ELECTRONICS
Apple CEO looking ahead
Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, seeking to quell concerns about the company’s ability to innovate in consumer electronics, said his staff “has several more game changers” in the pipeline.
The iPhone maker has “some incredible plans,” Cook said.
He singled out television and wearable computing as areas of interest.
Apple hasn’t released a new product since October, turning up pressure on Cook to debut something fresh. Less than two years after succeeding Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Cook has had a tenure marked more by controversies — including criticism of the company’s tax practices and labor standards in China — than by blockbuster gadgets. Since September, he’s had to contend with a stock slide.
“What we have to do is focus on products,” Cook said. “If we do that right, if we make great products that enrich people’s lives, then the other things will happen.”
In an indication that Apple is considering electronics to adorn the body, Cook said wearable computing could be a “profound area,” and that the wrist is particularly “interesting.”
“What’s most interesting is that Tim Cook spent much time talking about the future of wearable devices,” said Kuo Mingchi, an analyst covering the Apple supply chain at KGI Securities Co. in Taipei. “Wearable devices would complete the Apple ecosystem, yet the technology is not yet mature enough.”
TELEVISION
Esquire Network to debut
The geek-flavored G4 cable television channel will become the Esquire Network in September.
NBC Universal announced the rebranded channel’s Sept. 23 launch date. The channel is the namesake of Esquire magazine and is aiming to draw a similar audience of upscale males.
NBC Universal and Hearst Magazines are the partners behind the Esquire Network, which is a NBC Universal Cable Entertainment unit.
Esquire Network’s lineup will include original programming including cooking and travel shows and a series about professional horse race handicappers and another about American breweries. It also will air reruns, including Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Parks and Recreation.
The channel’s debut will include a two-hour special on Esquire magazine’s 80th anniversary, which falls in October.