In his new position, Paul Deneve – who previously held the top job at Yves Saint Laurent– will report directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
The technology giant has reportedly been characteristically vague about Deneve’s role, but some industry experts have suggested the appointment is linked to a push towards wearable computing, namely a smartwatch.
As Jeweller reported last week, Apple is said to have applied to register the trademark “iWatch” in Japan and Russia, suggesting the development of a computer to wear on a wrist was well underway.
Cook also had the rumour mill spinning in May this year when he spoke at a conference about the “profound” opportunity wearable electronics offered.
Some commentators have speculated that Deneve could be tasked with overseeing the design of wearable technology. Companies like Samsung and Google have already released a number of wearable computing products, which has led insiders to believe that Apple might be working hard to gain a competitive edge through design.
According to business and financial media outlet Bloomberg, Deneve previously worked for Apple in Europe from 1990 to 1997 as sales and marketing manager.
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