Apple hires major fashion exec

Big news for wearables (well, could be). Apple hires Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve. With a nod to the luxury fashion world, the tech giant brings former YSL CEO on board to work on "special projects." Re-invigorating Apple retail or feeding fire to the Apple iWatch rumor-mill, what could they possibly have up their sleeve? "It appears that Apple will soon be taking tips from a fashion insider.

The tech giant officially annouced that it hired Paul Deneve -- the former CEO of luxury fashion goods company Yves Saint Laurent -- to work on "special projects," according to Bloomberg.

"We're thrilled to welcome Paul Deneve to Apple," Apple told Bloomberg. "He'll be working on special projects as a vice president reporting directly to Tim Cook."

Earlier Tuesday, AppleInsider reported on a tip it received that Deneve had been hired. The news source speculated that Deneve may be filling John Browett's shoes. Browett resigned from his position as Apple's retail chief last fall and the company has yet to hire his replacement. However, according to Bloomberg, Deneve won't be working on retail.

It's unclear what "special projects" entails. It could mean that Deneve might be working on Apple's design side or even on the company's rumored iWatch.

During an interview at the D11 conference in May, Cook said that he finds wearable computing "profoundly interesting", but that "you have to convince people it's so incredible you want to wear it." Cook pointed out that most young people don't wear watches, so it would be the company's job to make them appealing."

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Is iWatch in Apple's future?

Smartwatches have been squeezing their way into the wearable consumer electronics market like Pebble, i'm watch, Sony Smartwatch, inPulse and WIMM (to name a few). And much speculation has been around for years that Apple may be a major player in the smartwatch race. Well, the old rumor has surfaced again. According to MacRumors, "Apple and Intel are currently working together on a Bluetooth-enabled smart watch. Full details on Apple's smart watch are unknown, but the report compares Apple's project to Sony's SmartWatch, although it notes that Apple's Siri voice assistant will provide for greater integration with the iPhone in allowing users to take phone calls directly through the watch."

With Siri integration, Apple has the potential to offer a game changing voice-enabled experience that could even replace the need for touch. Imagine a small wearable device that you wear on your wrist that works with your iPhone. Simply talk into it to get important and timely information without having to sift through your purse or pocket to take out your phone. "This could result in a device with a conversation-based interface. ... A connected iPhone would do much of the processing; the watch would record your voice, transmit it to your iPhone, and relay Siri's response. A small touch screen would also allow for limited visual/kinetic interaction, including notifications and basic apps." (Gizmag)

Sounds like they could actually give us a true Dick Tracy experience ...

Image from cultofmac.com