Apple Watch, lol

[Matt_H]

Thoughts on today's announcement: One of Apple's traditional strengths has been to take existing technologies and refine and integrate them into a very attractive package. See; iPod, iPhone, iPad.

I think this is what they're trying to do with their new watch. Problem is, as I see it, the smart-watch market isn't mature enough for Apple to have iterated something unique. I think they've come in as just another player alongside Android and Pebble instead of something new and disruptive (which seems to be a popular buzzword for technology companies these days).

That being said, I can see how this product would appeal to some users and I won't fault them for their interest.

But anyone who plunks down $10K-$17K for the gold version is a complete f*****g idiot.

[Matt_H]

That's one thing that I don't understand; If colour e-ink is available, why did Apple go for a power-hungry LCD display? Because it's higher res? So I can see my photos on a 42mm screen? We went from: "No one wants to watch video on a little screen" (Steve Jobs voicing his disinterest in bringing video to the iPod) to: "People are going to love being able to have their photos on their wrist" (Tim Cook trying to justify the poor choice of components for the Apple Watch).

I think e-ink has the potential to be absolutely incredible, but it's not there yet. The new Pebble is the first color application of it I've seen, and that's a tremendous advance. But in terms of image quality/refresh speed it seems like it's currently on par with late 80s/early 90s LCD screens. If they can improve it just a little more I think it will be the next big thing.

Best case of a 'Solution in search of a Problem' thus far.

I think that's a good way to put it. If they'd waited another year - for a potential problem to surface - I think they'd do better right out of the gate. Of course, there's always Apple Watch 2. And as Duce here says, first-generation Apple customers are paying betatesters.

On a separate note, I would love me some of that 12" MacBook Retina, but since it does;t have a 16GB and i& option I will be going for the 13" Pro.

The design of the new Macbook is intriguing, but it is criminally underpowered for the price they're asking. They need to either cut the price by 40-50% or slap in a Core i7 (and a second USB port) for me to be interested.

[Matt_H]

Is someone still using a wrist watch? In 2015? Seriously?

http://xkcd.com/1420/

[Matt_H]

Well one thing is for sure..the  iWatch will be hugely successful..that is a guarantee!! All other smart watches will strive to be "Apple" like.  Just like Samsung has done with their phones.  Every other smart watch maker will now have to step up their game, but I seriously doubt any company will EVER top Apple on any level.  They dont have the money nor the time.  Seems others were sleeping and banking on the fact that oh "Apple products are too expensive..yada..yada".. yet look who is on top..!!!

I just don't know in this case. Apple cleaned up with previous iThings, but right now there doesn't seem to be much of a justification for smart-watches in general, and I don't see enough of a justification for picking an Apple watch over a competitor's. The previous iThings offered something clearly unique over the competition; I can't find that here. I'm sure it will sell well enough, but I don't know if it's going to get far beyond the usual crowd of Apple buyers.

And your judgement on whom ever buys a gold version is just a bit harsh.  Who are you to judge someone with that amount of liquid cash to spend?  There are watches that go well beyond Apples asking price for their smart watch.  Those aren't smart watches and at the end of the day those high end watches just tell you the time of day some with multiple times zones, track elapsed time ete..etc..  No one really NEEDS to spend that kind of dough on a watch.  #itsastatusthing.

There is a difference here, though: The only thing that sets apart the more-money-than-sense version and the version that we proletariat will have available to us is the color of the metal. While I do think someone spending $75K on any kind of watch is insane, they somehow strike me as less insane than someone buying a gold Apple watch because at least they don't have an otherwise 100% identical product available to them at a lower price point.

Ultimately, the market will decide. But I kinda hope the market tells the gold Apple watch to go jump off a bridge

[Matt_H]

@ som99

Perfect! Thanks for sharing

@ Bodie

Oh, yes, the Casio. That's my kind of watch!

@ Duce

Great analogy. Google Glass also comes to mind

[Matt_H]

Orbiting this [sun] at a distance of roughly ninety-eight million miles is an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea.

I know Douglas Adams wrote that in the 70s referring to the electronic watches that were just becoming popular, but it seems particularly apt now