When the iPhone was first released, it was met with plenty of scepticism and even quite a bit of derision. But it went on to become an industry-defining device. Then the iPad came and it was subject to a lot of scepticism and seen as a solution looking for a problem. And then came the Apple Watch.
Steve Ballmer, who eventually said he was wrong about the iPhone, famously laughed when asked about the iPhone and expected it to be a massive failure.
Counterpoint, a research company based in the USA, has found that almost one third of iPhone users now have an Apple Watch. As Apple has added new features and capability to the Apple Watch’s hardware and software, it has steadily climbed from being a ‘nice to have’ accessory to becoming a powerful adjunct.
To put that number into some context, there are about 133 million iPhone users in the USA and perhaps a billion worldwide. That means there are close to 40 million Apple Watches on wrists in the USA. I suspect the penetration rate is lower globally as there will be quite a few older iPhones out there and economics will dictate that some populations are less likely to be able to afford an Apple Watch.
But what we’re seeing is how Apple has been able to take an idea, the smart watch, and refine that idea into something that creates a new category.
History is repeating
Apple did not make the first smartphone. When the first iPhone was released I had used various smartphones from the time including the Palm Treo, BlackBerry, and various Windows Phone and Sony devices. The iPhone took all those phones did well, discarded what didn’t work, leveraged inventions such as multitouch and created something new.
The iPad was not the first tablet computer on the market. But it completely changed our perception of what a tablet could be. Se went from inch-thick devices that weighed more than 1kg and caused our arms to shake to slim, powerful computers that, for many people, are their only computer.
The Apple Watch is doing the same for wearables.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.