9:15 AM – Tim Cook, CEO of Apple yesterday sent a lengthy letter to all employees, according to a report from 9to5Mac. This letter gives insight about what has happened in 2013 and what next year holds for the company. This year, Apple introduced several new products to its line up. There was the iPad Air, the new Retina iPad mini, the industry-shaker iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c. Most products have seen success, while one in particular was seen inferior.
Cook starts off the letter with a good thought. There is no doubt that Apple products are one of the most purchased during this holiday season. The company sells millions upon millions of products. “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.”
He continues on to note several launched products, the recently released Mavericks OS X software, and even mentions the Mac Pro. The fully-redesigned and re-engineered Mac Pro is made in the company’s home country, United States. The company takes proud in saying that the Mac Pro is designed and manufactured in United States. The desktop computer was recently made available to the public, with the initial stock dry and shipping December 31 of this year. Second wave of orders will ship in February. If you ordered your Mac Pro and will be getting it in the first wave shipment, be sure to send us an email or post in the comments below about your experience. He also states that the company hit another milestone of 50 billion app download from the App Store.
The company has seen a lot of success and it likes to share a portion of its success to charities. Tim Cook states that the company has “raised and donated tens of millions of dollars for important charities and relief efforts like Red Cross aid to typhoon victims in the Philippines, and we continue to be the largest contributor to (PRODUCT)RED, supporting the Global Fund in its fight against the spread of AIDS in Africa.” Whenever there is a big cause or an event, the company never refuses to offer support, as we have seen in the past.
Cook notes Apple’s fight for diversity, equality, and against discrimination. In recent address, the CEO expressed his concern in a video message and “urged the U.S. Congress to support workplace protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” Continuing on, he said that “we are also laser focused on our contribution to several environmental initiatives and we will increase our efforts even more in this area in the future.”
He finishes up the letter with saying that the company has big plans for 2014 that customers will love. For quite some time now, it has been rumored that Apple will be releasing an iWatch sometime in 2014, most like during the next iPhone launch. Speaking of the iPhone, recent rumors also suggest that Apple has been testing 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screen sizes with glass that curves downward at the edges, for the next iPhone. The company is also rumored to be working on a 12.9-inch sized iPad, possible named “iPad Pro.”
For your reading pleasure, the full letter is below. Let us know what you think.
[quote]
Team,
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.
First and foremost, we introduced industry-leading products in each of our major categories in 2013, showing the breadth and depth of innovation at Apple. We extended our lead in the smartphone market with iPhone 5s; launched iOS 7, an extraordinarily ambitious project; released OS X Mavericks for free to our customers; introduced the iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina display; and this week began shipping the Mac Pro from a manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas. We also marked our 50 billionth download on the App Store – a milestone no one could have predicted we would reach so quickly.
Together we’ve shown the world that innovation at Apple goes beyond our products to the way we do business and how we give back to our community. This year, Apple raised and donated tens of millions of dollars for important charities and relief efforts like Red Cross aid to typhoon victims in the Philippines, and we continue to be the largest contributor to (PRODUCT)RED, supporting the Global Fund in its fight against the spread of AIDS in Africa. Just a few weeks ago, Jony Ive led an unprecedented effort that brought money and awareness to eliminating the transmission of AIDS from mother to child.
And finally, Apple is standing up for what we believe is right. We know that equality and diversity make our company and our society stronger, so we’ve urged the U.S. Congress to support workplace protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We are also laser focused on our contribution to several environmental initiatives and we will increase our efforts even more in this area in the future.
We have a lot to look forward to in 2014, including some big plans that we think customers are going to love. I am extremely proud to stand alongside you as we put innovation to work serving humankind’s deepest values and highest aspirations. I consider myself the luckiest person in the world for the opportunity to work at this amazing company with all of you.
Happy Holidays,
Tim[/quote]
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