So now that we know the Apple Watch’s probable (disappointing) battery life, there’s still one more burning question whose answer we need to know: Why does the Apple Watch even exist? Ben Thompson, who has in the past worked on strategy and marketing for both Apple and Microsoft, writes that one key difference between the Apple Watch’s unveiling this week and big Apple unveilings in the past is that Tim Cook never gave a detailed explanation about why Apple decided to make a wearable computer in the first place.
RELATED: Parody video slams the Apple Watch: ‘You didn’t really ask for it, so here you go’
In his post, Thompson notes that before unveiling a product, Steve Jobs would often take a long time explaining the thought process behind it. With the iPod, Apple wanted to bring the portable music player into the MP3 era; with the iPhone, it wanted to make a mobile phone that would also act as an Internet device, a multimedia player and a phone all in one using a simple touch interface; with the iPad, it was to make a device that filled a need for people who wanted a big display that would let them read and watch videos comfortably on a big display without having to pay a MacBook-style price.
With the Apple Watch, Thompson says, we still don’t really know why Apple bothered to make it.
“I’m worried that the lack of explanation about the Watch’s purpose wasn’t just a keynote oversight, but something that reflects a fundamental question about the product itself that Apple itself has yet to answer: is Watch an iPhone accessory, or is it valuable in its own right?” Thompson writes. “The question is likely more fraught then it seems: the entry price for Apple Watch is $350, nearly half the price of an iPhone (and $150 more than the up-front cost for a subsidized consumer).”
Thompson’s whole analysis is very worth reading and can be found by clicking the source link below.
