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Apple Recruiting Pro Athletes to Test iWatch's Fitness Capabilities

sputnikv said:
kobe is on the verge of retiring, with his injury there isn't much testing he could or should be doing if he wants to have a chance of still being relevant in the upcoming season. they should consult with someone else
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Kobe is probably going to retire soon but that doesn't make him not relevant in the eyes of the public. He's still known around the world and even if he isn't at all star nba level anymore, hes still a great athlete and is still better then 99% of the world at basketball. Retired athletes, especially recently retired ones are great for product endorsements in the field they were in. Jordan for quite a while after his last retirement still endorsed products that showed him playing basketball. Jordan still has a large presence endorsing products and while Kobe is not as big as Jordan, Kobe can still bring a lot of people in to buy x, y or z.
I'm sure they are consulting with other athletes. Maybe not as big of a celeb as Kobe and apple is gong to test the watch with athletes from different sports as well.
 
As an investor I like where Apple seems to be going with this. I wasn't a fan of the Healthbook app details disclosed at WWDC, but this story is interesting. If the various sensors really do work quite well, this product could end up having everything from use through the medical industry to being a status symbol if there are $2k+ versions of the watch. The margins will be huge, and if celebrities are seen endorsing these the masses will follow. It won't matter if the product turns out to be nothing more than a watch, people will want it if the marketing is done correctly.
 
I'm a little confused by the "apple is just using these people to look cool" tone people are using. Doesn't it make sense if it's a health monitoring device, that top athletes test it and give feedback? It doesn't feel the same if Jony Ive is dribbling a basketball while wearing an I watch. They news to really put it through its paces
 
filmantopia said:
Do I remember correctly that both Swatch and Rolex gave Apple the finger as partners in the project?

If true, both companies are in for a rude awakening.
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I sincerely doubt the iWatch is going to sway anyone in the market for a Rolex
 
filmantopia said:
Do I remember correctly that both Swatch and Rolex gave Apple the finger as partners in the project?

If true, both companies are in for a rude awakening.
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They're not the ones who need to be worried. Garmin needs to be worried. Polar needs to be worried. Standalone fitness watch companies all need to be very worried. An iWatch with all the same sensors - and more - that can run custom apps could destroy those companies. Hell, if they make the iWatch waterproof, triathletes could use the damn thing.
 
Kobe?

Going for market segments that want to emulate past their prime basketball players and rapists?
 
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556fmjoe said:
Someone getting paid to wear a watch and talk about how great it is is not going to convince me that it must really be a great product. It may very well be a great product, but I'm not interested in what a paid spokesman says about it.
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No one said they would be spokespeople (although I am sure some will). According to the rumor, they were asked to test the devices. Presumably Apple is gathering some data they will use in the announcement and it will be more interesting to the audience if they can associate the data with professional athletes.

By your logic, you can't believe anything anyone tells you if they are being paid to do a job. I hope your at least ok if you are the one paying them.
 
filmantopia said:
What if there are high end Swiss watch designers who create amazing looking bands for the more expensive models? Will that not entice people who want the modern multi-sensor, cloud connected functionality?
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What? They are WATCH makers, not BAND makers. Here, have a Ferrari, but hold the body, chassis, suspension and engine. Yes, you still have the paint job.
 
DTphonehome said:
Well, we better call Apple and have them cancel the whole project.
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one of the best burns I've seen :)

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Almost bought a GShock the other day, just holding out until I see what Apple has to offer. I am very athletic so I can wait for this :)
 
The NHL, MLB and NBA? You need a real sport.
Pro Wrestling. Test the iWatch on them.
/sarcasm

Seriously I think a 5 hour match from Roger Federer would suffice. Or choose your favourite entrant from the next Hawiian ironman. That would give Apple much better data. Or you can pick an equally as tough sport.
 
filmantopia said:
Well most people who have lots of money tend to use the iPhone. I think if the functionality of the iWatch is advanced enough, people will feel like it's a pretty necessary thing to have on.

Especially people with money who care about their health or want to be more connected to their schedule, emails, messages, calls, notifications and other cloud services more closely.

If Apple nails the high end bands (costing several grand) and makes the display part classy enough, it could definitely threaten the high end watch market. All of the wealthier people I know would seemingly be in the market for something like this.
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People who are interested in the higher price brackets for watches are not going to drop them for iWatch. This is aimed at those sad spoilt little rich kids where mommy and daddy give them everything.

Bet it's only a US launch as well. There is no way in hell a gimmick like this would get approved in half the countries around the world.
 
BaldiMac said:
What if the iWatch is just a line of nice watches with sensors built in? No screen. No special features. Just a traditional mechanical watch with some sensors and bluetooth le. Solves the battery issue much easier.

People could be wearing them in public now with no one the wiser.
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Bryant's big square watch in the pics do look different to the one he usually promotes.
 
mrxak said:
I think we can close the thread, now.

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How well were personal computers selling before Apple brought out the Macintosh?

How well were digital music players selling before Apple brought out the iPod?

How well were smart phones selling before Apple brought out the iPhone?

How well were tablets selling before Apple brought out the iPad?

How well are smart watches selling? Who cares! Apple hasn't released theirs yet.
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Oh well, we can discuss facts and history (i.e. the first computer that sold in the millions was made by Commodore), but the ultimate truth is religious believe.

The running / triathlon ... watches and fitness bands are probably selling well even tough there is nothing from Apple yet. You get them in normal consumer electronics shops now, you do not have to go to special sports shops or order them online. And many people are using these devices all the time.

Christian
 
I cannot see myself buying a smart watch but then I could not see myself buying a walkman before the iPod came out.

I also could not see myself buying a large (at the time!) touch screen smart phone before the iPhone when I had a tiny Sony that could disappear in my pocket and was great for calls and texts.

One thing I wonder about is that there was a perfect storm of new technology that enabled both of those products above and apart from new materials tech I know of nothing else really new out there.
 
Issue with a lot of health watches , fitness trackers is that they only cater for walking and running. I'd really like a watch / fitness tracker that caters for more sports / activities, i.e., cycling.

If the iWatch is more than just a run of the mill iWatch - connectivity with smartphone then Apple could be on to a winner.

Having Ant+ connectivity would be excellent to connect to GPS and other devices ( i.e., heart rate monitor ).

GPS on the smartphone isn't practical at the moment since they suck up too much battery life. The phone would last half a day if that. Bluetooth is OK, but with GPS going, Bluetooth as well - battery life just drains too fast.
 
556fmjoe said:
I never understood people who would buy something because they saw a celebrity or athlete using it.
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Yooooo my sentiments EXACTLY . I do have a favorite artist, but him wearing something does not automatically mean I need it .

I'll never understand that .
 
#notaniwatch

rgz601.jpg
 
Reason077 said:
I think this is the problem that Apple will face with the iWatch: not a lot of people actually *wear* watches any more.

20 years ago it would have been unusual for anyone to not wear one, but now if you take a sample of random people on the street I'd be surprised if more than 5-10% were. It's something that is no longer necessary in day to day life.

Perhaps in order to be successful, the iWatch needs to not look like a watch.
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Maybe you should do your survey in an office or when people do their job :D

But nonetheless, still no reason for them to buy an iWatch. I basically think it will rather be something like a health and sports related gadget than a fashion goodie. At least this is what the latest apps and announcements during WWDC point to.
 
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