With Apple’s September 9 event now official, the speculation game can begin, again.
And with a rumored Apple wearable device ostensibly in tow for the big reveal alongside a pair of new iPhones — or that’s at least what Re/code’s John Paczkowski has learned from sources — the time is right to hear your thoughts on the matter.
So, is Apple going to announce a wearable device at the event, do you think? Context: an “Apple wearable” may not necessarily stand for a “smartwatch” per se — or denote an ”iWatch” at all, as the media has tentatively dubbed the elusive wrist-worn gizmo.
Go ahead, cast your vote after the break and then join us in comments for a healthy discussion from some wildly different perspectives, hopefully.
My $0.02?
Honestly, I don’t know what to think: conflicting pieces of information are plentiful so it’s tough to make the case for one camp or the other with a degree of certainty given by the confidence level.
Here, vote now.
If you apply conventional wisdom to the subject, a device such as an iWatch would most definitely warrant a separate media event of its own.
Consider for a moment the fact that with this product the Cupertino firm would be setting itself for an explosive move. In other words, the iWatch— or whatever it’s called — would be anything but yet another regular product launch for the Cupertino firm.
More than anything, the device would mark taking iOS to wearables and challenge Apple with a whole new set of expectations. So the iWatch — assuming it exists — isn’t just the hardware: it’s the underlying operating system, apps, media and the entire existing ecosystem around it.
It’s a platform thing.
But introducing a new-category platform is a risky proposition. As Apple won’t get a do-over with the iWatch, it needs to play its cards right and control the narrative fully.
That being said, debuting such a highly-anticipated wrist-worn wearable alongside another hotly-anticipated product — the iPhone 6 — would dilute Apple’s message, even more so analysts expect September 9 to file as the biggest iPhone launch since the original iPhone.
I just don’t see two major products of this magnitude sharing stage time.
Therefore, it’s my belief (as I postulated before) that Apple’s wearable product will be debuting at an event of its own, some time later this year or in early-2015.
And what’s your take?