Apple reaffirms iPhone, says 90m iPods sold

Apple's chief operating officer Tim Cook has confirmed that the company has sold 90 million iPods since October of 2001 at the Goldman Sachs 2007 Technology Investment Symposiium Conference, and reassured investors that the iPhone is still due to launch in June as originally planned. Cook spoke on the the forthcoming iPhone as well as potential iPod cannibalism, and said that the company's CFO Peter Oppenheimer will speak at the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference on March 6th at around 3:00 p.m. PT. The COO answered detailed questions about Apple's stance on innovation, the iPhone, iPods, the iTunes Store, movie studios, and more. When asked how Apple keeps innovating at a fast enough pace and in a way that is differentiated enough to keep in front of what is an increasing list of competitors and a growing number of markets, Cook responded by citing Apple's track record that began with the iMac.

"Think about how the iMac has evolved. Think about the iPod, and then the iPod mini," Cook said. "Many people asked the question after the iPod mini, and wham, the iPod nano comes into effect."

Cook explained that Apple's corporate culture is very simple.

"We hire people who want to make the best products in the world, and provide an atmosphere to challenge each other to make the best products," the executive said, adding that this concept is deeply embedded in the DNA of the company.

Filed under: Apple