Tim Cook suggests Google Glass "broad appeal is hard to see"

This week in an interview with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at the D11 conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook had a bit to say about Google's wearable product: Glass. Having been asked what his take was on wearables by Swisher, Cook responded: "I think wearables [are] incredibly interesting. It could be a profound area." His reply on Google Glass specifically wasn't quite so optimistic.

According to Cook, "there are some positives in the product." Responding to a query on Google Glass, Cook continued,"It's probably likely to appeal to certain vertical markets, [but] the likelihood that it has broad appeal is hard to see." Mossberg continued the line of questioning by asking "is wearables a thing? Is part of the post-PC era wearables that go beyond fitness devices?"

"There are lots of gadgets in the space. I would say that the ones that are doing more than one thing, there's nothing great out there that I've seen. Nothing that's going to convince a kid that's never worn glasses or a band or a watch or whatever to wear one. At least I haven't seen it. So there's lots of things to solve in this space." – Tim Cook

Cook added that this area was "ripe for exploration," and "ripe for us to get excited about," noting that "lots of companies" will be joining in. Pushed by Swisher to say whether or not Apple bill be one of them, Cook made it clear, "I don't want to answer that one."

On the subject of wearables, Cook continued by noting how his glasses – non-smart though they were – were not something he'd wear if he didn't have to. "I think from a mainstream point of view, glasses are risky." It was clear that Cook's interest in wearables wasn't about to be tied directly to Apple products that hadn't been announced yet, but that the company wouldn't be left out of the movement.

VIA: The Verge

SOURCE: AllThingsD