Apple CEO to speak at financial event tomorrow

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook will once again speak at the Goldman Sachs annual Technology and Internet Conference.

Cook -- who rarely speaks or does interviews outside of Apple's own events -- is opening the conference, which begins tomorrow, with a keynote presentation. Barrons notes that Cook was originally scheduled to speak at 1:15 p.m. PT, right after the market closes, but will instead kick everything off almost immediately after it opens at 7:15 a.m.

The appearance comes ahead of Apple's annual shareholders meeting at its campus in Cupertino, Calif., on February 27.

Cook'sappearance at the show last yearcame amid controversy. All eyes were on Apple to publicly respond to in-depth reports and criticisms of its overseas manufacturing operations. The CEO responded by going on the offensive, saying that "Apple takes working conditions very, very seriously, and we have for a very long time," and that "every worker has the right to a fair and safe work environment, free of discrimination, where they can earn competitive wages and they can voice their concerns freely."

The onstage interview with Goldman Sachs analyst Bill Shope also led to a few other tidbits, specifically around Cook's view of his legacy at Apple and the future of Siri and the Apple TV. Other speakers at the conference include chief executives from eBay, Yahoo, and SanDisk along with executives from Xerox, Electronic Arts, and Coca-Cola.

The chat comes at a time when Apple's core business is under closer scrutiny than it has been in years. Even with recent gains, shares of Apple remain down about 32 percent since reaching a high last September. The company is also facing unrest from some shareholders over its cash pile, which continues to grow. Even though Apple announced a dividend and a stock repurchasing plan, a lawsuit from a notable investor last week argues that the company could be doing more.

The talk and likely subsequent onstage interview are likely to go into detail about these things. The last time Cook spoke with investors about any of these issues was during the company's first-quarter earnings call late last month.

Last year's chat was streamed by Apple from its Web site. The company will do it once again tomorrow morning.