“The iPhone came first, but it was of secondary importance. Apple’s big event this month relegated the company’s best known and best selling product to the role of an opening act for ‘the next chapter in Apple’s history”: the Watch,'” Vlad Savov writes for The Verge. “With a perfectly pitched tremor of emotion in his voice, CEO Tim Cook finally confirmed all the rumors of an Apple wearable device, while leaving some mystery about how it will work and everything it will do. The product itself was almost less important than the statement the company was making: the future of personal computing will be on your wrist and Apple has the time machine to transport you there.”
“In spite of never once uttering the word ‘smartwatch,’ Apple is now one of the most committed participants in the nascent smartwatch business and has brought its halo of attention to the entire category,” Savov writes. “Because this company launches entirely new products so rarely and so successfully, the Apple Watch has already enjoyed more popular attention than any other device of its kind.”
“Burberry’s Angela Ahrendts and Yves Saint Lauren’s Paul Deneve, who both joined in 2013, are well versed in the act of making luxury brands appealing to a younger audience, which is exactly how Apple wants to position itself,” Savov writes. “As geeky interests like mobile photography become mainstream pursuits, and technology grows more accessible and immediate, the line between tech and fashion will grow ever fainter. Smartwatches are just the next logical step in that evolution. They are about the style of the old mixed with the smart connectivity of the new.”
Much more in the full article here.