CEO hopes 'great stuff' will make a tempting Apple

“The company is working as hard as ever, and we have some great stuff coming,” Cook told shareholders Wednesday before taking their questions during Apple's annual meeting at its Cupertino, California, headquarters.

True to Apple's secretive nature, Cook didn't provide any further product details, although at one point he said the company is considering entering other categories besides its popular line of digital music players, smartphones and tablet computers.

There has been speculation that Apple is working on an Internet-connected watch or TV that will be introduced later this year. One shareholder at Wednesday's meeting threw a new idea for Apple to ponder — a computerized bicycle. Cook, an avid bicyclist, chuckled at the suggestion, along with the rest of the audience.

Although there were more moments of levity, Wednesday's meeting was less celebratory than the events in past years, when Apple's stock price was soaring to the delight and enrichment of its shareholders.

Since hitting an all-time high of US$705.07 five months ago, Apple's stock has plunged by 37 percent. The decline has wiped out collective shareholder wealth totaling US$240 billion. That amount exceeds the total market value of Microsoft Corp., which reigned as the most influential company in personal computing until Apple ushered in an era of mobile devices with the 2007 release of the iPhone and the 2010 introduction of the iPad.

Cook, who became CEO shortly before Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died in October 2011, has a huge incentive to get the company's stock price strong again. The 1.1 million Apple shares he owns are worth about US$300 million less than they were five months ago.

“I don't like it, either,” Cook said of the downturn in Apple's stock.

Apple Inc. hasn't unveiled another trailblazing product since Cook took over, raising concerns about whether the company is losing the ingenuity that has set it apart from the rest of the technology pack.

Cook told shareholders the company's commitment to innovation remains Apple's “North Star” and “the beat of its heart.”

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