‘Has Apple lost its ability to innovate?’ has become a common theme among critics in recent years, who note that the company hasn’t released a groundbreaking new product since the iPad in 2010. And going halfway through 2014 without mention of a new gadget hasn’t helped its cause.
But according to Apple’s SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue, that’s about to change. The executive sat down with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at the Code Conference last night to talk about the recent high-profile Beats acquisition, and set major expectations for the fall…
Here’s a clip of Cue’s exchange with Mossberg, Swisher, and Jimmy Iovine via Recode:
Cue: Later this year, we’ve got the best product pipeline that I’ve seen in my 25 years at Apple.
Mossberg: That’s a really strong statement you made a few minutes ago, that for the rest of this year you have the best product pipeline you’ve seen in 25 years. In 25 years you did the iMac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad, the MacBook Air. Those are all widely recognized as pretty good products.
Cue: I agree with you, and I believe certainly that the products we have coming are great. You’ll let us know, I’m sure.
So what products could he be alluding to? Take your pick. Apple is rumored to be working on a number of projects, including—but certainly not limited to—the iWatch, a connected home platform, a larger iPad, a more capable Apple TV, and two new iPhones with larger, higher resolution displays.
While you could write off Cue’s comments as typical employee praise (it’s not like he’d say Apple has terrible products coming), it certainly seems like he’s intentionally raising expectations. We should get our first glimpse into Apple’s plans for the remainder of 2014 next week during its WWDC event.