Apple's Cook !

Apple's CEO takes a veiled dig at Samsung as he tells investors to be patient for new products.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has promised great things are in store for the company.

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday again promised that exciting new products are ahead for Apple and that investors should be patient as the company perfects all the details.

He noted that it takes longer for Apple to make products because it cares about getting every detail right.

"The key thing that for us ... is to stay focused on things that we can do best and that we can perform at a really high level of quality that our customers have come to expect," Cook said.

And so we currently feel comfortable in expanding the number of things we're working on. So we've been doing that in the background and we're not ready yet to pull the string on the curtain.

But we've got some great things there that we're working on that I'm very, very proud of and very, very excited about."

Cook also took a veiled dig at Samsung, saying"it means much more to us to get it right than to be first."

Samsung has made a big push to be viewed as an innovator, rather than a "fast follower." The Korean company hopes its Gear line of wearables will help with that effort, but the products have faced some criticism in the market for their design and functionality.

"I think you can see so many examples out in the marketplace where it's clear that the objective has been to be first," Cook said. "But customers at the end of the day don't care about that or that's not what they look for from Apple.

They want great, insanely great, and that's what we want to deliver and so that's the way we look at it."

Samsung declined to comment.

Apple on Wednesday reported better-than-expected financial results for the fiscal second quarter. Its profit, revenue, and iPhone unit sales topped analysts' expectations, but iPad sales fell short.

Apple attributed its results to strength across various regions -- including China -- as well as various products.

 The company also said it would return more cash to shareholders and announced a seven-for-one stock split.

The news -- which helped assuage some recent fears about at the company -- sent shares jumping 7.6 percent to $564.80 in after-hours trading.

The results come as Apple battles Samsung in a patent-infringement trial in San Jose, Calif. They also come as Apple faces more questions about its momentum and future. The company has promised exciting new products but has had little to show consumers.

The pressure has been on for the company to enter new product categories -- such as smart TVs and wearables -- instead of incrementally updating its existing devices.

Apple's results have been fueled by the iPhone for the past several years, but the company is facing more competition than ever before. Samsung and others are pressuring the company at the high end, while Apple is largely missing out on the low end of the market.

That's a big concern as more and more mobile sales come from emerging markets like China, where inexpensive phones from companies such as Huawei and ZTE are popular.

It also faces changes in smartphone upgrade policies and a push by carriers to sell full-price devices.
Apple earlier this year started selling the iPhone through China Mobile, the world's biggest wireless carrier.

And in September, it introduced two new versions of the iPhone for the first time ever, including the less-expensive but more colorful iPhone 5C. Apple also rolled out the new iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina Display the following month.

The company hoped the new products would keep the momentum going, despite ongoing concerns that the iPhone 5C isn't selling well and that China Mobile demand may be sluggish.