Apple’s Vice President of iPhone and iOS Product Marketing Greg Joswiak was interviewed at the Code/Mobile conference today, where he discussed a number of new Apple products and initiatives, including the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple Pay, the Apple Watch, and the ill-fated iOS 8.0.1 release last month. While Apple had previously announced first weekend sales of 10 million iPhones, Joswiak wouldn’t disclose the breakdown between the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, although he did mention that most iPhones are sold at carrier stores, rather than directly by Apple. When asked about Apple SIM for phones, Joswiak said he wouldn’t discuss the subject. Asked about the iOS 8.0.1 release that caused carrier and Touch ID problems on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Joswiak also apologized, but noted that the problem wasn’t the software itself, but rather how it was distributed, and said that less than 40,000 users were affected. When asked more pointedly about QA issues recently plaguing iPhones, Joswiak responded that, “[t]he reality is we don’t make many mistakes,” but that Apple quickly acknowledges the mistakes and works to resolve them.
In discussing the decision by some U.S. retailers to shut out Apple Pay, Joswiak responded that retailers who want to be successful will accept the way customers want to pay. Regarding the Apple Watch, Joswiak defended the form factor, saying “things tend to read better when they’re square,” and when asked by Walt Mossberg who the Apple Watch was for, based on the high price points, Joswiak simply responded with ‘Who is it not for?” Joswiak responded more evasively to questions regarding falling iPad sales and experiences with Siri; Joswiak stated that “Siri has gotten really good,” and when asked by Walt Mossberg whether everyone has had a perfect experience with Siri, Joswiak responded by saying, “You can’t ask that. Has everyone had a perfect experience with Walt?” Joswiak noted that Apple’s priority is on staying focused on making the best products and user experience, rather than chasing market share, and that Apple is often not the first to do something, but rather aims to be the first to do it well.
