In Steve Jobs Theater, Apple shareholders eat the air, promise-crammed

Apple is planting seeds and rolling dice on a long, great roadmap of fantastic products that will blow you away.

From Mark Gurman’s report for Bloomberg Friday on Apple’s 2019 shareholders meeting:

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said he has “never been more optimistic” about where the company is today and where it’s heading. In a pep talk to investors, Cook said the iPhone maker is “planting seeds” and “rolling the dice” on future products that will just “blow you away.”

Speaking at the company’s annual general meeting in Cupertino, California, Cook reiterated that the iPhone maker is still on track to double revenue from services in 2020 from the nearly $25 billion in 2016. Referencing speaking notes on an iPad, Cook touched on several of the company’s product categories.

He said eventually the goal is to lower the price on the $1,200 MacBook Air laptop with a higher-resolution screen and said there’s a “long, great roadmap of fantastic” products related to the Apple Watch and AirPods. He indicated that more health features would come to the smartwatch.

My take: Less talk, please, more objects of wonder and delight. But I wasn’t there. Eager to hear from those who were.

UPDATE: Tweets that caught my eye.

On Apple Watch, Cook says expect the company to continue “pulling the string between wellness and health.” Points out ECG, but also more workout types in the Apple Watch.

AirPods, he says, have been “a cultural phenomenon.” He feels like similar to the white iPod earbuds

— Ian Sherr (@iansherr) March 1, 2019

The sort of pressing questions asked of Tim Cook by shareholders:
-Can I get a second hand on the Apple Watch?
-Why can’t I transfer movies over the USB-C port on the iPad Pro?
-What’s your strategy for FileMaker for small and mid-sized businesses?

— Jack Nicas (@jacknicas) March 1, 2019

More debate among shareholders on the proposal to require more ideological diversity on Apple’s board, but the biggest applause was for the guy who said let’s move on. The proposal was voted down by 98.3% of votes.

— Jack Nicas (@jacknicas) March 1, 2019

Other notes from today’s $AAPL shareholder meeting: @tim_cook spent a good deal of time telling shareholders that Apple is working on a lot of things that it doesn’t talk about, some of which he thinks will be incredible and some of which ultimately won’t work out.

— Stephen Nellis (@StephenNellis) March 1, 2019

Words cannot describe how incredible it felt to visit the Steve Jobs Theater this morning for the Apple 2019 annual meeting of shareholders. One of my favorite things I’ve ever done. pic.twitter.com/2Ybvy4Onse

— Matt Klein says… (@matt_klein18) March 1, 2019