Tim Cook Says Apple Won't Become A Mobile Carrier

CEO Tim Cook: No, Apple won’t launch a mobile network of its own

The future of Apple, a company known for its secrecy, is always a little unclear. That makes new product announcements very exciting, but it also leads to plenty of rumors around the web. CEO Tim Cook, however, recently gave a little insight into the future of Apple, debunking some of the rumors that have been floating around of late.

In particular, Cook debunked the rumor that the company would one day cut out mobile carriers and launch a mobile network of its own.

“Our expertise doesn’t extend to the network. We’ve worked with AT&T in the U.S., O2 in the U.K., as well as T-Mobile and Orange, and we expanded as we learned more. But generally, the things Apple likes to do, are things we can do globally,” said Cook in an interview with the former commissioner for Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes. “We don’t have the network skill. We’ll do some things with e-SIMs along the way, but in general, I like the things carriers do.”

Basically, we probably shouldn’t expect to be able to get around using standard mobile carriers any time soon. The e-SIM mention is a reference to a 2011 patent for a SIM card that’s embedded in the phone and allows customers to switch carriers whenever they want without the need for another SIM card.

Cook also talked about the future of the Apple Watch, saying that people’s health will be an important aspect of how the Apple Watch develops over time. In fact, Cook talked about the fact that smartwatches in general could play a very important role in our health, while also helping transform how we pay for items.

Clearly, Cook is very confident about the future of the smartwatch — which likely means that Apple will put a lot of effort into developing and refining the watch.

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