Tim Cook: Our Objective With Apple Watch Is to Change the Way People Live Their Lives

[Night Spring]

As both a customer who would like to buy a fully-baked Apple TV and a shareholder who would like to see Apple focus on a market with greater potential, I'm dismayed to see them pursue wearables. It feels like a vanity project to me more than anything else.

I think Apple has been gradually sneaking their way into the TV market. Every time I switch on the Apple TV, there are new channels -- it's starting to look like the menu of my cable TV. And in his interview with Charlie Rose, Tim Cook hinted that the Apple watch will function as a remote for the Apple TV.

Now, that would be something -- a remote I never have to search for because I'm already wearing it!

The Apple Watch is NOT a 14 year equivalent product. Design wise it's "fine" but nothing that blows the competition out of the water. Everything they've revealed for the watch so far are features that has been around for well over a year if not 2.

Not that I've been following other smart watches all that closely, but does any of them have a taptic notification system? That's a feature in the Apple watch I'm looking forward to. I come home, tap the opening bars of Beethoven't 5th symphony on my wrist to signal "open the door," my partner gets the taps, comes over and opens the door. Much faster than fishing my phone out of my pocket and tapping out "open the door" on the phone's on-screen keyboard.

 

[MrXiro]

"High end" watches are thousands of dollars. The solid gold model will be in that category, but not a $349 watch.

And even the "high end" gold one is going to be an obsolete piece of crap in a years time... thems the breaks of modern technology.

 

[showem]

Remarkable how many broke people are responding...

I'm amazed at how many people on here say "$349 is too expensive". You guys need a little lesson in basic economics. Apple can charge whatever the heck they want. It's their responsibility (to their shareholders) to charge as much as they can and to create an enormous demand for this watch.

My guess is that everyone with money, myself included along with a bazillion other people, will buy one of these watches. I can't wait!!!!

 

[nbnbxdnb]

Yeah, I will have one more device to plug in and unplug from the charger everyday. My life quality will take a slight dent, if I do buy one. Thanks, Apple.

 

[Glideslope]

Hilarious. These are guys making tens of millions a year running companies doing billions of dollars in business, one of which is the largest and most profitable company ** in the world. ** You are a guy with time to comment on macrumors. But you stand in dismissive judgment of Cook's talent.

I've been writing code on and for Apple machines since 1982, and a shareholder since 1997. Tim Cook is a brilliant CEO and every bit as skilled as Musk or Jobs in a less flashy way. Apple stock put my kids through college and it's done better under Cook than under Jobs. They make the world's best phones and computers. They are the world's best known brand.
All the know it all snark here about what Cook or Apple should do or how dumb they are or whatever is laughable. The watch will be a giant hit. It will sell tens of millions in v.1. Apple does not make massve marketing errors.

Keep drinking the Cool Aid.

 

[apolloa]

You mean like the iPhone that was announced six months before it went on sale?

Touche... touche...

 

[Glideslope]

I think a CEO has to keep level headed and make educated decisions. While I don't think Tim will sink Apple, I don't think he can grow Apple to compete against rivals such as Google. So in the long-run he will be bad for Apple, it's just the issues will take years to manifest themselves.

Agreed. Tim is very good for Apple in it's current state of maturity. The shareholder benefits the most. Innovation is adequate, but nothing "magical." A very steadfast conservative approach to maximize investors profits. I have no problem with that.

People like Elon Musk will be the next big challenge. Not Google, Amazon, or Microsoft. Will Tim take the Big Risks and push the limits like his predecessor? I doubt it. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see anything truly amazing other than Swift.

The Cool Aid Drinkers will surely accost this post again. Let's just pray iOS 9 actually brings back what an Apple OS should be.

 

[Urban Joe]

TC said you only share your Health information to your choice of Health Provider, not to any government, although whether or not your information will be shared by your Health Provider (including to government) is not any faults of Apple part.

But, we will see when the time comes.

You're exactly right...with all the infrastructure very soon in place it basically all comes down to TRUST (kind of scary IMO) and my concern is that there is a plethora of evidence to show that neither private nor public entities can be trusted...and that's in addition to the normal, technological risks inherent with securing digital data. What they say and what they actually do is often incongruent. I'm afraid they've already got us all over a barrel : (
Like you said, "we'll see."

 

[Poisonivy326]

I'm amazed at how many people on here say "$349 is too expensive". You guys need a little lesson in basic economics. Apple can charge whatever the heck they want. It's their responsibility (to their shareholders) to charge as much as they can and to create an enormous demand for this watch.

My guess is that everyone with money, myself included along with a bazillion other people, will buy one of these watches. I can't wait!!!!

Actually they can charge whatever they want, but it's the consumer's choice to decide whether or not the prices are reasonable or a rip off.

 

[iSayuSay]

One extra charging cable with a tiny disc smaller than the watch which will share your iPhone's wall adapter?

Image

Does that really qualify as a "pain"?

Yes it's a "pain" to have one extra cable which useful ONLY for the watch. Yes it may share the same USB wall charger, nothing extraordinary really. But what good is a cable when it's useful for one device only? Having a "weird" Lightning cable for iPhone and iPad when other phones and tablets on planet earth already use micro USB is already a PITA, now I have to have one extra cable only for my Apple Watch?

How about make a hole for Lightning port? I don't mind of needing precision input to insert the Lightning cable to the watch, but iOS devices need to be seamless and consistent.

So yes, to me an extra new proprietary cable qualify as a pain

 

[bankshot]

Just wanted to correct a bit of misinformation in this post from yesterday:

But Garmin don't have a retina display. Turn on notifications on a garmin watch and you'll get a day and a half. Put an Apple watch display on it and you'll get maybe 6 hours.

Garmin fenix3 (as well as Forerunner 920XT and one or two others). You're correct about the display (not retina, about 180 ppi). But battery life with notifications on is measured in weeks, not days.

You may be thinking of previous Garmin products such as the fenix2, which didn't have the correct low-power chipset to leave BLE on all the time for notifications. They added notifications in a firmware update for users that wanted it, but all reports say it destroyed battery life. The latest generation doesn't seem to have this issue because it was designed with the appropriate low-power modes for Bluetooth notifications.

As an avid runner and occasional triathlete, I find the fenix3 to be much more compelling than Apple's offering. I understand the tradeoffs between the two - both will have third party apps and notifications, but Apple's will be much richer due to better processor/memory/screen. That's where they allocated their battery budget. But built-in GPS and other fitness features so I don't have to rely on my phone (or drain its battery too) is the killer feature for me. Better watch battery life is also a clear winner.

Plus, Garmin's watch just looks nicer.

 

[samcraig]

They only need to convince 0.2% of compatible Iphone owners at the end of 2015 (750K) to sell more Apple Watches than ALL their competitors combined in 2014 (that's how pathetic they were).
Considering they sold 20M tablets, which are not subsidized, las quarter. Not sure why you think something that costs less would be such an imposition on even the high middle market (were most of their buyers reside).

First - who really cares if they sell "more" than the competitors or combined. Truthfully, there's no competition here because you can't use Android Wear on an iPhone and you can't use the Apple Watch with Android. They are companion devices for whichever platform you're on.

Second - you simply can't equate tablet purchases with a companion device like the Apple Watch. Two entirely different products that serve different purposes. Not only that - one is a personal device and the other - more communal.

 

[BigInDallas]

True… However, I do believe I will survive or "live" longer by monitoring my blood sugar more effectively than I have been.

The watch won't monitor you blood sugar. You monitor your blood sugar and the watch tracks it

 

[Meandmunch]

I am an Apple Fanboy, but you are drinking the kool-aid with that comment!

Everything they've revealed about Apple Watch's capability can already be done on a Samsung Gear or a Motorola Smartwatch... sure it's Apple-Esque cool, but not groundbreaking.

So if others are doing it too (but not as well) it's no longer cutting edge?

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On a visit to my local Walmart I was fascinated to discover a rather large display (probably 24 feet long) with nothing but wearable technology on it. Walmart clearly thinks this product category is about to explode, I think the Apple watch is going to just fine.

 

[lakaiordie]

i love how these people who say they're shareholders on this site really think they contribute to anything. I'm sure apple employees who have worked for many years own more shares than you and don't display that "elitist" talk. Apple will do whatever they want unless you're on the board. Which if you post here you aren't. This watch won't be anything special. a whole day battery life? a lot of people fall asleep with their watch on for an alarm. your iwatch will just run out of battery.

 

[AppleScruff1]

i love how these people who say they're shareholders on this site really think they contribute to anything. I'm sure apple employees who have worked for many years own more shares than you and don't display that "elitist" talk. Apple will do whatever they want unless you're on the board. Which if you post here you aren't. This watch won't be anything special. a whole day battery life? a lot of people fall asleep with their watch on for an alarm. your iwatch will just run out of battery.

I'm honored, we have billionaires here and hundreds of major shareholders.

 

[kdarling]

Not that I've been following other smart watches all that closely, but does any of them have a taptic notification system?

You mean a messaging app where you tap on one device and it transfers the taps to the recipient? If Apple's little app takes off, I'm sure an Android app will follow.

That's a feature in the Apple watch I'm looking forward to. I come home, tap the opening bars of Beethoven't 5th symphony on my wrist to signal "open the door," my partner gets the taps, comes over and opens the door. Much faster than fishing my phone out of my pocket and tapping out "open the door" on the phone's on-screen keyboard.

Using an app to unlock the door directly would be even nicer, and not make your poor partner get up

They only need to convince 0.2% of compatible Iphone owners at the end of 2015 (750K) to sell more Apple Watches than ALL their competitors combined in 2014 (that's how pathetic they were).

Note: 720K was Android Wear devices only, starting out mid year.

It didn't include non-AW devices like Pebble or most of Samsung's Gear series.

That said, I'd think the Apple Watch will sell pretty well at first, especially to the hard core fans. After that, it'll be more dependent on battery life reviews, and how people feel wearing basically the same thing as their friends.

I also think that Apple would be smart to make it work with Android devices, just as they later made iPods work with PCs. But I'm not holding my breath for this

 

[laurim]

Nickel allergy

I'd just like to know why they cheaped out on the stainless steel on the watch. There are better types of stainless steel and other metals that won't cause problems for people with nickel allergies (like myself) but they didn't. I don't want to wear the sports version all the time and even the leather one will have a metal buckle so there's basically only the leather loop I can wear and I don't like the look of it. Nail polish is a PITA and only lasts until it rubs off. Not interested in spending $300+ on a watch that makes me break out in an itchy, weeping rash. Some people think maybe the space grey coating will help but how can I test that before putting out the money?

 

[lakaiordie]

I'm honored, we have billionaires here and hundreds of major shareholders.

talk does a lot. facts prove it.

 

[samcraig]

I'd just like to know why they cheaped out on the stainless steel on the watch. There are better types of stainless steel and other metals that won't cause problems for people with nickel allergies (like myself) but they didn't. I don't want to wear the sports version all the time and even the leather one will have a metal buckle so there's basically only the leather loop I can wear and I don't like the look of it. Nail polish is a PITA and only lasts until it rubs off. Not interested in spending $300+ on a watch that makes me break out in an itchy, weeping rash. Some people think maybe the space grey coating will help but how can I test that before putting out the money?

How long would it take for you to realize? I ask sincerely as I am sure there's at least a 14 day if not 30 day window for returns, no?

 

[Night Spring]

You mean a messaging app where you tap on one device and it transfers the taps to the recipient? If Apple's little app takes off, I'm sure an Android app will follow.

Using an app to unlock the door directly would be even nicer, and not make your poor partner get up

As I understand it, the Apple watch has a hardware mechanism that taps your wrist. Not sure if other manufacturers will be able to replicate it without violating whatever patents Apple has on it, but will be interesting to see them try.

And opening the door is just the first example that popped into my mind. I'm actually contemplating learning Morse code so I can tap out messages.

 

[diazj3]

I'm amazed at how many people on here say "$349 is too expensive". You guys need a little lesson in basic economics. Apple can charge whatever the heck they want. It's their responsibility (to their shareholders) to charge as much as they can and to create an enormous demand for this watch.

My guess is that everyone with money, myself included along with a bazillion other people, will buy one of these watches. I can't wait!!!!

right... a bazillion

It seems you are the one who needs a couple of little lessons. But just to get you started:

1. Bazillion is NOT a number.
2. That's NOT how basic economics work - or marketing for that matter.
3. That's NOT how shareholder responsibility works either.

Cheers!

 

[rowspaxe]

He took the criticism to heart and is trying to hard to prove he is as innovative as steve jobs.

Tim has sold a gazillion phones...but they are Steve's phone, running Steve's mobile os. Maybe he sees wearables as his chance to step out from the Steve's shadow.

With respect to the watch, it will likely be a modest success in its first
iteration--10 or so million units in 2015. But its possible to sell a lot of
units and still provide a poor user experience. And thats what I see happening with the apple watch. And I think that will degrade the apple brand--popular media focusing on what bad product it is

 

[robbyx]

I'm amazed at how many people on here say "$349 is too expensive". You guys need a little lesson in basic economics. Apple can charge whatever the heck they want. It's their responsibility (to their shareholders) to charge as much as they can and to create an enormous demand for this watch.

My guess is that everyone with money, myself included along with a bazillion other people, will buy one of these watches. I can't wait!!!!

I have plenty of money, have bought Apple products for 32 years, and I will NOT buy one of these watches. $350 is too expensive. It's not unaffordable, but even people with plenty of money still think about blowing a few hundred bucks on something. Yes, Apple has a duty to its shareholders to make the most money possible. But that doesn't happen if a product is priced too high.

I don't see the value in the Apple Watch. And so far I don't think most people do. Outside of very eager Apple fans online, I have yet to encounter anyone who is remotely interested in the watch. None of my Mac/iPhone-loving friends plan to buy one (I've asked). None of my clients plan to buy one (again, I've asked). Some have been downright dismissive of the product altogether. Others have said they are curious but don't perceive the value currently. Just because a wearable comes with an Apple logo, I don't think that suddenly makes the wearables market viable.

I'm curious...Do you use a Pebble? Fitbit? After all, these products do most of the things the Apple Watch promises.

 

[rowspaxe]

I'm amazed at how many people on here say "$349 is too expensive". You guys need a little lesson in basic economics. Apple can charge whatever the heck they want. It's their responsibility (to their shareholders) to charge as much as they can and to create an enormous demand for this watch.

anti-elastic demand--thats interesting. still, i think you are right on the price point. While this is not really a status market--its more of brand participation market. And so I dont think you have a value driven customer--so a high price point makes sense