What you need to know
- Tim Cook joined Brut. CEO Guillaume Lacroix for an interview at Viva Technology.
- Cook discussed privacy, security, and hinted at future products coming from the company.
Tim Cook is not a fan of side-loading apps on the iPhone.
The Apple CEO sat down with Guillaume Lacroix, the CEO of Brut., for an interview during Europe's startup event Viva Technology. The interview was wide-ranging, touching on security, privacy, workplace culture, and future products.
Part of the discussion touched on the Digital Markets Act in Europe, which proposed legislation that could force Apple to allow the side-loading of apps on the iPhone. Cook pushed back against the legislation and side-loading in general, saying that it would cause major damage to both privacy and security.
"I mean, you look at malware as an example, and Android has 47x more malware than iOS. Why is that? It's because we've designed iOS in such a way that there's one App Store and all of the apps are reviewed prior to going on the store. That keeps a lot of this malware stuff out of our ecosystem. Customers have told us very continuously how much they value that. And so we're going to be standing up for the user in the discussions and we'll see where it goes."
When asked about potential future products, Cook was of course very reserved and would not disclose anything in detail - Apple is known for its secrecy around unreleased products. However, the CEO did make a reference to a potential AR product outside of the iPhone and iPad.
"We've been working with AR first with our phones and iPads, and later, we'll see where that goes in terms of products ... I get excited about AR because I see it as a technology that can enhance life."
A huge rumor is that Apple is working on both an augmented reality and virtual reality headset. Apple's AR headset could launch as soon as the second quarter of 2022, according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
You can watch the entire interview between Cook and Lacroix below:
