On April 23, Bloomberg reported that Apple CEO Tim Cook plans to step down in a few months. He said that launching Apple Maps on the iPhone in 2012 was his "first really big mistake" as the head of the company.
At that time, this map application was not available in many places around the world. It provided users with incorrect route guidance and incorrectly labeled landmarks. The overall experience was far inferior to the map service provided by Google on the iPhone at the time.
"That product wasn't ready yet, but we thought it was because we were testing more locally relevant content," Cook said Tuesday during an internal all-hands meeting with his newly appointed successor, John Ternus.
The launch ultimately triggered the first major management shakeup of Cook's tenure, when he fired software chief Scott Forstall. Forstall was a close collaborator of Cook's predecessor, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
Cook also said that there are many moments that make him proud, but the Apple Watch and its health features stand out. When the Apple Watch debuted in 2014, its primary health feature was heart rate monitoring. Since then, Apple has added a variety of features, such as high blood pressure detection.
"I still remember the first Apple Watch feedback I received from a user, who told me that the watch saved his life. Now, of course, I receive messages like this every day, but the first one was particularly touching and made me stop in my tracks."