The author is making one fundamental mistake in their analysis of the apple watch: it's a fashion piece, not a gadget. If you look at it as a gadget; it will come up short, because it's lacking for all reasons they identified.
Just take a look at their pages for it: http://www.apple.com/watch/apple-watch/ tons of focus on the physical design details, with the actual interface and such taking the back seat.
And with prices ranging from $349 to $17K, it's pretty easy to see it's more fashion than practical.
The fact is, there is a market of people who want this & who bought this, and that's what matters. Yes, it's role as a gadget is questionable, and you certainly do not need it for anything; but people like it anyway.
I don't know that it will flop, in the end. Battery life and features will improve, and new versions will come out that people will buy. Eventually it'll do phone calls and probably have a camera, which will have a whole Dick Tracy appeal to it.
while it looks like a "fashion piece" it is a gadget, by a gadget manufacturer, with a battery, features, talks to your phone and has apps. Period. The rest is just marketing buzz.
I didn't think it was going to move me but since I've been using my Garmin 920XT with smart notifications turned on, I'm definitely seeing the potential - not having to get the phone out to look at notifications is definitely a plus.
720k Android Wear devices shipped in 2014. 1M+ Apple Watches pre-ordered on day 1 and sales apparently still going strong. This is the kind of flop I'd love to have.
meesterdude|10 years ago
Just take a look at their pages for it: http://www.apple.com/watch/apple-watch/ tons of focus on the physical design details, with the actual interface and such taking the back seat.
And with prices ranging from $349 to $17K, it's pretty easy to see it's more fashion than practical.
The fact is, there is a market of people who want this & who bought this, and that's what matters. Yes, it's role as a gadget is questionable, and you certainly do not need it for anything; but people like it anyway.
I don't know that it will flop, in the end. Battery life and features will improve, and new versions will come out that people will buy. Eventually it'll do phone calls and probably have a camera, which will have a whole Dick Tracy appeal to it.
zeeed|10 years ago
noir-york|10 years ago
That's all subjective though, we're going to have to wait for the numbers. http://vr-zone.com/articles/apple-watch-sales-projections-lo... - but as with any, take them with a pinch (bucket?) full of salt.
zimpenfish|10 years ago
zimpenfish|10 years ago