“So that new wearable device Apple is introducing on September 9? It’s going to be a while before anyone is actually wearing it,” John Paczkowski reports for Re/code. “Sources in position to know tell me it won’t arrive at market for a few months.”
“My understanding is that we’re unlikely to see it at retail until after the holiday season — think early 2015,” Paczkowski reports. “Disappointing news for anyone hoping to put the device in a stocking come Christmas, but not unprecedented. Remember, Apple didn’t ship the first iPhone until six months after its January unveiling.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
I doubt Apple will introduce it long before they can ship it.
You mean like how the original iPhone went on sale six months after debuting or the iPad went on sale 2 to 3 months after it was shown off?
The announcement for the iPhone was made 6 months early because the USPTO is not allowed to keep a secret. That’s it!
Maybe the same situation applies with this new wearable device?
Depending on its capabilities very possibly. Anyway Apple will want to present it before we start seeing parts of it being surepticiously smuggled out and shown in the media. When a product is a makeover it doesn’t matter so much but when its a new product its much more invasive for samples to be revealed when no announcement has been made, to the point where the announcement itself becomes a serious anticlimax as the impact is lost, Far better to give an announcement when little especially physically is known and then let the desire for it build over a few months while those samples become pretty meaningless or simply keep the hype flowing.
I thought it was the FCC filing.
You might be right now that I think about it.
You are correct – it was for the FCC filing. Depending on whether or not the iWatch would have to go through the same process, we might see the same time-frame. Shouldn’t affect the competition much, but at this point only Apple knows that for sure.
And the Mac Pro. And kind of the newest design iMac, though that seemed unintentional.
It is a necessary part of Apple strategy to maintain secrecy regarding new products, in part, to maximize the lead time over the inevitable copying of their designs.
In this case, it may be a smart move to introduce the “iWatch” months before it ships if there are significant advances in technology or processes that require governmental approvals, such as FCC, FDA, etc. and that are difficult to replicate.
The iPhone was introduced well before it was available and while it was undergoing FCC review. The amount of media hype associated with the release made for months of free PR.
Months of free PR would probably be worth the sacrifice of revealing some of the capabilities and the Intellectual Property imbedded in the device to the copiers such as Samsung, Google, etc. Especially if the blueprint for the next big thing is difficult to copy and the approval processes are rigorous.
IP is definitely of great value, but I think most of us have learned that when it comes to tech, patents are of limited value. The long time lines inherent in litigation makes it nearly worthless as a strategy regarding the protection of the IP of large tech companies such as Apple that makes actual products that sell in actual (often short) market cycles. The legal process associated with patent protection is much more geared to distributions of money from the successful businesses, to the parasites, trolls, serial litigators, and non practicing entities that are much less dependent on the time sensitive nature of the Market. Samsung understands this very well, and has used that understanding to formulate a “Fast Follower” business strategy that uses the designs, ideas, and IP of others to rapidly bring similar products to market. That has been working well for them since way back when they stole the intellectual property to make black and white TVs.
In a post to a previous story I (incorrectly) mentioned the iPad was delayed. This does make some sense because Apple can get more developers and hardware manufacturers onboard in order to have a greater number of product offerings for the device. And to hype it even more 😉
It would be nice to have a device come out on Apple’s 2Q to keep earnings jumping.
“Sources in position to know tell me it won’t arrive at market for a few months.”
Riggghhhtttt. Because my sisters, friends, mother heard from a guy who knows a guy who works at an Apple supplier………
What a crock.
1. What are they going to display/showcase in that giant white cube building, a ginormous Slip ‘N Slide and a few iPhones?
2. Did anyone expect the wearable/watch to be sold in the next couple of weeks? I think the recent consensus has been sales of the wearables would start in November or later.
No surprise really. Think of how long some of the medical device experts, watch company and fashion executives hired by Apple have been on the job – not that long. Add to this the fact that no sample parts have leaked in China. This tells me that anything we might see on September 9 is likely a prototype, and may not have left Apple’s labs. It’s the only way that this could be kept secret. God knows, secrets are not safe in China.
It does not matter that a watch would be ready for sale this year. I would rather that Apple get it right. There’s never a second chance to make a good first impression, pundits be damned.
The good thing is that Apple understands this. I hope you will too.
Maybe this baby is being built in the good ol’ USA.
Maybe even by robots who can keep a secret.
Introduce it then miss out on the entire holiday season?? Pro-orders for next year? This doesn’t sound like Apple to me, they only did that once before with the original iPhone (I believe because of FCC regulations). Just don’t see that happening. I think the original rumor came out of Asia, maybe it’s just propaganda from competitors.