Apple CEO Tim Cook trumps Trump, changes Twitter display name to ‘Tim Apple’

Non-Apple fans, though, may not get the joke. Cook’s Apple-logo icon is only visible on iPhones and Mac computers. On Windows, it’s a blank square; on Android, it renders variously as an X-ed out or blank gray rectangle

Apple’s Tim cook changes his Twitter name to ‘Tim Apple’ (Twitter/Screenshot)

To President Donald Trump, it was an awkward slip of the lip. To Apple CEO Tim Cook, it was an opportunity to poke some sly fun at a president who has often clashed with the tech industry.

A day after Trump mistakenly referred to Cook at a White House meeting as "Tim Apple" — an understandable slip, perhaps, coming from the owner of the Trump Organisation — Cook quietly altered his Twitter profile , replacing his last name with the Apple logo.

Cook didn't publicly acknowledge the change, but it didn't take long for Apple fans to notice and spread the word.

Non-Apple fans, though, may not get the joke. Cook's Apple-logo icon is only visible on iPhones and Mac computers. On Windows, it's a blank square; on Android, it renders variously as an X-ed out or blank gray rectangle.

"Tim Square" was probably not the connotation the Apple CEO was going for. (Twitter/Screenshot)

"Tim Square" was probably not the connotation the Apple CEO was going for. (Twitter/Screenshot)

That's not wholly surprising for Apple, which famously prefers its own devices and software over others. Apple didn't respond to a query about the logo misstep (if indeed it was a misstep).

 

Trump just called Apple CEO Tim Cook "Tim Apple" pic.twitter.com/gTHHtjWvc9

— Sean O'Kane (@sokane1) March 6, 2019

The White House, meanwhile, appears to be engaged in some damage control. In the official transcript of the meeting , the words "Tim" and "Apple" are separated by a dash as if Trump had paused, possibly to thank both the executive and the company.