Oprah on presidential bid: 'Not for me'

Chat show icon Oprah Winfrey has brushed off speculation she might run for US president in 2020, saying in an interview published Thursday she lacks "the DNA for it."

When Winfrey delivered a rousing speech at the Golden Globe Awards earlier this month it rekindled longstanding speculation over the billionaire's political ambitions -- and a possible run for the Oval Office.

Some Democrats -- still reeling from Hillary Clinton's shock loss to Donald Trump -- have embraced the idea of having their own celebrity candidate the next time around.

But in an interview with InStyle, carried out three weeks before the Globes and published in the fashion magazine's March issue, the 63-year-old downplayed the idea of a presidential run, saying: "That's not for me."

"I've always felt very secure and confident with myself in knowing what I could do and what I could not," said the self-made entertainment tycoon.

"And so it's not something that interests me. I don't have the DNA for it," she added.

It was unclear whether the enthusiastic response to her Globes speech -- after which anonymous friends of the chat show queen were reported as saying she was "actively thinking" about a 2020 run -- may have brought a change of heart.

Winfrey went on in the interview to voice optimism about the current political US political climate.

"I think what's exciting is this moment in our political history, in our social engagement," she said.

"It's really opened a lot of people to the fact that they have a voice, and it's gotten people involved in ways that they never would've been before."

Winfrey, the first black woman to own a television network, also reflected on the wave of sexual misconduct allegations gripping the worlds of entertainment, media and politics -- the core of her Globes speech, in which she heralded a "new day" following the watershed.

"It has seared into the consciousness a level of awareness that was not there before," she told InStyle.

"That's the most important thing to me. When Reese Witherspoon can tell her story at the same time as a farm worker in Iowa or a factory worker in Alabama ... You can see you're not alone."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Is Apple Watch a gadget or fashion statement?

CHICAGO/LOS ANGELES -- Apple CEO Tim Cook summed up the problem during a conversation with sales staff at a London Apple Store: "We've never sold anything as a company that people could try on before."

With the expected launch next month of the Apple Watch, the company's first new product in five years, Apple will be stepping into new territory.

To conquer the marketplace, the watch will have to appeal not only as a gadget but as a fashion statement, a fact tacitly acknowledged by Apple's decision to launch its advertising campaign with a 12-page insert in the March issue of Vogue.

The company isn't talking about plans for marketing the Apple Watch in advance of it's much-touted "Spring Forward" event on Monday, but it clearly intends to keep a tight grip on initial sales and distribution, leaving many retailers guessing about when -- or if -- they'll be able to sell it.

Sources with direct knowledge of the matter said that Best Buy Co. Inc., one of the largest sellers of Apple products, may not get the watch at launch time, though the company wouldn't comment on the situation.

Other large retailers, including Macy's, Saks 5th Avenue, Bloomingdales and Barney's said they had no immediate plans to carry the watch. Target and Nordstrom, along with all the major phone carriers, declined to comment on their plans, though a source with knowledge of the situation said Nordstrom has engaged in discussions with Apple.

"Apple is being cautious. There are too many unknowns around how this product will perform," said Van Baker, research vice-president, technology research firm Gartner Inc.

That might mean restricting initial sales to company stores, where Apple has complete control over the experience and staff can be specially trained to sell the watch, Baker said.

Apple's Cook seems very aware of the challenge. The Telegraph, which sent a reporter with the CEO to the company's Covent Garden store, reported that he explained to the staff that selling the watch might require "tweaking the experience in the store."

In the absence of hard information about what the tweaks might look like, speculation has been intense. The Washington Post last week suggested that Apple might add carpeting and mirrors and change store lighting to enhance the watch-buying experience.

Media outlets and websites have also posited that the watch will be offered at special pop-up stores installed at luxury retailers such as Selfridges in London and Colette in Paris.

Apple hosted a private event at Colette last September, at which guests were able to try on the watch, but a spokesman for Colette declined to comment on whether the store would carry it.

Until now, wearable gadgets have not been big sellers for technology companies. Rival products such as Samsung's Gear watches have sold poorly.

Apple hopes to change that, but it is still a big if whether the watch will appeal to buyers seeking a fashion accessory, especially if it needs to be upgraded every few years like Apple's phones, tablets and computers.

"It could do wonders for the watch market if it means people might wear watches again, but realistically, there are a lot of doubts," said Eric Wilson, fashion news director of InStyle.

"Fashion customers are more skeptical than anyone, so Apple has picked a tough crowd."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com