Based, in part on reports from CNET on CRAVE
Tim Cook reportedly visited PyongYang the same week that the regime of Kim Jung Un failed to launch the rocket named “Pointer One.” This photograph taken down after the failure seems to show Mr. Cook standing behind the Dear Leader as the leader hold up a Goldfinger.
Holy conjecture, Batman!
Reports that Tim Cook was seen at Valve HQ in Washington State have also been all around the inform-ether today. What’s definitely true, though, is that Valve is looking for a couple of hardware geeks for an unknown project, as the job description itself indicates:
For years, Valve has been all about writing software that provides great gameplay experiences. Now we’re developing hardware to enhance those experiences, and you can be a key part of making that happen…We’re not talking about me-too mice and gamepads here — help us invent whole new gaming experiences.
So the head of the world’s most famous hardware maker visited a country with a huge ability to keep secrets but badly in need of a technology platform. Mr. Cook also , in secret, visits a popular gaming software maker that’s got a secret hardware project in the works. Hmm…. There’s a few ways to deal with the rumor mill that springs up around these kinds of things: 1) ignore it all — deals fall through all the time, projects get shelved, it’s tough to know what’s really going on until it’s arrived, 2) get ahead of it, and then turn it up to 11, get really crazy with the speculation.
First up, Cook has noted that Microsoft Kinect relies heavily on motion to sell the X Box. Microsoft, for its part is marketing the game consul as a fufl fledged living room system .. challenging plans Apple has for iPADS as TV controllers.
To make the iPAD works, it will need some notabloe competition of Microsofts hand waving Kinect. A pointer makes sense! Could Apple partner with Steam to develop that part of the platform? Perhaps. Cult of Mac says the whispers it listens to are telling it that Steve Jobs dislike of pens, pens and (esp) pointers is helping Samsgug cut into the iPAD market by selling tablets with a “stylus.” Calling the iPointer a “Goldfinger” would be typical Apple marketing!
Then there’s the case of the Valve employee’s blog that mentions R&D the company is engaging in around “wearable computing”. Forbes speculates this could mean that Tim Cook wanted to talk to some of the folks about a possible fall line that could compete with Google’s recently confirmed “Project Glass” eyewear with the heads-up display. Seems as good a guess as any — except for that last one, I think I like the Apple gaming platform better. But Valve’s expertise is not in optics and Google glasses seem riddled with legal challenges … imagine the fine for driving while Googling!
But we could certainly get a little more crazy with the theories. Why bother working with a company that you’ve gotta go all the way through Oregon to get to when you’ve got enough money to buy the whole outfit and have it shipped back to Cupertino? Or perhaps, given Steam head Gabe Newell’s past disdain for Apple, his people finally scheduled an arm-wrestling match with Cook, and because Cook did a trillion reps on the stress balls while working under Steve Jobs, he’s totally ripped in the forearm area and easily bested Newell to win himself a gaming company. Of course, even with Valve’s expertise where wouldApple be able to make the pointer in secrecy? NORTH KOREA!