The much awaited launch of Apple’s (AAPL, Financial) new phone and a smartwatch is finally here. People waited eagerly for the new release as it promised a lot of new things, since the company is famous for its drive for innovation. Let’s take a look at the new products.
The Apple watch
The most talked about product is the Apple Watch, which is a smartwatch and has the capability to do what an iPhone 5s can do. The watch can not only be used for messaging people but can also be used for making phone calls. Further, it has a lot of new features to which the customers should beattracted.
First, it helps with health and fitness tracking. This has been one of the most popular features since it will help in tracking things such as calories burned, miles run, heart rate, etc. Also, it will have the feature of paying through “Apple Pay.” This will enable customers to make payments through their watches and will not have to carry their credit or debit cards for the purchases.
The watch comes in two sizes, one for men and the other for women. Also, it is of three types, namely, Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition. Further, it provides various color options and 6 different straps to suit the requirements of the customers. Priced at $349 onwards, the company expects to sell a total of 42 million smartwatches in 2015.
Hurdles galore
However, it is not so easy to sell smartwatches. Even competitors have come out with a similar product and are not doing so well. The concept fails to resonate well with the customers. Moreover, Samsung Gear S and Moto 360 are in a lower price bracket than the Apple Watch. Samsung Gear S is for around $300 and Moto G at $249. Also, these wearables are compatible with any of the devices, whereas Apple Watch is compatible with Apple’s products only. This is one of the key drawbacks of the smartwatch that can be detrimental to its sales. Additionally, Microsoft too is on the verge of releasing a new smartwatch in October. Thus, the market seems to be overcrowded and will become highly competitive.
Other introductions
Apple did make other launches, too. It revealed the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on the same day. iPhone 6 is a smartphone whereas iPhone 6 Plus is a phablet. The retailer has finally come up with a bigger size with 4.7-inch screen for iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch screen for iPhone 6 Plus, when measured diagonally. The new iPhones are thinner than the previous one. iPhone 6 is 6.9mm thin and iPhone 6 Plus is 7.1mm.
Apple Pay will be introduced in the next month and will make it easier for people to make payments. It offers a secure payment option and will be available in iPhone Plus also. In fact, the company has also partnered with companies such as, Whole Foods Market, Mc Donalds’ and Walt Disney, for the new payment system.
Final word
Innovation is what Apple strives for and customers look forward to it. These new products are in addition to the launch of CarPlay and low cost iMac introduced recently. Thus, the cell phone manufacturer gives a host of reasons to stick to its name. However, it is difficult to say how these products will fare in the future, especially because the smartwatch industry has become so competitive. Therefore, one should wait until these products hit the market in 2015.
