Watch Tim Cook’s first official TV interview as Apple CEO

7 December, 2012 - Paul Dixon
Tim Cook TV interview

Tim Cook’s first official TV interview as Apple CEO, which was provided to NBC’s Rock Center, aired in the United States last night. In the interview, Cook spoke candidly about taking over from Steve Jobs, bringing Mac production to the US, legal fights with Samsung, product development, and his interest in the television market.

You can watch the full interview in two parts below.

Part One

Part Two

Here are some of our favorite quotes from the interview:

Taking over from Steve Jobs

One of the things he did for me that removed a gigantic burden that would have normally existed, is he told me on a couple of occasions before he passed away, to never question what he would have done, never ask the question what Steve would do, to just do what’s right.

Legal fights with Samsung

We love our customers. And we’ll fight to defend them with anyone. Is it thermonuclear war? The reality is, is that we love competition, at Apple. We think it makes us all better. But we want people to invent their own stuff.

Producing Macs in the US

You know, this iPhone, as a matter of fact, the engine in here is made in America. And not only are the engines in here made in America, but engines are made in America and are exported. The glass on this phone is made in Kentucky. And so we’ve been working for years on doing more and more in the United States. Next year, we will do one of our existing Mac lines in the United States.

The television market

It’s a market that we see, that has been left behind. You know, I used to watch The Jetsons as a kid. I love “he Jetsons. We’re living The Jetsons with this [iPhone]. It’s an area of intense interest. I can’t say more than that.

Product development

Our whole role in life is to give you something you didn’t know you wanted. And then once you get it, you can’t imagine your life without it. And you can count on Apple doing that.

Let us know what you thought of the interview by leaving a comment below.

About the author

Paul Dixon is the owner of Macsessed. He lives in Lancashire in the UK where he works as a web designer. You can find him on and Twitter.