Apple CEO says 2012 Apple Maps was 'big mistake'

  Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook has reflected on his time as head of the tech giant. Mr Cook will bow out as Apple boss in September. He revealed which Apple products he deemed to have been less than perfect. In particular, he singled out Apple Maps as being a "really big mistake". In 2012, he recommended using what he thought were more reliable map apps from Apple's competitors. He said admitting this was a hard thing to do. The original Apple Maps was widely criticised upon its release for guiding drivers to bizarre places due to faulty data and mapping errors. These included non-existent bridges, businesses in the ocean, and fields of wheat shown as airports.

Tim Cook was appointed CEO of Apple in 2011. He succeeded visionary pioneer and co-founder Steve Jobs. During his tenure, Cook transformed Apple from a $350 billion company into a $4 trillion company. It continues to generate enormous profits and growth through products like the iPhone. Cook has ensured Apple's brand represents a superlative lifestyle choice. Today, roughly one out of every five people on Earth uses an Apple device. Apple products are among the most integrated in our lives. Cook revealed that his greatest achievement was the Apple Watch, and its impact on health, fitness, and daily habits. He said: "Apple's greatest contribution will be in the health and wellness area."

1. PAPER MAPS: Students A strongly believe paper maps are better than map apps; Students B strongly believe map apps are better. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
2. BIG MISTAKES: What big mistakes have you made in these categories?

	Mistakes	How I Felt	What I Did
Shopping
English
Cooking
Friends
Money
Fashion

3. APPLE: What do you know about these Apple products and put the best at the top.

iOS Apps

·         Apple Music

·         iPad

·         Apple Watch

·         AirPods

·         Vision Pro

·         iPhone

·         iMac

·         Apple TV

4. Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

1.	outgoing	a.	To leave or stop something, often politely.
2.	faulty	b.	Very strange or unusual.
3.	bow out	c.	Leaving an office of position.
4.	deemed	d.	A grass grain used to make flour for bread, pasta, and cakes
5.	reliable	e.	Thought or decided by people.
6.	bizarre	f.	Someone or something you can trust.
7.	wheat	g.	Not working correctly or having a problem.

    Paragraph 2

8.	appointed	h.	The best or highest in quality.
9.	succeeded	i.	Chosen for a job or position.
10.	pioneer	j.	The time someone spends in a job or position.
11.	tenure	k.	With various parts or aspects linked or coordinated.
12.	superlative	l.	Took over a job or industry from someone else.
13.	integrated	m.	To make something certain to happen, to guarantee
14.	ensured	n.	A person who is one of the first to do something.

5. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1. reflected
2. revealed
3. reliable
4. bizarre
5. faulty
6. succeeded
7. superlative
8. integrated
9. achievement
10. fitness

1. weird
2. merged
3. disclosed
4. malfunctioning
5. accomplishment
6. thought about
7. well-being
8. replaced
9. premier
10. dependable

6. Role play: Why is each one of these considered to be a visionary?

1. Steve Jobs
2. Elon Musk
3. Jeff Bezos
4. Bill Gates
5. Mark Zuckerberg

7. Which ones of these technologies had the biggest impact on the way we live:

1.  The Printing Press
2. Electricity
3. The Internet
4. The Personal Computer
5. Smartphones
6. Vaccines
7. The Automobile
8. Airplanes
9. Artificial Intelligence
10. The Telegraph
11. The Telephone
12. Radio
13. Television
14. Satellites
15. Antibiotics

8. QUESTIONS 

1. What do you think of the tech company Apple?
2. Which business leaders do you like and dislike?
3. What tech giants do you like and dislike?
4. What do you think of using map apps?
5. What do you think is the best Apple product?
6. What do you need to be a great CEO?
7. When was the last time you admitted making a mistake?
8. What's the worst tech product you've ever used?

11. Who do you think are visionaries?
12. Why do you think the Apple brand is so well liked?
13. Do you have what it takes to be a CEO?
14. What do you think of Apple's logo?
15. What do you think of smart watches?
16. How does technology affect your health and wellness?
17. What questions would you like to ask Apple's CEO?

9. Controversial Discussion Scenarios (Agree or Disagree?)

Discuss these statements in pairs or small groups. Justify your opinions with examples:

• “Tech companies are more powerful than governments.”
• “Admitting mistakes publicly makes a CEO stronger.”
• “Apple’s success is more about marketing than innovation.”
• “Big tech companies should be more strictly regulated.”
• “Privacy is less important than convenience in modern technology.”

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10. Design a Tech Company

Create your own tech company inspired by Apple.

Student Task:

• Define your mission (What problem do you solve?)
• Name your company
• Describe your main product
• Explain how your company is different from competitors like Apple or Google
• Present and defend your company to the class

11. SCENARIOS  

1. 🚗 “Safety vs Speed” (Testing vs Launch)

Scenario:
Your company is developing self-driving cars. The system is not 100% ready, but your manager wants to launch soon to compete with companies like Tesla.

Student Task:

• Do you launch the car now or wait?
• Is safety more important than speed?
• What would you do as an engineer?

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2. 🧠 “AI Decision Problem” (Technology vs Ethics)

Scenario:
The car’s AI must make a difficult decision in an accident situation (for example: protect passengers or pedestrians).

Student Task:

• How should the AI decide?
• Who is responsible: the engineer or the company?
• Is it possible to make a “perfect” decision?

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3. 📊 “Data vs Privacy” (Performance vs Trust)

Scenario:
To improve the cars, your company wants to collect a lot of user data (location, driving habits, etc.).

Student Task:

• Is it OK to collect this data?
• Should users control their data?
• How important is privacy in the U.S. vs France?

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4. 🌍 “Cultural Differences” (France vs U.S.)

Scenario:
You are working in the U.S., but you notice differences in work culture (communication, hierarchy, working hours).

Student Task:

• What differences do you notice?
• Which culture do you prefer?
• How do you adapt to a new work culture?

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5. 💰 “Company Pressure” (Profit vs Quality)

Scenario:
Your company wants to reduce costs. This could make the product less reliable.

Student Task:

• Do you accept lower quality to save money?
• How important is reliability in self-driving cars?
• What would you say to your manager?

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6. 🤝 “Team Communication” (Language & Clarity)

Scenario:
You are working in English, but it is not your first language. Sometimes there are misunderstandings in your team.

Student Task:

• How do you improve communication?
• Is it difficult to work in another language?
• What strategies can help?

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7. ⚠️ “Big Mistake” (Admitting Errors)

Scenario:
You find a serious bug in the system. It could be dangerous, but fixing it will delay the project.

Student Task:

• Do you report the problem immediately?
• Is it easy to admit mistakes at work?
• What could happen if you say nothing?

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8. 🏁 “Competition” (Innovation vs Copying)

Scenario:
Another company creates a better self-driving system. Your company wants to copy some ideas.

Student Task:

• Is copying OK in technology?
• Should companies focus on innovation?
• How can your company stay competitive?

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9. 📢 “Public Trust” (Reputation vs Reality)

Scenario:
There is an accident with a self-driving car. People start to distrust the technology.

Student Task:

• How can your company rebuild trust?
• Should companies be more transparent?
• Would you still trust self-driving cars?

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10. 🚀 “Future Vision” (Technology vs Society)

Scenario:
Self-driving cars may change cities, jobs, and daily life.

Student Task:

• What changes will happen in the future?
• Will this technology improve life?
• What are the risks?