In an interview with the Irish Independent, Cook repeatedly said iPad and MacBook are two different products that are not meant to “converge.” According to Cook, making such a hybrid device would “begin to compromise” both the tablet and laptop form.
He said: “We feel strongly that customers are not really looking for a converged Mac and iPad. Because what that would wind up doing, or what we’re worried would happen, is that neither experience would be as good as the customer wants.”
Microsoft’s marketing says Surface is “the tablet that can replace your laptop,” a claim Apple has strongly contested multiple times. The company argues there is a need for individual devices and continues to maintain its iOS-powered iPad tablets and Mac OS X laptops as two very different kinds of product in terms of both hardware and software. Last week, Cook claimed Microsoft’s Surface Book — the company’s first laptop, featuring a detachable display for a tablet-like experience — is “deluded” and a device that “tries too hard.”
Apple’s recent launch of the iPad Pro, a 12.9-inch iPad that can be fitted with an optional official keyboard accessory and Apple Pencil stylus, has been seen by some analysts and consumers as the first step towards a more converged Apple product portfolio. Cook says it shouldn’t be interpreted in this way but admitted the gap between its range of MacBooks and iPads is getting slimmer with every passing generation.
He also has some strong views on Windows-powered desktop computers, asking the Telegraph last week “I think if you’re looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one?” The comments allude to the power of recent Apple devices including the iPad Pro, a portable tablet that is capable of out-performing the majority of Windows computers built.
One thing that Cook wasn’t so clear on was Apple’s widely-rumoured plans to build an electric car. He told the Irish Independent “I don’t have anything to announce” before adding he expects to see “significant change” in the automobile industry in the next few years, driven by a focus on user interface.
