Apple CEO Tim Cook has never commented on future, unannounced Apple products, but that doesn’t stop investors and analysts from trying every quarter. During Apple’s Q1 2020 earnings call today, Cook was again asked about Apple’s plans for 5G.
Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty tried to acknowledge the obvious. “At some point in the future, Apple will launch a 5G iPhone,” she said. The actual question centered on how big a demand driver Cook thinks 5G is, and what will be the “killer app” from a consumer perspective.
Cook explained that we’re still in the “early innings” of 5G deployment and he’s “excited” about Apple’s pipeline. But beyond that, he didn’t have much to say.
Krish Shankar of Callan and Company then specifically asked about the “general view” that when 5G phones come out, “they are going to be more expensive due to higher component costs,” and how that plays into Apple’s strategy across different marks. Again, Cook wasn’t having any of it.
The iPhone 12 lineup is widely expected to feature support for 5G connectivity using modems supplied by Qualcomm. Other than his “pipeline” comment, however, Cook offered no indication of what to expect.
Read our full coverage of Apple’s Q1 2020 earnings release here.
