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Not first, but Apple is still cool

Bonnie Tubbs
By Bonnie Tubbs, ITWeb telecoms editor.
Johannesburg, 10 Sept 2014
Apple's late-to-market smartwatch may still be able to catapult wearables, similar to what the iPad did for tablets.
Apple's late-to-market smartwatch may still be able to catapult wearables, similar to what the iPad did for tablets.

A smartwatch, phablet and near-field communication (NFC) enabling cellphone payments - these have all already been done. But, while Apple has veered from its historic eminence of bringing firsts to market, with others following in its dust, the tech giant has not lost its ability to hype its differentiation - even amid the existing sea of alternatives.

This is the sentiment from industry observers following one of the year's most anticipated tech events last night ? the big Apple announcement.

In a move many Apple fans have been waiting for, CEO Tim Cook revived the late, legendary Steve Jobs' "one more thing" line. He introduced two new iPhones - the thinnest, largest screen devices the company has ever created - as well as Apple's first smartwatch and a new mobile payments service dubbed Apple Pay. The company also said U2's new album, "Songs of Innocence", would be provided free to iTunes users.

Differentiating factor

This is the first time in four years (since the introduction of the iPad in April 2010) that the company has introduced an entirely new gadget and, while it is not the first mover this time around, the ability of the company to appeal to users' desires through functionality and design may see it catapulting smartwatches to a new level.

BMI-TechKnowledge (BMI-T) director Brian Neilson says one way of Apple defining differentiation is focusing on "the user experience" and "how it makes you feel" (to cite Cook). "That is done by announcing many new features [while] at the same time making sure their products remain aesthetically beautiful."

But aesthetics on their own are not enough to maintain differentiation, says Neilson, especially given the "good-looking" devices that are available today. Neilson cites the Motorola Moto 360 smartwatch and new competitive phones from Sony and LG as cases in point.

"The differentiation then comes in with the integration between the products, between hardware and software, and keeping the developer community firmly on board. Payments is another innovation that fits into this category - innovation with the biggest payments platform in the world, the credit card system."

BMI-T analyst Clinton Jacobs says Apple's phablet offering (the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus) is interesting. "Samsung, Nokia and others also have their versions which show this form factor is growing in popularity."

As for the Apple Watch, analysts have noted wearable tech has yet to take off as mainstream in SA and Apple's price tag - probably around R5 000, according to World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck - will not do much to spur growth in our price-sensitive market.

Jacobs says, despite this, Apple will hopefully be able to propel wearables, similar to what the iPad did for tablets. "I don't think wearables have found the compelling unique selling point they need yet."

Mike Sharman, MD of Retroviral Digital Communications, says although Apple was by no means first to market with wearable tech, the same was true with the iPod. "Other MP3 devices existed but it took the Jobs sales pitch to dominate the industry."

One more thing

Further underscoring Apple's ability to launch multiple "firsts" at the same time, says Neilson, Apple announced the widest long-term evolution (LTE) support, voice over LTE and handoff to WiFi calling and using NFC for payments.

"[The company] claims that voice calls will be higher quality. That remains to be seen, but if it is true, it could be an advantage many people can relate to."

Neilson says, ultimately, the "one more thing" is that no longer will there be any problem getting a gift for the person who owns an iPhone - "the watch or at least another strap if they already have one".

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