CALIFORNIA - Apple chief executive Tim Cook says he expects the iPhone and iPad maker would be responsible for "several more game changers" and that wearable computers could be the next big thing.
"It's an area which is ripe for exploration," Cook yesterday told an All Things Digital conference, an annual gathering of technology and media executives in the California coastal resort town of Rancho Palos Verdes.
"It's ripe for us all getting excited about. I think there will be tons of companies playing in this."
His remarks come at a time when worries are mounting that the company which created the smartphone and tablet markets is no longer at the top of its game.
A slowdown in earnings growth has been hitting its share price.
Cook stopped short of saying if Apple was working on wearable products, but added that wearable computers had to be compelling and that Google Glass - a cross between a mobile computer and eyeglasses that can both record video and surf the internet - is likely to have only limited appeal.
"There's nothing that's going to convince a kid who has never worn glasses or a band or a watch to wear one, or at least I haven't seen it," he said.
"So I think there's lots of things to solve in this space."
Cook also said he has a "grand vision" for television that goes beyond an existing $99 (R970.59) Apple TV streaming device, but did not go into details.
The company has maintained for years that it harbours an interest in the TV arena.
When asked if Apple has lost its cool, Cook said "absolutely not" and went on to list statistics of device sales and usage.
He, however, acknowledged that he was frustrated with the sudden downturn in the firm's stock price.
Since hitting a record close of $702.10 (R6877) last September, the world's largest technology company has shed 44%, losing more than $280-billion (R2.7-trillion) of market value - or more than the entire market capitalisation of Google.
In April, Apple reported its first quarterly profit decline in over a decade and was also shunned by some well-known fund managers in the first quarter, with John Griffin's Blue Ridge Capital selling off its shares and Chase Coleman's Tiger Global Management sharply cutting their position.
Cook has tried to reset heightened expectations around the company and he has stressed that the company's position remains strong and has opened up more of its treasure trove to investors, doubling its cash return programme to $100-billion (R979-billion) by the end of 2015.
Apple hints that wearable computers is next big step
CALIFORNIA - Apple chief executive Tim Cook says he expects the iPhone and iPad maker would be responsible for "several more game changers" and that wearable computers could be the next big thing.
"It's an area which is ripe for exploration," Cook yesterday told an All Things Digital conference, an annual gathering of technology and media executives in the California coastal resort town of Rancho Palos Verdes.
"It's ripe for us all getting excited about. I think there will be tons of companies playing in this."
His remarks come at a time when worries are mounting that the company which created the smartphone and tablet markets is no longer at the top of its game.
A slowdown in earnings growth has been hitting its share price.
Cook stopped short of saying if Apple was working on wearable products, but added that wearable computers had to be compelling and that Google Glass - a cross between a mobile computer and eyeglasses that can both record video and surf the internet - is likely to have only limited appeal.
"There's nothing that's going to convince a kid who has never worn glasses or a band or a watch to wear one, or at least I haven't seen it," he said.
"So I think there's lots of things to solve in this space."
Cook also said he has a "grand vision" for television that goes beyond an existing $99 (R970.59) Apple TV streaming device, but did not go into details.
The company has maintained for years that it harbours an interest in the TV arena.
When asked if Apple has lost its cool, Cook said "absolutely not" and went on to list statistics of device sales and usage.
He, however, acknowledged that he was frustrated with the sudden downturn in the firm's stock price.
Since hitting a record close of $702.10 (R6877) last September, the world's largest technology company has shed 44%, losing more than $280-billion (R2.7-trillion) of market value - or more than the entire market capitalisation of Google.
In April, Apple reported its first quarterly profit decline in over a decade and was also shunned by some well-known fund managers in the first quarter, with John Griffin's Blue Ridge Capital selling off its shares and Chase Coleman's Tiger Global Management sharply cutting their position.
Cook has tried to reset heightened expectations around the company and he has stressed that the company's position remains strong and has opened up more of its treasure trove to investors, doubling its cash return programme to $100-billion (R979-billion) by the end of 2015.
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