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Tim Cook Accuses Microsoft of Copying Apple’s Strategy Bloomberg

You need to keep innovating, Cook said when talking about Microsoft’s new vision

Sep 19, 2013 12:31 GMT  ·  By
Tim Cook says that lots of companies are looking into Apple's yard for ideas to innovate
   Tim Cook says that lots of companies are looking into Apple's yard for ideas to innovate

Microsoft’s new strategy of migrating towards devices and services keeps making the headlines, this time thanks to Apple’s CEO Tim Cook who has his own view on Redmond’s new plan.

Cook said in an interview with Bloomberg that Microsoft was actually copying Apple’s strategy and the recent acquisition of Nokia’s mobile unit is the living proof.

In fact, Microsoft still struggles to innovate because bringing new things to the market, Cook claims, is the only way to remain an important player in such a crowded industry. “Innovate or die,” he reiterated, explaining that everyone is now looking into Apple’s yard to look for new ideas to gain market share.

“Everybody is trying to adopt Apple’s strategy. We’re not looking for external validation of our strategy, but I think it does suggest that there’s a lot of copying, kind of, on the strategy and that people have recognized that importance,” Cook commented on the Nokia acquisition. “I think [Nokia] is a reminder to everyone in business that you have to keep innovating and that to not innovate is to die.”

This isn’t the first time, though, when Microsoft is accused of following the same steps as the fruity-named company.

What Microsoft is actually trying to do is to expand its product lineup in a way that would allow it to boost sales in yet unexplored industry sectors, such as tablets and mobile phones.

Some say that Microsoft has failed miserably to make a name for itself when it comes to smartphones and tablets, with analysts claiming that the company is actually late to the party, so it has absolutely no chance to fight with Apple, Google, or Samsung, for example.

Instead, Microsoft keeps investing millions of dollars and is getting ready for a new avalanche of fresh products that are supposed to hit the market in the coming months.

In addition to Windows 8.1, which is set to be unveiled on October 18, the company is also preparing a major update for its mobile platform, as well as new tablets running its flagship operating system. Both the Surface RT and the Pro will get updates soon, while a smaller Surface supposed to compete with the iPad mini and Nexus 7 is said to be here by year end.