Why Apple Hires Burberry’s Angela Ahrendts at Golden Networking’s Wearable Technologies Conference

Building off of the momentum of past successful conferences, Golden Networking brings Wearable Computing Conference 2013 New York City (www.wearable-computing-conference.com), “Revolutionizing the Human Experience Through Next-Generation Technology”, November 7.

New York City, NY, USA (October 17, 2013) — “I am thrilled that Angela will be joining our team,” Apple CEO’s Tim Cook said in a statement announcing the appointment of Burberry’s CEO, Angela Ahrendts, as the new Head of Retail. “She shares our values and our focus on innovation, and she places the same strong emphasis as we do on the customer experience. She has shown herself to be an extraordinary leader throughout her career and has a proven track record.”

Why would Apple make such a move? Ahrendts was born and raised in a small town, New Palestine, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis. She acquired her Merchandising and Marketing degree from Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, from where she also received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 2010. She joined Burberry in January 2006, and took up the position of CEO on July 1, 2006. Prior to that, Ahrendts was Executive Vice President at Liz Claiborne Inc., where she joined the executive team in 1998. During her tenure, she oversaw the Contemporary, Casual, Bridge and Menswear businesses, comprising more than twenty brands and representing 40% of total company revenues. She previously spent six years as President of Donna Karan International.

According to Tim Beyers, Apple wasn’t content to let Google be the top dog in wearable computing. He can’t think of another good reason Apple would hire Ahrendts away from Burberry, one of its best partners in the fashion world. Officially, she’ll take a newly created senior vice president position reporting to Apple CEO Tim Cook. A press release describes the job as overseeing the “strategic direction, expansion, and operation” of Apple’s retail stores — both online and offline.

This and other questions will be debated at Golden Networking’s Wearable Computing Conference 2013 (http://www.wearable-computing-conference.com), “Revolutionizing the Human Experience Through Next-Generation Technology”, to be held in New York City, on November 7.

Wearable technology is related to both the field of ubiquitous computing and the history and development of wearable computers. With ubiquitous computing, wearable technology shares the vision of interweaving technology into the everyday life, of making technology pervasive and interaction frictionless. Through the history and development of wearable computing, this vision has been both contrasted and affirmed. Affirmed through the multiple projects directed at either enhancing or extending functionality of clothing, and as contrast, most notably through Steve Mann’s concept of “sousveillance”.

The history of wearable technology is influenced by both of these responses to the vision of ubiquitous computing. We are now at an inflexion point in the advancement of the adoption of wearable computing. To expand the market for wearable technologies, it is necessary for developers and manufacturers to lead the world to show how the usage of these technologies can revolutionize every aspect of the human experience.

Topics that Wearable Computing Conference 2013 will discuss include:

– Key Features of Wearable Technologies
– A New World for Application Developers
– How Wearable Technologies Will Transform the Human Experience
– Wearable Computing and its Impact on the Technology Marketplace
– The Future of Wearable Computing Today

Wearable Computing Conference 2013 is produced by Golden Networking (http://www.goldennetworking.net), the premier networking community for business and technology executives, entrepreneurs and investors:

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Panelists, speakers and sponsors are invited to contact Golden Networking by sending an email to information@goldennetworking.com.

Media Contact:
Julia Petrova
Media Relations Coordinator
Golden Networking
+1-414-FORUMS0
jpetrova@goldennetworking.net
http://www.goldennetworking.net

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