Apple's Tim Cook and Jony Ive on Android, iPhone 5C, iOS 7

If you're searching for some deep analysis of the alleged problems surrounding Apple and its current share of the mobile market, you won't have to look far. Stock prices, Samsung's hold on China, and reportedly low pre-orders for the new iPhone 5C have caused quite a stir in the tech community.

Image Source: phonearena

But during an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek (via The Verge) three of Cupertino's biggest executives--CEO TIm Cook, design chief Jony Ive, and software head Craig Federighi--set the record straight on competing with Android, collaborating on iOS 7, and the thought process behind the company's newest iPhones.

"We never had an objective to sell a low-cost phone," said Apple CEO Tim Cook. "Our primary objective is to sell a great phone and provide a great experience, and we figured out a way to do it at a lower cost."

Cook is of course referring to the "unapologetically plastic" iPhone 5C. Analysts had predicted the lower-cost iPhone would take a jab at Samsung's mid-range market dominance, but the device--unsubsidized--is only $100 cheaper than the flagship iPhone 5S. And while Apple's stock prices have recently taken a turn for the worse, Cook said he's "not going to lose sleep" over the fluctuations of the market. "I don’t feel euphoric on the up, and I don’t slit my wrists when it goes down," said Cook.

During the Bloomberg interview, it was apparent Craig Federighi and Jony Ive have sparked a close collaborative spirit through the development of iOS 7, the just-released Apple OS that features a major design overhaul from prior versions. Ive says the pair weren't focused on their respective roles in the organization, as much as they were interested in extending the collaboration. "Successful collaboration, in your mind, could be that your opinion is the most valuable and becomes the prevailing sort of direction," said Ive. "That’s not collaborating."

All three Apple executives appeared to wave off the matter of Android's growing portion of mobile OS market share, with Cook pointing out the dominant usage rates of iOS, saying "it matters that people use our products." Jony Ive dismissed the idea of cramming new gimmicks into Apple products, simply as a means to embolden the iPhone or iOS feature set. "We didn’t start opportunistically with 10 bits of technology that we could try to find a use for to add to our features list," said Ive.

The iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S launch on Friday. Be sure to check out IGN's buyer's guide for all the relevant info.

Matt Clark is a freelance writer covering the world of videogames, tech, and popular culture. Follow him on Twitter @ClarkMatt and MyIGN at Matt_Clark.

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