The Apple Watch “is sure to sell like gangbusters out of the gate, but to achieve long-term success, Apple needs to find solutions to the following problems,” Chris Slate writes for TechRadar.
1. It lacks a defining must-have feature: There’s no single feature that marketers can use to define the product as unique or necessary.
2. It needs an iPhone: Anyone who doesn’t own a newish iPhone can’t use an Apple Watch… A PC user might still buy an iPad, and someone with a Samsung tablet might still pick a MacBook, but zero Android users will own an Apple Watch.
3. People don’t wear watches anymore: I wore a watch for years, but quit when I got used to pulling out my iPhone all the time.
4. It’s yet another gadget to carry: Our pockets, purses and backpacks are bursting with digital devices these days, from mobile phones and tablets to health trackers and handheld game systems.
5. It’ll be pricey: With no clear, defining reason to own one, many could view the device as nice but not necessary.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: iCal’ed.
1. “It lacks a defining must-have feature.” Apple Pay alone will sell the device.
2. “It needs an iPhone.” Requires iPhone 5 or later. Over 388 million iPhone units have been sold since iPhone 5’s debut.
3. “People don’t wear watches anymore.” Watches that just present the time and/or date, you mean.
4. “It’s yet another gadget to carry.” You don’t carry Apple Watch, you wear it.
5. “It’ll be pricey.” If $350 is too much for what Apple Watch offers, you’re not the type of customer Apple wants. Go get yerself a Sammmysung, dummy!
#3 is the only reason that counts.
It is the main reason I *don’t think* I’m interested. So far. We’ll see.
I don’t wear a watch as it gets banged up & can’t be used in a shop environment.
What I can and do use is a BT earpiece. Apple ought to have an advanced BT earpiece that gives me whatever notifications I need. The good Jawbone is around $130 and does a great job.
I could see an ultra-modernized miniature BT earpiece in a couple form factors. One would fit on the temple of glasses and the other in the ear. I would expect these could issue voice, sounds and small vibrations for signaling in addition to normal handling of calls.
Makes much more sense to me.
Introducing Beats….
Exactly and I think it’s a good thing since the market is therefore wide open. My wife and I don’t wear a watch for years now. We used to have beautiful RADOs extra slim and modern looking. Now they are somewhere in a box in the garage. And they cost way more than the cheapest Apple Watch.
I could not imagine I would wear a watch again and for the time of the Apple Watch rumors I was skeptical. Especially since the iPhone gives also the time on top of several other things.
But… when we watched the keynote we were really seduced by the health potential. It is a compelling argument and yes I can say we both will buy an Apple Watch when it comes out. I can’t wait to wear my watch while walking running play tennis or swim.
I agree with the story, especially #3.
Think it’ll be successful enough, but not for me unless it’s shock- and dive-proof.
I agree with 1 & 2. Apple Pay is potentially interesting but I’d probably have to travel quite a distance to find a place to use it. So number 1 is pretty much on, there is no killer app.
2 is saying what I’ve been saying all along. With most of the smart watches being OS agnostic it seems foolish to leave out Android users. Remember, the iPod never became popular until Apple ported iTunes to Windows.
3 is mostly a personal choice. I haven’t worn a watch since cell phones started telling time, but I know a lot of people would like to wear watches.
4 is partially right. Not so much for having to wear a device on my wrist, but to worry about carrying a charger. If you’re taking a trip it’s one more charger to carry.
5 is right on the money. Just the watch is the same price as a subsidized high-end iPhone. I have no interest in paying a minimum of $400 for something that will be obsolete in a year or two.
I meant 2, not 3…mea culpa.
Well, the Apple watch hasn’t been released yet. Apple may well yet release Android software for it. We could see the iPod Halo effect all over again. It would be the smartest thing Apple has done since porting iTunes to Windows.
iCaled 😉
oh no! Not THAT!
Right on, MDN.
BWHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! Good one! Wait… April 1 is 4 months from now…
Clueless!!!
Another person who simply doesn’t understand Apple. If they wanted to sell cheap watches to every Tom, Dick and Harry with a Droid then the price would be $99 with half the functions gutted and no profit margin.
Another list could be: 5 reasons why food will fail
1. Food easily goes bad at which point you throw it away and you wasted money on it
2. The wrong foods make you fat
3. Food take a long time to prepare
4. Food will only last you a few hours after which you have to eat food again
5. Food costs a plant or animal life.
Eat shit and die, anal ists
A little crude, don’t you think?
Getting paid to say obvious things is crude
It is obvious the humor and word-play was lost on you, but that is OK 🙂
Beyond being a phone which people had before you could probably argue that the features of the iPhone were the same before people started using them and becoming dependent on having them with them.
#2 of course you need an iPhone. Apple is targeting first his customer base. Who else? The others dream to buy an iPhone and the rest can’t afford it.
Very true. 13 years ago, the first iPod needed a Mac. Look where its successor/offshoot is now: iPhones don’t need a computer at all anymore.
1. “It lacks a defining must-have feature.” Apple Pay alone will sell the device.
2. “It needs an iPhone.” Requires iPhone 5 or later. Over 388 million iPhone units have been sold since iPhone 5’s debut.
3. “People don’t wear watches anymore.” Watches that just present the time and/or date, you mean.
4. “It’s yet another gadget to carry.” You don’t carry Apple Watch, you wear it.
5. “It’ll be pricey.” If $350 is too much for what Apple Watch offers, you’re not the type of customer Apple wants. Go get yerself a Sammmysung, dummy!
1.) I disagree that Apple Pay alone will sell the device. While certainly a nice feature that might help influence potential buyers, I don’t see people buying the Watch for that feature alone when they can already use their iPhone for that.
2.) Somewhat agree with MDN. I don’t think it’s a major limitation, but it is a limitation nonetheless. I could see the Apple Watch being given as gifts more so if it didn’t require an iPhone. More children could use it as well if it didn’t require an iPhone.
3.) Disagree with MDN’s comment. Pretty much the only watches people wear these days are ones that just present the time and/or date. That’s not to say that the Apple Watch won’t reverse that trend, but I don’t agree with MDN’s actual statement here.
4.) I would say the bigger issue is that it’s another gadget to charge rather than another gadget to carry/wear. That’s not a reason for failure, but it is an issue that people will consider and factor.
5.) Mostly agree with MDN. I do think $350 is a bit pricey for an entry level model, but I think that price point will be just fine. Not so sure about the higher priced models.
#1… Owners of the iPhone 5, 5c, and 5s will need the Apple Watch to use Apple Pay in stores. Those phones, by themselves, do not support Apple Pay, as the latest 6 and 6 Plus do.
1….
The smart watch regardless of who makes it, is a novelty. This device mimics some functions of a smart phone on a tiny screen with poor battery life and relatively high cost.
In a time when the demand and trend is making lager and more powerful smart phone, this avenue of making such a device as this smart watch is folly.
The killer App that has been written about elsewhere is “convenience.” Getting, sending, and accessing information easily and immediately without dragging a phone from one’s pocket is key. And yes, it is a pain to do that. As it evolves and phone tethering is lessened, it will even become more convenient. I will buy 5 on day one.
#5 I can understand this since it won’t be subsidized… Unless a pharmaceutical company will provide it with their medicine plan…
Wait the same minded people that charge you $100 for a pair of gloves that cost 2cts? Yeah it won’t happen…
This guy is the ultimate click hound. Does anyone remember his Dec.15th article, “5 Reasons Why the Apple Watch Will Succeed”?
The killer app for Apple Watch will be the health apps. Young people will use them for fitness and their workouts. Older people will use them to be sure they are still alive.
does anyone else notice that he’s playing both sides of the argument, and shouldn’t receive all this vitriol. Last week he wrote an article on why it would be a success (conveniently left out by MDN). It’s okay to look at a situation from more than one angle.
1. Apple pay
2. Apple pay
3. Yes they do, try opening your eyes next time you step out the door.
4. Uh, you wear it, dummy.
5. $349, pricey? Sounds like a cheap bastard.
Battery life?! Forget your charger and your stuffed…oh yes that’s right, Apple says just buy another charger…more money to spend spend spend! Not forgetting version two will come out with better battery life….probably two days(!?) and so everyone will probably want to upgrade and who will want the first generation when version 2 comes out which has crap battery life!?
Why are you worried about everyone else’s purchasing habits? This is obviously not your cup of tea, no reason to down play it, especially months before it is even released.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you that golf is doomed and a waste of everyone’s time and money because I think it’s a boring and stupid game.
Your entire rant is based off conjecture. Get a life.
Tech Radar…
Another good example of a FUD article to grad some link traffic. Since Digg pre-v4, Tech Radar has always been a scam blogger traffic surfer.
Shouldn’t be on MDN at all.
I disagree! I’m 74 and have worn a
wristwatch every day for the last 67
of those years and will until that day.
I have a iPhone4 right now but plan on getting a 6+ the same time I get
my iWatch. Right now I use a radio
controlled watch that always shows
me the exact time, day, date and has
several other features. I also have two
iPods, an iPad2, Mac desktop, ~4
Windows Laptops, and a few PDA’s.
many CD’s, DVD’s, GPS’s, & Large screen HD TV’s. When Apple comes
out with their next “Gizmo” I will add
that too. My only regret is that I didn’t
have an iPhone back in college. I had
to use a 12″ loglog slip stick, until I
designed and built a pocket calculator. I also used to carry a 6″
slip stick in my shirt pocket so that I
wouldn’t look like a geek, which I
guess I am – or more correctly a
retired Physicist, ME, and EDP Mgr.
For fun I used to race SCCA sports cars and have my Commercial Pilots
license with lots of aerobatic time.
Did I mention that my wife of over 46
years (also a pilot), son, grandson,
Lasa Apsa and Harley make me one
of the happiest guys around.
I think these are fair points to raise pre-launch, but I don’t think they are reasons “the Apple Watch will fail.” They might be reasons it COULD fail, tho. Mind you, I don’t think it will, but I think at least a few of these five “reasons” aren’t completely invalid…
Honestly, I think the main issue with iWatch is it’s basically an accessory to an iPhone. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I love my iPhone, and I like what I’ve seen of iWatch. Are there a lot of features on the iWatch that I really like? Absolutely. Do those features justify me paying more for the iWatch than I did for the iPhone? Not in my mind.
Maybe if they can produce something that costs less than what users are paying for the phone (and remember that most people are buying iPhones with the contract, so they pay the lowest price possible), then iWatch will get more market penetration. Other than that, it just seems like they’re trying to make iWatch some sort of veblen good, which seems contrary to what Apple stands for. But that’s just me.
If it isn’t waterproof, that’s a showstopper for me. I heard it’s water resistant. Must be waterproof for me, as a $50 watch buyer, to be willing to spend that kinda money on a watch. I am working my way toward being an iOS developer. That’s really the only reason why I would spend a lot on a watch. But, if not waterproof, not happening.
I’ll bet waterproof is on the short list of improvements planned for the second sport edition. You are probably in a very small minority for which that feature is a deal breaker. But I agree it will be a welcome and expected additional feature in the second round of Apple Watches. 😃
I totally disagree about not wearing a watch. Went without a watch just cellphone for 6 months pulling out the phone was a pain, a watch is so quick. A watch that can do more than just tell time and date will be so much better.
#4- He must think its a pocket watch