Interest in the hypothetical Apple smartwatch continues to grab the attention of the Apple mediasphere today, as does the debut of Apple’s new boss in charge of retail and online operations.
No new Apple TV at WWDC (Re/code) I don’t know if anyone was really expecting Apple to release an iWatch or revamped Apple TV at this year’s WWDC 2014 (the developer conference slated to start about a month from now). But if you were, you’re going to be disappointed: The generally reliable John Paczkowski at Re/code reports that (according to his unnamed sources at Apple) none of that stuff will debut then. That corroborates (equally anonymous) reports from 9to5Mac earlier this week that the focus at WWDC will be on OS X 10.10 and iOS 8. (Of course, hardware introductions aren’t unknown at the software confab: Last year, Apple previewed the new Mac Pro at the WWDC keynote.)
Angela Ahrendts starts work at Apple (Apple.com) Apple officially has its new boss of retail and online stores: Angela Ahrendts’ bio now appears on Apple’s Executive Profiles page. The ongoing question: What does somebody with a background in the fashion industry bring to the ultimate tech brand? Based on her bio (and coverage elsewhere), she’s clearly a dynamic and effective executive who’s managed and (in the case of Burberry) revived some big retail brands. Does Apple’s sometimes troubled retail operations qualify as a similar turnaround opportunity?
Apple hiring MIT researcher with expertise in ear-worn vital signs monitor (MacRumors) Meanwhile, in other Apple hiring news, MacRumors reports that Apple is hiring one Eric Winokur. What would Winokur bring to the company? According to his LinkedIn page, he’s an expert in “wearable medical device R&D.” If true, that hiring lends further credence to reports that the hypothetical Apple wearable (you know, the one that isn’t being debuted at WWDC) will include fitness/health monitoring capabilities.
Author: Dan Miller, Editor
Dan is Editor of Macworld.