Apple CEO Tim Cook predictably gives no actual details on new products in his opening of the D11 conference-- but does hint (we emphasis on "hint") the iPhone maker is working on wearable technology.
"It's an area that's ripe for exploration," Cook says. "It's ripe for us to get excited about. Lots of companies will play in this space." He also describes wearables as "a very important branch of the tree... this group will be very involved in this."
But what kind of wearables is the Apple head honcho interested in? His apparent dismissal of Google Glass ("I don’t know a lot of people that wear [glasses] that don’t have to”) comes to no surprise, as does his saying the wrists are "interesting" and "more natural." However Cook points out one still has to convince customers any wearable CE (other than a fitness tracker) is actually worth, well, wearing.
Cook already wears one piece of wearable CE-- a Nike FuelBand.
“The whole sensor field is going to explode,” Cook continues. “It’s a little all over the place right now. With the arc of time, it will become clearer.”
While few examples are currently available on the market (the Pebble and I'm Watch smartwatches come to mind) wearables are poised to be the next big thing in CE. ABI Research forecasts 2013 smartwatch shipments are to total over 1.2 million units, while vendors supposedly working on Dick Tracy-style electronics include not only Apple but also Samsung, Google, LG and Microsoft.
