Mark Hibben for Seeking Alpha:
Much of the tech and business media have overlooked the important hardware innovations Apple showed at the Sept. 10 event…
Each generation of Watch has been a step along the path to that future, with the biggest step being the addition of LTE cellular capability. This year, we didn’t see quite as significant a step as that, but the addition of the always-on screen was another step forward, and I consider this to have been the most important innovation of the launch event.
The key innovation here was being able to offer the display while maintaining the 18-hour battery life of the Watch without having to greatly increase the battery size. Other companies offer always-on displays, but burden their smartwatches with batteries that make their Watches much more bulky.
Watch, with the always-on display, is looking very strong for the holidays. And iPhone, even without 5G, will hold its own, although no one expects unit growth this fiscal year. But Apple has cleverly positioned its new TV+ service to reinforce hardware sales. No other streaming service could afford to give away a free year of service.
And there’s much to look forward to next year: The first 5G iPhones, more TV+ content, even better Apple Watches, and those AR glasses. I remain long Apple and rate it a buy.
MacDailyNews Take: How many Apple Watch users, even those with Series 4 models, will want to upgrade to Series 5 for the Always-On Retina display? We sure do and have already ordered ours!
Interns, we salute you with mugs in hand waiting to be filled once you do your duty! TTK!
Cheers, everyone (except for Rod Hall)!
You’ll get nothing, Rod, and like it.