Apple Gives Hands-On Smart Watch Preview, Steals Samsung’s Spotlight
Apple gave consumers their first hands-on preview with their new smart watch on Friday, as covered in The Express Tribune. The Apple Watch was available for customers to play with on Friday, and of course to pre-order, but was not available to be taken home that day. Apple fans flocked to stores to try on the new smart watch which, in spite of mixed reviews, sold out on preorders within ten minutes, as previously reported in the Inquisitr.
The Apple Watch is the tech giant’s first major foray into wearable tech, coming out months after they removed the FitBit from stores in preparation for their own wearable offering, as reported on re/code and as covered in Business Day, includes similar personal fitness features, as well as allowing users to check their email, listen to music, and make phone calls – all when paired with an iPhone, of course. With the lowest-end smart watch from Apple retailing for $349 and the basic Apple iPhone 6 currently selling for $649, dedicated Apple fans are looking at just under $1,000 as the lowest cost for an iPhone and smart watch – accessories notwithstanding.
Apple’s smart watch comes at an important time for them, economically-speaking. Samsung, their biggest competitor, released their new flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S6 on Friday; the same day Apple held their smart watch preview. It seems likely that the event was intended less to enthuse consumers about the new Apple smart watch than to steal some of Samsung’s thunder; as reported in the Inquisitr, the Samsung Galaxy S6 didn’t produce anywhere near the same fervor as the iPhone 6, something the Apple Watch preview surely played a hand in.
With the next iPhone release rumored for this September, Apple is going to need to work hard to maintain their edge. Public perception plays a huge part in the smart phone market and as CNBC reports, as of 2014 the two companies were neck-and-neck for market share. With almost half a year to go until their next big iPhone release, Apple will be scrambling to keep a customer base known for buying new devices yearly (whether they actually benefit from a new device or not) from jumping ship for one of the technologically-superior alternatives to the iPhone 6 – a device Apple is surely hoping that the paired smart watch will breathe new life into.
Between the new Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, the HTC One M9 and rumors that the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will also be available in September with a flashy new 4k display, it’s going to be a long few months for Apple, and they will have to count on smaller victories like their new smart watch to keep their brand in the public eye.
[Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images]
