Imagine feeling a gentle buzz on your wrist to notify you that you received a text message. Imagine working out and knowing your exact heart rate and how far you’ve moved immediately at your fingertips. Imagine running into the store to buy something in a hurry and simply swiping your wrist by the machine in order to purchase.
With Apple’s release of the Apple Watch this past month, these ideas have become a reality. Due to be available early in 2015, the release has the media buzzing about the seamless design and intuitive new features.
The Apple Watch was definitely designed with fashion in mind. The face of the watch is a rounded, rectangular shape with a touch screen and digital crown on the side for navigation. It’s customizable, being available in two different sizes and giving you the ability to switch watch bands at any time. Completely compatible with your iPhone (as long as it’s an iPhone 5 or above), the Apple Watch allows you to receive and send texts, take calls, check the weather, view photos, and more; all without having to dig into your pockets or purse to find your phone.
Yes, smartwatches already exist from other brands like Samsung, Sony, and LG, but the Apple Watch has the ability to capture the market share of the 42% of smartphone users who specifically own iPhones and can now connect their iPhone to their Apple Watch. However, this isn’t a watch for just anyone. The Apple Watch is for the techies, the early innovators, and the Apple enthusiasts. The price is currently set at $349, expensive enough to be positioned as a status symbol and not something everyone will own.
It poses the question: do we even need an Apple Watch? While that question has yet to be answered, with headlines everywhere, at least the Apple Watch doesn’t need much advertising to spread the word. While some gadgets rely on heavy media schedules to increase awareness, Apple has the ability to draw the attention of the entire media at any mention of a new product.
Will I be buying the Apple Watch? No, I personally don’t think I have a need for it. But if you have to have the latest and greatest technology right at your wrist, be on the lookout come 2015 for Apple’s most personable product to date.