Google Glass, the wearable technology from the search giant, is gaining a ton of buzz.
But Apple CEO Tim Cook is not a
huge fan of its potential.
"I think from a mainstream point
of view, this is difficult, " Cook said, referring to whether a lot of people
will want to pay $1,500 to buy the product.
In recent weeks, Google Glass, a
piece of computing hardware wrapped around the face, has been distributed to its
first group of beta testers in the real world.
Cook noted that he needs glasses
to see and questioned whether people would want wearable technology on their
faces.
"I don't know a lot of people
that wear them (glasses) that don't have to," he said.
Cook was speaking at the "All
Things D" technology conference Tuesday evening. The annual event draws hundreds
of technology executives from around the world.
Questioned by moderators Kara
Swisher and Walt Mossberg, who manage the technology blog by the same name, Cook
seemed to hint that Apple may someday enter the "wearables" market, but declined
to be specific.
Speculation has been rampant in
recent months that Apple might unveil an iWatch.
"I think there are lots of
things to solve in this space. It's an area that's ripe for exploration, " he
said.
Cook was also questioned about
whether Apple is losing its "cool factor," with competitors such as Samsung and
HTC getting good reviews for their new phones armed with cutting edge features
and larger screens.
"Is Apple in trouble? Absolutely
not," he said, citing statistics that customers use their Apple products more
than the company's competitors.
For instance, he said, 59% of
smartphone web traffic comes from IOS, the operating system that powers the
iPhone.
Even so, Android phones are now
significantly outselling iPhones worldwide.
"Winning has never been about
making the most," he said. "Our north star is always on making the best
products. So we always come back to that."
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