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"The rumour mill has always been one of Apple&amp;#039;s greatest assets, building hype around its future products long before they are officially announced. It has been churning at a frantic rate since company CEO Tim Cook strongly hinted at plans to break into new product categories this year, with the tech industry fervently speculating about what those might be. With reports of an iOS smartwatch continuing to abound and that TV hardware rumour refusing to die, we have outlined up five potential areas of interest for Apple.  Smartwatches Although Apple has yet to formally announce the so-called iWatch, its existence is almost a given judging by the amount of discussion the product has generated. The wearable device is expected to feature a display made of sapphire glass and come with a range of smart sensors on board, which suggests it could be marketed as a health and fitness aid. With the likes of Samsung, Sony and Pebble having already released smartwatches, Apple looks set to arrive fashionably late at this particular party, but the launch of the iWatch could well make it the most popular shindig in town.  Television hardware  Before iWatch rumours sent the hype machine into overdrive, the word on the street suggested that television hardware would be Apple&amp;#039;s next port of call. The firm has already made inroads into this sector with its Apple TV set-top box, but numerous sources of varying reliability claim to have seen prototype models of fully-fledged connected television sets bearing the Apple logo. While reports of the so-called iTV devices have cooled down since, there are endless possibilities for Apple along this avenue - think Siri support, a range of smart apps, second-screen functionality via iPad and more.  Fitness bands  Wearable tech is a growing trend these days, so it is surely only a matter of time before Apple takes the fight to its competitors on this front. Amid intense speculation surrounding an iOS-powered smartwatch comes word that Apple has struck up a partnership with Nike to develop its own health and fitness band. Reports indicate that the wearable device will be packed with environmental sensors and deliver iPhone notifications to the user&amp;#039;s wrist, but there appears to be some confusion regarding whether this is a separate project to the iWatch.  Headsets Google Glass could be destined to become the next big thing in the tech industry, so it is pretty much a given that a wave of competitors and imitators will follow it to market. There is tenuous evidence to suggest that this could be a future area of interest for Apple. Back in 2008, the Cupertino company filed a patent for a headset that syncs with a mobile device and projects its display before the user&amp;#039;s eyes. While tech companies file patents all of the time without ever getting around to using them, this might be one for Apple to dust off if Google Glass proves a commercial success.  Motor vehicles Apple recently extended its reach into the motor industry with the launch of its CarPlay system, allowing iPhone users to access their in-car control systems via their handset. But reports suggest that late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had a much bigger goal in mind, with the tech mastermind hoping to one day design a fully-fledged &amp;quot;iCar&amp;quot;. While Jobs&amp;#039;s successor Cook is not thought to have taken up the iCar concept, Apple is likely to increase its presence in the motor industry with new software innovations going forward.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tech/apple/feature/a566849/5-new-product-categories-apple-could-break-into-iwatch-itv-more/>