and other devices have to be used as just tools to get work done or a medium to let loose their creative side.
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"We make technology to empower people to be able to do things they couldn’t do, to create things they couldn’t create, to learn things they couldn’t learn. And I mean, that’s really what drives us. We don’t want people using our phones too much. We’re not incentivized for that. We don’t want that. We provide tools so people don’t do that," Cook said.
It is the reason why the Screen Time feature was introduced to Apple products. Cook religiously ensures it is under control. Also, during the entire interview, Cook, who always wears Apple Watch, never once took a glance at it.
“We try to get people tools in order to help them put the phone down. Because my philosophy is, if you’re looking at the phone more than you’re looking into somebody’s eyes, you’re doing the wrong thing. So we do things like Screen Time. I don’t know about you, but I pretty religiously look at my report,” Cook told Baron.
Also, he recommends people go cycling, hike, and spend time in nature. "It’s almost a sin not to go out and enjoy it. Being out in nature is a palate cleanser for the mind. It’s better than any other thing you can possibly do!" Cook noted.
Tim Cook took over as CEO in 2011, just a few weeks before Steve Jobs' death. At an early stage, many were skeptical about Cook's leadership capabilities to drive Apple's future prospects.
Until the big job, Cook was focused on procuring materials, coordinating with supply chains, and factory management, and ensuring all function like clockwork, and they did too.
But Cook, the 'operational tactician' proved everyone wrong, as Apple grew on to become the world's most valued technology company. In his tenure as CEO, he saw the development of a brand new product category- Watch- and it has the most profound effect on people's health.
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It did not find traction from the word go, but with the refinement of the interface, product design, and introduction of new features including a heart health monitor system, ECG (electrocardiogram), Fall Detections, SOS Emergency and more, Apple Watch has now become the go-to smart wearable in the world. Apple Watches, with timely alerts, have saved thousands of lives around the world.
Now, Apple is reportedly working on mixed reality headgear. Though Cook did not give any confirmative information about the rumoured device, he did say Augmented Reality/ Virtual Reality apps have real potential to improve productivity and also for leisure too.
Apple is expected to reveal a new mixed reality device during the upcoming World Wide Developer Conference (2023) in June (5-9).
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