Apple CEO Tim Cook said just enough on Monday to keep peoples' hopes alive that the company will enter a new product category, someday.
During the company's fourth quarter earnings call, Cook responded to an analyst question about whether the company would enter new product categories by noting that Apple has the capacity to do so, though that doesn't necessarily mean it will in the immediate future.
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"In terms of new product categories specifically, if you look at the skills Apple has from hardware, software and services and an incredible app ecosystem, these set of things are very, very unique," he said. "No one has a set of skills like this."
Cook continued: "We obviously believe that we can use our skills in building other great products that are in categories that represent where we do not participate today. We are pretty confidant about that."
In recent months, there have been plenty of rumors that Apple would launch a smartwatch — commonly referred to as the iWatch — as well as the occasional rumor that Apple is working on a television set. For those hoping for these and other products, Cook's message seems to be: keep hoping.
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