You consider customer care "manipulation"? A new product category needs a little more nudging than just a commercial showing the watch spinning around. The fact that this device is a fashion accessory means people need to try them on. It's not manipulation, it's just organized.
The fact that you think it's pointless kind of reveals exactly why you're projecting that Apple thinks it doesn't have much to offer. And then you go on to say Apple doesn't appreciate how difficult it's going to be to get someone to put something on their wrist...yet they're offering services to make that easier...and have been quoted saying that young people do not wear watches anymore.
And yes, my one biggest gripe about this product is the negative connotation of wearing it in public. Among certain crowds, mainly those with your mindset, I will look like I'm either stupid for buying a pointless device or a complete fanboy for it being an Apple product. Meanwhile, my MS Band is bulky to wear and doesn't fit in most of my shirt sleeves...but nobody knows what it is. And so, quite the contrary to what most people think of Apple users, I hide my Apple stuff so as to not give off any preconceptions about who or what I am.
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Less than 9% of the internals of an iPhone are made in Korea. Most of it is, in fact, Japanese. And you're crazy about the tablets - they were just like smartphones, popular among a certain group of people but a total flop with the public.
Apple doesn't do this with any of its other products. So it's odd to me as to why they have decided this should be the first to have such "special" treatment. Couldn't they have just tethered the watches to a table like they do everything else? Seems to me that their employees will be doing a little bit more "selling," subtly of course, when it comes to helping customers pick out which watch is best.
To my second point, I just don't see how this thing is going to penetrate the mass market. Everyone who is buying this device already has an iPhone, because you need one for the device to work. So let's divide the potential customer base into different segments here and think it through. There are two groups that I think are most important, students and young professionals. Will students buy this device on a mass scale? I have my doubts. Perception matters here. I find it hard to believe that a 20 something year old is going to rush out and buy a watch the first week its released, since there now the "young adult" (aka kid), on campus who rushed out and bought an Apple Watch that really doesn't have a breakthrough feature the first week it was released. We haven't even considered the fact that so many in this age group do not currently wear a device on their wrist. So, Apple is going to have to sell a product to an individual who currently does not wear such a device and will probably subconsciously feel uncomfortable wearing it, at least initially. And it costs 350 dollars. A ton of hurdles here.
Second, young professionals. I think this age group will be even more difficult. Can you see young professionals who work in corporate environments rushing out to buy an Apple Watch and wear it in their workplace? I just don't see it. Maybe a few will, but very few. Again, societal perception matters. Most of these folks probably also don't wear watches. And if they do, it's probably understated and casual. Maybe the sport watch sells here, but again, I doubt it, since the band itself would stick out as perhaps unprofessional.
Third, older adults who currently wear watches. For older adults currently in the professional work force, no chance. They aren't buying this device. They have iPhones though, and they love them. But a "smart watch," no chance.
So, I'm finding it difficult to figure out who exactly is going to be buying this device. Young techies in Silicon Valley? Students who use it predominately to work out? Young professionals who use it predominately to work out? I really think the societal pressures make this so difficult to overcome, Apple would have been better off making the device look more like a classic looking watch. Maybe that would have had a chance. Otherwise, unless and until Apple can actually project an image out of the device, aka the future, I just don't see how this thing is successful.
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Curious why you think Angela could be the next Apple CEO.
Next CEO? Haha. She's from a fashion house. She's going to run a TECH company? I wouldn't be surprised if she was gone within the next 24 months at this point.
