A few here and there ...
1) Consumer interest in the Apple Watch has been less than expected.
2) So is developer interest. The amount of WatchKit SDK activity has been much less than expected.
3) They will delay the release date to make an artificial scarcity to intentionally make pent up demand and on-line social media activity.
4) After months of Watch pitches in The Loop, no one killer app has been identified nor assigned an evangelist.
5) No big outfit has bought Pebble. That says a lot more than the Apple Watch announcement.
6) Expect it to really launch around Memorial Day weekend when people have time to hang out in line around Apple stores.
7) The iPad Pro launch will be bigger than the Apple Watch launch.
1. I agree. Anecdotally speaking. Neither my work clients nor friends have expressed any interest in Apple Watch, and they all own iPhones. The one consistent comment I have heard when I ask them about it is that it's too expensive. I feel very much the same. At under $200, I think it would sell like crazy. But not at $350+.
2. I can't speak to this.
3. I don't think so. I think they will delay the release because it's not ready. My friend who has used the watch says it's quite laggy still. They know they have to get it right. No margin for error. There are massive expectations for the product. Tim is stoking it so hard every chance he gets. He can't live without it. The public is expecting a new WOW product from Apple. Analysts are expecting a new WOW product/revenue stream. If they delay it, rest assured it's not some conspiracy.
4. For all the hype, I haven't seen a killer concept anywhere either. So far all we've gotten is Apple's take on what already exists in the market. But I think that has a lot to do with the fact that ANY smart watch has very limited potential period. Sensors are the future of the product. There's no killer app really. The screen is too small to be much more than a notification window on your wrist. Beyond that, all of the potential lies in what kind of sensors they can add to the device. Of course, if you're not someone who cares about tracking all of your personal biometric data, I don't think the Watch will ever appeal.
5. I don't agree. Why buy Pebble? For what it would cost, you might as well develop your own device. It's not like wearables are a hot product category. People like Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, etc. are better off just starting from scratch and designing a product that works within their respective ecosystems.
6. I don't agree. Apple doesn't usually miss deadlines unless there's a very good reason. It'll ship in April. As someone else said, probably around the 17th, before earnings, so they can pump the first weekend sales numbers (which will be big, no doubt).
7. I agree. Assuming there is an iPad Pro.
It will be a success because it is an Apple product. Look at all of the people here who are going to buy one site unseen. It's new, it's Apple, it will be like feeding time for sharks.
I wasn't convinced that the Apple Watch will be a success, but I'm starting to adjust my thinking a bit, especially after seeing last quarter's revenue broken down by percentages. It's painfully obvious that Apple *IS* the iPhone. 70% of the company's revenue is iPhone. Without iPhone, Apple is toast.
I used to think of the Watch as creating a new "tentpole" for Apple in terms of revenue, a new product category to wow the expectant masses. But in reality, there's only one tentpole at Apple, the iPhone. So making an accessory to capitalize off that tentpole is smart. I don't think it will become a significant revenue stream for them, but if they can carve out a nice niche accessory business (with great margins) to pad the bottom line, that can't hurt.
am I the only one who doesn't wear jewelry and already owns an iPhone?
I'm right there with you. I've seen nothing at all to make me remotely interested in buying the Apple Watch. But I don't wear a watch, so there would have to be a killer feature to get me interested in wearing one again. I also see no reason to spend $350+ on what amounts to little more than a more convenient way to receive notifications and track health metrics (zero interest...I prefer to live life...I don't need to count my steps).
