Wednesday, July 31, 2013

iWatch? iTV? How About Just an iSomething, Apple?

The pressure's on Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) .

CEO Tim Cook kicked off the AllThingsD's D11 conference yesterday, and once again he's selling the invisible.

"We have several more game changers in us," Cook said.

When the matter of iTV -- Apple's long-rumored full-fledged smart television -- came up, he repeated the company line about the lack of satisfaction with the current viewing experience. He labeled smart TV as "an area of incredible interest" to Apple, but left it at that.

If this sounds familiar, you're not alone.

"When I go into my living room and turn on the TV, I feel like I have gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years," said Cook to in a Rock Center interview last year. "It's an area of intense interest. I can't say more than that."

Well, since Cook's lips are sealed on that topic, the conversation turns to wearable devices, and with Samsung rolling out S Health wellness accessories to go with the Galaxy S4 and Google arming tech early adopters with computing glasses, the only real surprise is that Apple has yet to hit us with a smart watch or a fitness bracelet.

Well, Apple has incredible interest in that, too.

Cook knows all about wearable computing. He wears a Nike FuelBand that he showed off at the conference. He's been wearing the fitness tracking bracelet since it rolled out 15 months ago. Why not? He sits on Nike's board.

However, for all of the chatter about the iTV and the iWatch, we're stuck with iNothing.

Apple fans will argue that the company won't put out a product until it's right, but that's not true. We've seen more buggy iPhone releases than not lately. Apple fans can argue that the products aren't yet technologically feasible, but we're already seeing Google, Samsung, and even Nike leading the charge here.

Remember when Apple was the one that dictated the conversation? Remember when nobody wanted a smartphone with a touchscreen keyboard? Remember when nobody wanted a tablet? Apple showed them, but lately Apple is doing too much talking, and not enough of the innovating.

Cook is right. Apple probably does have some more game changers on the way. However, it better change the game while it's still worth playing.

There wasn't any pressure for Apple to raise the bar last holiday season. The stock had hit an all-time high in late September. However, Apple doesn't have that kind of flexibility this time around, especially when two new gaming consoles may shatter iTV dreams and a Kickstarter-bankrolled company wound up being the first one to hit the market with a smart watch.

Be great, Apple -- but don't be late.

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