From the very beginning, Apple has projected this watch to be considered a high-end, luxury watch, as well as advanced technology.
Viewing this watch as just another apple product like the iPhone & iPad, I feel a bit of disappointment about the launch; Of how different it was compared to every other product launch, amongst all generations of products Apple has had. There's no in-store stock, there's seems to be a low inventory of watches, you couldn't even properly preview the watch before it went on pre-order.
But...
If I were to look at this watch as luxury, high-end jewelry, some things start to makes sense.
1. No lines.
Name me high-end ANYTHING that you see people standing in line days on end for. Not Jordans. They are popular & expensive basketball sneakers, but they are not considered high-end fashion. I'm not going to say anything bad about lining up for items, cause I've done it myself. It's just not how you would see a brand new Rolex being debuted. The closest to lines for high-end fashion I can think of was for the Versace H&M collection a few years back lol.
2. Limited Quantity/ Exclusivity.
Luxury items aren't meant for everyone to have. They are catered to a very segregated group of people. Its something about the exclusivity of these products that give them this flare, this artificial value to them. It makes people FEEL like they have something not many people can, even if its just for a short period of time. I do think that Apple Stores will eventually start to stock the watches, but right now the facade of exclusivity that they are trying to pass off is important to them.
3. Celebrity Endorsements.
What's the first thing that happens before award ceremonies? Red Carpets. And what happens on the red carpet? A fashion show. Journalist & reporters alike ask the same question, "Who are you wearing?" & a lot of time, the clothes they are wearing are literally fresh off the runway from a new line of the biggest brands in the industry. It's the same thing here. They gave this watch to certain celebrities, celebrities that are the biggest in their fields, BEFORE anyone else could have dared owned one, so they can simply take a picture and endorse it, showing off just the kind of people Apple is really trying to sell this watch to. It's literally like a fashion show.
If Angela & whoever else on the sales & marketing team for this watch was trying to, in a sense, build a bridge into the high-end fashion & jewelry industry, they had to treat this watch as if it already belonged there. Just the fact that Angela was CEO of Burberry should already give you a hint as to what her mindset would be going into this project. I guarantee that the only reason she has been releasing statements & videos to her "employees" (If you honestly believe that video was only intended for apple employees, then you must have never heard of the internet) was to try and dilute some of the animosity towards this launch from people who don't find this kind of limited quantity commonplace.
Simply put, this wasn't an average Apple product release. It was stepping into a new realm, & in that new realm exist different rules, a different culture that has to be respected if Apple were to gain any notability. It definitely would feel weird & disappointing for dedicated Apple & tech enthusiast, but I don't see this kind of release feeling like a new experience for people who already indulge in this lifestyle, & those are the people Apple wanted to catch the attention of.
Disclaimer: I am in no way defending this launch or any marketing ploy Apple had for the watch. I'm simply expressing my opinions about this launch after following it from the very beginning, right up until its launch.
Thanks for reading.
Viewing this watch as just another apple product like the iPhone & iPad, I feel a bit of disappointment about the launch; Of how different it was compared to every other product launch, amongst all generations of products Apple has had. There's no in-store stock, there's seems to be a low inventory of watches, you couldn't even properly preview the watch before it went on pre-order.
But...
If I were to look at this watch as luxury, high-end jewelry, some things start to makes sense.
1. No lines.
Name me high-end ANYTHING that you see people standing in line days on end for. Not Jordans. They are popular & expensive basketball sneakers, but they are not considered high-end fashion. I'm not going to say anything bad about lining up for items, cause I've done it myself. It's just not how you would see a brand new Rolex being debuted. The closest to lines for high-end fashion I can think of was for the Versace H&M collection a few years back lol.
2. Limited Quantity/ Exclusivity.
Luxury items aren't meant for everyone to have. They are catered to a very segregated group of people. Its something about the exclusivity of these products that give them this flare, this artificial value to them. It makes people FEEL like they have something not many people can, even if its just for a short period of time. I do think that Apple Stores will eventually start to stock the watches, but right now the facade of exclusivity that they are trying to pass off is important to them.
3. Celebrity Endorsements.
What's the first thing that happens before award ceremonies? Red Carpets. And what happens on the red carpet? A fashion show. Journalist & reporters alike ask the same question, "Who are you wearing?" & a lot of time, the clothes they are wearing are literally fresh off the runway from a new line of the biggest brands in the industry. It's the same thing here. They gave this watch to certain celebrities, celebrities that are the biggest in their fields, BEFORE anyone else could have dared owned one, so they can simply take a picture and endorse it, showing off just the kind of people Apple is really trying to sell this watch to. It's literally like a fashion show.
If Angela & whoever else on the sales & marketing team for this watch was trying to, in a sense, build a bridge into the high-end fashion & jewelry industry, they had to treat this watch as if it already belonged there. Just the fact that Angela was CEO of Burberry should already give you a hint as to what her mindset would be going into this project. I guarantee that the only reason she has been releasing statements & videos to her "employees" (If you honestly believe that video was only intended for apple employees, then you must have never heard of the internet) was to try and dilute some of the animosity towards this launch from people who don't find this kind of limited quantity commonplace.
Simply put, this wasn't an average Apple product release. It was stepping into a new realm, & in that new realm exist different rules, a different culture that has to be respected if Apple were to gain any notability. It definitely would feel weird & disappointing for dedicated Apple & tech enthusiast, but I don't see this kind of release feeling like a new experience for people who already indulge in this lifestyle, & those are the people Apple wanted to catch the attention of.
Disclaimer: I am in no way defending this launch or any marketing ploy Apple had for the watch. I'm simply expressing my opinions about this launch after following it from the very beginning, right up until its launch.
Thanks for reading.