San Francisco: Apple on Tuesday launched its much-hyped iPhones and Apple Watch. The launch was a marketing extravaganza with gadgets, corporate hyperbole and celebrities of every stripe.
But everybody was taken aback when Apple announced its latest watch – Apple Watch. Yes, the ‘I’ was missing and this kept everyone speculating about their strategy.
Some branding experts say Apple chose that foreshortened appellation both to distinguish its first new device in four years and send a message to the public that it was moving into new territory.
Others say the absent alphabet may signify the Watch’s positioning for now – as an accessory and companion to the iPhone, which it requires in order to work, rather than a product that exists on its own merits.
Cook, who has laboured for years under the shadow of his legendary predecessor Steve Jobs, on Tuesday kept the Watch for last, unveiling the first device to be developed under his tenure with a hint of emotion in his voice.
For Cook, the Apple Watch could prove either a canny move into a lucrative new product segment, or a dead end. The gadget is the first developed entirely under Cook’s leadership since he succeeded Jobs as CEO in 2011.
The watch, which is available with six interchangeable bands, comes in stainless steel, aluminum or 18K gold is priced between $349 and $1000. Users navigate by tapping and swiping the face, as well as through a crown on the right side of the watch that brings up apps. Apple Watch, which works with the iPhone 5, 5c and 5s, as well as the iPhone 6, will be available early next year.