• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

5 key quotes from Apple’s earnings call

By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 22, 2009, 6:38 PM ET

Acting CEO Tim Cook handled the bulk of the questions from analysts in Apple’s (AAPL) second-quarter earnings call Wednesday, and he seized the opportunity — in Steve Jobs’ absence — to wave the company’s flag.

Five key quotes (checked against Seeking Alpha’s transcript):

On Apple’s shrinking market share: “I care about US share, of course I do. However, I think cycles come and cycles go. And what we’re about is making the best computers in the world, not making the most, and not getting to a point where we are building products that we are not building products that we are not proud of. And so that first and foremost is our objective and we believe that if we do that over the long-term that we will gain share.”

On netbooks: “For us, it’s about doing great products. And when I look at what is being sold in the netbook space today, I see cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens, and just not a consumer experience, and not something that we would put the Mac brand on quite frankly. And so, it’s not a space as it exists today that we are interested in, nor do we believe that customers in the long term would be interested in.”

On leaving AT&T for Verizon: “We view AT&T as a very good partner. … We’re very happy with the relationship that we have and do not have a plan to change it. From a technology point of view as you know, Verizon is on CDMA and we chose from the beginning of the iPhone to focus on one phone for the whole of the world and when you do that, you really go down the GSM route, because CDMA is – doesn’t really have a life to it after a point in time.”

On China: “We now have of the four BRIC countries, Brazil, Russia, India, and China, we have three of those up. We would like to be in China within the next year and are currently working on that. But I have got nothing specific to announce today on this.”

On the Palm pre and Apple’s intellectual property: “We think competition is great, we think it makes all of us better, as long as other companies invent their own stuff.”

See also:

  • Live from Apple’s Q2 earnings call
  • Apple’s Q2: A test of fundamentals
About the Author
By Philip Elmer-DeWitt
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Personal Financemortgages
Current mortgage rates report for Dec. 8, 2025: Rates hold steady with Fed meeting on horizon
By Glen Luke FlanaganDecember 8, 2025
52 seconds ago
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for Dec. 8, 2025
By Glen Luke FlanaganDecember 8, 2025
52 seconds ago
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current refi mortgage rates report for Dec. 8, 2025
By Glen Luke FlanaganDecember 8, 2025
52 seconds ago
CryptoBinance
Binance has been proudly nomadic for years. A new announcement suggests it’s finally chosen a headquarters
By Ben WeissDecember 7, 2025
4 hours ago
Big TechStreaming
Trump warns Netflix-Warner deal may pose antitrust ‘problem’
By Hadriana Lowenkron, Se Young Lee and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
8 hours ago
Big TechOpenAI
OpenAI goes from stock market savior to burden as AI risks mount
By Ryan Vlastelica and BloombergDecember 7, 2025
8 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Real Estate
The 'Great Housing Reset' is coming: Income growth will outpace home-price growth in 2026, Redfin forecasts
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Nvidia CEO says data centers take about 3 years to construct in the U.S., while in China 'they can build a hospital in a weekend'
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The most likely solution to the U.S. debt crisis is severe austerity triggered by a fiscal calamity, former White House economic adviser says
By Jason MaDecember 6, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says Europe has a 'real problem’
By Katherine Chiglinsky and BloombergDecember 6, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Big Tech
Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook for the metaverse. Four years and $70 billion in losses later, he’s moving on
By Eva RoytburgDecember 5, 2025
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Supreme Court to reconsider a 90-year-old unanimous ruling that limits presidential power on removing heads of independent agencies
By Mark Sherman and The Associated PressDecember 7, 2025
16 hours ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.