Apple Inc is concentrating on technology for self-driving cars, Chief Executive Tim Cook said for the first time in an interview with Bloomberg.

The company is focusing on autonomous systems, Cook told Bloomberg Television on June 5.

"We're not really saying from a product point of view, what we will do ... it's a core technology that we view as very important," Cook said in the interview.

A late entrant to the self-driving race, Apple (AAPL.O) secured a permit in April to test autonomous vehicles in California and has recruited dozens of auto experts.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.