Following Apple's Q1 earnings announcement, CEO Tim Cook and other senior executives held an employee Town Hall meeting at Apple's headquarters, where Cook talked about iPhone sales, continued expansion in emerging markets, iPad growth and Apple Watch sales figures, Apple Campus 2, and upcoming products.
9to5Mac offered up highlights of the event, starting with sales of the iPhone, and expansion to new markets:
Cook reportedly began his talk by putting Apple's revenue announcements in context. He said that Apple sold enough iPhones in the holiday quarter (74.8 million units) to cover the populations of New York, London, Beijing, and Shanghai. Cook also called the Apple Watch one of the "hottest" holiday gifts, and he claimed that sales of the device exceeded those of the original iPhone in its first holiday quarter in 2007.Cook is said to have called the iPhone the "greatest business of the future," noting that Apple has room to grow the iPhone for decades. He mentioned that 4G LTE networks are not in every emerging market, and this gives Apple the opportunity to push its latest devices to regions like India. Cook called India one of Apple's most important growth areas for the next decade, noting that Apple is in early preparations to bring its retail stores to the country.
It is no wonder that India is a key market for Apple, where the vendor crossed the $1 billion sales mark in November. Q4 2015 was the company's best-ever quarter in India, with 800,000 shipments. Apple is now looking to bring the Apple Retail Store to the country, and is in talks with the government to facilitate the establishment of its own retail stores.
Cook also talked about Apple's expansion in China, stating that the 40th retail store will be opened in the country by the end of the summer. As for a more affordable version of the iPhone with pared-down features aimed at emerging countries, Cook said that "people across these regions are willing to spend more for a better experience."
Cook said that Apple TV and tvOS have laid the groundwork for a "bright future for Apple in the living room," while sharing his excitement for upcoming hardware, with the oft-rumored iPhone 5se slated to launch later this quarter. It is possible Apple may bring more of its services to Android after launching Apple Music on the platform:
Cook also noted his excitement over future products coming out of the software, services, and hardware divisions, while teasing some "far-off" hardware announcements coming beyond this year. Cook said that Apple is using Apple Music on Android as a way of testing the waters for growing its services division through other platforms, opening up the door for more porting in the future.
Cook talked about Campus 2 as well:
Apple employees will likely first begin moving into the new campus by the end of January 2017. He emphasized how important the new theater will be in giving Apple flexibility to hold larger events on its own campus versus relying on places in San Fransisco or San Jose. Cook reportedly called the new campus a "gift" to the future of Apple employees.
Source: 9to5Mac
