Apple's Latest Hire Fuels iWatch Speculation

Sometimes when a technology company hires a person, it's not news. When Apple, the highest valued technology firm in the world, steals away the CEO of a French luxury fashion label to work on "special projects," reporting only to Tim Cook, it is.

Apple Inc. is hiring Paul Deneve, the former chief executive officer of Yves Saint Laurent, to be a vice president at the Cupertino, California tech company. Yves Saint Laurent is a French high fashion and apparel company that Deneve has headed for two years. Before that, in the 1990s, Deneve worked for Apple Europe in several sales and marketing positions.

"We're thrilled to welcome Paul Deneve to Apple,", said Apple Inc., in a statement on Tuesday. "He'll be working on special projects as a vice president reporting directly to Tim Cook."

The move by Apple, first reported by Apple Insider, has sparked speculation about what the Cupertino giant may be up to. Since Deneve previously worked in sales and marketing for Apple, it's thought by some that Apple might be trying to find a head of retail to replace John Browett, who left the company after less than a year on the job in October.

Deneve filling the top retail position makes sense, as he has experience marketing both Apple and luxury brands. Apple has always been somewhat of a luxury computer retailer, and, if the upcoming launch of the highly original, possibly a little impractical Mac Pro is any indication, that trend is likely to continue.

But, despite those rumors, it appears that Deneve won't be filling the vacant seat for Apple's retail outlets. Instead, more popular, and Apple fanboy-friendly, rumor has been sparked by the ambiguous wording of Apple's statement about hiring Deneve: "special projects... reporting directly to Tim Cook."

That rumor, of course, is that Apple is hiring Deneve to give the company a specialized high-fashion perspective on the development and/or marketing of Apple's rumored "iWatch," and other possible wearable computing devices in the future.

If true, it could indicate a development strategy that Apple has successfully employed before. Desktop computers existed before Apple, but the company added style and convenience to the design: same with MP3 players and, arguably, smartphones. While Google's Glass and various smartwatches might have gotten into the game earlier, Apple may be able to redefine another category of technology. At least, that's some of the thinking behind the more zealous rumors.

But the Deneve iWatch rumor also has more behind it than wishful thinking. Earlier this week, it was reported that Apple has applied for trademarks for the iWatch name in Columbia, Mexico, Taiwan, and Turkey, as well as previously applying for trademarks for the name in Japan and Russia, according to PCMag.

Apple is also reportedly hiring Pete Distad, a former Hulu executive, to assist Apple in negotiations with content providers for the purpose of expanding Apple TV's programming choices.

Of course, the iWatch could be far away from getting any official confirmation or even teasers, but the developments and rumors are likely to continue, so stay with Latinos Post for more news on the rumored iWatch and all other technology news.