“Not the first, but the best.” Tim Cook explained why Apple may be lagging behind its competitors

Tim Cook gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal, during which he spoke about Apple’s vision and weak sales of the Vision Pro.

Most importantly, I recognize that the Vision Pro is not a product for the masses due to its prohibitively high prices. He called the helmet “the device of tomorrow,” which requires a first break-in and requires the most advanced users.

WSJ journalist Ben Cohen called Apple’s approach to innovation “not the first, but the best.” To which Cook replied:

We don’t mind being first at all. As it turns out, it takes a while for things to be really great. This requires many iterations. You need to worry about every detail. Sometimes it takes a little longer.

We would prefer to come out with such a product and such a contribution to people, rather than running ahead of the locomotive to do everything faster. If we can do both, then that’s fantastic. But if we can only do one thing, there is no doubt about it. If you discussed this with 100 people, I think 100 of them would tell you: This job is about being the best.

— Tim Cook

Cook also said Apple Intelligence makes the experience of using Apple products “profoundly different.” He noted that he used to read long emails, but thanks to AI, he can save a lot of time by reading only small amounts from the AI.