Apple CEO Tim Cook: ‘I didn’t promise any new product categories’

Tim Cook was very careful to tell analysts that he has never promised that Apple would enter new markets with entirely new products today on Apple’s Q4 earnings call — but he did add that Apple could do exactly that, if the company wanted.

It was way back in April that Cook said amazing new things were coming.

“Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software, and services we can’t wait to introduce this fall and throughout 2014,” Cook said six months ago.

Above: Google Glass

Image Credit: Jolie O'Dell/VentureBeat

Now, Cook says, that doesn’t mean any new categories, like iWatch or iGlasses or home automation.

“I didn’t say that you would see them in this year and the first half of next year,” Cook admonished an analyst who asked about new product categories. “I did say that you would see some exciting new products from us in the fall and across 2014.”

On the face of it, Cook is right.

He didn’t specifically say that Apple would break into a new category. Analysts, however, and yes, journalists, did take those statements as evidence that Apple would be breaking new ground in wearable tech and other new categories.

But Cook did say that if Apple wants to, it can create some great new category-breaking products.

“If you look at new products … with our hardware, software, and services, and incredible app ecosystem, which is very unique, we obviously believe we can use our skills in building other new products in categories we do not participate in today.”

In other words: We can do so whenever we want.

Apple sold $170 billion in iPads, iPhones, Macs, and other products in 2013. Unfortunately, Apple’s profits fell by $5 billion from 2012, when the company sold $157 billion in product.

Google new Glass wearable computing platform will hit the market in 2014.