I get the impression that Ive believed in his and Jobs' ideas and design in the beginning, but he's just sold himself out now... he'll say anything, no matter how far-fetched. I suppose it's a given; Apple needs to sell the world on a new phone each year, and each phone is supposed to be better than the last, otherwise... who would buy it?
In the tech business, they've been pining for a new product category that will shake up the market and generate revenues like the modern smartphone and tablets have. These product categories have made many companies incredibly rich, so it's no surprise that they want another golden egg.
Since no new product type has evolved of its own volition, the industry has been pushing wearables/watches lately as the next major product category, but it's obvious to most people that this category will not be the next smartphone or tablet. This category is being pushed on the consumer by manufacturers, not fueled by consumer desire.
Modern smartphones and tablets have been successful primarily because they fulfill needs and people enjoy using them. This is my opinion, but the watch does not fulfill any real needs, and is not a particularly enjoyable experience.
The smartphone can do everything the watch can, and plenty more. If I want to pay for something, check e-mail, weather, send a message, check my calendar etc., I can do this rather well on my phone. In fact, any activity that requires typing or reading will be a far better experience on the phone. The product demo was pretty ridiculous and far more gimmicky than any demo I can remember from Apple.
We enjoy large screen sizes, so we can feel more comfortable interacting with the device, so it makes little sense to put away the now larger device, only to interact with it through a small, limited device. Most, if not all of Apple's products fulfill needs, and are great at what they do (Mac, iPhone, iPad for example), and this seems to be their weakest offering in recent times.
I think on top of all that, the watch is priced wrong. At $350+ (I think it could be significantly higher with the metal bands and particular finishes) for a new product category that offers little real benefit, it's far too high. They want to market it as jewelry, but it is not jewelry. Jewelry does not depreciate, lack features or become obsolete. No one will be cross shopping Omegas, Tags and the Apple Watch. This is just another tech gadget, and once past the initial excitement phase, I think people will treat it as such.
I see how Apple wants to see it... a new product category with high margins, a new app store with a new revenue stream. Beyond the initial hype, I think it will sell in some quantity, but it definitely won't be another smartphone, where over 70% of the population (in many countries) will have one.
Watch and this is almost *exactly* what people were saying when the iPad was released.
