Apple Watch has a head start

Do you remember the opening video of Apple Watch at the Apple product launch in September 2014? The melodious and ethereal music sounded, the rotating earth gradually disappeared, and the vast world was captured on the small surface. Yes, it will be available to you soon. Recently, the information on the Apple Watch page on Apple's official website changed from "Available in 2015" to "Coming Early 2015", which means that the product will be available in the early part of this year.

Not long ago, foreign media TechRadar wrote an article titled 5 reasons why the Apple Watch will fail, which listed five reasons why the Apple Watch is doomed to fail. It was then reprinted by various media outlets, and a large number of follow-up opinions flooded the Internet, which poured cold water on the Apple Watch, which has not yet been launched. Many opinions also doubted whether the future of this new member of the Apple family would be smooth. In addition, in March last year, Google suddenly entered the field of smart wristbands before Apple, and the subsequent hot sales of Microsoft's smart bracelets added many anomalies to the launch of Apple Watch and its future sales.

However, if we analyze it from another perspective, we will find that this worry is unnecessary. There are many signs that Apple Watch has already won at the starting line.

◆ The global wearable smart device market will mature in 2015

A pessimistic view in the field of wearable smart devices is that with the increasing popularity of electronic products such as smartphones and tablets, these smart devices have completely divided up a person's daily time, making it difficult for them to have the energy to take care of other devices, so no one will buy a smart watch to add extra burden. This view is as stupid as thinking that smartphones are useless in the PC era.

In recent years, the global wearable smart device market has been booming, and more and more consumers have gradually accepted and tried mobile devices other than mobile phones and tablets. As upstream giants and mid- and downstream manufacturers have gone from watching to entering the market, a new ecological industry chain is accelerating. According to data from consulting firm Futuresource Consulting, global shipments of wearable smart devices reached 52 million units in 2014, a 32% increase over 2013; another market research company Forrester Research's latest data shows that the number of wearable smart device users will increase by 3 times in 2015, and Apple's smart watch will lead this trend. The report predicts that Apple Watch will attract 10 million users.

This shows that the global wearable smart device market is becoming increasingly clear in 2015, and smart wristband devices are becoming the pioneers of products in this field. It is the right time for Apple to launch its own smart watch products.

◆ Apple Watch is different from other smart wristbands in terms of positioning

Before the Apple Watch launch conference, the industry had already launched a number of smart wristband products such as Galaxy Gear, G Watch, Moto 360 and Gear Live. Although these new products brought a lot of surprises to the industry, people seemed to be more looking forward to Apple's performance.

We know that Google put a lot of effort into promoting Android Wear in 2014. Google's brain trust Schmidt has always adopted a strategy of "following" Apple products, but this time they took the initiative with a clear purpose, which is to occupy as much market as possible before Apple launches wristband products and compete for popularity. There is a sense of lack of confidence here. In fact, the strategic goals of Android Wear and Google are similar to those of the Android system. They rely on manufacturers for rapid distribution and win by shipments and market share. Google is an Internet company. In the future, it focuses on big data and aims to popularize the Android system and occupy the entrance. Selling hardware is not their goal.

Apple products have always been known for their high-end refinement and brand premium. Judging from the details of last year's launch, this watch continues the traditional style of Apple products. Combined with the price of $349, it can be considered that Apple Watch is also high-end. We refer to the latest data on the global market share of smartphones. Android phones have a market share of 83.6%, Apple has 12.3%, and Apple phones account for 76% of global smartphone profits. This is a clear 80/20 rule. Taking a step back, even if Android Wear occupies most of the market share in the future, the high-end Apple Watch can still rely on brand premium to grab a lot of profits.

In addition, Microsoft's smart bracelet Microsoft Band has been a best-seller since it was launched last year because it is powerful and cross-platform. Microsoft's software development capabilities have always been the best in the industry. No one can beat Microsoft in software, but its hardware design is not up to par. Users who have worn Microsoft Band will find that it still needs to be improved in terms of appearance and comfort. Apple is the only upstream giant in the industry that can truly balance the combination of software and hardware. Although its software development is not as good as Microsoft, it can always achieve a higher user experience, coupled with impeccable craftsmanship and design, and it has occupied the high-end market unmoved.

In short, high experience and high craftsmanship have made Apple products high-end and brought them brand premium, which is also the commanding height that Apple Watch will focus on.

◆ Brand effect helps Apple Watch become a new fashion aristocrat

We know that Apple's influence in the field of consumer electronics is unquestionable, which stems from its huge brand effect. Not only that, in recent years, Apple's brand influence has gradually spread to the fashion industry and even the luxury goods industry, which is unprecedented in the history of Silicon Valley and even the entire electronics industry.

Since Apple poached top Nike designer Ben Shaffer, Levi's senior vice president Enrique Atienza and Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts in 2013, it has been sending out signs that it will enter the fashion industry. Learning from the Swiss watch industry is a smart move for Apple Watch to continue the high-end line of Apple products and move towards becoming a new fashion aristocrat. Last July, Apple successfully poached Patrick Pruniaux, an executive of Swiss watch brand TAG Heuer. The addition of these luxurious lineups shows that Apple Watch will not only be an electronic product, but a combination of smart electronics and fashion design with great brand added value.

Moreover, since last year, we have seen many media debates on whether Apple Watch threatens the Swiss watch industry. Although some opinions are superficial and too direct, one fact is indisputable: most consumers may not be able to name a Swiss watchmaker, but the name of Apple's Jonathan is well-known. The industry has realized that Apple has been gradually guiding consumers to high-end products over the years, and this strategy has been effective. A recent report from market research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech shows that due to the hot sales of Apple's large-screen iPhone 6, the global Android phone market has been eroded to varying degrees. This reflects that consumers' brand recognition of Apple is much higher than other similar products.

This shows that Apple Watch is smart to get close to the Swiss watch industry. Fashion and high-end complement each other to seek a broader brand space is the special mission of this new member of the Apple family. Among the seven countries revealed by foreign media, Spain, Italy and Switzerland have been added, which is different from the past. This also shows that Apple's fashion journey is to explore the way forward and do enough homework for entering larger markets such as China in the future.

On the cover of the November 2014 issue of VOGUE magazine, known as the "fashion bible", the Apple Watch worn by supermodel Liu Wen is prominently featured. We can see that the unreleased Apple Watch has already attracted attention from all sides. Although it will not sell as well as the iPhone, it may become another iPad.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.