• Marketing Land
  • Sections
    • CMO
    • Social
    • SEM
    • SEO
    • Analytics
    • Display
    • Retail
    • MarTech
    • Resources
    • More
    • Home
  • Marketing Land
  • CMO
  • Social
  • SEM
  • SEO
  • Analytics
  • Display
  • Retail
  • MarTech
  • Resources
  • More
  • SUBSCRIBE

Marketing Land

Marketing Land
  • CMO
  • Social
  • SEM
  • SEO
  • Analytics
  • Display
  • Retail
  • MarTech
  • Resources
  • More
  • Home
  • Newsletters
  • Home
Mobile Marketing

Apple’s iWatch Could Usher In Wearables Era

If Apple doesn’t announce its smartwatch tomorrow observers will be shocked. Details remain scarce though there’s plenty of rumor and speculation about what the watch will look like and do. Among them, many believe it will be NFC-enabled and allow people to make payments with their watches. The cost of the Apple wearable device is […]

Greg Sterling on September 9, 2014 at 12:02 am
  • More
apple-store-santa-monica-1920

If Apple doesn’t announce its smartwatch tomorrow observers will be shocked. Details remain scarce though there’s plenty of rumor and speculation about what the watch will look like and do. Among them, many believe it will be NFC-enabled and allow people to make payments with their watches.

The cost of the Apple wearable device is unclear, though the company reportedly considered pricing of $400 (too much). That would be $150 more than Motorola’s round-faced, sold out Moto 360 smartwatch. This early success indicates strong demand for the right device.

Apparently leaked images of the Apple watch suggest a square face with rounded corners. The Moto 360 device is popular in large part because it looks more like a conventional watch, and less like something an astronaut would wear. Awkwardly designed square-faced watches from Samsung and LG are largely duds.

The Moto 360 device is both elegant and affordable; it’s a smartwatch that people will actually wear. We’ll see tomorrow whether Apple meets that standard and can deliver against huge expectations.

The iWatch or whatever Apple calls it is perhaps the greatest test of Apple in the post-Jobs era. It’s a totally new device and one that must seamlessly and elegantly integrate software and hardware, as well as deliver all-day battery life. The forthcoming iPhones are “iterations” on an already successful product.

One can image how Steve Jobs would have hovered over development of a smartwatch, supervising every detail with infuriating, anal specificity. He wouldn’t want a mediocre wearable going out the door. After all it’s as much a fashion statement as it is a computing device.

If the Apple watch features major compromises, if the design is less than elegant or clunky in any way we’ll know that the company has lost its mojo. I’m betting however that it will largely deliver.

If so it will be a “market-maker” and the era of wearable devices will officially have begun. It will help build awareness, fuel demand and thus also lift sales of Android smartwatches — just not the ugly ones.

There are all sorts of marketing implications for smartwatches but we’ll get to those after tomorrow.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. Staff authors are listed here.



About The Author

Greg Sterling
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land, a member of the programming team for SMX events and the VP, Market Insights at Uberall.

Related Topics

AppleApple: Apple WatchApple: iOSApple: SiriChannel: Mobile MarketingWearables

We're listening.

Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or our LinkedIn Group.

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.
See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

MarTech 2021: March 16-17

MarTech 2021: Sept. 14-15

MarTech 2020: Watch On-Demand

×

Attend MarTech - Click Here


Learn More About Our MarTech Events

April 13, 2021: SMX Create

May 18-19, 2021: SMX London

June 8-9, 2021: SMX Paris

June 15-16, 2021: SMX Advanced

June 21-22, 2021: SMX Advanced Europe

August 17, 2021: SMX Convert

November 9-10, 2021: SMX Next

December 14, 2021: SMX Code

Available On-Demand: SMX

Available On-Demand: SMX Report

×


Learn More About Our SMX Events

White Papers

  • The Six Principles of Building a Memorable Customer Experience
  • 5 Reasons Agencies Adopt Marketing Automation
  • How to Land Higher-Paying Clients: A 7-Step Framework to Grow Your Agency
  • B2B Marketing Trends Shaping 2021
  • State of Email Marketing 2021 Report
See More Whitepapers

Webinars

  • Crawl Your Way Towards Better Search Results With Dynamic Rendering
  • The AI Revolution Is Coming to Every Stage of Your Buyer’s Journey
  • The Fundamentals of Link Building for E-Commerce & Affiliate Sites in 2021
See More Webinars

Research Reports

  • Local Marketing Solutions for Multi-Location Businesses
  • Enterprise Digital Asset Management Platforms
  • Identity Resolution Platforms
  • Customer Data Platforms
  • B2B Marketing Automation Platforms
  • Call Analytics Platforms
See More Research

Attend SMX For Only $99

h
Receive daily marketing news & analysis.

Channels

  • MarTech
  • CMO
  • Social
  • SEM
  • SEO
  • Mobile
  • Analytics
  • Retail
  • Display

Our Events

  • MarTech
  • SMX

Resources

  • White Papers
  • Research
  • Webinars

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS
  • Youtube

© 2021 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.