Apple Watch: The next breakthrough or Apple’s first fall

Expectations for the Apple Watch went above and beyond any other type of wearable revealed this year, fans wanted to see the future right there, for Apple to blow customers away with insanely smart ideas about how to use a wearable.

As expected, not all fans were happy, over at /r/Apple top rated posts claimed the Apple Watch was ugly, useless and not the breakthrough they had wanted, similar to how Apple “fans” reacted to the iPod in 2001.

In the general world, some found the new wearable to be better than what is currently on offer, others pointed to the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R as superior devices on hardware, software and price.

History Marks

If we base Apple’s possible success with the Apple Watch on the previous new product announcements, there is a very high chance it will be a sellout; an incredible device, vastly superior to all smartwatches with tons of developer support.

Some do not believe it, but we would point to the iPad, possibly the most hated device when Steve Jobs announced it. The Internet mocked the tablet as pointless and a larger iPhone without the ability to call…and then it went on to sell hundreds of millions of units.

For some reason, public reception to Apple’s “next big thing” always seems to be negative, yet when it hits the shop floor, most people disregard their former stance and buy the product. It is weird to see the change in people from announcement to launch.

Perhaps the Apple Watch will be the place where this trend stops, but considering the smartwatch has caught news worldwide and everyone is talking about Apple Watch, it feels like it is already too big for failure.

Apple Watch: Our Opinion

Our opinion on the Apple Watch is mostly positive, we think Apple should have focused on a circular display, due to the home-screen offering great functionality to a circular display, but it looks like they couldn’t get past the apps problem.

The size of the Apple Watch is offset by the fact there are two sizes and the amount of straps available give a lot of freedom to customise. We believe Apple will come out with a better user experience on the Apple Watch, compared to Android Wear.

The digital crown could have been more, we wanted to see Apple completely redefine the interface for the Apple Watch, but instead they created a half baked solution and kept the touch-screen, it is still better than the current Android Wear solution.

Price, battery life and water resistance are our three big questions. Apple did not disclose the battery life on the Apple Watch, they didn’t reveal price ranges for more expensive versions and there was no mention of water proof or water resistance.

Developer support will be crucial to see the Apple Watch succeed and we have already seen plenty of demos of apps coming to the watch. This really makes us wonder what the Apple Watch will offer in two years time, if developers start investing time in the gadget.