Shortly after participating in the large-scale announcements of the company in revealing the next generation of iPhones, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has made a ‘rare TV interview appearance’ on PBS’ The Charlie Rose Show, and has started the first of a two-parter by announcing that Apple could yet pull out a new technological innovation of iPod or iPhone-esque proportions.
While most of the world turns their head towards Google’s secretive ‘Google X Labs’ for the next big thing after a driverless car concept and Google Glass (amongst other ‘wearable technology’ markets that Apple is starting further back on), Cook claimed in the show that Apple have some secrets of their own.
He stated to Rose: “There are products we’re working on that no one knows about. Yes, that haven’t been rumoured about yet. And part of some of those are going to come out and be blow-away, probably. And some of those we’ll probably decide, ‘You know, that one we’re going to stop’. And so, we kick around a lot of things internally. And we might start something and get down the road a little bit, and have a different idea.”
He added potentially the biggest hint yet that the American company are to try something new in the smart TV industry, after claiming television as a concept is currently ‘stuck back in the seventies’, stating: “TV is one we continue to have great interest in.”
Cook also noted (along with citing the potential for development with new subsidiary Dr. Dre’s Beats) that the larger-screen and larger-priced iPhone 6 Plus (unveiled alongside the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch) was something that the company “could have made years ago”. He said: “It’s never been about just making a larger phone. It’s been about making a better phone in every single way.”
With the ‘second half’ of the differently-structured interview show set to broadcast on PBS tonight, will Cook offer any further hints as to what Apple’s next major product reveal could be all about, or has the company been overtaken for good in the innovation departments? The first part of the episode in question can be seen here.