Apple Says It’s Not Working on Anything With Philippe Starck

What is French designer Philippe Starck working on for Apple?

An obvious guess for Apple’s new product would be the much-anticipated Apple television. Or a re-imagining of the Apple Store.

Here’s another: Nothing.

Reached for comment, an Apple spokeswoman said the company is not working on a new product or project with Starck. And while she declined to speculate about what the designer might have been referring to when he told France Info Radio that he and Apple “have a big project together that will be out in eight months,” there’s a good explanation for the remark.

Prior to his death, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was working with Starck on a yacht. And this is very likely the “fairly, if not very, revolutionary” project he was talking about. To be built by luxury superyacht builder Feadship, the yacht is believed to have a very minimalist and sleek design with a main feature being 40 foot long glass walls. And Starck has been involved in its design.

Starck refused to offer any further details, citing Apple’s “culte du secret religieux,” but he’d clearly already lost his membership.