Although the iPhone 6 is sure to steal the spotlight at Apple’s media event next Tuesday, everyone is interested to see whether or not Apple will reveal its first entry into the wearable market. You might expect that Apple’s rivals are quaking in their boots, worried that all their efforts to reach the market first might have been in vain, but in fact, the exact opposite is true. They’re excited.
FROM EARLIER: Apple will be live streaming its reveal of the iPhone 6 on September 9th
“If Apple offers its own product, it will expand the market,” Sung-jin Lee, Director of LG’s watch product planning team, said while speaking with Reuters. “It is not a gold rush yet, but it has the potential to be.”
Samsung executive Sunny Lee offered a similar sentiment: “This is what we wanted.”
It’s a delicate balance — if Apple’s smartwatch is a significant leap over what LG, Samsung, Motorola and others are offering with Android Wear, it could set them back as they scramble to hit the same benchmarks. On the other hand, even if the iWatch is a success, it will bring more consumers into the wearable market. Based on what we’ve heard about the iWatch so far, especially in regards to its battery life, Apple might be doing everyone else a favor.
