Posted on 02/27/2015 9:49:35 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Apple CEO Tim Cook is doing a tour in part to help prepare the world for the launch of the Apple Watch, which is likely going to be the start of the show at a special even on Monday March 9 at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. He spoke to The Telegraph about the company’s first smart wearable, and in that interview he talked about what will motivate a purchase decision for the Apple Watch now, and why it’ll only get more attractive as time goes on.
Cook told the Telegraph that he suspects an initial driver for sales will be that consumers want the Apple Watch as a fashion statement, and the company has clearly been hard at work setting up the accessory in that light. The watch is also incredibly accurate, Cook reminds us, able to keep time within 50 milliseconds of variation. But the apps are the real story, and in the end the Apple Watch is still a convenience accessory – with the opportunity to become even more powerful in that regard once it’s present in the real world in a sizeable population, which will drive integrations with more of the other devices that we use on a daily basis.
Cook offers the example of the Apple Watch replacing your car’s physical keys or dedicated fob in the Telegraph interview, and it’s a powerful use case to propose because it’s immediately apparent that if one already has an Apple Watch for the benefits of notifications and communication it offers, migrating the functions of other dedicated gadgets with similar radio and sensor loadouts to the wearable makes a ton of sense.
Smartwatches are already pretty abundant and readily available, but the difference an Apple Watch can offer isn’t limited to just Apple’s ability to take existing concepts and refine the hardware and software experience into something people are actually going to enjoy and find indispensable. It also has the power to effect complimentary changes in adjacent industries, thanks to its ability to sell devices at great scale. A car maker might not currently see why they should offer Android Wear compatibility, for instance, but once there are even five million Apple Watches in circulation in the U.S., as a blind example, such functionality becomes a value-added selling feature for potential owners.
A car key fob is low-hanging fruit, in that it would probably require very little work to make a reality, at least in terms of technical changes required. But you can easily see how appliance makers, smart home platform operators, public transit corporations, airlines, hotels and more might start to see the benefits of setting up communication with a device worn by a fair portion of their clients and consumers – and a group that’s generally more free with their spending than other demographics, on top of that.
The Apple Watch has enough hype, style and substance to be a success out of the gate, but the longer-term story that will be told once sales volume moves adjacent markets is the most interesting in terms of broader impact for our everyday lives.
But if you haven’t paid your Apple bill, you won’t be going anywhere.....
Has a sleek, timeless Bauhaus design.
I think Apple has made the uber smart watch.
I really must be a Luddite, There’s nothing I see that makes me want to go out and buy such a thing.
Of course I do have to admit that I don’t like jewelry and when I use a watch it’s a mechanical pocket watch. (I like to watch the gears move).
On the other hand I would be interested in a set of spectacles that give me telescopic as well as microscopic abilities. A built-in optical range finder, (not laser or ultrasonic), would also appeal to me.
Apple Ping
I have some more “next big thing” ideas for Apple to add to the iWatch accessory line:
1. The iCuffLink.
2. The iSuspenders.
3. The iWingTipBrogans.
4. The iFedoraSnapBrimHat.
5. The iBuggyWhip.
6. The iRotaryTelephone.
7. The i33RPMVinylRecord.
8. The i8TrackTape.
9. The iTieTack.
10. The iBlackAndWhiteTV.
11. The iConsoleRadio.
12. The iCassetteTape.
” There’s nothing I see that makes me want to go out and buy such a thing.”
You mean that you don’t see a need to send your ‘heartbeat’ to your better half to let her know you are thinking of her?
Announcer: Someday, everyone will own a watch like this. Now, it is available only for the privileged few. The Mogasaki Corproration of Tokyo is honored to announce... Kromega III. [ lightning strikes ] A watch so complex, it takes two people to make it work. One hand wears the watch. The other hand presses the buttons that activate the 100% solid state multi-function digital quartz crystal micro-computer unit. And now, you're ready for the third hand to trigger the light-luminating dial to give you an alphanumeric readout accurate to within 9 a year. It's that simple.
KROMEGA III. Command-crafted in impact-resistant crushed chrome. It's no wonder that professional skiiers prefer Kromega III over any ordinary timepiece.
Woman's Voice: And I love Lady Kromega III. The sleek, space-age styling compliments any outfit. [ Woman's other hand presses one of the buttons ] And the clearly displayed perpetual calendar helps me to remember my many appointments. Would you mind? [ other person brings in a spare hand to operate the Lady Kromega III ] Thank you.
Announcer: Kromega III. It's like asking a stranger for the time.
Back when I was a kid and watching Dick Tracy, I thought that was the coolest thing ever.
I’ve been holding out from buying an I phone or smart phone until the next better one comes out....
For over $350.00, and with lousy battery life, it’s a toy.
And you have to have an iPhone to use it! Just use your phone!
I won’t buy one. The only watches I have is my Dad’s BENRUS from his death in 1971 when I was overseas and my grandaddy’s Illinois pocket watch when he died in 1955.
I don’t need arm candy from today.
Unlike that watch, my key fob and keys don’t have to be replaced every 2-3 years just for active vendor support.
That, and if I’m going to have my key fob be replaced by something, it’ll be with a more modification-friendly vendor. Perhaps Android Wear will do well in that regard.
LOL
what are the best snark threads on FR?
Apple/Android/Microsoft?
Catholic/Protestant/Evangelical?
WalMart/Target/Costco?
13. The iButtplug
As a spectacular public gesture of cultural homage to Tim Cook.
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