iOS May Let You Uninstall Default Apps in the Future, Reveals Tim Cook

iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users have long complained about the inability to delete apps Apple pre-installs on these devices. Many people have no use for apps like Stocks and Voice Memos, but they are stuck with them for life. A common workaround that many have found is to create a folder (by the name Apple Junk or something similar), stuff it with all these unwanted apps, and bury it away from the main home screen. Soon, there might be a better solution.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has hinted that Apple may let users delete pre-installed apps in future iOS versions.

"This is a more complex issue than it first appears," Cook explained to a Buzzfeed reporter. "There are some apps that are linked to something else on the iPhone. If they were to be removed they might cause issues elsewhere on the phone. There are other apps that aren't like that. So over time, I think with the ones that aren't like that, we'll figure out a way [for you to remove them]. ... It's not that we want to suck up your real estate; we're not motivated to do that. We want you to be happy. So I recognise that some people want to do this, and it's something we're looking at."

It's worth noting that Cook has not provided any sort of a timeline in terms of when it may happen, or indeed said that it will happen for sure - he's just said that Apple is aware of the problem and is exploring possible solutions.

Cook spoke about some other topics including responding to a question that asked if he saw a scenario where people will stop buying home computers and laptops and use only tablets.

"I think that some people will never buy a computer," Cook said. "Because I think now we're at the point where the iPad does what some people want to do with their PCs."

"I think there are other people - like myself - that will continue to buy a Mac and that it will continue to be a part of the digital solution for us," he added. "I see the Mac being a key part of Apple for the long term and I see growth in the Mac for the long term."