It's Time To Admit Apple Watch Is a Success (imore.com)

At company's quarterly earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the holiday period was the company's "best quarter ever" for Apple Watch -- both units and revenues -- "with holiday demand so strong that we couldn't make enough." He added: Apple Watch is the best-selling smartwatch in the world, and also the most-loved, with the highest customer satisfaction in its category by a wide margin. Apple Watch is the ultimate device for a healthy life, and it's the gold standard for smartwatches. We couldn't be more excited about Apple Watch. Long time Apple commentator Rene Ritchie writes: There's a strange narrative in the tech community concerning Apple Watch being a flop, a failure, or in some way, shape, or form, a disappointment. It's particularly bizarre given Apple Watch, as part of the wearable market, is doing record numbers. It could be that there is no real "Smartwatch market", just an Apple Watch market. Much like there's no real "tablet market", just an iPad market. Since it's such a new product category and most of the existing products are still bound to phones, it could also simply be too soon to tell.John Gruber adds: I think we should stop talking about "smartwatches" and just consider Apple Watch a "watch", period. In September, Apple claimed watch revenues second only to Rolex. How can it not be considered a hit at this point?

Comments

You couldn't make enough

[Khyber]

Because demand for your product SUCKED. Nobody I know has an Apple Watch. Most everyone I know does have an iPhone, yet has no Watch. Why? Because the fucking phone is supposed to do it all, AS YOU ADVERTISED ORIGINALLY, you fucking ignorant asshole.

Quit your fucking lying, you sack of shit.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Nobody I know voted for Trump, yet he won with almost 50% of the vote. What's your point?

Outside your comfort bubble, people do different things. Intelligent people acknowledge this instead of screaming like a madman.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[cfalcon]

Totally absurd.

Apple has sold millions of watches. They don't release numbers, but estimates were 12 million in the first year. So there are like at least 20 million watches, probably. Apple sells like 50-80 million iPhones a year, so by that standard, they are a failure. And as you say, you probably know plenty of people with an iPhone, and only a few (or even none) with an Apple Watch.

The thing is, the Apple Watch NEVER had to match or even approach the iPhone in order to be a success. The iPhone is a such a success story it is a goddamned joke. The iPhone is close to half of Apple in most years, and this is for a company that nominally will sell you a server or monitor, actually will sell you a notebook, a laptop, a tablet, a goofy gameboy desktop, a variety of mice, the aforementioned watch, a bunch of almost entirely profit accessories (now with more dongles!), a music subscription service, and takes a cut off of everything they have a hand in selling, and not a small cut either.

The 8 bit Nintendo sold like 60 million units total. You probably knew someone with one of those, but for different reasons. There are entire companies with less units shipped than Apple Watch, and that will remain the case indefinitely. If your standard for success is "everyone in the civilized world will either own one of these or feel its absence day by day", then the Apple Watch is a failure. But if it is anything sane, it is not. It is clear that the Apple Watch, as a project, is quite profitable for Apple. Each Watch costs Apple much less to make than it sells for, and they sell millions.

No, you and your friends won't feel obligated to own and operate an Apple Watch. That doesn't make it a failure, any more than an Xbone or PS4 is a failure just because most people own neither.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[PoopJuggler]

Relax, dude. I know lots of people with Apple Watches, or Sony or Pebble. Just because you don't want one doesn't mean nobody wants one. They are pretty useful if you keep your phone in your pocket or purse.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[tripleevenfall]

Outside your comfort bubble, people do different things. Intelligent people acknowledge this instead of screaming like a madman.

I think that is helpful for understanding things, particularly when reading /.

This is an extremely niche group of people who are not typical consumers.

This is also a group of people with rooting interests for and against certain companies/products which are so strong that they'd back the average european soccer fan blush for the partiality.

We should acknowledge the role that price drops and other promotional considerations have had, but really... Apple owns this entire market. Nobody has a credible competitor that's carved out a slice. It's another case of them, for all their faults, still eating people's lunches and leaving /.ers hand-wringing.

Maybe companies like Samsung and LG and Alphabet should ask themselves why they keep being late to parties and taking cues from Apple and improving their products instead of fragmenting their own platform?

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Voting for trump kind of like farting in an elevator. Someone must have done it but nobody will admit it.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Voting for trump kind of like farting in an elevator. Someone must have done it but nobody will admit it.

I will cheerfully admit it that I voted for Trump.

I voted for Trump because Clinton was an even worse choice.

But in all honesty I also voted for Trump purely because I knew it would horrify the
social justice warrior dipshits who make up the majority in the little shithole town
where I live. A more clueless group of people would be difficult to find, and all they really are
is a bunch of losers who admire each others' loser life choices. Of course some of them are also faggots,
like Tim Cook is, and we can all see how Apple has produced WONDERFUL products during his period
of so-called leadership.

Apple watch ? Shove it up your faggot ass, Tim Cook. And don't forget to set the vibrate mode and have all your faggot buddies call you.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Blacks are tribal savage and violent, especially to each other!!

Re:You couldn't make enough

[lexlthr]

Angry much?

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Khyber]

"Outside your comfort bubble"

I have none, if you even knew who I was (most here do.)

I get in your face, whether I like it or not. That alone disproves your entire supposition.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Khyber]

"This is an extremely niche group of people who are not typical consumers"

Bullshit, they buy stuff like anybody else - mostly based upon marketing bullshit and their own suppositions, like every other idiot on this planet.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Khyber]

Ahh, yet you don't read another comment I made later on in this thread. Perhaps it would be better if you were to wait for people to fully put out their points before talking bullshit, eh?

Oh, I'm sorry, you're the kind to read just one post, not the whole fucking conversation, before talking.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[rossdee]

"Nobody I know voted for Trump, yet he won with almost 50% of the vote."

Trump got less than 46%, while Hillary got 48%

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Captain Splendid]

Wow, this is like a textbook post on entitled nerd rage. Guy doesn't need downvotes, they'll be using this comment in classrooms for decades. Mod up!

Re:You couldn't make enough

[segedunum]

If this was a genuine success then they would not be trumpeting 'revenue'. Microsoft did exactly this with Windows Phone, along with the usual 'supply problems' and 'we can't make enough' crap, and the reality that everyone knew anyway gradually dawned.

There is one use-case for these things and that's fitness. That's it. There's absolutely bugger-all here that tells us the Apple Watch, or any other 'smart' watch that anyone else makes, is the runaway success they are claiming. However, Apple has become a self-fulfilling prophecy from a financial point-of-view. It simply has to continue to be a rampant success because so many have ploughed money into it.

The whole thing is sustained on a bubble of nothing. At least Jobs had something to back up the hyperbole and worked out why people would use the product he was trumpeting.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Can you play Pokemon Go on the watch if your phone is in your pocket/purse?

Re:You couldn't make enough

[jonnyj]

Strangely, I know no-one with an Apple watch but I know many people with Garmin watches and I'm personally eagerly awaiting the launch of the new Garmin Fenix 5. Of course, my friends are not representative of the world's population. My experience doesn't mean that no-one buys Apple watches or that Garmin is about to take over the world, but it does suggest that there is a strong market for non-Apple devices in certain niches and the claim that there is no Smartwatch segment, just an Apple Watch segment, is silly.

Garmin users won't switch to Apple any time soon: they want a specialist device that targets their lifestyle in the same way that no serious cyclist would ever use an iPhone as a bike computer. Sometimes the compromises associated with a general-purpose device are just too great.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Nobody I know voted for Trump

You don't know me, but I voted for Trump. The alternative was a lying harpy, so what choice did I have?

As for the apple watch thing, I only know one person with one, and he's an apple fanatic and would have bought the Apple Turd if they released such a product.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

You do realise companies like Samsung and LG are the ones that invented and created the tech your beloved Apple buys to put together to sell it as their own product? Even for an Apple zealot you're dumb.

The iWatch is a monumental flop for those that aren't 10%ers and fanbois. No one wants to charge a watch at least once a day. It's bloody useless outside the safe and comfy office dweeb environment.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

LOL. If I knew you I would deny it.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[TechyImmigrant]

I know lots of people with a fitbit. I know several people with an Apple watch.

The difference is the people with the Apple watch work for Apple.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Everybody I know voted for Trump, so shut the fuck up, fagget.

OTOH, nobody I know is going to wear this retarded crapple watch, a cock band.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Totally absurd.

Apple sells like 50-80 million iPhones a year, so by that standard, they are a failure.

They just sold 80 million iPhones LAST QUARTER.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

"Outside your comfort bubble"

I have none, if you even knew who I was (most here do.)

I get in your face, whether I like it or not. That alone disproves your entire supposition.

No it does not. It proves you don't understand the concept being discussed and are sort of a belligerent douche.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[ewibble]

Posts Anonymous Coward, how is that admitting anything?

Re:You couldn't make enough

[MachineShedFred]

It was ambiguous, but "this" in the GP post probably referred to Slashdot denizens. Which is an extremely niche group of people who are not typical consumers.

Or, at least, it used to be.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[kuzb]

A friend of mine has a Moto 360 which pairs with an iphone just fine. Perhaps you should make yourself more aware of what Android Wear is compatible with. If you want a smartwatch, you don't need an idevice simply because you have an iphone.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Tim Cock is a fucking fagget lying through the teeth.

The sooner someone murders that motherfucker the better. The era of liars sand n1ggers obamas must end.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[mmell]

In defense of the many negative comments here, the very summary title is argumentative.

It's Time To Admit Apple Watch Is a Success

Apple is a success (although not nearly as much so as Microsoft, or IBM, or Linux, or . . .). The Success of the Apple Watch is apparently subject to debate, as the headline itself implies. I, for one, have barely even heard of the Apple Watch and have never seen one. Fitbits, Pebbles and various Android smart-watches? Yes, I've seen them. I haven't seen the usefulness of them, but I've seen them.

The article itself smacks of binspam to me. I'm sure there are any number of Apple users who own Apple Watches and wouldn't trade them for anything - I suspect, however, that they are a very small fraction of the world consumer market.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[chispito]

Apple owns this entire market. Nobody has a credible competitor that's carved out a slice. It's another case of them, for all their faults, still eating people's lunches and leaving /.ers hand-wringing.

It's not a massive market. It's nothing like the original iPhone or iPod markets.

The reason people call the Apple Watch a failure is NOT because Apple is doing poorly in the market. The reason they are calling it a failure is because the Apple Watch has failed to make smart watches something everyone wants.

Personal theory: Most people, consciously or subconsciously, want to be LESS connected to their phones, not more connected.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Joce640k]

Nobody I know has an Apple Watch.

When a salesman says "record quarter" he might mean he sold three instead of two.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple has sold millions of watches. They don't release numbers, but estimates were 12 million in the first year. So there are like at least 20 million watches, probably. Apple sells like 50-80 million iPhones a year, so by that standard, they are a failure. And as you say, you probably know plenty of people with an iPhone, and only a few (or even none) with an Apple Watch.

"Be more successful than the single most successful tech product of all time" is a pretty high bar for success. By that measure absolutely every tech product ever except for the iPhone was a flop.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[ThomasBHardy]

It is clear that the Apple Watch, as a project, is quite profitable for Apple. Each Watch costs Apple much less to make than it sells for, and they sell millions.

Actually the metric would be more along the lines of:

Total costs
Investment costs of designing/creating the watch
Cost of software adaptation
Ongoing costs in both categories
Cost of manufacturing
taxes, and other varied expenses.

versus

Total revenues
Sales
App sales
Supplemental ad-ons (bands, etc. etc.)

Whether it's "quite profitable" is a fun topic to explore, but let's treat it as a real topic and not assume "it costs less to make the 50,000th watch than it sold for" is in any way a valid metric of "profitable".

Re:You couldn't make enough

[ThomasBHardy]

I'm not one to throw stones, but you might consider getting some help with that anger of yours. This topic is not worth the amount of emotion and vitriol you are investing it with.

Cheers.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

This is also a group of people with rooting interests for and against certain companies/products which are so strong that they'd back the average european soccer fan blush for the partiality.

You are describing Apple fanboys. There are no Samsung fanboys, no Sony fanboys, no Google fanboys, no LG fanboys, etc. -- just Apple fanboys.

Maybe companies like Samsung and LG and Alphabet should ask themselves why they keep being late to parties and taking cues from Apple and improving their products instead of fragmenting their own platform?

Maybe the Apple fanboys should try to break free from their reality distortion field and realize that Apple really has not invented anything, except, perhaps, for the GUI trashcan (which many people do not use).

Re: You couldn't make enough

[squiggleslash]

I wish that were true. I suspect most people know at least one person who voted for Trump. I personally have three members of my extended family who did, and no, they show no signs of being remorseful.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Mordaximus]

Pairs with, sure. But it's no where on the same level as what you get when paired with an Android phone.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

It's crazy, I know, but I was too lazy to look up the exact %, even though I knew I'd get a "huunngghh, 46% is not almost 50% uunnnghh" reply.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[squiggleslash]

Oddly enough, most of the people I know who wear smartwatches (I haven't actually asked them what they're wearing) are in IT, with Marketing execs being 100% of the remainder. So /. (the IT, not marketing, obviously) actually should have a lot of smartwatch owners if my anecdotal evidence is anything to go by.

Going around my office, of a medium sized company of which the IT team is less than ten people in size, I don't really see anyone wearing the things.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[AthanasiusKircher]

Whether it's "quite profitable" is a fun topic to explore, but let's treat it as a real topic and not assume "it costs less to make the 50,000th watch than it sold for" is in any way a valid metric of "profitable".

THIS. You have a great breakdown of possible costs and revenue, which is generally necessary to determine profitability, which in turn is generally a metric for "success."

I pointed this out above, but there are many Hollywood films these days that make $100 million at the box office, but they are "flops" because the studio spent $150 million or whatever on production and marketing, etc. Comparing a $100 million blockbuster revenue with an indy film that makes $10 million makes little sense, but if the indy film had a budget of $2 million, it might be a great success compared to the blockbuster flop.

Since Apple won't give us detailed numbers on how much it spent on R&D, marketing, etc. on the Apple Watch (let alone SALES FIGURES -- note TFA doesn't even give numbers of units sold... if it were really a major increase, they'd be trumpeting that from the hilltops), we have no way of knowing how "profitable" it may or may not be.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Posting anonymously as I've squandered mod points already on this thread.
I have an Apple Watch, first generation but, tbh, only have one because it was gifted to me from work. I would never have gone out and bought one, and prior to this hadn't worn a watch in probably 20 years. The *only* reason I wear it now is really for the fitness aspect, calorie counting, etc. If the gift had been a FitBit or something similar, I'd have been just as happy.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[David_Hart]

Totally absurd.

Apple has sold millions of watches. They don't release numbers, but estimates were 12 million in the first year. So there are like at least 20 million watches, probably. Apple sells like 50-80 million iPhones a year, so by that standard, they are a failure. And as you say, you probably know plenty of people with an iPhone, and only a few (or even none) with an Apple Watch.

The thing is, the Apple Watch NEVER had to match or even approach the iPhone in order to be a success. The iPhone is a such a success story it is a goddamned joke. The iPhone is close to half of Apple in most years, and this is for a company that nominally will sell you a server or monitor, actually will sell you a notebook, a laptop, a tablet, a goofy gameboy desktop, a variety of mice, the aforementioned watch, a bunch of almost entirely profit accessories (now with more dongles!), a music subscription service, and takes a cut off of everything they have a hand in selling, and not a small cut either.

The 8 bit Nintendo sold like 60 million units total. You probably knew someone with one of those, but for different reasons. There are entire companies with less units shipped than Apple Watch, and that will remain the case indefinitely. If your standard for success is "everyone in the civilized world will either own one of these or feel its absence day by day", then the Apple Watch is a failure. But if it is anything sane, it is not. It is clear that the Apple Watch, as a project, is quite profitable for Apple. Each Watch costs Apple much less to make than it sells for, and they sell millions.

No, you and your friends won't feel obligated to own and operate an Apple Watch. That doesn't make it a failure, any more than an Xbone or PS4 is a failure just because most people own neither.

I think that where the dichotomy lies is that most people conflate success with "popular". While the Apple watch may be a financial success and a success in a relatively limited market, it certainly isn't popular when compared to almost all other Apple products. As for the statement that Apple couldn't produce enough of them, we all know the games that manufacturers play just to be able to say that their product "sold out".

Yes, a niche product can be a success in it's own right. I see the Apple Watch as a niche product. I guess in that respect you could call it a success.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean the 'normal' kind?

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Carewolf]

Totally absurd.

Apple has sold millions of watches. They don't release numbers...

Let's just stop there. Apple likes to brag. The ALWAYS release numbers if the numbers are good. These numbers aren't released, which while not strict evidence, either suggest Apple has become humble, or the numbers are terrible.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Oddly enough, most of the people I know who wear smartwatches (I haven't actually asked them what they're wearing) are in IT, ...

That's my experience as well. I have an Apple Watch; a coworker also has one; another has a Samsung; another has one of those now-discontinued Microsoft Bands - but I haven't noticed anyone outside of our IT group wearing one (a few people have fitness bands of various sorts).

I occasionally see Apple Watches on the train, but it's rare.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[gumbi west]

I absolutely know google fanboys.

Also, the reality distortion field has been dead since October 2011.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Who's fault is that?

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Thanks for at least admitting you are starry eyed. Good job.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

I absolutely know google fanboys.

You know the only two Google fanboys?

Also, the reality distortion field has been dead since October 2011.

This statement is obviously false, given this article and the numerous insufferable Apple posts in this thread.

At least you acknowledge the reality distortion field -- that is the first step toward a cure!

Re:You couldn't make enough

[RandyHill]

"If this was a genuine success then they would not be trumpeting 'revenue'."

Yes, if it hadn't been so successful it would have been successful?

$6B in revenue first year is probably more than any watch in history, but it's not a success?

I use mine for fitness and for notifications. Both are very important. Of course I don't need the watch. Nor do I need an iPhone, could get by with a feature phone, so both are sustained on a bubble of just being extremely useful, but not necessary.

  Keep up with the Straw Horses.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[RandyHill]

Right, they spend more than $6B a year on the Apple Watch, so it's a flop. LOL. It's the best selling watch by revenue in history. Pretty sure they are squeezing out a profit.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[RandyHill]

When first year sales were $6B, record quarters mean something.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Farting in an elevator never got people assaulting you, spitting on you, vandalizing your car and your property.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Just Some Guy]

Marketing or whatever, I bought and Apple Watch and I like it. I even upgraded it for Christmas. It's a nice device and I enjoy using it. It's OK that you don't like it. That's why there are so many companies selling different things for different people! But understand that I'm as happy with my purchase as you are with your non-purchase. That doesn't make either of us stupid.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

$6B in revenue with $8B in expenses would not be a success, it would be a $2B disaster. Without the associated expense, revenue numbers are useless. Revenue numbers by themselves typically announced by a company when they're losing money on a product. If they won't release the expense number associated with the revenue, or they don't skip those and use profit instead, then a company is usually shoveling bullshit.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[cayenne8]

Nobody I know voted for Trump, yet he won with almost 50% of the vote. What's your point?

Outside your comfort bubble, people do different things. Intelligent people acknowledge this instead of screaming like a madman.

Now..if only the poor folks that did not vote Trump and lost the election could learn and abide by such wise words

The liberal "madman" rants and fits are getting a bit old.

You sure didn't see this when the folks against Obama lost...twice. And I'll guarantee you most of them were as much against Obama and his agenda then, as the anti-Trumpers are today.

But, for the most part, they acted like adults, sucked it up....and went along for the ride, planing for the next election cycle.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Based on what? You're intricate knowledge of the exact product development costs, from concept and design to manufacturing, marketing, packaging and sales, or from a sincere wish on your part that they are making a profit on this watch?

I'm guessing it's the latter.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[cayenne8]

I wish that were true. I suspect most people know at least one person who voted for Trump. I personally have three members of my extended family who did, and no, they show no signs of being remorseful.

Why should they be remorseful?

He's doing exactly what he said he would do during the election...especially the supreme court nomination.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[coastwalker]

I bought a pack of cards for Christmas for a dollar. Its a nice pack and we enjoy playing with them. That's why there are so many companies selling different things for different people! But understand that I'm as happy with my purchase as you are with your non-purchase. That doesn't make either of us stupid. On the other hand I also bought a cheap watch for a couple of dollars and cannot understand why there are shitheads that pay hundreds of dollars for the Apple watch that runs out of power after a couple of days. I suppose they are fucking morons who knows?

Re: You couldn't make enough

[squiggleslash]

Because none of them are fascists. One is a straight-up racist, so there's that, but the other two voted for him because they hadn't done any research, wouldn't believe us when we explained his platform to them, and made it clear they were voting for him because they didn't like Clinton.

The wouldn't believe us when we explained his platform to them bit is key. He's doing exactly what we told them he'd do. They're still in denial.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Rakarra]

You are describing Apple fanboys. There are no Samsung fanboys, no Sony fanboys, no Google fanboys, no LG fanboys, etc. -- just Apple fanboys.

Well, there at least used to be fanboys for all those segments at various points.

There were certainly Samsung fanboys during the earlier Galaxy S models. My phone was Samsung, my TV was a Samsung LED, even my new stove is made by Samsung (I was very surprised at the quality and the reviews. Samsung? Really? Kitchen appliances? Yet, somehow it's truel...) Maybe not as much since Samsung seemed hell-bent on copying every Apple idea, including the extremely stupid ones.

There absolutely were Sony fanboys, I was one during Sony's quality run in the 90s when their A/V equipment was great quality and the Sony Playstation and Playstation 2 were the top gaming platforms. Then, one move at a time, Sony started pissing away customer loyalty.

Back when Google was Google Search and Gmail, and they seemed to actually believe the "Don't Be Evil" slogan, there were a lot of Google fanboys. Slashdot was awash with them. But now that Google is publicly of the opinion that evil is a-ok, they're certainly harder to "believe" in.

You may be right about there never having been LG fanboys. :-)

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Rakarra]

Apple watch ? Shove it up your faggot ass, Tim Cook. And don't forget to set the vibrate mode and have all your faggot buddies call you.

What an unpleasant person you are. Are you a closeted gay person? They're the ones that most often obsess about openly-gay peoples' sexuality and bring it up all the time for no reason, usually with.. colorful expressions of gay sex acts that you claim to find disgusting.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Rakarra]

You don't know me, but I voted for Trump. The alternative was a lying harpy, so what choice did I have?

Anyone? Anyone else? That write-in field exists for a reason.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Just Some Guy]

I'm glad we both made smart purchases and brought products appropriate to our individual needs and desires! Right on, Internet friend! high five

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Also, nobody ever started marches in dozens of cities because someone farted in an elevator.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[cayenne8]

Because none of them are fascists. One is a straight-up racist, so there's that, but the other two voted for him because they hadn't done any research, wouldn't believe us when we explained his platform to them, and made it clear they were voting for him because they didn't like Clinton.

So, I don't believe most Trump supporters are facists or racists....and so far, I don't see any of Trumps policies following either of those ideologies yet.

Just because people on the far progressive left start throwing those terms around, doesn't make them so you know.

While I really hate to be a single issue voter, the Supreme Court fill for Scalia was pretty much the main concern I had about the election, and I'm quite happy so far with what I know about the new justice that Trump nominated. And there's about a 99.999% chance this nominee will be the next justice on the court.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

No. There were never any fanboys like Apple fanboys.

You say so, because you are likely an Apple fanboy and that is how you see the world -- by your precious brand.

Normal people do not idolize brands.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[tbannist]

But, for the most part, they acted like adults, sucked it up....and went along for the ride, planing for the next election cycle.

I'm not American, but that's clearly bullshit.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[postbigbang]

They're early tech adopters, and this was certainly tech and not a steampunk, wind-up sort of watch.

It was and remains a niche market, indicative of that delightful 1-3% with the money and need for matching accessories.

It is not practical, it is not useful to most, and it appeals not to US and Canadians but to foreign nationals as a sign of ostensible geek chic.

The product is rife for damage (see eBay if you have any questions) and for most, isn't practical, especially given 1) battery life 2) costs 3) impinging on motion in all but social and "office" environments, and 4) lack of real and useful features.

These aren't typical consumers, you're right. And the practical slashdot reader stays far from such trivialities.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[umghhh]

Humans are on average not very intelligent - this much is true. Even the smartest guys behave often like normal plain dumbass. You allegation about humans being stupid because they buys stuff based on marketing BS is just silly however. There is no point of resisting the ads and using the imprinted brands to buy stuff if there is no much difference between brands - it is cheaper this way because there is no difficult and tiring decision making etc. This changes as soon as buying of imprinted brands became religion which 'justifies' huge expense etc. This is similar in a sense to this observation that when the choice one has to make is difficult because of small differences and huge range a (pseudo-)random choice is cheapest effort.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Applehu Akbar]

"They're early tech adopters, and this was certainly tech and not a steampunk, wind-up sort of watch."

The steampunk watches appeal to the watch hipster market. They are vinyl records for your arm.

Apple Watch is currently a terminal for your iPhone, bringing out one selected compact set of data the wearer feels the need to view all the time. It could be fitness data, stock quotes, or GPS information. The killer app for it will be capture of medical data once the new administration makes it possible for Apple to compete with the healthcare monopoly in implementing such devices.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

My Moto 360 (first gen) pairs with an iPhone, yes. But unless I go through ridiculous hoops to downgrade the Android Wear app to v 1.3 or lower, it basically functions as a heater for 20 mins then dies until charged again. FFS Google!

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Nobody ever got detained in an airport because someone farted in an elevator.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[postbigbang]

Nope. There are a subsection of obsessive compulsive, geriatric, and perhaps actual medical possibilities. But not on the Apple Watch. It has only so much real estate on it, and the processing power of a pigeon.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[kuzb]

What functionality do you believe it's missing? You may have missed the recent changes to Android Wear that improve the experience for ios users.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Noah Haders]

apple designed and manufactures the processor in-house. the casings are machined in-house. presumably they are buying the screens and the batteries from somebody. But that's about it.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

I have never seen an apple watch in the wild, perhaps they felt its gimmicky or just ashamed wear them.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[lokedhs]

Yes, they do. Have you seen the market for expensive handbags lately? Or cars? Or makeup?

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Rakarra]

Well, there absolutely were Sony fanboys, but if you want to talk about -degree- of fanboyism, it's true that Apple fanboys certainly have them beat.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

No. All that work is jobbed out. And remember -- Apple didn't invent anything.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[murdocj]

Once the new administration is done having a watch to monitor your health won't really matter, because you won't be able to afford / get health care. Certainly not if you're a woman.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[murdocj]

Wow you are so smart, I'm sure you've convinced all the apple watch buyers to dump theirs in the nearest landfill.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

i own an apple watch and while enjoy a couple of features its mainly just a expensive digital watch.

i do a lot of competitive sport training and have used various watches for training since the mid 90s and the apple watch is the worst sport watch I have owned.

if you cant stop / start / take splits accuratly its worthless for training.

once your fingers are sweaty controlling the POS is hit and miss.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

He won because nobody you know admitted to you or the polls they were voting for him.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[fferreres]

I kind of agree here. Also, don't forget Apple's HUGE push for that limited yse "watch". They even had it as the ONLY BLACK FRIDAY PRODUCT in the entire Apple lineup. I am a bit embarrased that Apple has no more clue of what need next than the average person -just like before Steve signed back as CEO.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

You don't see the Muslim ban as racist in any way? Wow.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Gussington]

The reason people call the Apple Watch a failure is NOT because Apple is doing poorly in the market. The reason they are calling it a failure is because the Apple Watch has failed to make smart watches something everyone wants.

Agree. The idea of a smart watch is just dumb. So when it came out and was dumb, the only people that bought them were dumb. So the impact was zero, we still think they are just as dumb as before they were invented, which is why they are a failure.
Just like Bieber, they guy is a zillionaire, but it doesn't make him any less of a dick.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

You are probably representative for many over there. You understand very little and you are very ignorant. Please don't travel abroad. The world doesn't want you.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Muslim is a religion, not a race.

Re: You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

They didn't invent anything but they design lots of stuff. Inventors can live off licensing their inventions and designers (industrial and non) can live off making people want to buy something and manufacturers live off making the actual stuff. Each have a role and not everyone have to be everything for everyone to win in this relationship.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[cayenne8]

I'm not American, but that's clearly bullshit.

If you're not an American, and weren't here, then you'll know it was not bullshit.

There were no riots in the streets then, no broken store windows, no fires set in the street, no Obama fans got physically assaulted.

No, until now, the response has been civil, not like these radical assholes out now in the streets, trying to suppress speech that deviates from their overly liberal, progressive mantra.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[cfalcon]

> The ALWAYS release numbers if the numbers are good

They actually don't always. They release spin points when they are favorably ("one billion iPhones sold to date!"), but most of their product sales are estimates done by analysts, based in part on financials. The numbers I referenced at are just those folks doing that guesswork for Apple Watch. I'm saying, those numbers are by no means a failure, just because they don't approach iPhone numbers.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[RandyHill]

LOL, there is no chance Apple is losing money on the Watch. It's one of the best selling consumer electronic products in history. It outsold the iPhone and iPod in their first years. Its yearly revenues are close to the revenues of all flat panel TVs sold in the US.

Apple isn't going to break out their margins on the product because they don't have to on minor segments and aren't giving Android Wear makers a blueprint for their success.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[RandyHill]

The only billion dollar sales electronic product that I've ever heard has ever lost money was the Xbox, and that was when revenues were $1B a year. $6B a year products don't lose money.

More specifically Apple doesn't price it's products to lose money. It's actually estimated costs for making the watches is about half their sales prices, so it's got about $3B a year left over for product development/marketing and sales costs. That's a slam dunk profitable business.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[RandyHill]

They only release numbers if required by public company rules. They don't have to release numbers for minor segments, which due to the enormous sizes of iPhone, iPad, Macs and Services, puts the watch in a minor segment. They have no reason to give Android Wear makers a blueprint for their success.

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

They may be early tech adopters, but they are also highly discriminatory about brand and platform, famously calling products that may change the whole industry as "lame"; displaying amazing arrogance and incomplete understanding of the market forces at work.

Can't imagine why companies don't target this extremely small and incredibly hard to please demographic...

Re:You couldn't make enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Ah, so based on your sincerest wish that they are making a profit, and not on any facts you have. Thanks for playing!

What are they mostly used for?

[Anonymous Coward]

Is there one or a few "killer apps" that are driving people ot them or is it a big mix?

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[bitoffish]

Not having to take your phone out of your pocket. This seems like a small thing, but it was a game changer for me. I was at a party the first weekend I had it, and I realized I hadn't touched my phone in three hours. I can see what's important at a glance. If I'm working and my phone vibrates, it breaks my flow to pull it out and see if it's something that requires attention. With the watch, I just glance over, and know if I need to address it before it breaks me out of what I'm doing. If I'm biking I can see if a call is worth pulling off to the side of the road for. I know longer worry the whole ride home if the phone going off in my pocket is a crisis, or something I can safely ignore. If only I could leave my phone at home.

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[ColdWetDog]

and I realized I hadn't touched my phone in three hours.

And you went from bad to worse?

No wonder why Trump got elected.

Re: What are they mostly used for?

[Anonymous Coward]

All flavors of smartwatch I've used (Pebble, Android Wear, and Apple Watch) have primarily been used for notifications, with rare use as a way to respond to messages with voice or phone calls when the phone is elsewhere. With Apple Watch's wifi, it's also useful as a way not to have your phone physically with you when you're at home. Oh, and I can (occasionally successfully) unlock my Mac with it.

However, all these cases are for convenience at best. And and battery life savings on the phone, I suppose.

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[cfalcon]

> Is there one or a few "killer apps" that are driving people ot them or is it a big mix?

It's jewelry, dude. It also has a computer inside.

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[tripleevenfall]

If the apple watch eliminated my phone - by being able to make calls on its own, I'd not need an iPhone.

Which is probably why they aren't including the most obviously missing feature.

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[Anonymous Coward]

I can do that on my galaxy s2 smartwatch

  capcha - performs
 
~GD

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[bitoffish]

Now I remember why I stopped visiting the comment section on this site.

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[segedunum]

Is there one or a few "killer apps" that are driving people ot them or is it a big mix?

Fitness. That's it.

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not having to take your phone out of your pocket

But having to wear a giant dorky looking "watch" that tells everyone you are a fucking loser / apple fanatic seems like a pretty bad alternative.

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[Joce640k]

I was at a party the first weekend I had it, and I realized I hadn't touched my phone in three hours.

It's almost as if you don't know that not looking at the phone is an option.

If only I could leave my phone at home.

You actually can!

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[bitoffish]

I was at a party the first weekend I had it, and I realized I hadn't touched my phone in three hours.

and still stay connected

If only I could leave my phone at home.

and still stay connected

The bigger issue is why I am responding to a Slashdot comment

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[unixisc]

This!!! Absolutely this. It's interesting that they compared its sales w/ Rolex. Do Rolex watches cost anywhere near as much? If not, then Rolex would certainly have beaten Apple in terms of number of units, even if Apple may have come close to them in revenue

How much of storage does that thing have? Can I watch my music videos on it using the Video app?

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[Anonymous Coward]

Now I remember why I stopped visiting the comment section on this site.

That's the whole reason I come to this site, you insensitive clod!

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[tattood]

I know longer worry the whole ride home if the phone going off in my pocket is a crisis, or something I can safely ignore.

How do you know, by looking at your watch vs your phone, that the unknown phone calling you is not the hospital emergency room calling you because a loved one was just in an accident?

Most newer car stereo systems have Bluetooth connectivity to your phone so you can see who is calling you and even answer the phone hands-free without ever touching your phone.

Don't get me wrong, I love Apple products, but the reasons you listed are not enough to make me want to get an Apple Watch.

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[losfromla]

The bigger issue is why I am responding to a Slashdot comment

Loneliness?

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[TomGreenhaw]

Notifications. Yes I know, you can get Notifications on your phone. It's hard to describe the convenience of being able to glance at your wrist. That's the killer app.

It does a shitload of other stuff t, but frankly Notifications alone make it worth wearing. Some other things I use a lot - reminders, alarms, timers, fitness tracking. My personal favorite is temperature readout from the Weber bluetooth thermometer for grilling; it sounds silly, but man it's nice to have.

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[baker_tony]

"Can I watch my music videos on it using the Video app?"
In the same way as you can use a ping-pong ball to play soccer? It's possible, but why would you want to do so?

Re:What are they mostly used for?

[PCM2]

How do you know, by looking at your watch vs your phone, that the unknown phone calling you is not the hospital emergency room calling you because a loved one was just in an accident?

But if the phone is showing you an unknown number, how does that help you vs. seeing an unknown number on your watch?

Most newer car stereo systems have Bluetooth connectivity to your phone so you can see who is calling you and even answer the phone hands-free without ever touching your phone.

But that solution would require carrying a car stereo system to parties. Wearing a watch is less hassle.

Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[sinij]

Apple fans will buy anything with an apple logo on it, news at 11.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[The-Ixian]

You know what I see EVERYWHERE? iPhones

You know what I see NOWHERE? Apple Watches

I look around the train on the way to/from work every day and I see almost nobody wearing an Apple Watch. Garmin's and FitBits seem pretty popular though.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[PoopJuggler]

I'm sure your anecdotal evidence extrapolates to the entire world sample set. How would you tell an Apple Watch from a normal watch, anyway? Most people get a nice band and they end up looking the same.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[The-Ixian]

Not trying to extrapolate to the world. Just trying to say that, from where I sit, the iPhone is clearly a success. Conversely, from the same vantage point Apple Watch is clearly not on the same level.

I could be in an Apple hate zone, but I don't think that is the case due to the number if iPhones I see.

Also, an Apple Watch has a distinctive square face with rounded corners. I don't look at the bands.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[NatasRevol]

My anecdotal evidence is I see about 5 Apple watches every day.

But then I don't take the train to/from work.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[Anonymous Coward]

My anecdotal evidence is I see about 5 Apple watches every day.

Do you work at Apple?

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[The-Ixian]

The train and the bus system in general are my window into the real world. In my estimation, there is enough of a cross section of social and economic strata to make some valuable observations.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[NatasRevol]

Nope. I don't even live in California.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[Anonymous Coward]

Do 5 of your co-workers wear them?

I've literally only ever seen one in the wild. And that was on a complete Apple fanboi who buys everything (literally) that Apple makes. It was a fun day when Apple Maps first released and he made his argument as to how it was so much better than Google Maps.

And judging by comments around here, I'm not the only one who rarely sees these things. If lots of people from lots of places never see them, it probably means not very many have been sold.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[irrational_design]

I see them fairly frequently, but they are still rare enough that I do a double take when I see one.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[RandyHill]

Fitbit are really popular, and they just laid off most of the company because it's getting crushed by Apple Watch.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[unixisc]

Not disagreeing w/ you, but I can identify an Apple Watch by sight: Fitbit, or Garmin, or even the Microsoft Band are nothing like it. They have those exotic bands that look very attractive in their own right, even if the computer didn't work. In fact, that'd be a part of the reason why they are so pricey

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[Just Some Guy]

I glanced around my office and saw 6 of them within a dead cat throw of here. We're not an Apple developer, either - just a bunch of people working on completely non-Apple-related stuff.

You have your anecdote. I have mine. Neither one is likely representative of the truth.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[The-Ixian]

Absolutely agreed.

I should change my sig to say: This post is an anecdote and/or an opinion. Nothing in this post is to be taken as actual fact.

I have no idea how well the Apple Watch is or isn't doing, but I can make a guess based on what I have seen represented in the world around me where I live.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[Maury Markowitz]

> Conversely, from the same vantage point Apple Watch is clearly not on the same level.

Not same level != not success

Come on. Ferrari has been around for most of the history of cars, yet by your measure they're a raging failure compared to Cherry.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[Just Some Guy]

We could both make guesses, but they'd be wildly different and both are likely to be completely wrong. That's my point. You can't reasonably say "no one seems to be buying them", and I can't counter with "everyone seems to have one".

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[Anonymous Coward]

Lol the Apple fanboys don't hand-wave away your iPhone observation as anecdotal (because it's positive).

I see iPhone everywhere!
Because its the best thing ever
I never see Apple Watches
UGH shut up with your anecdotal observations!

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[Shirley Marquez]

Some of the Android Wear watches look a lot more like an Apple Watch. The ZenWatch 2 from ASUS is a good example. Though it can be told apart easily enough if you see it from the correct side because it has only a single crown knob - which is actually a button, it doesn't twist - not the knob-plus-button that the Apple Watch has.

But the sales numbers for those are a rounding error compared to the popularity of the Apple Watch. Android Wear hasn't been a big hit (though the upcoming version 2 and the accompanying release of new, better looking watches may change that), and the most successful Android Wear watches don't look like an Apple Watch. For starters, many of them are round like the Moto 360 or the Huawei Watch, and most of this year's new releases are round.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[farble1670]

iPhone is clearly a success. Conversely, from the same vantage point Apple Watch is clearly not on the same level.

So what? Products can be a success without being the Next Best Thing. Products can also be strategic. E.g., maybe the tech isn't quite there to make smart watches great, but establishing a foothold and name with a first-gen product can help them down the road.

You know what I see NOWHERE? Apple Watches

I see a lot of people with them. My wife has one, and she loves it. It's a well put together product. And yeah, I develop on Android and have an Android phone, 2 Android tablets, and an Android Wear watch ... so no, I'm not an Apple fanboi.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[david_thornley]

However, if Apple product adoption was just a matter of people wanting to buy anything Apple, the Apple watch would be much more popular than it is relative to the iPhone. It may not be popular to hear on Slashdot, but people generally buy Apple products because they meet their needs and wants, not because Apple made them.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[david_thornley]

Anecdotal evidence isn't going to prove anything (although there was this guy I knew who used nothing but anecdotal evidence....), but it can be interesting and suggestive.

Re:Apple fans will buy anything, news at 11

[peawormsworth]

I do that too. And I think it is a good way to get an idea of what average people are doing.

For example, I have been noticing that 60% to 80% of the people riding on my buses hold their cell phone in their hand at all times. That seems weird to me, like they are all sucking their thumbs.

Also, I did see a young girl wearing a watch on the bus today. And I though... that's weird who would buy a watch these days that isn't grandfathered in to that tradition.

Apple is a Fashion Brand

[Anonymous Coward]

That's the only reason why this fad has any value. The smart phone on the other hand is a valid innovation as a new widespread form of computer that will likely outlive Apple in some form.

Second best selling watch

[WillgasM]

is like second smartest kid with downs.

So how many sold?

[Anonymous Coward]

So how many sold? how many shipped? These would be good numbers to know.

Re:So how many sold?

[PoopJuggler]

Well, they sold 1.1 million between June and September of 2016, and that's just a 4-month period. So figure at least 3-4 million total probably. Sounds pretty successful to me, even if the sales are leveling off or declining a bit.

Re: So how many sold?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's an estimate, Apple knows how many they sold, they refuse to reveal the numbers.

So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[Attila Dimedici]

So, now Apple is admitting that they are a fashion company, not a tech company. The fact that their fashion items are also computing devices does not make them a tech company.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[cfalcon]

Anyone selling watches is a fashion company. If the computer revolution had happened before President Kennedy, everyone would have smart hats. It's a profitable division of Apple that gets to reuse aspects of their tech side, and interface with their role as a technology company. But it is absolutely a fashion accessory, because that is what watches are. If you need a functional watch, you can get one for a few dollars, or probably just get a used one for free or almost free.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[tripleevenfall]

Apple is not a tech company?

Only on /. :)

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[NatasRevol]

Their Services division is larger than Facebook now, by revenue.

Does that make them a services company?

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple is not a tech company?

Only on /. :)

No it's not. There's just as much if not more technology in a typical TV, Blue-Ray/DVD player, car, jumbo jet, etc ... than there is in an Apple product.

But I have yet to see someone call GM or Boeing a tech company.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple is a design firm. They don't make anything, they don't even assemble anything...China does.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[Kjella]

They're a tech-bling company the same way Rolex is a watch-bling company and Rolls-Royce a car-bling company. The reason they're "not a tech company" to nerds is that we measure function but nobody cares about how accurately a Rolex can tell time or the MPG of a Rolls-Royce. Sure the Rolex needs to tell time and the Rolls-Royce doesn't do much good hanging from a tow truck, but tech specs aren't the most important. You also don't use sheer lace from Victoria's Secret as a sports bra or test what stilettos make the best running shoes. That said, I don't think anyone would say Rolex is a fashion company, not a watch company. Apple is just not the kind of tech company that wants to compete on most bang for the buck.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[jasnw]

No, not just on /. Lots of Mac computer users have been complaining about Apple's transformation into a fashion/design firm over the past several years on many Mac user sites. Apple had better up their tech/computer game in 2017 or a lot of people who jumped on OS X from Linux in the early 2000s are going to be headed back to Linux or (shudder) to Windows.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[gumbi west]

In other news, China is a country and not a firm.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[gumbi west]

Keep telling yourself that. My TCO is way lower on my mac laptop and iPhone while my productivity is higher then on my android phone and windows computer because it doesn't die in flames regularly.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[unixisc]

TVs, Blue Ray players, cars and jets may have interesting embedded devices that use some amount of Linux in operating, but that hardly makes them contain more technology than in Apple products

Apple products of today have some combination of an XNU kernel w/ various implementations of Quartz on the top, and an ecosystem that's gone out of its way to be extremely intuitive. So it uses a combination of mature technology (I'm not using 'mature' to mean EOLed here) and UI research to come up w/ outstanding products, whose only shortcomings are perhaps in their hardware combinations, where they may use less memory or a less powerful CPU than less expensive products in the market.

So yeah, there are some areas where they should improve, like allowing for SD cards in their products, but by no means does that make them cease to be a tech company. No matter how well they brand themselves as a quasi-fashion company along the lines of Prada, Gucci, Porsche, Ray Bans et al

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[Anonymous Coward]

You must have a strange way of calculating TCO, because my 5 year old Android phone and 6 year old Windows laptop have never died in flames, I've had maybe 6 forced reboots of the laptop in all that time (gross overestimate of total time spent on those: 15 minutes), and the two combined were cheaper than the typical iPhone during that time.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[gumbi west]

I'm on my second android. The first one was a moto G, it lasted 2 years. It was dropping calls like mad / not receiving incoming calls and texts (at some point it basically always went straight to VM) so I upgraded to a newer OS. It stopped dropping calls and started working well for texts. But, it was so slow it was basically like not having a smart phone. The current phone (a 5X) has been better but is not slughis and crashes out of nowhere. I never install apps from anywhere but the play store, so if it is an app causing this then I think blaming google makes a lot of sense. I'm on the same iPhone I've been on for four years and it is as snappy as the day I got it.

My windows machines require a reinstall of the OS about every 18 months and die all of the time. And I'm on my third in 5 years because the physically break when I drop them--though this last one simply because unresponsive. I have dropped my 8 year old mac many more times from much higher places / onto harder landing spots and it barely shows a scratch. I've only reinstalled the Mac OS once since switching to OS X, and that is across several machines--the Mac OS lets you move all your files and OS install when you move Macs.

Yeah, TCO has been way lower for me on the Apple products.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem is you, not the phone or the laptop. I don't know what you're doing that would require a reinstall of the OS every 18 months, but you're doing it wrong. I've not had to reinstall or upgrade the OS on my phone, and I have installed apps not in the Play Store.

Also, if you keep dropping laptops, maybe you should learn from that instead of blaming the machine for breaking when you do it.

So TCO is a bit lower on the iPhone/Mac if you're the type of person who can't or won't learn from your own mistakes, and a lot lower for the Android/Windows if you don't routinely drop laptops and don't bodge settings which you have no idea what they do.

Although, oddly enough, you can buy 3 Windows laptops for less than the cheapest Macbook, and several Android phones (4 Galaxy S4's or 2 Galaxy S5's for example) for the cost of the cheapest iPhone. So I'm not really sure that even your TCO is lower.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[gumbi west]

I don't "bodge settings", or, if I am, windows is pretty worthless--I basically use it and all my gear vanilla. I've also never had issues with OS X (well, there was the one reinstall, but that really was a stupid Apple problem) or linux machines (neither of which I use anything close to vanilla). I'm a developer, so my Windows laptops cost about $1500, plus the dock and memory if it isn't compatible with the previous machine. But they keep changing models so I need to get two new docks with my three new machines.

As for breaking machines, yeah, I'd rather not. I actually seriously baby the Windows machines and they still break. Ideally the fact that I baby them would be included in a TCO calculation. I use the Apple to hammer nails and stuff while the Windows machines are treated all dainty like--it's pathetic.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[mjwx]

Apple is not a tech company?

Yes, Apple is a marketing company. Someone else makes everything Apple sells, Apple only produces the logo.

I will admit, they are so good at being a marketing company they have people like you utterly convinced they are something else.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[Anonymous Coward]

lol. Another dufus who hasn't used a real computer since Windows 95 -- either that, or built one himself with his substandard skills and shitty hardware and then blamed Microsoft for his own incompetence.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[Anonymous Coward]

You're doing something if you require a reinstall of Windows every 18 months. The hundreds of millions of us who never reinstall it would agree.

So with your "stupid Apple problem" reinstall, that doesn't count for some reason?

If you're dropping laptops and consider that babying them, please stay away from any actual babies.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[gumbi west]

You're doing something if you require a reinstall of Windows every 18 months.

using the wrong OS?

The hundreds of millions of us who never reinstall it would agree.

you surveyed them?

My stupid apple problem absolutely annoys me. But I consider 1 reinstall over 10 years to be much better than once every 18 months.

Look, I'm a user, I have these problems, it's not like you can somehow say it's not real.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[Anonymous Coward]

You're a self-admitted klutz, you blame the objects you drop for breaking them, and think modern Windows computers all need to be reinstalled every 18 months for unspecified reasons despite the fact that is not the case for the majority of users, hasn't been true for even a significant minority for more than a decade, and is a super rare except in edge cases now. I don't think you're not real, but it seems your TCO argument is simply your personal justification for your own ill-advised actions, rationalizing your own mistakes as being not your fault, and is not based on facts applicable to all but a minuscule number of users.

Re:So, basically,Apple is in the fashion industry

[gumbi west]

Why does this upset you so? It's a crap OS. MS made a fine OS in Windows 2k and XP. Other than that they have made garbage.

Perspective.

[blueshift_1]

I feel like it's just a matter of perspective. The watch market as whole has never really been as significant as the phone or PC market, thus comparing the apples watch compared to iPhone or Mac sales makes it look like a failure, but within it's sector it is a strong competitor. It certainly hasn't take then world by storm the way that the iPad and iPhone have been able to, but at least hast been a strong contender for watches. So I'd say the watch has been a viable product, but no great success.

Re:Perspective.

[AmiMoJo]

Apple seems to be laying it on thick today.

It's the most popular, best selling smart watch... Well, yeah, it's also pretty much the only choice for iOS users, where as Android users have a wide variety to choose from and thus sales of individual models are diluted. Apple only does one model per year too, because even with the various straps and colours they all count as "Apple Watch 1" sales.

It has the most satisfaction... I'd be interested to know how they know that, but again it's hardly surprising when it costs so much. High price items tend to polarise people, they either feel ripped off and bitter or convince themselves that they love it and the cost was justified. Plus it's as much jewellery as it is a gadget, so even if it's usability sucks it will function adequately as bling.

Re:Perspective.

[Anonymous Coward]

. . .but at least hast been a strong contender for watches. So I'd say the watch has been a viable product, but no great success.

Only if you spin pretty hard by touting revenues compared to a luxury watch maker. Even that ignores the fact that the Apple Watch is to Rolex what Farmville smurfberries are to a $1000 bill. Other than telling time and generally appearing on people's wrists, they are completely different products -- different technologies, different markets.

Apple Watch is likely the last "smart" watch standing. Most likely, it will be the last "smart" watch to be discontinued altogether.

Re:Perspective.

[Mordaximus]

I feel like it's just a matter of perspective. The watch market as whole has never really been as significant as the phone or PC market, thus comparing the apples watch compared to iPhone or Mac sales makes it look like a failure, but within it's sector it is a strong competitor. It certainly hasn't take then world by storm the way that the iPad and iPhone have been able to, but at least hast been a strong contender for watches. So I'd say the watch has been a viable product, but no great success.

According to TFA, Sales estimates put the Apple Watch on par with Mac sales for the same quarter. If true that is very significant. Of course that likely has a lot to do with Apple almost completely ignoring its desktops...

Re:Perspective.

[Mordaximus]

Apple seems to be laying it on thick today.

It's the most popular, best selling smart watch... Well, yeah, it's also pretty much the only choice for iOS users, where as Android users have a wide variety to choose from and thus sales of individual models are diluted. Apple only does one model per year too, because even with the various straps and colours they all count as "Apple Watch 1" sales.

There is Android Wear support for iOS. Same with Pebble and FitBit, etc. etc. Apple Watch is an additional option for iPhone users, not the only one.

Re:Perspective.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes it's a matter of perspective.
In the US market, Apple has a big market share, on many gizmos. The rest of the world ? not so much.

Re:Perspective.

[Anonymous Coward]

They did lay it on thick. They talk about how successful the iPhone is when they've had to cut production twice since the launch of the 7 because of overstock.

Re:Perspective.

[plague911]

Anything is a valid "iProduct" the sheep buy it and think its cool. Then the rest of the market tries to reproduce and fail because there actually is no real use case. The sheep then loose interest and move onto the next cool "iProduct" rinse repeat. https://www.statista.com/stati...

Re:Perspective.

[rtb61]

There is a distinct edge coming to Apple, an excitement seems to be developing. M$ has dropped the ball big time and Apple can sense an opening into the desktop market, that they have never had before. It will be interesting to see how it develops over this year. M$ seems locked into forcing users to do what they say when ever M$ says it and gross invasions of privacy and basically turning a PC into a xbox. Arrogantly doing that has already caused their phone market to collapse and that is rapidly extending into budget notebooks and tablets. Likely the xbox is not far behind and the desktop, what is left of it, is becoming very fragile. The next big market the big screen all in one, looks like a complete shut out for M$ and that market has not even really kicked off yet.

M$'s insane gamble of treating it customers like serfs who must obey and expose themselves to their masters, making use of application and data lock in, looks to be pretty much blowing right up in the collective stupendously arrogant faces. No matter what they try to do to fix it, it looks they are done (an annoying waste of effort lost in learning windows, meh, nothing last forever).

Re:Perspective.

[Dahamma]

It has the most satisfaction... I'd be interested to know how they know that, but again it's hardly surprising when it costs so much. High price items tend to polarise people, they either feel ripped off and bitter or convince themselves that they love it and the cost was justified. Plus it's as much jewellery as it is a gadget, so even if it's usability sucks it will function adequately as bling.

So... what about any of that doesn't mean people can be satisfied with it? Even better for Apple if the higher price influences their satisfaction. As you said, that's the foundation of the whole jewelry industry, and honestly any watch (smart or not) more than $100 is basically jewelry at this point.

I don't care

[bondsbw]

It doesn't matter if it's a hit, because Apple Watch will never work adequately with non-Apple devices. I have more confidence that an Android Wear or even Tizen based watch will not have as much lock-in.

Re:I don't care

[Anonymous Coward]

Nah.

There is a "Apple Watch" market which is huge, and mainly appealing to luxury buyers. There is a "iPad" Market that appeals to people who people who actually use their iPad for work or pleasure.

The alternatives to the Apple Watch are largely a joke except for things like the Microsoft Smartband and the Fitbit which were not directly competing for a "smartwatch" title, and rather are fitness bands. Unlike a phone which you are expected to replace every 2 years, people don't want to replace a watch every 2 years, as most people have the same watch over their entire lives once they become an adult and just periodically replace the wristband if it's not made of metal. I quit wearing my watch when it stopped working, that was a watch I had since high school, so it lasted at least 10 years before it started acting funny. So for the last 8 years I simply used the cell phone as a watch.

Which comes back around to why people need a watch at all. Everyone has a cell phone, so there is no need for a regular watch, there is however a need for a "small" device capable of providing important (as opposed to distracting) notifications, like the pizza is ready, or your house is on fire.

As for the iPad, well we can safely say that Android is a rubbish operating system for tablets, televisions and smartwatches, as it has never taken off in these markets, and for good reason. It was NOT designed for these markets, and the manufacturers like Samsung and LG just shoe-horned the Android OS into these devices, and the result is you have a 10" phone instead of a tablet. or a 32" TV that doesn't work very well since there's no touch screen (LG's solution was a Wii-like remote.)

Which goes back to the entire problem not being solved by non-phone devices. People don't want to replace things every year. Americans have been trained that they need a new phone every 2 years, on the dot, because that was traditionally the contract lifetime, and then to get a better deal they would switch carriers and couldn't bring their numbers with them. Local Number portability did away with this, and then wireless carriers had to lock people into contracts by tricking them into renewing because they would expire the plans brought out that year at the beginning of the next so they could sneakily raise the prices. Had the entire cell phone subsidy not existed in the first place, people would hang onto their cell phones, and smartphones for at least 5 years, because the retail price of a smartphone is twice that of a cheap desktop computer, and those last at least 5 years.

How this problem can be solved, in the most smartest way possible is to have "smartwatches" act only as a sensor when not paired with a phone. The watch shows you the time, shows you select notifications, and records sensor data that it relays to the phone. The phone is the real computer. Likewise with tablets, and smartTV's, these devices should be "dumb terminals" that let you plug in a smartphone and suddenly you get a larger touch screen (tablet) or larger "second screen" with the smartTV. If you need to go to the toilet while you're watching netflix, you pick up your phone and keep watching while you walk away.

If only one device is to be replaced every 2 years, make that the phone. Watches, TV's and Tablets should not need to be replaced every 2 years.

Likewise with desktop/laptop computers. At somepoint the smartphone will be at CPU+GPU parity in performance with all low/mid-tier laptops and desktops, leaving no reason to build Intel i3/i5/i7 dual-core based computers. Right now an iPhone 6s and 7 are roughly at parity with a 5 year old laptop.

Apple has ONE PRODUCT

[CajunArson]

If you actually read what Apple reported rationally you find this:
1. The iPhone is successful.
2. The Mac segment is stagnating and frankly it's probably a healthy dose of RDF + iPhone tie-in as to why it's not in freefall considering how poorly Apple has treated it.
3. The iPads are actually in freefall and the RDF ain't working.
4. iWatch? There's a word for that: rounding error. And not a hugely profitable one.

Re:Apple has ONE PRODUCT

[BarbaraHudson]

And worse, it's been proven that smartwatches and fitness trackers in general don't result in better health for users. Calling it the "ultimate device for a healthy lifestyle" is about as stupid as buying a rowing machine and sticking it in the corner to gather dust. It's just marketing. Yet another reason why actual numbers aren't released.

Re:Apple has ONE PRODUCT

[squiggleslash]

about as stupid as buying a rowing machine and sticking it in the corner to gather dust.

People don't use their exercise equipment after they've bought it? Wow. So... what do they hang clothes on?

Re:Apple has ONE PRODUCT

[Anonymous Coward]

And worse, it's been proven that smartwatches and fitness trackers in general don't result in better health for users.

One study where participants self-reported their exercise habits is your threshold for proof? You are an idiot.

Re:Apple has ONE PRODUCT

[Just Some Guy]

And worse, it's been proven that smartwatches and fitness trackers in general don't result in better health for users.

Anecdotally, I actually get up from my desk and walk around at least once an hour to keep it happy. That doesn't suddenly make me a triathlete, but plenty of studies do show that me getting off my ass from time to time helps me not die.

I can't speak for everyone, but I have lost weight from trying to meet my daily calorie burning goals. Maybe that's not the common case, but I'm happy with the result.

Re:Apple has ONE PRODUCT

[Anonymous Coward]

treadmills are for hanging clothes, not rowing machines, they have no where to put the hangers. I have yet to find a good domestic use for a rowing machine, but I'm open to suggestions?

Re:Apple has ONE PRODUCT

[Dixie_Flatline]

Oh please. This is absolutely ridiculous.

The iPhone isn't merely 'successful', it's the most profitable product ever sold in the history of anything ever. It's a device whose success is so great, Apple makes more money than OIL COMPANIES.

The Mac, iPad and iWatch segments are all individually so popular that each one would make a very profitable Fortune 500 company. iPad sales are certainly down, but it's still making an absurd amount of money. Mac sales were UP this year. UP. (To be clear: I think how they've abandoned the Mac Pro is a travesty; and to my mind they're spending a lot of their time on the wrong things.)

Apple's failures make more money than other companies' successes. How is it that the iWatch doesn't count as an outright success when Amazon's Echo seems to be every tech writer's darling?

"The iPhone is successful." I don't know that I've ever seen someone undersell the success of something so much. You may as well say that "the sun's pretty warm" or "the universe is pretty big, I guess". Yeesh.

Re:Apple has ONE PRODUCT

[michael_wojcik]

I suppose it could be the "ultimate device for a healthy lifestyle" in the sense that no device contributes significantly to a healthy lifestyle. The great majority of people who are going to behave in a healthy way do not do so because of any one particular object.

And, of course, there's a lot more to "a healthy lifestyle" than burning some arbitrary number of calories, as estimated by a fancy bracelet.

My DZ09

[Marxist Hacker 42]

My smartwatch was $35 including shipping. It has SD and SIMM card slots, and is a fully functional smart phone complete with camera.

My only complaint, no health sensors beyond accelerometer apps.

Why is the Apple Watch (and the rest of its competitors) so expensive? Are red and green LEDs that much more expensive?

Re:My DZ09

[JaredOfEuropa]

Never heard of it, so I looked it up. Available for €14.99. Isn't it unbelievable that such a thing is available for the price of a couple of cups of coffee? We live in fascinating times.

What's the battery life on that thing?

Re:My DZ09

[kamapuaa]

Googled that. They're DOA half the time, constant connection issues, and "Battery life when connected to Bluetooth is approximately Four Hours."

Yeah, thanks but no thanks. That's like saying the iphone is too expensive because you can get a shitty $35 android phone made in Brazil.

Re:My DZ09

[Anonymous Coward]

Pfft. If you're looking for something more useful, get a Garmin fenix 5 or 920xt. As a bonus, you'll actually be able to use it for something useful, whereas the Apple Watch will just sit there on your wrist making you look like a fool with too much money to burn.

Re:My DZ09

[Anonymous Coward]

Even more amazing is that a cup of coffee is 7.50 euro...

Re:My DZ09

[threephaseboy]

It has SD and SIMM card slots

30-pin or 72-pin? Does it support EDO?

Re:My DZ09

[Marxist Hacker 42]

Battery life seems to be about 3 days. Probably less if I had a SIMM installed.....half the radios aren't on for mine.

Re:My DZ09

[Marxist Hacker 42]

I don't leave it connected to bluetooth. And yes, the iphone is way too expensive.

I get about 3 days battery life.

Re:My DZ09

[Marxist Hacker 42]

You're right- I meant SIM

Re:My DZ09

[jaa101]

Available for €14.99. Isn't it unbelievable that such a thing is available for the price of a couple of cups of coffee?

You compare the Apple Watch to €7.50 cups of coffee. For this DZ09, the comparison should be to the price of a couple of teaspoons of instant coffee granules plus maybe a little milk and sugar, i.e., about €0.10.

Re:My DZ09

[Dahamma]

Why is the Apple Watch (and the rest of its competitors) so expensive? Are red and green LEDs that much more expensive?

Same reason the iPhone is so expensive - quality design and components and a massive Apple profit margin.

Re:My DZ09

[Actually, I do RTFA]

Isn't it unbelievable that such a thing is available for the price of a couple of cups of coffee? We live in fascinating times.

I agree - coffee is way too expensive.

Re:My DZ09

[Dixie_Flatline]

It isn't expensive in comparison to other fitness watches, actually. I've priced out Garmin and Suunto watches of various kinds, and they're all on par with the Apple Watch. A watch that can track swimming strokes AND has a GPS in it is a surprisingly expensive piece of kit. When you look at it like that, the Apple Watch is a bit of a bargain. The Garmin Swim watch can track strokes, but has no HR monitor, 'smart watch' capabilities or GPS. The Garmin VivoActive is more smart-watchy, but there's no HR monitor built in; that comes extra. The Garmin Fenix watches are huge and capable but still don't have built-in HR, and start in the $450 range.

Good fitness watches cost money.

Re:My DZ09

[Anonymous Coward]

Snap out of it, man!

Re:My DZ09

[Anonymous Coward]

And the fanbois go wild! *iCHEERING LOUDLY*

Re:My DZ09

[RespekMyAthorati]

Why is the Apple Watch (and the rest of its competitors) so expensive?

Because people are willing to pay that much. Duh.

Watch my arse

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

>> just consider Apple Watch a "watch", period.

I'll consider that POS a "watch" when it can go months between battery charges, costs less than $50, can be used when I'm in whitewater, and has tactile buttons I can find in the dark. (In other words, when it can replace a simple Timex Ironman.)

Re:Watch my arse

[Anonymous Coward]

So then, every $50+ non-waterproof windable watches on the market are not "watches" by your definition.

Re:Watch my arse

[Anonymous Coward]

For a lot of people they aren't usable watches no. Just like a dipping fountain pen is by definition a pen, but most people would consider one completely unsuitable to use in their modern life and less useful than a 25 cent Bic pen.

Re:Watch my arse

[Moridineas]

I'll consider that POS a "watch" when it can go months between battery charges, costs less than $50, can be used when I'm in whitewater, and has tactile buttons I can find in the dark. (In other words, when it can replace a simple Timex Ironman.)

It goes 2 full days on a charge, works in water, and has tactile buttons. So I guess it just needs a bigger battery :-)

I have an Apple Watch. I like it a lot. Is it worth the money--fuck no. I use it for exactly 3 things:

(1) Telling the time (and checking weather, etc.);
(2) "Hey Siri" integration for controlling HomeKit (outlets, thermostat, locks, lights, etc.); and
(3) Texting / receiving phone notifications.

It's awesome for those 3 things. Can't remember the last time I used an app. The exercise mode is useless as a general activity tacker or heart rate monitor (heart rate monitor is AWFUL). All the gimmick shit is...gimmick shit. As a small extension to my smartphone--awesome.

Re:Watch my arse

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

>> every $50+ non-waterproof windable watches on the market are not "watches"

If they aren't primarily functional, they're "jewelry". I have a pretty watches too but I really only wear them when I'm in business casual or better attire.

Sorry, But No

[segedunum]

I've seen more Rolexes than Apple Watches. Microsoft also did this with Windows Phone when they talked about 'revenue' rather than any hard sales figures. The reality everyone else knew finally dawned.

Re:Sorry, But No

[cmseagle]

I've seen more Rolexes than Apple Watches.

That's not surprising. By most estimates Apple has sold about 20 million iWatches. According to the fine folks at rolexforums.com, Rolex has produced at least 50 million wristwatches, and those wristwatches will stay in circulation for decades.

Re:Sorry, But No

[RandyHill]

Microsoft never talked about Windows Phone revenues because they were terrible. Apple Watch sold $6B it's first year, which is by probably the highest revenues any watch line has ever produced. Rolex and Swatch are in the neighborhood, but their revenues are split up among lots of other businesses that aren't watches.

Re:Sorry, But No

[Anubis IV]

I've seen more Rolexes than Apple Watches.

And I've seen more Apples Watches than Rolexes. Yay for anecdotes?

In your Microsoft example, revenue was used to mask bad unit sales, but all indications point towards the opposite being the case here. The average selling price for an Apple Watch is far below that of a Rolex. If Apple can sell a significantly less expensive product while coming second-only to Rolex in terms of revenue, it would suggest that their sales volume is significantly higher than that of Rolex.

That said, Rolex has a head start of a few decades on Apple and sells a product that oftentimes outlasts its owner, so it's unsurprising that you've seen more Rolexes up to this point. For my part, I've already seen more Apple Watches in person than I ever saw Rolexes, but that's to be expected as well, given the demographics for the region where I live.

Provided Apple keeps up their current trend for just a few more years, my anecdotal experience will become the more common one for the vast majority of people.

Re:Sorry, But No

[Anonymous Coward]

Meanwhile your iWatch will have a dead battery in a few years and need to be replaced. I think in a few years time we'll have a better indicator of how much of a success it really is based on how many people upgrade their watches vs. throwing in the towel. I know I've seen a number of articles where people who've acquired smart watches ended up tossing them aside because they didn't find them that useful. I'm not saying that's true of everybody, but there are people where that is the case.

Re:Sorry, But No

[Anonymous Coward]

2 things...
first: Apple ( and the Slashdot quote from John Gruber ) said they were second to Rolex so.... are you having reading comprehension problems?
2nd thing:. Yes, Apple reports "sell-in" numbers instead of sell-through. Almost every technology vendor does. Lets recall that Google and Amazon famously don't share sales data AT ALL. While it is true that the return rate of Apple watches is not published anywhere, You can bet you would have heard about it, if Best Buy and the like were having trouble moving the inventory.

Re:Sorry, But No

[Anubis IV]

For even more proof that the OP is way off-base, reports just came in indicating that Apple sold 5.2 million Apple Watches in the last quarter alone. Contrast that with Rolex, which makes 2,000 watches a day, equating to about 700,000 per year. Granted, the holiday quarter is Apple's strongest, but those numbers would suggest that Apple in one quarter outsold Rolex's entire year by a factor of 7, indicating that their unit sales are doing just fine and that they're not hiding behind revenue numbers like the OP was suggesting.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Demand has waned

[Anonymous Coward]

I know ~5 people who bought an Apple Watch when they first came out. Every single one of them has quietly stopped wearing them.

Not making enough success

[sandbagger]

Not making enough can mean many things and given how CEO statements can have an impact on the stock market, call me suspicious but the statement is ambiguous. Were they unable to make enough because they were running three shifts at a factory designed to run two shifts? Or have they been scaling back production to meet lukewarm demands?

I have only met one person – not know —met one person who has an iWatch. I'm just a bit suspicious of these statements.

The strange narrative

[Anonymous Coward]

is because nerds have a pretty narrow worldview. If it doesn't exist in their parent's basement, it's not a "thing". Or if they don't want/need one, then that means nobody wants/needs one. Also, since it's hard to tell at a glance if a watch is a "smart" watch or a regular watch, you don't really get a sense of how many there actually are out there. The numbers don't lie, though. They sell millions of these things.

Re:The strange narrative

[Z80a]

"millions" is a quite subjective measure.
I mean, the 3DO system sold 2 million units, but can it be considered a success?

Probably the real question is: did it paid for the R&D that apple put into the watch?

There was no problem

[dandrews216]

They made the Apple Watch because they wanted a watch. There is no problem that the watch solves. So, it's a solution looking for a problem.

Re:There was no problem

[Dahamma]

The problem was "our revenue is in danger of dropping and we need an entirely new device in the Apple ecosystem with over 100% profit margin". The solution was the Apple Watch. Boom, problem solved!

That said, I got my wife one and she totally loves it, uses it for fitness tracking (after returning 2 dead Fitbits) and as an accessory. It was an anniversary gift. Boom, problem solved!

Re:There was no problem

[Anonymous Coward]

Problem: I don't have a watch... I want a watch.
Solution: I look for watch to buy. What options are there?

Problem: My co-worker has an iWatch-thingy. I want one out of watch-envy!
Solution: I buy an iWatch-thingy.

Problem: I'm going to a tech conference. The only timepiece I have requires the sun. The conference is at night.
Solution: Smart watches make me look SMRT! S-M-R-T!

ridiculous propaganda

[Anonymous Coward]

Who the fuck do they think this article is fooling. Ipad's share is less than 20% of the tablet market. Take the rest of their claims with a grain of salt accordingly.

Re:ridiculous propaganda

[Guybrush_T]

Had the same reaction. "There is no tablet market, just an ipad market" ... in which world do they live ?

I know a couple of person who have an Apple watch ... they all work for Apple.

So maybe it is working well in some places of the world, but I'd be interested in knowing which ones.

Re: ridiculous propaganda

[Anonymous Coward]

Who creates each segment of the market though? The watch segment is still being defined. Apple is likely to win if history is our guide.

Re:ridiculous propaganda

[Dixie_Flatline]

For tablets over $200, the iPad basically has a lock. iPad is almost a generic word for tablet; the NFL had to really work to remind everyone to say 'Microsoft Surface' and not 'iPad'.

Very true

[SuperKendall]

The funny thing about people claiming the AppleWatch was not succeeding, was they always ignored sales and customer satisfaction.

There have been other products that people really liked that got axed as well, but not that sold in the volume the AppleWatch did. If any other company but Apple had been selling the AppleWatch, it would have been considered a breakaway hit...

Especially after the WatchOS 3 update, the Apple Watch has been really useful, and apparently the newer models (series 2) have multi-day battery life and charge fast enough you can wear them while you sleep and just charge them while you are in the shower to get a full charge. Apple is doing what it does best, just slowly grind away at improvements while the market fails to notice a change, until they realize that somehow Apple is in front again...

Re: Very true

[Anonymous Coward]

I face the public at work every day and I can count on one hand how many people that have had one on. Not popular on the west coast of the USA.

Re:Very true

[Khyber]

"apparently the newer models (series 2) have multi-day battery life and charge fast enough you can wear them while you sleep and just charge them while you are in the shower to get a full charge."

You fucking shill. I can do the same with a Chinese smartwatch on a lithium coin cell for TWO YEARS (and did back in 2009.) Come back when you can match the actual capability and battery life. I could text with my Chinese smartwatch without needing to use dictation (which is notoriously shitty given varying accents across the country.)

Re:Very true

[ColdWetDog]

and charge fast enough you can wear them while you sleep and just charge them while you are in the shower to get a full charge.

So, your life can revolve around charging the thing? Seems more like those little egg gizmos that tweeners used to try to hatch a couple of years ago. Who the hell is in charge here? (So to speak.)

Re:Very true

[Anonymous Coward]

The funny thing about people claiming the AppleWatch was not succeeding, was they always ignored sales and customer satisfaction.

Or they followed sales and noticed a lack of customer satisfaction.

There have been other products that people really liked that got axed as well, but not that sold in the volume the AppleWatch did. If any other company but Apple had been selling the AppleWatch, it would have been considered a breakaway hit...

A "cult classic" perhaps, but even those tend to have relatively high sales figures to their contemporaries. So, Apple Watch sells in the 1-2 million range/year? The big three countries/regions (China, Hong Kong, and Switzerland) make ~1 billion watches/year. You can argue they're a different category (which they are), but then that's sort of the point. It's not much of a breakaway anything if people aren't breaking away from the wristwatch

Especially after the WatchOS 3 update, the Apple Watch has been really useful, and apparently the newer models (series 2) have multi-day battery life and charge fast enough you can wear them while you sleep and just charge them while you are in the shower to get a full charge. Apple is doing what it does best, just slowly grind away at improvements while the market fails to notice a change, until they realize that somehow Apple is in front again...

So, you're arguing that Apple doesn't win by making better products by but attrition it adds just enough features to convert people? Well, that's funny. I don't own any Apple products*. They must be doing a pretty terrible job.

PS - Apple Watches are just generally terrible. An improvement to "multi-day battery life" means "useless battery life" in a few years (at best). No matter how chargeable or replaceable they are, I can literally buy 26 watches for the price of one Apple Watch and get all the useful functions I'd want on my watch--time, date, a stop watch (the last I virtually never use), and a light--with ZERO worry about charging/losing it/breaking it. That and I don't own an iPhone and if I did I'd use the iPhone instead of a horribly tiny display. Does that mean I think Apple Watches (or Smart Watches in general) are useless? No. But they're a very niche market for those people who get substantial benefit on having ready access to small notifications or other small information on their wrist where a smart phone or other device wouldn't do.

But, please feel free to spin it otherwise. I'm sure Apple Catheters will also be a breakaway success, whenever Apple gets around to making and selling them.

*Seriously, the closest I've ever come to owning an Apple product is the time I saw someone selling a "Macintosh Color Classic"--might have not been the exact model but it was from that era--at a garage sale for less than $15. And I decided against it because the only reason to buy it was to play Scarab of Ra.

Re:Very true

[ilsaloving]

Especially after the WatchOS 3 update, the Apple Watch has been really useful, and apparently the newer models (series 2) have multi-day battery life and

Battery life of barely a day was the primary reason why I considered Apple Watch to be a joke. If they've fixed that issue, maybe it'll be worth a second look. Especially now that Pebble/Fitbit has royally screwed the pooch.

Re:Very true

[RandyHill]

Who wears their watch while sleeping? I've never had mine die during the day.

Re:Very true

[RandyHill]

Keep shilling your useless Chinese "smartwatch"

Re:Very true

[ilsaloving]

Sleeping isn't the issue. The fact that I have to put it on a charging stand every night or it's dead, is the dealbreaker. If I'm going to get a several hundred dollar watch, I expect it to go at *least* a week between charges. A normal watch can go *years* without a battery change. The Pebble watch can go almost 2 weeks between charges.

Even the series 2 only maxes out at 2 days, and that's only if you barely use it. IMO that's just not good enough.

Marketshare?

[johanw]

> Much like there's no real "tablet market", just an iPad market.

Nonsense, Android sold more units. Just like the phone market is really an Android market.

Re:Marketshare?

[Anonymous Coward]

Units, schmunits. Focusing on marketshare is a thing that caught Nokia too. Revenue and profit are the most important things for any business, and its longevity. There have been many Apple and iPhone killers in the last decade, especially from China, but they have never attracted profits as they have tried – and failed – to break in to the market by gaining marketshare without focusing on profits.

Year ten of iPhone, it's raking in 91% of profits in smartphone market. More and more, it starts to look like there is only one premium smartphone.
http://fortune.com/2016/11/23/apple-iphone-profits/

iPad's U.S. marketshare – if you want to go there – is 85% share in tablets priced above $200.
http://www.imore.com/tim-apples-ceo-q1-2016

Re:Marketshare?

[tepples]

I think johanw's point is that restricting the universe of discourse to "end users in the United States" and "priced above 200 USD" creates an overly narrow superlative.

Re:Marketshare?

[Anonymous Coward]

Android didn't sell a single fucking unit. It's only the operating system. While its the worlds most used operating system for phone most of those android phones are crap, and don't really profit the actual manufacture. Love them or hate them Apple is the market maker and the competition against which everyone else competes.

Re:Marketshare?

[Anonymous Coward]

But who has 90+% of the profits in both of those markets despite the numbers?

Re:Marketshare?

[R3d M3rcury]

I'll agree...and not. It depends on what you're saying.

I'll agree wholeheartedly that profitability is important--née vital--for a business. So if I were to say, "Apple is dooooooooomed because the Apple Watch isn't selling tons of units," I would be an idiot. As long as Apple is making money off of them, they are not "dooooooooomed."

So from this standpoint, as long as the Apple Watch isn't losing money, it's a "success." And this standpoint is perfectly reasonable, if you're a stockholder or considering becoming one.

On the other hand, the profitability of a product doesn't necessarily tell me anything as to whether the product is good, bad, or suits my needs. If I bought an Apple Watch, decided it sucked, and threw it out, I wouldn't call that a "success," even though Apple would--they got my money after all.

So if you're saying that the Apple Watch is an awesome product because Apple makes money selling them, you're the idiot in this picture.

Re:Marketshare?

[Cederic]

I do that comical though. "Buy our expensive bling, it's got the highest profit margins on the market"

Except that people do. This is why I didn't go for a career in marketing.

Re:Marketshare?

[Mordaximus]

> Much like there's no real "tablet market", just an iPad market.

Nonsense, Android sold more units. Just like the phone market is really an Android market.

Who did what?

Android didn't move a single thing. Android is an operating system. You could drill down further and say "Linux sold more units" which is still as apt a comparison.

iPad on the other hand is a product, the vendor is Apple. Did Samsung move more tablets? LG? Google? They are all competitors so lumping them together is hardly a valid argument. But you would still need to pick any two other vendors to align with Apple's share.

Re:Marketshare?

[Anubis IV]

Depends on how we want to scope and define things to suit our narrative. All of the following are true statements, so far as I'm aware.

A) Apple sold more smartphones than anyone else last quarter
B) Android phones outsold iPhones by about 4:1 last quarter
Reality: Apple did sell more smartphones than anyone else last quarter, beating out second-place Samsung by a tenth of a percent, but Android manufacturers as a whole accounted for about 82% of smartphone sales globally.

A) iPads accounted for over 85% of premium tablet sales last quarter
B) Android accounted for over 75% of the tablet market last year
Reality: iPads have seen declining sales, both in terms of units sold and market share, for the last several years. Despite that, they still dominate the ($200+) high-end of the market.

A) Apple made 102% of smartphone profits in the quarter previous
B) Android's marketshare has gone up YoY for several years
Reality: Unit sales numbers are up for both iOS and Android, but Android is making less money while capturing more of the market and Apple is making more money while capturing less of the market.

The fact is, both sides have apologists who like to ignore the statistics they find less convenient while emphasizing the ones that favor their side. For my part, I think that both market share and profit share need to be considered. After all, a company who makes no money won't stay in business for long, but a company who only sells a few units can go out of business by losing just a few sales.

Towards that end, I think it's disingenuous when Android fanboys ignore the lack of profits posted by Android manufacturers and dismiss the fact that Apple consistently posts profits that are greater than the rest of the industry combined by quibbling over nonessentials (e.g. "A company making more than 100% of the industry's profits doesn't make any sense to me, so it must be invalid."). Likewise, I think it's disingenuous when Apple fanboys reframe market arguments in terms of manufacturers in an effort to hide the fact that Apple has been consistently losing the market share fight on a global level across all price points against a monolithic ecosystem that is perfectly capable of outlasting any particular manufacturer.

For me, the only question is where we go from here. Either the Android manufacturers keep posting bad profits and commoditize themselves right out of business, or Apple becomes marginalized as the market expands faster than their sales, or we hit a state of equilibrium where Apple continues to be relevant but gets pigeonholed into a "premium" niche, like what's happened with Macs. I'd bet on #3, personally.

Re:Marketshare?

[tepples]

People want to buy from a profitable company because a profitable company appears more likely to continue to support its products and to provide its services.

Re:Marketshare?

[tepples]

Let me rephrase:

Tablets that run applications sold through Google Play Store sold more units than tablets that run applications sold through Apple's App Store.

Re:Marketshare?

[RandyHill]

Most android phones are cheap feature phones sold in third world and not used heavily. Despite it's lead in unit sales, app sales are less than half iPhone app sales.

Is it really a success?

[Anonymous Coward]

Is it really a success? I know one person who has one, but literally everyone I know has a smartphone (Android or Apple), and a PC/Mac. By contrast, just a tiny fraction have an Apple watch...

It is?

[Bender Unit 22]

I have an iPhone, iPad, iMac, Macbook Air, Apple TV, Apple Airport Extreme, iPod Nano(for the car) etc etc. and yet, when I have been in the mood for new gadgets, I simply haven't been able to come up with an excuse that could convince myself why I would want the Apple watch.
But I guess it helps if you are a part of the social media users? Maybe in my younger days, I thought it would have been cool to get ICQ or messenger notifications on my wrist. These days I will read messages to me when I feel like it not having it disturb me.

I know, I know, get off my lawn. :/

It's time...

[Khyber]

...that Slashdot admitted they're just fucking Apple shills. The money is too great for such a BUSINESS NO LONGER RUN BY AN INDIVIDUAL.

Prove otherwise, Whipslash.

you Fai7U It

[Anonymous Coward]

we don't sux0r as Fortunately, Linux claim that BSDI is a A fact: FreeBSD that has grown up Outreach are guests. Some people they are Come on deliver. Some of

The spike was after a sharp decline.

[Wdomburg]

But hey, a 51.6% year over year drop can't be meaningful. https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS41875116

Weasel Words

[LQ]

"We couldn't be more excited about Apple Watch" is marketing speak for "we don't want to admit that we're quite disappointed".

Comparing it to a Rolex?

[BarbaraHudson]

A Rolex - lasts for generations, holds and even increases in value with time. The next generation will value it.

An iWatch - 5 years from now, it will be removed from the drawer where it's been gathering dust and given to some infant as a chew toy because it no longer works with the latest phones, and it no longer gets updates anyway.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Viol8]

Indeed. Or if we're talking simply numbers manufactured then success as defined by the number of digital watches Casio has sold over the decades makes Apples effort look like a cottage industry.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[sl3xd]

I have to admit a certain amount of ignorance here, but is it possible to get a Rolex for $400?

I suspect that's where your argument falls down; it's as ridiculous as comparing a Bic Cristal to a Pelikan Souveraen, or a Vietnamese Moped to a Maybach.

In other words, you're comparing a mass-market product with an heirloom product. They're not even close to equivalent.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't think so, it looks like they run $3k or more.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[timholman]

I have to admit a certain amount of ignorance here, but is it possible to get a Rolex for $400?

$400 (or more) is what you'll pay just to have your Rolex cleaned and serviced every few years. Buy the cheapest Apple Watch, buy a good third-party band instead of buying Apple's overpriced band, and your total cost of ownership will be comparable to the cost of maintaining your Rolex, assuming you upgrade your Apple Watch every two or three generations.

Rolexes and Apple Watches are apples and oranges. I own them both, and neither replaces the other. A Rolex may have long-term value, but only if you pay to maintain that value.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Anonymous Coward]

List price of a Rolex Submariner: $8,550
List price of an Apple iWatch: $399

And a watch like a Rolex only lasts for generations if it's kept regularly serviced (about every ~5 years for ~$300-$400 a pop).

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Anonymous Coward]

increasingly casio watches are going the distance for time as well.

I used to replace my timex watches when the battery died... then I got a casio solar watch.... 8 years later I replaced it because I wanted something that didn't look so beat up, it still runs and I still wear it on weekends and when I'm camping or painting or such. My new watch is now 5 years old, and I'm itching to get a pro tech watch... figure it's worth the money since they actually last for a decade plus at a time.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Anonymous Coward]

A Rolex - fundamentally has the same functionality as a $10 watch... no, actually, a Rolex doesn't even keep time as well as a $10 watch. Entirely form over function, which is ironic because most slashdotters complain at Apple for doing that.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why would you compare it to a Rolex? Gruber didn't because it doesn't make sense to. Gruber (fts) said it was 2nd only to Rolex in revenue. His point being, what is the baseline for what makes a watch a success. Revenue? Numbers sold? Profits? User satisfaction? Clearly the answer is popularity on /. :P

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

In other words, you're comparing a mass-market product with an heirloom product.

Lol, since when did Apple products become "heirlooms"? Are you planning on passing your iPhone 2 down to your grandchildren?

How many 30 year-old Apple products are still in service and working?

There are Rolex watches 50 years old that are still ticking....let me know when an Apple watch hits 50 years of service and I might agree.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Anonymous Coward]

A Rolex - fundamentally has the same functionality as a $10 watch... no, actually, a Rolex doesn't even keep time as well as a $10 watch. Entirely form over function, which is ironic because most slashdotters complain at Apple for doing that.

A Rolex is a luxury good. Luxury goods almost never make "sense" compared to budget alternatives when judged on function alone. E.g. The most expensive Ferrari is a joke compared to the cheapest Honda if what you need is a daily driver. I personally don't "get" the desire to own a Ferrari, but the Ferrari market bears an astronomical price nonetheless.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[BarbaraHudson]

First - it was the article that made the comparison, not me. Second, you can spend $17,000 on an iWatch, or even $115,000. Both are for people with more money than brains.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Ecuador]

I have to admit a certain amount of ignorance here, but is it possible to get a Rolex for $400?

Yep, that's standard price in most dark alleys.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[BarbaraHudson]

Oh, how quickly people forget Apple's failed attempt to sell a gold iWatch for $10,000 - $17,000. Or the $115,000 iWatch?

And as another poster pointed out, you're a sucker to take it in for maintenance every year. It doesn't need it.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[BarbaraHudson]

You're full of shit. When I was a kid, there was a garage owner who owned a Rolex, that thing got covered in motor oil, grease, brake dust, you name it. He'd just wash it with a bit of Varsol or gritty hand cleaner and put it back on.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[BarbaraHudson]

And the same can be said about the shitty iWatch - can't even tell time if you don't remember to recharge it every damn day!

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[BarbaraHudson]

It was Gruber who picked Rolex for his comparison, not me. So I just ran with it, and pointed out how ridiculous the comparison is. Now, if you want to go by popularity (it's what you said - "Clearly the answer is popularity" - offer people a choice of either the $17,000 gold iWatch, or a similarly priced Rolex, and let's see just how unpopular the iWatch is. Hint - even Apple couldn't make a go of it with their gold iWatch.

It's a fair comparison - same price point, same market space (luxury watches) ... okay, it's not a fair comparison. The iWatch can't tell time if you forget to recharge it every day and it's been taken off the market because, well, it was neither useful nor popular enough to justify the price premium.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[hey!]

The least expensive new Rolex will cost you north of $4,000. Basically, a Rolex is a terrible investment. If you're very very careful to take care of your new Rolex you'll probably do better than you would stuffing your money in your mattress, but unless you luck out you'd be better off putting your money in a savings account.

Which is not to say you shouldn't buy a Rolex; when it comes to luxury goods the important thing is how they make you feel. Same with a smartwatch; you should buy it based on the satisfaction you expect it will bring you. From a financial standpoint it's probably a wash; yes the smartwatch's value will drop like a stone, but it also costs a lot less than a true luxury watch. The difference between spending $400 on an Apple watch that is worthless after five years and $4000 on a Rolex that's worth (hypothetically) $3600 after five years is nil.

Now if you know what you're doing you can pick up a deal in the used market. There's not that very much practical difference between the Rolex Submariner 6538 worn by Sean Connery in the Bond films and the 5513 worn by George Lazenby, but you're looking at a huge difference in market value: $200,000 vs. $5,000. Likewise Omega Speedmasters that are exact matches for ones known to have been used in the US space program are far more valuable: a tiny difference in the placement of the dot next to "70" on the bezel could be worth $100,000. The thing is Rolex sold tons of Submariners to Bond fans and Omega tons of Speedmasters to space enthusiasts, but not being watch enthusiasts they didn't necessarily get exactly the "right' ones.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Anonymous Coward]

Lol, since when did Apple products become "heirlooms"?

He didn't say that, you moron. He said the exact opposite of that - that the Apple watch is the mass-market product and the Rolex is the heirloom product.

Reading comprehension for the humiliating loss.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Anonymous Coward]

If you just use iwatch'es built-in functions, there's nothing stopping you from keep using it until hardware failure. At least it tells time better than a rolex, which runs 10x the cost and can't do very well the single function it's supposed to do.
People dissing smart watches but touting luxury mechanical watches are the ultimate contradiction. There's nothing special about mechanical watches. They are outdated technology rebranded as jewelry, not much different than a necklace or bracelet. At least real jewelry are made of expensive material, while most sub $10k watches are just stainless steel. Swiss watches are the manifesto of the power of marketing. Stop fooling yourselves that mechanical watches have a "soul", or they are "tool" watches. No, they are jewelry plain and through. You might as well wear a dog tag made by rolex and still feel it has some magical meaning.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

A Rolex - lasts for generations, holds and even increases in value with time. The next generation will value it.

Don't be so sure. Value of a thing is simply what someone would pay for it. The stockmarket has millions of trades on the same stock. Even with that level of track record, you can't be sure what someone would pay for some stock you own. Rolex? after several generations? You can't be sure

The younger generation these days don't value car ownership as much as the previous generations did. The uber like apps has changed the attitude. It would percolate to real estate next. Live in a dense area, sure to get uber fast. Live in the boondocks, you would own half an acre to mow and uber does not show up fast. Values will shift and change. Difficult to predict what will hold value over one or two generations.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[PopeRatzo]

Buy the cheapest Apple Watch, buy a good third-party band instead of buying Apple's overpriced band, and your total cost of ownership will be comparable to the cost of maintaining your Rolex

The big difference between a Rolex and an Apple Watch is that when people see you with a Rolex, they'll think it's a fake, but when they see you with an Apple Watch, they'll think you're a douchebag.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Cederic]

I can easily conceive of spending $115k on a watch.

It'd be an Urwerk. It'd last rather longer than an iWatch and sell for more than my house when I'm ready to retire.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Cederic]

Did he also take it apart and use Varsol or gritty hand cleaner to repair the wear and tear caused by 24/7 mechanical movements?

Just that.. the servicing isn't to clean fucking grease off the glass.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Cederic]

most sub $10k watches are just stainless steel

Actually most of them are probably plastic. But if you do want to limit it to watches that cost more than say $2k then it's a more interesting comparison.

Most of them may still have steel cases, but the case isn't the expensive bit. Many of them will have cases made from other materials, including variants on gold, titanium or other metals. Even there though.. the case isn't the expensive bit.

There's nothing special about mechanical watches. They are outdated technology rebranded as jewelry

Outdated? Watch manufacturers are still inventing new materials so that they can advance the state of the technology. There is cutting edge research in this space, and just because you don't understand or appreciate it does not make it outdated.

I don't wear my sub-$10k mechanical watch (with its titanium case/bracelet) because it's jewellery, I wear it because I want something on me that can tell me the time. It does this, and does it bloody well, and does it using seriously fucking impressive engineering.

It doesn't have a soul and it's not as accurate as my rather cheaper solar powered Citizen watch. It has no magical meaning. I still like it, I didn't buy it because of marketing, I don't have to plug it in to charge it and it is pretty fucking special.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Anonymous Coward]

And then you'll buy a new one.

Well obviously not YOU, but people will. And that's why Apple is sitting on hundred of billions of dollars.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Chelloveck]

A Rolex - lasts for generations, holds and even increases in value with time. The next generation will value it.

Not true! My Rolex barely lasted a month! I'd have demanded my $20 back from the vendor except I can't remember what street corner the guy was standing on.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[sl3xd]

We'r emote or less agreeing here: Few apple watches will ever be an heirloom (and even then, purely for sentimental reasons, much like an old pair of sneakers owned by somebody).

Rolexes are an entirely different animal - they are heirlooms, and that's my entire point: It's not terribly clever to compare a Rolex, which will be around for decades against something that'll be junked in a few years.

It's not all that different from comparing a Rolex to a Garmin fnix. They both tell time, but it's a ridiculous comparison to begin with.

Even Apple realized that mistake: They don't even sell a gold version anymore.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[Anonymous Coward]

A Rolex - lasts for generations, holds and even increases in value with time. The next generation will value it.

An iWatch - 5 years from now, it will be removed from the drawer where it's been gathering dust and given to some infant as a chew toy because it no longer works with the latest phones, and it no longer gets updates anyway.

I wouldn't give my infant a chew toy with a lithium batter in it.

Just saying.

Re:Comparing it to a Rolex?

[mjwx]

I have to admit a certain amount of ignorance here, but is it possible to get a Rolex for $400?

I suspect that's where your argument falls down; it's as ridiculous as comparing a Bic Cristal to a Pelikan Souveraen, or a Vietnamese Moped to a Maybach.

In other words, you're comparing a mass-market product with an heirloom product. They're not even close to equivalent.

This, I believe the cheapest Rolex on offer is around 1,500 GBP.

Comparing the Apple Watch to the Rolex is like comparing a Toyota Camry to a BWM 8 series. Technically they're both 4 door saloon cars, but apart from having 4 doors, they're nothing alike. Apple products are a lot like Toyota Camries, not interesting, not particularly good in any way but still amongst the highest selling cars. The odd thing, I find the biggest problem with a Toyota Camry isn't the car (I mean its reliable to a fault) but the kind of people who buy them. Camry buyers dont want to think, so they go to the car that requires them to put the least amount of thought into a purchase as possible, this also means they put equally as little thought into driving them (hence the reputation Camry drivers get as being slow and dangerous). I find a lot of similarities with Apple users in that regard.

The Apple Watch should really be compared to the equivalent Citizens, which at US$400, would be a cheap one, even in Citizens range... and given how it looks like a failure vs Rolex, I cant imagine how bad the sales numbers look like against a Citizen.

Killer Rudeness

[Anonymous Coward]

The point of the Apple watch is so that you can read a text with no effort while ignoring the real person across the table from you. That's the killer app.

If it's a sucess, nobody is required to admit

[Parker Lewis]

If it's a success, nobody is required to admit, we'll see it everywhere and in the press, like iPods (in the past) or iPhones today.

Re:If it's a sucess, nobody is required to admit

[Anonymous Coward]

Yet I dont see every other person with an Apple watch.

It'll be a success when everyone has one, and it can make video calls by it self. Until then it sucks and no one wants it.

Re:If it's a sucess, nobody is required to admit

[Mordaximus]

If it's a success, nobody is required to admit, we'll see it everywhere and in the press, like iPods (in the past) or iPhones today.

Fair enough, but the claim comes from their Q1 quarterly earnings call. I'd say they would be remiss in NOT admitting it were a success, given the target audience is investors.

It's a great watch, if a watch is what you want

[timholman]

The Apple Watch is only a "flop" in the sense that people don't need them the same way they need a smartphone. Compared to any other wearable, it's a runaway success, but people don't think about it in those terms, because it is an Apple product.

Personally, I love my Apple Watch, but I'm old enough to be part of a generation that wore watches. I'll still put on my Rolex for dress-up occasions, but my Apple Watch is my go-to daily wearable.

For people who didn't grow up wearing watches, the Apple Watch may elicit nothing but "meh" from them. So be it ... it is not a device for everyone, but it is an excellent device for people who want to wear a watch that does more than tell the time.

Re:It's a great watch, if a watch is what you want

[AthanasiusKircher]

Compared to any other wearable, it's a runaway success, but people don't think about it in those terms, because it is an Apple product.

Actually, it's NOT a "runaway success" "compared to any other wearable," which should be part of the metric. In particular, compared to a fitness tracker like FitBit, Apple's sales are a LOT smaller. (And, notably, Cook didn't reveal sales numbers here, but the Apple Watch has been trailing FAR behind FitBit sales last year.) Now, you might say, "That's a flawed comparison -- the FitBit is a lot cheaper and it's not a full-blown 'smart device.'"

And that's true. But when the Apple Watch premiered, Tim Cook argued emphatically about how the Apple Watch would replace other health and fitness trackers. That was a major part of the initial discussion and marketing.

Basically, Apple INTENDED for this device to because a replacement for generic fitness trackers. It was also marketed as a device that would enable new features -- new types of communication, payment systems, etc. Like the iPhone, which greatly expanded the desirability of a "smartphone" in the market (rather than just a standalone phone or media player or whatever), the Apple Watch was intended to create a mass market for smart watches.

It has failed to do so. So, by Apple's own initial marketing expectations, it's a bit of a flop. Without knowing internal expenses on development, marketing, etc., it's difficult to know how profitable (or not) it may be -- but Apple has moved its own goalposts for success here.

So be it ... it is not a device for everyone, but it is an excellent device for people who want to wear a watch that does more than tell the time.

And that's precisely why in Apple's own terms the device is somewhat of a failure. They wanted to create a large market for smart watches, in the same way that they significantly enlarged the market for smart phones and tablets. But that hasn't happened.

None of this is to say it may not be a great product for many people in its niche. But the standard of "success" is generally dictated by the expectations of the company that produced it. A Hollywood film can earn $100 million at the box office these days and be a "flop" if it spent $150 million on production and marketing. The film can be a "runaway success" compared to a lot of independent films that come out in terms of the box office earnings... but it may not meet a studio's expectations. I think it's demonstrably true that the Apple Watch has not achieved Apple's own explicit original marketing expectations. Forget about what OTHER people may say about Apple products and expectations -- look at what Apple said.

Re:It's a great watch, if a watch is what you want

[Anonymous Coward]

For people who didn't grow up wearing watches, the Apple Watch may elicit nothing but "meh" from them. So be it ... it is not a device for everyone, but it is an excellent device for people who want to wear a watch that does more than tell the time.

I grew up wearing watches. I still wear watches. The Apple Watch is a lousy watch. It is inferior to any watch I would consider wearing when it comes to telling time. You really have to wade into the BS "concept" watch territory to find a watch that is less convenient to own and operate. Moreover, it is expensive compared to other timekeeping devices, while providing horrible return on the "investment" compared to expensive watches.

Re:It's a great watch, if a watch is what you want

[CrashNBrn]

I like my $20 Bamboo Watch. Looks good and can actually keep time. I don't need to take it off every day to charge, and forget to put it back on. I don't need to think about it at all. It's so light I don't even remember I'm wearing it usually.

Re:It's a great watch, if a watch is what you want

[Dogtanian]

It has failed to do so. So, by Apple's own initial marketing expectations, it's a bit of a flop. Without knowing internal expenses on development, marketing, etc., it's difficult to know how profitable (or not) it may be -- but Apple has moved its own goalposts for success here.

So be it ... it is not a device for everyone, but it is an excellent device for people who want to wear a watch that does more than tell the time.

And that's precisely why in Apple's own terms the device is somewhat of a failure. They wanted to create a large market for smart watches, in the same way that they significantly enlarged the market for smart phones and tablets. But that hasn't happened.

You've said exactly what I was going to say- and to some extent what I'd already said at least once before:-

Whatever its performance in absolute financial terms- or even relative to the pre-existing wearables market- by the standards and expectations Apple clearly had at its launch, this has been an obvious flop so far. I know it has a significant percentage of the smartwatch market, but a significant percentage of bugger all is still bugger all. No-one cares.

It's quite obvious that Apple's original expectation was for it to be in the same mass-market ballpark as the iPad and iPhone. As I acknowledged, it's probably doing okay in absolute terms- in fact, I'd no doubt they would be making a decent profit on it. But relative to their expectations? Flop.

Yeah, I know it dominates the smartwatch market, but that's hardly saying much, except that it's doing better there than the even-more-negligible competition.

Then again, anyone who can say something like "Much like there's no real "tablet market", just an iPad market" when that is transparent bullshit is either beyond partisan or an idiot.

Re:It's a great watch, if a watch is what you want

[mjwx]

The Apple Watch is only a "flop" in the sense that people don't need them the same way they need a smartphone.

The Apple watch is only a success when you ignore the fact the "smartwatch" market has been an utter failure. Being the best at a failed market does not make you a success.

I work with two miscreants that used Apple watches. Paid near enough to 300 quid for them and both stopped using them within a few months because they didn't do anything useful and were just another device they needed to keep charged (and both of them had trouble keeping their phones charged).

It's ugly

[unixcorn]

Most of the kids I work with have an Apple Watch to go along with their iPhones. I have an iPhone and love it but I can't bring myself to replace my current watch, which is a 28 year old Rolex, with an ugly Apple Watch. I bought my Rolex in the 80s and made payments on it for a couple of years. I wear it nearly every day so from a value standpoint, if I did an ROI on it and tried to compare it's value to tech that will probably only last a couple of years, I am sure the Apple watch is not a good investment. Call me a snob but maybe if they can figure out how to put the Apple Watch guts in an Oyster case, I may be more interested.

Re:It's ugly

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a crappy old Citizen watch, complete with worn fake gold plating, scratches and chips. My dad bought it when I was about 14, and he was not the kind of person that would impulse buy anything, let alone something you don't reallly need. He wore it for a few years, then gave it to me for my 21st birthday.

Apple is going to have to up their watch game a lot before I'll replace it. You know, like make it do something a regular watch doesnt do thats worth having to charge the stupid thing every night vs getting the battery replaced every few years lol.

The ultimate device for a healthy life?

[fredrated]

What does it do, prick you if you don't exercise?

Not anymore.

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple fans will buy anything with an apple logo on it, news at 11.

My job was offshored and I having a horrible time getting another one.
Luxury goods like this are not in the budget nor will they ever be. See, I've lost quite a bit and it's going to take the rest of my working life for me to recover.
And when you're over 50 years old like I am, it gets REALLY hard.

Re: Not anymore.

[Anonymous Coward]

I just want you to know that I am praying for you to have better fortune. I may not know what you do and don't believe, but I do know that I wish you well and I hope that it works out. There's too much shitposting and judgment and hatred, too many tiny little men trying to feel big. It's about time someone has the courage to be honest.

Can we call this Slashxxx

[thegarbz]

I come here for news, not for people wanking over completely insignificant statics.

And that's what they are, the Apple watch is by far the best and most popular of a product category that the overwhelming majority of people couldn't care less about. I think I've seen like 2 of these things, both of them worn by people who work in IT.

The fact that they sold more than they could make is positive marketing speak for "even we thought it wouldn't sell".

Re:Can we call this Slashxxx

[RandyHill]

Expect they sold $6B+ it's first year. So it's always sold and they always expected it to. By revenues it's outselling all of android wear, and the best selling watch in history.

Re:Can we call this Slashxxx

[nine-times]

I think I've seen like 2 of these things, both of them worn by people who work in IT.

I know it's become a bit of a cliche, but I'm reminded of the quote, "No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame." I think it's because I had an iPod in 2003, and I remember people thought I was insane. Nobody was buying iPods of Macs. Apple was still a dying company, and OSX was a weak last-ditch effort to stay relevant.

And then I visited NYC... iPods and Macs were all over the place. I went back home, and people still thought the iPod was stupid. Nobody else had them. It was a flop.

A few years later, I bought my brother an iPod as a gift. He didn't know what it was. He lived in a relatively rural area, and had never seen one. Nobody was spending money on iPods. Why wouldn't you just buy CDs like a normal person.

A few years later, my brother called me to ask what I thought about the iPhone. He'd never had a smart phone, and he thought they were stupid, but he knew I had an iPhone, so he wanted to ask. I asked, "Are you thinking of getting one?" He said, "Well, yeah. I know I just said I thought they were stupid, but I'm on my third iPod and I love the thing."

He hasn't been without an iPhone since. The idea of going back to a non-smart-phone seems like nonsense to him, as it does to most of the rest of us.

Now, I'm not saying that the Apple Watch will ever be as successful as the iPod or iPhone, or even the iPad. I'm just saying, a lot can change in a few years. Having lived in NYC for several years now, I've definitely noticed that trends-- even technological trends-- occur in New York before most of the country. I watched iPods and Mac and iPhones gain popularity here while the rest of the country still thought they were weird and obscure. I've gone to the South and the Midwest and seen teenagers wearing "the latest styles", which were what the kids in NYC wore 3 years ago. And right now, I'm seeing a fair number of people wearing smart watches. Some Android watches, but mostly Apple watches.

Re:Can we call this Slashxxx

[thegarbz]

By revenues it's outselling all of android wear, and the best selling watch in history.

Let me repeat what I said about worthless statistics. The digital watch market is pathetic. The actual wrist watch market is so incredibly diverse that you'd be unlucky to ever see the same watch twice (Swatch alone have 18 brands, these brands range from having close to one hundred different models, to the elite watch makers who each run about 5 different models which are refreshed on a yearly basis). That's the thing about fashion accessories. Apple watch sold $4bn worth? Based on that revenue figure along I'm sure the execs at Swatch are laughing at their "best selling" claim.

Re:Can we call this Slashxxx

[Gussington]

I come here for news, not for people wanking over completely insignificant statics.

And that's what they are, the Apple watch is by far the best and most popular of a product category that the overwhelming majority of people couldn't care less about. I think I've seen like 2 of these things, both of them worn by people who work in IT.

Ha I was going to post the same thing. Remember when the iPhone came out and every second person had one or wanted one? I've probably seen about 5 or 6 Apple watches in the wild, and half of the owners were nerds, and the other half were dorks.

Re:Can we call this Slashxxx

[RandyHill]

Swatches total watch revenues are less than the Apple Watch. Swatch ain't caught at shit.

Re:Can we call this Slashxxx

[RandyHill]

And the Apple Watch outsold the iPhone in their first years.

Re:Can we call this Slashxxx

[Gussington]

And the Apple Watch outsold the iPhone in their first years.

First year (singular) you mean, when it wasn't available in any market outside AT&T in the USA? After Year 2 when the rest of the world could buy one, iPhone sales shit on everything including the stupid watch.

That's odd

[Nunya666]

IIRC, I saw an article a week or two ago that said "It's time to admit Apple Watch is a Failure." Seriously.

Re:That's odd

[CaptnCrud]

sometimes the faceless internet asks us questions and we answer back with clicks.

Re:That's odd

[garote]

I misread that as

"sometimes the faceless internet asks us questions and we answer back with dicks." ... and was nodding sagely even as I realized my mistake.

Smartwatches are primo

[fyngyrz]

I like my gear watch just fine. Very, very useful. Phone can stay in pocket. a lot more.

iWatch... done buying Apple stuff, pretty much, after watching them intentionally obsolete perfectly good hardware time and time again. Although if they'd push out a nice tower Mac Pro again I'd probably bite. My late 2009 12/24 core tells me they can make good hardware when they want to. The trashcan tells me they don't want to.

Samsung Gear Fit 2

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a Samsung gear fit 2 and it is awesome. It does not try to do too much, but it does steps (GPS enabled), stairs, and heart rate. It interfaces with my phone via Bluetooth and send texts and notifications to my screen. It controls my music player as well. There is a 3rd party app store for it. It's smaller and sleaker than the apple watch but still has a great color touchscreen. The battery lasts for 3 days. Also, only costs $150ish. If you by one, immediately replace the terrible strap that comes with it, otherwise you will loose it.

When a hit, is not.

[geekmux]

"Apple claimed watch revenues second only to Rolex. How can it not be considered a hit at this point?"

How you ask?

When you have to game the revenue statistics so hard that you are forced to compare a single product from a tech company against an entire brand that pretty much manufactures one fucking thing that only 0.1% of humans can afford, it tends to bring into question any other claims related to "success".

In short, you're reaching here. A lot. Let's also see how well this fad pans out in the coming years, as I doubt even the iLemmings are going to be able to help Apple hold that revenue claim.

Even if it's selling well, doesn't mean it's good.

[Scholasticus]

I know a few people who have Apple Watches. They like them all right, but at least one says that it's seriously overpriced for what you get. And at least the Series I can be painfully slow. I have no interest in owning a smart watch of any kind, but if I did, I would do what I did with Android phones. I would start off with the cheapest one I could buy that would do what I want it to do, then slowly work my way up to something more expensive that's a really good fit for me. You can't do that with Apple stuff. At any given time there's basically one of everything they sell. That has it's good points (potential at least for better quality control, and some people just don't want to spend the time figuring out what to buy). I imagine the Apple Watch will end up a niche item, which I think the iPod has been for some time.

Seems unlikely

[SuperKendall]

I face the public at work every day and I can count on one hand how many people that have had one on.

That's a pretty amazing feat given that in fall and winter most people have long sleeve shirts or jackets. To they mind much when you pat down their arms?

Remember also that for the Apple Watch to have ben a pretty big success, it doesn't mean EVERYONE is wearing one. Just a few million or so, spread across the U.S. - if there are that many you would not see them that often.

Re:Seems unlikely

[FunkSoulBrother]

He just said he lives on the west coast, I don't think they have jackets in San Diego.

Re:Seems unlikely

[SuperKendall]

He just said he lives on the west coast, I don't think they have jackets in San Diego.

Have you ever lived near the ocean? They have jackets. It's not that warm in California, just not very cold either.

Smart watches for the gullible customer???

[Anonymous Coward]

A Rolex should last a lifetime, smartwatches don't

if I were to spend 10k on a Rolex tomorrow, it'll be left to my son and he'll wear it for years too. If I buy a smart watch tomorrow, I could potentially be buying one every two years for the rest of my days, overall costing more than my Rolex. I'll stick with the Swiss engineering thanks.

Thank you, Khyber.

[mmell]

You have very aptly demonstrated all of the intelligence and thoughtfulness the majority of voting Americans perceive in supporters of Donald Trump (nee: Drumpf). Please . . . continue.

Of course, it's a shame that I'm likely to release a flood of flames from Anonymous Cowards - but in truth their handle says it all, don't you think?

Re:Not making enough success

[Raenex]

I find it weird that there's all these rules requiring public companies to disclose all sorts of things, but basic information about how much of product X was sold for Y is a corporate secret.

John Gruber sucked my balls

[Anonymous Coward]

It was a little awkward when he licking my sweaty balls but it didn't get strange until he stuck his finger up my puckered asshole. Eventually the manager came over and told us that Shake Shack didn't allow that sort of behavior at their tables and suggested we use the bathroom over at 5 Guys instead.

Ad by Apple?

[Anonymous Coward]

Last month I just read an article that Apple Watch is considered a universal failure. This month it's a must to declare it a success.

" there's no real tablet market" (???)

[cloud.pt]

"Long time Apple commentator Rene Ritchie writes: ...Much like there's no real "tablet market"

I'll have to be blunt, but I'm guessing the reality distortion field didn't quite die with it's creator. The fact that Apple has more revenue than competition, as it happens with the iPhone, doesn't mean there is a market or that the market is profitable (it might for the iPhone, and probably also for the iPad, but definitely not for any smartwatch, including the iWatch). In the case of the iPhone, it's factual they sell less units, and it's not exactly sure it makes more total profit than the top Android maker.

There is no smartphone market. Not a significant one. There isn't one for VR either, there wasn't one for 3D TV. There wasn't a market for the Wii U. Companies try to "make the market" by shipping less units and throw around empty, inflating assertions such as "demand so strong that we couldn't make enough". That's what Nintendo did. It didn't save the Wii U, but like Apple, Nintendo has other ways to make money they can throw in the R+D bin on stuff like niche watches.

I see Apple watches being worn in public places

[sl3xd]

Trying to call the Apple Watch a failure is wishful thinking for those who hate it.

I see quite a few Apple watches as I walk around my city going to/from work. I'm seeing more Apple Watches, in fact, than any other single brand of watch. It's reached the point where I'm seeing more Apple Watches than other fitness trackers (though that's due more to a decline in fitness tracker use than Apple's success).

I don't know any of those owner's use case for the Apple Watch, and they sure as hell have no obligation to justify their consumer choice to me or anyone else.

So at the end of the day, I have to go with the reality I see, instead of falling back to "alternative facts" that support the narrative I like. I'm seeing a decent number of Apple Watches, and it's effectively the only smartwatch I see.

There's certainly nothing approaching the kind of penetration we see with smartphones, but as far as I can see, the Apple Watch is effectively the only smartwatch people buy.

Let's face it, this article is effectively /. clickbait - it'll generate a lot of comments (of which I'm guilty). There's a sizable portion of the /. readership who will instantly start frothing at the mouth at the merest hint of any Apple story.

Given the cancellation of a few anticipated Android cousins, we become all the more rabid should the Apple Watch be mentioned.

A story about the Apple Watch being successful? Just post it and watch the clicks roll in.

Re:I see Apple watches being worn in public places

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you work at an Apple Store?

Re:I see Apple watches being worn in public places

[Anonymous Coward]

Anecdotal evidence is the best evidence.

Re:I see Apple watches being worn in public places

[Anonymous Coward]

It's easy to spot the Apple Watch - it's the one with the dead screen...

Re:I see Apple watches being worn in public places

[The-Ixian]

Would you happen to live in our around Cupertino?

Re:I see Apple watches being worn in public places

[Anonymous Coward]

I have NEVER seen one irl.

Re:I see Apple watches being worn in public places

[sl3xd]

Not even in the same time zone.

This is humbug

[Anonymous Coward]

This great quarter Is just because Samsung Note6 was such a big flop.
I didn't hear about smartwaches sales in a long time. Is dead and buried. Only true fans still believe that SaintWatch is the next revolutionary product born from Apple's rib.

No spin, just liking a product that works

[SuperKendall]

get all the useful functions I'd want on my watch--time, date, a stop watch (the last I virtually never use), and a light--with ZERO worry about charging/losing it/breaking it.

I want to thank you for giving me a reason to point out why the AppleWatch is more useful than a normal watch.

None of the things you list were enough reason for me to continue using a watch decades ago, when I stopped wearing watches. The Apple Watch finally lured me back into wearing a watch. Things like the time are OK but I could just use my phone for that almost as easily... the things I find the Apple Watch useful for are:

Workout data. This is obviously the #1 use and right off the bat collects data only fairly expensive watches can collect, not to mention that data is always piped to my phone which not as many fitness watches do automatically. The phone can collect some workout data but not things like heart rate.

Unlocks my computer. The fancy new MacBook Pros with a toucher are nice because you can unlock with a fingerprint, but honestly I find the watch unlock more convenient.

Weather. Nice to see weather at a glance without pulling out the phone.

Phone silencing. Oddly this is actually the mot useful feature. If I get a call when I don't want to take one (theater, meeting) without looking I just cover the watch with my hand and the call is sent to voice mail.

Untethering from phone. I leave my phone around the house and usually don't carry it with me at home. With the watch I can answer a call and not have to run for the phone.

Apps. These were of limited use before WatchOS3 as they would take too long to load, but after that update the apps have good refresh rates, so it's practical to use a watch app for something like Runkeeper or Pokenmon Go. Also consistently useful even before that update are single action apps like Uber and Chipotle...

The reason the Apple Watch is so useful is not any one thing, it's a combination of all the little things... I can understand how that would be hard to comprehend unless you have used one, but the reason they are selling so well is that many people have found them useful and are telling others.

Re:No spin, just liking a product that works

[Anonymous Coward]

The reason the Apple Watch is so useful is not any one thing, it's a combination of all the little things... I can understand how that would be hard to comprehend unless you have used one, but the reason they are selling so well is that many people have found them useful and are telling others.

No, it's easy for me to comprehend. It's that most, if not all, of the things I have little to no use for. Hence why I mentioned why I have a watch (and no smart phone).

Workout data. This is obviously the #1 use and right off the bat collects data only fairly expensive watches can collect, not to mention that data is always piped to my phone which not as many fitness watches do automatically. The phone can collect some workout data but not things like heart rate.

I don't need workout data. I walk to/from work and do more than enough physically to keep a healthy weight. I do, from time to time, check my weight on a sale (read, once every 3-6 months).

Unlocks my computer. The fancy new MacBook Pros with a toucher are nice because you can unlock with a fingerprint, but honestly I find the watch unlock more convenient.

Unless you mean you use your Apple Watch as part of 2FA... In which case, I'd much rather trust a U2F token since they're an actual open standard and even the most expensive ones cost $50 (the basic models cost as little as $10-$20).

Weather. Nice to see weather at a glance without pulling out the phone.

Or look up. Seriously, though, I check weather forecasts for the week and usually check the weather at most once per day right before I leave to get an idea of how light/heavy to dress. No need for always-on-the-wrist forecasting.

Phone silencing. Oddly this is actually the mot useful feature. If I get a call when I don't want to take one (theater, meeting) without looking I just cover the watch with my hand and the call is sent to voice mail.

Again, no smart phone. Makes it really easy to never be "that guy" who gets a call at the theater, meeting, etc.

Untethering from phone. I leave my phone around the house and usually don't carry it with me at home. With the watch I can answer a call and not have to run for the phone.

Seriously, again. I have a landline and don't have a need to be by the phone at all times. Then again, I don't have much of a social life, but then that's by choice.

Apps. These were of limited use before WatchOS3 as they would take too long to load, but after that update the apps have good refresh rates, so it's practical to use a watch app for something like Runkeeper or Pokenmon Go. Also consistently useful even before that update are single action apps like Uber and Chipotle...

Again, see above. Half those sound like large money sinks for money I don't have. And if I did have the money, I'd be saving it, not wasting it on car rides and take-out food. To put it in perspective, I don't have a smart phone for similar reasons: the $40-$50/month is too much of a money sink for the return. Now, if I could tether a smart phone to a computer and get equivalent internet access to my current internet access, it'd be a viable trade-off. But smart phones are ass for, well, basically everything in comparison to a laptop/desktop if you have ready access to a laptop/desktop.

Re:No spin, just liking a product that works

[SuperKendall]

Unless you mean you use your Apple Watch as part of 2FA...

I can see you don't understand how this works, google Apple Watch and the secure element.

I hit a key and my laptop checks with my watch if it is OK to unlock; the watch also notifies me it has unlocked the laptop.

I have a landline

Which doesn't do anything to solve the issue of how to see who is calling and answer them before voice mail picks up.

I also got rid of my landline because it is utterly useless compared to a smartphone, and far more easily overwhelmed with spam. On a smartphone I can choose to block any number that calls easily...

I respect your choice to spend a lot more of your time managing communications. However it does not mean many would be willing to spend the extra time or sacrifice convince and features to do the same.

Re:No spin, just liking a product that works

[Anonymous Coward]

Unless you mean you use your Apple Watch as part of 2FA...

I can see you don't understand how this works, google Apple Watch and the secure element.

No, but I had a good guess on what it was...

I hit a key and my laptop checks with my watch if it is OK to unlock; the watch also notifies me it has unlocked the laptop.

Yep, more or less what I thought. That's a great way to make your setup less secure. Right up there with unlock on fingerprint only. If Apple Watch was there to increase security, then you might have a selling point. But, no, that's not it.

I have a landline

Which doesn't do anything to solve the issue of how to see who is calling and answer them before voice mail picks up.

That's not a problem. That's a feature. Anyone important enough I call back.

I also got rid of my landline because it is utterly useless compared to a smartphone, and far more easily overwhelmed with spam. On a smartphone I can choose to block any number that calls easily...

I'll give you that as a feature. Still, the amount of spam phone calls is actually on the order of something like perhaps 7 a week, so it's quite manageable.

I respect your choice to spend a lot more of your time managing communications. However it does not mean many would be willing to spend the extra time or sacrifice convince and features to do the same.

"Lot more" indeed. My total management time is perhaps 3-4 minutes (that includes walking to/from said answering machine)/week listening to the answer machine and effectively clearing them out for deleting. Again, virtually no social life.

I respect your right to spend your money for greater convenience for you. But the marginal benefit to me isn't worth the 3-4% of my monthly income.

You got scammed

[Anonymous Coward]

A rolex doesn't need to be cleaned and serviced every few years. That's the point of a Rolex instead of just a cute watch. I mean, I'm not wearing it when I clean and butcher a deer, but I bought it to wear, not worship, and I keep wearing it pretty much every day. If something happens, then I guess I'll get it serviced, but I haven't had any issues for 20 years.

No way

[AndyKron]

Fuck ALL Apple products.

Opposite

[SuperKendall]

The whole point is that your life does not revolve around charging the watch. You just do so when convenient. Even with the older watch I sometimes don't put it on a charger when I go to sleep, I just charge it for fifteen minutes or so and it's good for the rest of the day.

With the newer watch you can just charge it whenever, and go for a few days without.

Naturally... and

[gosand]

My Pillow is the #1 pillow recommended by the National Sleep Foundation.

Not the same thing

[SuperKendall]

With all due respect (i.e. none) it doesn't matter how long a useless watch maintains power.

Come back when you can match the ACTUAL capability for things people would use a watch for. The market certainly knows what things those are, even if you do not.

Re:Not the same thing

[Anonymous Coward]

I only use my watch to tell the time

Re:Not the same thing

[Anonymous Coward]

Come back when you can match the ACTUAL capability for things people would use a watch for. The market certainly knows what things those are, even if you do not.

You mean like tell the time without having to twist or shake your wrist in a certain way, or press a button to get the display to come back on? Maybe the market does know what a watch is - and the Apple Watch is not.

Re:Not the same thing

[Cederic]

I use mine for that, and also to impress other men.

That's not really intentional but I've had several men express admiration for it. Apparently limited edition Omega watches have a fanbase out there.

Apple Watch is the ultimate device for a healthy l

[future assassin]

Its true, just thinking about the watch makes my heart rate go up which has caused me to get rid of my elliptical and I no longer go hiking or trail running. Just thinking about the Apple watch give me all the cardio I need.

Nope

[WillAffleckUW]

Watches and watch devices for "health" info are dying.

You're confusing exposure to the Asian market, where jewelry for men and women is limited, but things like Apple Watch are permissable, with market growth in the core sectors.

It is a fad.

And it is dying.

Anyone with a decent marketing degree in business could tell you that.

(Capilano U, N Vancouver, grad)

And...?

[ScuxxletButt]

The Pet Rock, Nickleback, Windows, and Michael Bay were also all successful, yet all still suck (Windows has gotten mildly better).

Also time to admit nobody gives a shit

[JoeyRox]

About whether the Apple Watch is a success or not.

I have a smart watch

[Provocateur]

It runs ONE app, called e-pants.

A simple app that beeps to remind you that you are outdoors and you are not wearing any pants

Most of the time, the cold breezy weather should be a good indicator. For the other times, the smart watch will do just fine.

Other times, flashing lights of red and blue, accompanied by speeding black-and-whites and lots of finger-pointing, are good fallback indicators, but these are noisy and can ruin one's day.

Re:I have a smart watch

[Lumpy]

I need this epants app. I am forever forgetting to put pants on.

Believe it

[Anonymous Coward]

It's true, actually. I know many are confounded due to the lack of actually seeing anyone where them, but they aren't looking in the right place. See, it is more effective if the range from the watch to the phone is reduced, so instead of putting it on your arm, you strap it your penis for maximum efficiency. As an added bonus, it makes you look bigger, thus being the most optimum purchase for people who buy things based on their insecurities. Goes great with an over sized pickup truck that you never use to haul anything.

Niche

[RubberDogBone]

Still never seen one on anyone's arms, and I know a lot of geeky people with iPhones. Nobody has one of these watches or if they have, nobody talks about it or ever wears it. Anecdotal sure. But so far this success has been remarkably invisible.

Implants

[Anonymous Coward]

I wonder how long it'll be before Trump issues an Executive Order mandating all Americans get tracking implants, you know, to combat terrorism, and of course to 'make America great again', LOL

I think Slashxxx is something else

[rsilvergun]

Usually involving Kirk and Spock. Or maybe Naruto and Sasuke of you're a millennial...

A success, to what end?

[Anonymous Coward]

Congratulations! Apple has conquered a dead market!

source

[Eyezen]

Consider the source iMore, 'nough said.

Next then you'll tell me is CNN says Hillary Clinton will be the next POTUS.

Hey Tim,

[Anonymous Coward]

Unicorns don't wear watches.

Coming from a soon ex-Apple fan

[ruir]

iWatch is a beautiful lump of coal. Whoever talks about "success" is smoking or drinking some serious shit. If it is a serious whiskey, send it over, please.

Re:Coming from a soon ex-Apple fan

[RandyHill]

Yep, $6B+ a year in sales is a "lump of coal" and not a "success". LOL>

Shitty Article

[Anonymous Coward]

Nobody buys smartwatches because the battery life sucks.

I've yet to see an Apple watch, so where are they?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a failure because nobody wants one. Smart watches were a dumb idea. We had them in the 1990s. Calculator watches were popular among a small group. The fad died then.

John Gruber wants Tim's balls on his nose bridge

[heathenistics]

"John Gruber adds:

"I think we should stop talking about "smartwatches" and just consider Apple Watch a "watch", period."

Apple Watch is neither a "smart" watch nor just a watch. It is an iBeacon device for Apple's other devices. I think the faux-journo collective that John Gruber is referring to as "we" should stop trying to portray these technocratic control switches into being accepted as genuine consumer products.

Re:Not making enough success

[RandyHill]

It's called competitive advantage. Because Apple watch is "only" a $6B+ business, it's not in the top 4 business segments for Apple. So it's not required to be provided in detail in public filings, and there are no reasons for them to give Android Wear makers a blueprint for market success.

Facts have no place in Alternative Fact land.

[Lumpy]

Those that actually paid attention knew this, it was the brain dead that kept parroting otherwise. hell we had real sales numbers from best buy and other retailers, but they chose to ignore them.

Apple Watch, then Pebble, Then all the android watches combined pulling in last place.

With pebble going away, sadly the only real competition to the apple Watch will disappear.

Re:Sorry, But No Humblebrag

[Anonymous Coward]

I've seen far more Apple Watches than Rolexes. I guess I don't hang out in those rarefied circles that you do.

Apple Watch outsold the iPhone by 2x in first year

[RandyHill]

Let's not forget what a monster success it was before this quarter. It sold double the units of the original iPhone in it's first year, and did $6B in revenue. That likely made it the best selling watch in history by revenue.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/a...

And in it's second year sales are increasing.

Too easy!

[mmell]

Of course, an on-topic and thought out response involving neither ad hominem attacks or alternative truths drew out the downmods.

Here's another one - please, downmod away. If this is trolling, I suppose I must admit I enjoy it.

Re:Too easy!

[Rakarra]

Of course, an on-topic and thought out response involving neither ad hominem attacks or alternative truths drew out the downmods.

You could have just as easily have said "You have very aptly demonstrated all of the intelligence and thoughtfulness the majority of voting Americans perceive in supporters of Hillary Clinton and/or haters of Donald Trump" and it would have been just as true. The arrogance from either side seems perfectly formulated to totally tick off the other camp.

But I would suspect that the mods who downvoted you are getting a little sick of Donald Trump arguments being drawn into EVERY SINGLE TOPIC, political or otherwise.

Re:Too easy!

[mmell]

Indeed. I note that I didn't bring the reference to Trump (nee: Drumpf) into the thread - I merely responded to it.

In what way was I arrogant? I merely pointed out a consistency between a stated position and an assessment of intelligence. I did not make a derogatory reference to that level of intelligence. The difference here is as real as the difference, say, between banning Muslims and banning all but Christians from Muslim states.

Re:Too easy!

[Anonymous Coward]

> The difference here is as real as the difference, say, between banning Muslims and banning all but Christians from Muslim states. ...neither of which happened, so what's your fucking point? You want to know why you got downmodded, it's dumb shit like that.

Re:Too easy!

[Noah Haders]

I think of all the statements made, they all apply to the apple watch. there is an underlying tribal mentality, where some people love apple and some people hate it. With the iphone specifically, I think some people are entranced by android because it is perceived as "open" while iphone is a "walled garden". I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with any tribal viewpoints, just acknowledging that they are present.

WRT apple watch, just according to the sales numbers it is beating the pants off any other smart watch. and despite its limited funcitonality and tetherment to a phone, it actually accomplishes a whole lot.

tbh I am seeing more iWatches in the field. this says to me, if somebody is using it every day for more than a month, then the novelty factor is gone and they are getting real utility.

apple watch has nowhere to go but up. they're still on their first generation form factor and technology. there will likely be major improvements later this year, such as thinner and adding more features. Maybe even some day, untethering from the phone.

I had one myself, but I got rid of it. you know what made the difference? the fact that the screen is off until you raise it. there was always a split-second lag that made it impossible to just casually glance at the time. instead, it became a deliberate action where you had to pause everything and do it.

if apple can make the screen be on all the time, then I would greatly consider the iwatch again.

Re: Too easy!

[fastest fascist]

How do you manage to believe your post was on topic?

Re: Too easy!

[Anonymous Coward]

What does a Muslim ban have to amid with Apple Watch success?

I see a lot of fitbits. I've never seen watch

[Maxo-Texas]

Seriously... I've never seen anyone wearing an apple watch. I've probably seen a dozen fitbits.

So I wonder where and to whom they are selling so many watches?

Oblig

[fiannaFailMan]

No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame.

I use my Apple Watch for things other than fitness

[Brannon]

Different people are different. It's something that most humans learn by early-adulthood, but the /. crowd is stuck in perpetual adolescence.

So any vehicle over $3k is a fashion accessory?

[Brannon]

You can get a new motorcycle or a used car for $3k--both of which will get you from point A to point B. So anything beyond that is a purely indulgent fashion accessory. Any company selling these cars is a fashion company.

How much did your car cost?

Re:So any vehicle over $3k is a fashion accessory?

[cfalcon]

> You can get a new motorcycle or a used car for $3k--both of which will get you from point A to point B.

Not comfortably, reliably, and quickly. The car analogy works, you just have to up the price of the car beyond that point, and to something like 40k, beyond which you are undoubtedly paying for fashion or something akin to fashion.

Sure...

[XSportSeeker]

I mean, sure, if we're talking about numbers and comparisons between brands only.

But if we use the same metrics, MacOS is a failure, Macbooks are laughing stock in numbers when compared to windows laptops, and Android still holds 86% of the smartphone marketshare vs iOS' 13%.

You see how all these grand statements are comparisons to things we cannot measure? Best quarter ever is great, provided that the device was ever a good seller in the first place, which it wasn't. We couldn't make enough to attend demand can mean anything from there were too many buyers, to we just didn't make much of them. Record numbers on a market that has big brands closing production means nothing. And second only to Rolex in this day and age, you have to be joking to spout such nonsense.

One can pull narratives out of one's asses, but here's the thing: smartwatches in general are not selling as much as industry leaders thought they would, they are not a mainstream thing or "the next big thing", several brands are leaving the market, and most importantly: they don't have much room for evolution. Arguably, they never had much reason to exist. It's a convoluted accessory that, sure, some will find good use for them, but most people don't care for.

The thing Apple managed to get right was market. Because there sure is a whole shitload of Apple fans willing to pay whatever sum to show others they have the latest Apple gadget. Other than that, I don't see anything an Apple Watch does that is inherently superior to models from the competition. Personally, I don't see anything useful there for me. It has a sleek interface, it connects to your iPhone to take message and calls, it can provide some tracking data, and it looks good. That's it. Of all things, it's generic chinese smartwatches that are providing the most functions for smartwatches out of all the models in the market currently.

Is it a viable product for Apple as is? Sure, of course. Apple could make shit on a stick viable with their fanbase. On the other hand, they could be doing a whole lot better with Macbook Pros that take professionals needs in consideration, they didn't need to remove headphone jacks from their iPhone 7 line to force their own proprietary wireless or port solutions, and they could use the smartwatch money somewhere else instead. You see, there is no basis for comparison.

Also, I hate to say it, but it doesn't help collecting comments from Tim Cook and some other famous Apple loyalists to make a point. Looking at the opinion of people using rose colored glasses is not a good way to measure the market.

Then again, I don't really care. Apple could think of the product as a huge absurd best of all time success and keep selling it, keep investing money, research and development time, and all that. Invest shitloads of money on it. Chances are, at least fans will keep buying it. And if Apple fans are satisfied with the direction Apple has been taking in recent years, fine by me. Just don't ask me to join the cult.

Re:Not making enough success

[petermgreen]

Reporting requirements specific to public companies are to protect the interests of investors.

With a public company anything disclosed to investors and potential investors is unavoidablly also disclosed to suppliers, customers and competitors.

So there is a balance to be struck between disclosing sufficient information that investors can make rational investment descisions and not disclosing so much information that public companies are put at a disadvantage to private companies.

Uh, no.

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple is not transparent enough to objectively make that call. By these standards the Apple Newton was "a success."

Funny how Apple has a reputation of killing off their "successes."

I'll admit it, but a question first:

[Anonymous Coward]

What is it a success at? Decorating wrists like any other watch?

is the iPhone a failure? there are more cars...

[Brannon]

Success and failure is hard to measure in some things (like, say, love)--but it's not at all hard to measure in business. A product is successful if it is profitable. The Apple watch is profitable, therefore it is successful. The Apple watch is more profitable than any other smartwatch, therefore it is the most successful smartwatch.

Sure, it's less profitable than the iPhone--but so is pretty much every other product in the world.

I'll add some...

[Brannon]

Turn-by-turn directions while driving are really pleasant--just a tap on your wrist before each turn and the prompt on your watch.

Quick checking of text messages or emails while in a meeting or walking (and thus not wanting to pull the phone out of my pocket). Also includes quick (one word or emoticon) responses to text messages from the wife.

Music: viewing current song, previous/next song, controlling volume

Apple Pay: quick & convenient from the watch

Quick glance at my work calendar, prompts before meetings.

---

Agreed, there's no one thing, just lots of little things you get used to.

Re:I'll add some...

[Anonymous Coward]

Turn-by-turn directions while driving are really pleasant--just a tap on your wrist before each turn and the prompt on your watch.

While driving, I really shouldn't be distracting myself by taking one hand off the wheel to tap my watch or to look down at my wrist to see which direction I should be going. Having said that, it'd undoubtedly better than trying to hold your phone and do the same thing. Either way, it's a bad thing to do.

Quick checking of text messages or emails while in a meeting or walking (and thus not wanting to pull the phone out of my pocket). Also includes quick (one word or emoticon) responses to text messages from the wife.

If I'm in a meeting, I should hopefully be paying attention to what is actually happening in the meeting, not texting/emailing people. Same with walking and not getting ran over or, you know, enjoying the area I'm walking in.

Music: viewing current song, previous/next song, controlling volume

Great use, actually. Although I'd prefer a 30-60 hour $25-$30 mp3 player.

Apple Pay: quick & convenient from the watch

What places accept Apple Pay again? Oh, right, no where I regularly shop. But, if it works for you, good for you.

Quick glance at my work calendar, prompts before meetings.

And another good feature. Not a $250 feature, but still I can see the use.

PS - Give me a dumb vnc/rdp-like watch that costs $50 and lasts for a week and we can talk. Until then, uh, no.

Re:I'll add some...

[Anonymous Coward]

So... it's essentially a smartphone with the only real benefits being enhanced workout data and the fact that you don't have to "get it out of your pocket" like a phone? That's it? That is not worth hundreds of dollars.

A success but not a game-changer

[steveha]

The history of Apple features multiple products that were hugely successful because they were game-changers.

The first Mac was a breakthrough in GUI, with easy-to-use and consistent apps. Expensive as it was, it was the first mass-market GUI solution and gained first-mover advantage.

The iPhone was the first non-sucky smartphone, and gained first-mover advantage. It just dominated its market segment for a long time, and it took a free OS (Android) to beat it in market share.

The iPad repeated the iPhone success story: first non-sucky product in its market, first-mover advantage, took a free competitor to beat it.

Each of the above made staggering sums of money for Apple because they were game-changers.

Apple likes making lots of money, so Apple is looking for another game-changer. And it's pretty clear that the iWatch is not another game-changer. It's a "nice to have" product, which will sell well to people who are already on board the iOS platform, but it won't significantly attract new customers.

And unlike the game-changers listed above, when it first shipped it was already facing competition. The iPhone was so much better than other smartphones that it basically didn't have competition when it shipped, but the Android watches already available when the iWatch shipped were roughly as good. (Apple is very good at fit and finish, so the iWatch was arguably better aesthetically, but it had no huge edge in features.)

We can argue over whether the iWatch was a "success" or a "failure" but it hasn't been a huge roaring game-changing success like some previous Apple products.

I'm not sure if there are any game-changing products left that Apple even could invent. Everything I can think of, there is already some sort of product on the market, and those existing products don't suck, so I don't see how Apple can once again just show everyone how it's done and grab a whole bunch of market share. And recent products from Apple don't give me confidence that Apple as an organization is still innovating at that level.

Re:A success but not a game-changer

[garote]

You say that now.

But wait about five years, when Apple has crammed ten times the power of the current iPhone into a watch body, and linked it to a pair of slim, light VR sunglasses that you control by wiggling your fingers and/or gesturing in the air.

People will be dumping their iPhones into the sea, and the "apple VR watch" will become the one product everyone on Earth needs.

Re:A success but not a game-changer

[steveha]

the "apple VR watch" will become the one product everyone on Earth needs.

If they truly pull that off, and meanwhile the Android Wear watches stagnate, then they will have achieved the first non-sucky VR watch, history will repeat itself, and they will once again start making piles of money and locking a new set of customers into the Apple walled garden.

If.

We'll see.

Re:A success but not a game-changer

[garote]

If their next "walled garden" has windows and skylights as big as the current one, I won't mind.

Success?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know anyone personally who owns one.

Here's how it's not a success

[OrangeTide]

In September, Apple claimed watch revenues second only to Rolex. How can it not be considered a hit at this point?

In 30 years people will still be buying Rolex watches.

They probably won't be buying Swatch, as fun as they were in the 1980's. Only the CEO of Swatch feels threatened by Apple's watch.

Re:Here's how it's not a success

[RockDoctor]

In 30 years people will still be buying Rolex watches.

Possibly, more to the point, people who brought an iWatch (whatever it's called - I've never seen one, nor even an advert for one ; I'm not even sure if they're on sale in Europe) and a Rolex at the same time might be selling the Rolex in 30 years time and getting a good price for it. The iWatch will probably be in the recycling within 5 years, not worth the effort of trying to sell.

That's a bit extreme.

[garote]

By that metric, Les Paul is a failure because not everybody wants a guitar.

Re:That's a bit extreme.

[Anonymous Coward]

If he was reliant on sales volume then yeah he would be a failure, he isn't, apple is.

Re:That's a bit extreme.

[garote]

No, Mr. Anonymous, Apple is not. Apple has never, EVER, >> EVER chased sales volume as a metric of success. That's practically a part of their company charter. There have been whole chapters of books written about this fact, and why it has made them such an envied company with such envied margins.

And yet, they've ended up making such darned good products, and aggressively driving down costs, that they manage a pretty amazing sales volume anyway.

Har har

[garote]

1998 called, it wants it's "insight" back.

Just because you don't see a use for it doesn't mean others don't.

You know what a "sustained bubble of nothing" is?
It's the vehement prediction of the imminent failure of the most profitable company in recorded history,
just after a conference call where they announce the most profitable quarter in their own history,
and citing as evidence the fact that they have been so ridiculously successful that they can't possibly go anywhere but down,
and therefore they will drop into a chasm and declare bankruptcy any second now.

Find another hobby, please!

Re: Har har

[dunkelfalke]

Apple is successful the same way scientology is successful, and for very much the same reasons.

Re:Har har

[segedunum]

Just because you don't see a use for it doesn't mean others don't.

Like what?

I Have Courage!

[Anonymous Coward]

I have the Courage to say, that the Apple Watch is a wanker toy. It's for gadget lovers only who love the idea of having some technology on their wrist, while ignoring the fact that real watches are already a technological miracle and the entire watch category is a mature marketplace. The iWatch adds nothing of value to anyone's day.

Rene Ritchie is high on the Reality Distortion Field to ever say that "there's no tablet market, just an iPad market." I'm sure that's news to owners of Android tablets.

Hey Rene, come back to Earth! Your weed smokin' ways cry out for an intervention!

Well,

[garote]

you can get a good pair of sneakers for 30 bucks, and those will get you from point A to point B.
Therefore ALL cars are a fashion accessory.

Personally, I like saving time, so I spent a few hundred more than that and I ride a bicycle.

If I got tired of hauling my phone out of my pocket every ten minutes for 12 hours a day every day, I'd probably buy a smartwatch.

Everybody's on their own scale, aye?

heh heh

[garote]

That's not a bad thing.

If your Apple Watch battery goes dead and you don't replace it out of frustration, Apple still has the money you spent on that first watch, even if it didn't last 20 years like the Rolex might. Apple doesn't have a "problem" there. What they have, is a second chance to sell you a watch.

Uh, success isn't just relative...

[chaboud]

If the Toyota Previa is the best selling mid-engined minivan of all time, does that make it a success?

No. Toyota now sells the Sienna, a front-engined minivan. *It* could (arguably) be called a success. As far as I know, there are no mid-engines minivans in the US market right now.

I see tons of them in this neck of the woods.

[aussersterne]

Makes me a bit sad because I'm a big believer in analog wristwatches, and instead, all the young adults and college kids are walking around with Apple Watches strapped on. Not a fan of the aesthetics, and didn't have a good smart watch experience myself (though this was before Apple Watch, with a Sony) but nonetheless, I can name at least 20 people that have one in my circle, and some of them are blue collar folks so it's not all luxury buyers either.

Re: I see Apple watches being worn in public place

[fferreres]

Why would people "hate" it? It's largely irrelevant, puts electromagnetism in your wrist 24/7, requires one more thing to charge, looks "funny" to me, and I have never desired it, even if FREE. However, I reslly like my iPhone (an Android would be ok too, but I like iOS better). It is extremely suspicious to see the maker of iWatch to be having to point out hiw it's a worldwide success: it's not at all. A good product? Maybe. No maker is losing sleep over it. They may fear Apple TV and iPod and iPad only. But the problem is not the iWatch, but the fact that Apple has not done anything or even tried to do anything with anough balls to question a bugget market. The last time I though Wow, was with the ipad 2 release. Since then, we have a billion form factors for iPhone and "lock in" ..."ecosystem" prodcuts that want to draw a fee circles around their "captive market".

I am ready to leave Apple any moment another company pushes forward like Jobs did, bringing something that makes me reconsider how I achieve things.

Even simple thing like "Echo" are more innovative. Amazon serms to be innovating in many fronts even if they don't create huge new ideas, they try innovative things every month. Apple is just extrapolation of Jobs vision like a linear regression. When the market takes a turn, Apple will not be ready, and they certainly ain't leading it anymore.

Hmmm

[garote]

You mean, because Tom Cruise is still making movies??

Re: I see Apple watches being worn in public place

[Just Some Guy]

puts electromagnetism in your wrist 24/7

Don't say stuff like that in public. We all know you're joking and not really advocating some batshit luny hypothesis that RF waves give you the cancer, but some people will think there's a remote possibility that you meant it and they'll immediately lump you in with other dipshits like antivaxxers and crystal healers.

Sponsored content.

[joboss]

Anything with "It's time to" is not a real article but marketing. The "It's time to *" is authoritative marketing speak. It should be black listed as spam along with: *One simple trick *" "* will shock you." "* incredible *" And so on...

Specs

[DrYak]

Personal theory: Most people, consciously or subconsciously, want to be LESS connected to their phones, not more connected.

Also another theory :
it boils down to specs.
And actually to too many of them.
To the point that "trying to get 4G" functional, became detrimental to the core functionality of a watch (tells you the time, without you needing to constantly charge it).
Some people might be interested into "a regular watch, that can also give you alerts". But not as many are interested into "we managed to cram a whole smartphone around your wrist !"

Pebble, the kickstarter campaign that got a bat shit insane success raising tremendously more money than initially hoped for, to the point that they got noticed by other manufacturer (like Apple, LG, Samsung, etc.) who realised that smartwatch are "a thing" (again) and thus kickstarted the (current) era of smartwatched :
They went for minimalistic specs. Putting as little processing power in the watch itself, counting on the linked smartphone to do any actually heavy computing, counting on e-Ink to even further lower the power consumption.
Their point: making a watch, that basically behaves like a watch (you don't need to charge your dumb wrist watch every single night), but has some interesting status display.
Basically, they just went for the next logical small-step evolution after the various Citizen's bluetooth-connected watches.
(And their result: tremendous success, given the kickstarter result, at time when smartwatch weren't yet considered "a thing" (again))

The other manufacturer saw the success, realised that smartwatch were popular (again),
and decided to give another try at it.
And attacked it through the same angle they have taken the habit with their smartphone :
Pump up the specs to try to beat the competition with a product that looks better on the paper.

More CPU power, better animated OLED colourful and luminous displays, extra health sensors (well those could actually be useful) touch screen instead of button, more connectivity, including Wifi or even Cellular (WTF ?!? You already have such a device in your pocket !), able to answer SMS and Tweets directly from the smartwatch itself (?!), etc.
All this to the expense of useful things like : actual battery life.

On the paper, these watches managed to look cool and attractive (so they got relative success) but in practice they are a little bit underwhelming (so after buying them, people didn't go batshit crazy).

So you end up with a small early player that got crushed by everyone else (Pebble).

And a bunch of smartphone makers that try to replicate a whole smartphone, sized down to fit around your wrist.

A few of them managed to get the lead in the market (Apple, probably because someone in their R&D lab was already musing with the idea back at the time of iPod Nano 6gen) but ended up with product that, although they tick every box on the feature check list, don't compare positively with regular watch (show the time, without needing a battery replacement for at least a couple of months).

And, whereas the Apple iPhone 1 managed to convince people that it's suddenly okay to have a cell phone that can go through the day without needing a charge, they didn't manage to pull the same trick with watches that need nightly recharge instead of holding months between battery replacement.

Thus, not everyone wanted to have an Apple Watch.

Because every other manufacturer (beside Pebble) jumped to big specs, but that ended-up being detrimental to the key feature that attracts most people to watch (able to always show time, needing a fresh battery only once every few months).

The Gold Standard

[Shane_Optima]

Apple Watch is the ultimate device for a healthy life, and it's the gold standard for smartwatches.

Apple could release the iBrick bullion bar (comprised of 16% gold, 84% a proprietary tungstein-lead mixture) and it would be hailed as the next gold standard for gold.