Tim Cook Reflects On 2013 And Looks Forward To 2014 In Memo To Apple Employees
December 23, 2013
In keeping with the reflective spirit of the holiday season, Apple CEO Tim Cook today sent a memo via email to employees thinking back to the past year and looking forward to the new year.
The memo, which was first reported on by 9to5Mac, begins thus:
This holiday season, tens of millions of people around the world, from all walks of life, are experiencing Apple products for the first time. Those moments of surprise and delight are magical, and they’re all made possible by your hard work. As many of us prepare to celebrate the holidays with our loved ones, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve achieved together over the past year.Cook goes on to cite the "industry-leading products" introduced by Apple in 2013. These include the iPhone 5s, OS X Mavericks, the iPad Air, the iPad mini with Retina display, the recently released Mac Pro, and iOS 7, which earns a special mention as "an extraordinarily ambitious project." He also brings up the 50 billionth download milestone reached by Apple's App Store in mid-May, nearly five years after the digital store's launch. Cook then focuses on Apple's achievements outside its product portfolio. He touches on Apple's significant contributions to charities, including the Red Cross for Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts in the Philippines and Product (RED) for the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. He also mentions Apple's efforts in promoting employment nondiscrimination and environmental advocacy. In closing, Cook notes that Apple has "a lot to look forward to in 2014, including some big plans that we think customers are going to love." Could the long-rumored iWatch be one of them? Well, we'll know for sure in the next 12 months at most. Cook also says that he considers himself "the luckiest person in the world" for being at Apple with the rest of its employees, whom he wishes "Happy Holidays." You can read Cook's memo in its entirety over at 9to5Mac.
