Tim Cook called the Apple Vision Pro a success with low sales and AI that isn't out yet

Apple CEO Tim Cook has a rather unique definition of success. He regards the Apple Vision Pro headset, which is not in high demand, and Apple Intelligence, which has yet to be released, as the best on the market.

Apple's two largest future bets are on Apple Intelligence and Vision Pro. The AI assistant has not yet been launched, and the headset has received mixed reviews and lacks strong sales. However, in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, CEO Tim Cook shared his personal interpretation of the term "success."

Discussing the Vision Pro, Cook referred to it as "successful today," but not by conventional standards. He doesn't claim that sales of the device have been high. In a response that seems like an evasion of the question, he noted:

“I’ve always wanted to sell more than anything, because ultimately we want our products in the hands of as many people as possible. So obviously, I would like to sell more. Over time, everything improves, and it [Apple Vision Pro] will also keep getting better. I think today it’s simply a success in terms of building an ecosystem.”

This means that Tim Cook has postponed the notion of success to the future and currently considers the creation of architecture to be success. When it came to Apple Intelligence, he also defined success in a unique way. Cook frequently repeated to his interviewer the phrase “not first, but best.” However, even the word “best” is interpreted by him in his own way.

“We weren’t the first to create intelligence. But we did it in a way we believe is best for the customer.”

According to Cook, the success of Apple Intelligence currently lies not in being the best from a technological standpoint but in providing the best experience for customers. Overall, this vision aligns with the spirit of Apple, which has always been less concerned with creating abstract technologies and more focused on specific products for specific needs.

Time will tell whether Tim Cook's "success" in these areas will translate into real commercial product success. For now, it is merely a promise of the future and a way to say "we're doing well" against the backdrop of Vision Pro's lack of popularity and the long delay in the release of AI.