Tim Cook in London to Talk Apple Watch and Visit Covent Garden Retail Store

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Friday made an unannounced visit to the iconic Apple Store in Covent Garden, a popular shopping and tourist location in London, according to The Telegraph. The chief executive also sat down for an interview with the British publication to discuss the Apple Watch, providing a few more interesting details about the device ahead of Apple's highly-anticipated "Spring Forward" media event on March 9.

Tim Cook Convent Garden London
Cook claimed that the Apple Watch will have several features that go beyond timekeeping and health and fitness, such as the ability to replace large car key fobs that come with most current vehicles. "This will be just like the iPhone: people wanted it and bought for a particular reason, perhaps for browsing, but then found out that they loved it for all sorts of other reasons," he said.

The chief executive told Apple retail employees at the Covent Garden store that the Apple Watch will be unlike any other product the company has ever sold before. "We've never sold anything as a company that people could try on before", said Cook. He added that "tweaking the experience in the store" will likely be a requirement when the wrist-worn device launches in April.

During his visit to the Covent Garden store, one retail employee asked Cook what his biggest accomplishment was in the past year. "I'm proud we stayed true to our North Star", replied Cook. "We are pro-privacy, pro-environment and pro-human rights." He added that the Covent Garden location is one of his favorite Apple Stores and praised the retail staff for being such a contributing factor to Apple's success.

Cook has been traveling on an international tour this week, making stops in Belgium, Germany and Israel over the past several days. The chief executive kicked off the week in Belgium to meet with the European Commission, visited the newsroom of popular German publication BILD on Tuesday and traveled to Israel on Wednesday to sit down with President Reuven Rivlin, committing to continued growth in the country.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
airpods pro 3 glitter

AirPods New Year's Deals Include Up to $99 Off AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Sunday January 4, 2026 8:04 am PST by
Now that the calendar has flipped over into January, steep discounts on popular Apple products have become more rare after the holidays. However, if you didn't get a new pair of AirPods recently and are looking for a model on sale, Amazon does have a few solid second-best prices this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...

Top Rated Comments

zedsdead Avatar
142 months ago
What I wouldn't give to completely get rid of my keychain.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SatManager Avatar
142 months ago
Seriously, I can get rid of my Ford Key Fob and walk up open and start my car with my Apple Watch and iPhone? Now that is a neat reason to get the watch.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
heeloliver Avatar
142 months ago
I'm seriously so BOTHERED by the fact that Apple cares so much about making a WATCH and a CAR but can't even get WiFi to work in Yosemite!

Has Apple just lost the care they used to have for their customers? :mad:

Ah, something like this is posted in every single thread. Thanks for reminding me that apple has different divisions working on different tasks.

----------

Something I keep wondering...

How well will the :apple:Watch possibly do in colder climates? When I'm outside in winter here, I have several layers on over my arms, plus gloves. The watch itself won't be warm, so I wouldn't want it to be the only layer between my wrist and the elements. If it's under layers, it's useless (plus it'll make taking those layers off and putting them on more difficult). If it's on top of the layers, it's tacky, I'd worry about it being stolen, and it may as well just be a tiny iPod touch strapped to my wrist for all it's able to do - it won't be able to monitor any health information an iPod Touch couldn't. Plus its pulse feedback wouldn't work.

I just feel like the :apple:Watch will only work for people who live in warmer climates.

So almost like any watch ever?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xionxiox Avatar
142 months ago
Is there any way to hide any front page article tagged with #timcook? Sheesh. I don't care where he is or what he's doing at any given moment. Or ever really.

Apple put so much time and effort into the smooth scrolling functionality on Macs and iOS devices. You should try using it.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aaronhead14 Avatar
142 months ago
I'm seriously so BOTHERED by the fact that Apple cares so much about making a WATCH and a CAR but can't even get WiFi to work in Yosemite!

Has Apple just lost the care they used to have for their customers? :mad:
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
leenak Avatar
142 months ago
I wonder if Apple will sell the Edition online, or if you will need to go to a store to get it. Do I trust UPS or FedEx with a $10,000 watch? Perhaps Tim Cook will drop a few more clues at events before the 9th.

There are many things you can buy online that are more expensive than an apple watch will be.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)