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 Speaking at a technology conference organized by The Wall Street
Journal in Laguna Beach, Calif., Cook said that an additional 8.5
million people are participating in a free trial of the Apple Music
service. That gives it more than 15 million users in total, which
Cook described as a successful debut.
"I'm really happy about it, and I think the runway here is really
good," Cook said.
Released in June, Apple Music is the company's attempt to carry its
dominance of digital music through its iTunes store into the era of
music streaming pioneered by Spotify and others. Apple is allowing
users to test its service with a 90-day free trial, which elapsed
for the first users earlier this month.
Analysts have predicted that Apple's service will find a strong
following due to the vast installed base of iTunes users, but few
think the iPhone maker will eclipse other music streaming companies.
Spotify, the industry leader, has more than 20 million paid
subscribers worldwide, the company has told Reuters.
In a wide-ranging conversation with Gerard Baker, editor in chief of
The Wall Street Journal, Cook also touched on Apple TV, which
recently received a long-awaited update. A new version of the
set-top box featuring apps and expanded search features will be
released later this month, but the product does not include a
streaming TV service, which industry executives say the company is
exploring.
Although television has been slow to change, Cook expressed optimism
that the industry will eventually embrace his vision of apps for TV.
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"There are very few content owners that believe that the existing
model will last forever," Cook said. "I think the most
forward-thinking ones are looking and saying, 'I'd rather have the
first-mover advantage.'"
Cook did not publicly acknowledge efforts by Apple to build an
electric vehicle, which sources tell Reuters are under way. But he
sketched out his future vision of what cars will look like, with a
greater infusion of technology.
"What I see is that software becomes an increasingly important
component of the car of the future," he said. "You see that
autonomous driving becomes much more important."
(Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
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