Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said the company is not planning to offer cryptocurrency features on its Apple Pay platform anytime soon.
Cook made the comments at The New York Times DealBook conference. Cook said while the company had no immediate plans to enable cryptocurrency functionality on Apple Pay, “There are other things that we are definitely looking at.”
Cook also revealed that he personally owns cryptocurrencies, but that he has no plans to invest Apple’s cash in the asset.
“I don’t think people buy Apple stock to get exposure to crypto,” he said. Nor does Apple have any immediate plans to accept cryptocurrency for its products.
Cook also called non-fungible tokens (NFTs) an “interesting” part of cryptocurrency.
In the payments world, Apple is considered by some to be a laggard in implementing cryptocurrency support. Square (NYSE:SQ) and PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) each support various cryptocurrency features, while Amazon and eBay have both shown a willingness to accept the currency in the future.
During the conference, Cook also defended Apple’s App Store commission rate, saying most developers are charged a 15% cut instead of the full 30%. He did say, however, that more changes to the App Store will come in the future.
Asked about Facebook’s rebrand and its metaverse push, Cook said augmented reality remains a core technology for Apple. The company plans to unveil its own mixed reality headset next year, he said.
