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Not interested in revenue for revenue's sake

Tim Cook on Apple's latest earnings call:

The most important thing to Apple is to make the best products in the world that enrich customers’ lives. That’s our high order bit. That means that we aren’t interested in revenue for revenue’s sake. We can put the Apple brand on a lot of things and sell a lot more stuff, but that’s not what we’re here for. We want to make only the best products.

Companies shouldn't be about profits for profits sake. They should be about fulfilling their mission, with profits as a necessary condition for and a by-product of that.

8 comments

Mark Flint
 

I like apple products but I do not believe the comment, have you seen there profits
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Alexander Kjerulf
 

*cough* Bullshit *cough* :o)
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Mette Glargaard
 

What Alexander says!
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Calvin Conaway
 

Really? To me it's clear as daylight. There's a gazillion things they *could* do that would generate more revenue, that they won't do. Netbooks and PDAs were obvious ones, that are now dead. But if they wanted they could do a lot more apple branded accessories, they could lend their design and brand to products and have them produced by someone else like a Karim Rasheed, they could make 20 or 80 different phone models. But they won't, because it's not about revenue for revenue's sake. It's about making a few amazing products that surpass what anyone else is capable of, and through that, make insane profits ... and revenue. There's a big big difference between putting revenue first or putting revenue second or third or fourth. Same goes with profit.
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Alexander Kjerulf
 

Hmmm... I have yet to see a single example of Apple choosing something that would be good for the customer or the world over their bottom line. The choices you mention, eg. fewer products, were IMHO made to bolster their bottom line. Also, it's an annoyingly persistent marketing myth that that Apple products are significantly better than competing ones. I think their commitment is to design, not quality and those are not the same thing. Apple products may be a little sexier, they're not really better. But I'm writing this on my new Mac laptop, so what do I know :o)
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Calvin Conaway
 

I think it's pretty obvious that the original iPhone was significantly better (design and quality and capability and everything other measure I can think of) than anything else that was at the market at the time. Would you not agree?
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Alexander Kjerulf
 

Sure, back then. But now there is no quality difference between Apple and, say, Samsung.
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David Belo
 

David Belo liked this on Facebook.
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