Apple's Jeff Williams says Watch sales are 'fantastic,' provides no numbers

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif.—So how many of those darn Apple Watches have been sold?

Apple senior vice president for operations, Jeff Williams, was as evasive as his boss Tim Cook when it came to that question.

Apple Watch is doing "fantastic" and we've sold "a lot but not enough," Williams said at the Code tech conference here. But that's as specific as he would get.

At Apple, Williams is the executive responsible for the company's supply chain and manufacturing efforts, and heads developments for the Watch.

Williams says there now about 4,000 apps for Apple Watch. "There's great inevitability of technology moving to your body."

"When we developed the watch we approached it with a great deal of deference for things we didn't know," Williams says.

As for the conditions in which Apple employees work in China, Williams says they're being treated fairly. "We pay more than the average rates in the area," he says.

Apple will be previewing a new software developer kit for the watch at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco next month.

Williams praised ResarchKit, Apple's efforts to advance research efforts in medicine that was announced in March. ResearchKit apps focus on diabetes, asthma, breast cancer, Parkinson's disease and cardiovascular disease.

On diversity, Williams said Apple is doing well but could be doing a lot better. "We're also interested in diversity on thought, the background people come from." Williams says half of the core vice presidents who work for him are female.

Asked why diversity is such a problem in tech, Williams says, "the feeder system really needs to be improved. How many people go into science and math from the particular groups."

Shifting to a discussion of the smartphone, Williams says "we're not tapped out." What might make people go out and buy another one?

Williams used the phrase "pull an Osborne" — referencing the Osborne Computer Co. whose demise was said to be linked to a poorly timed product announcement—to evade the question.

He then suggested it would be cool if the phone could function as a tricorder.

Meantime, Williams referred to the car as the "ultimate mobile device."

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