Apple recently announced the prices, app details, and launch date for the Apple Watch at a special live event in San Francisco. The Apple Watch goes on sale on the 24th of April and will range between $349 and $17,000 depending on the particular model. What will the release of the Apple Watch mean for business and marketing?
The Apple Watch is going to bring wearable technology into mainstream society. There are already various smart watches in the market, but Apple has taken time to release its version so it could learn from and improve on existing smart watches. John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile, has predicted the Apple Watch will “mark the tipping point when wearables go from niche to mainstream.”
Not only will the Apple watch be visually appealing but it will be fully customisable and have an array of great features such as:
- iPhone connectivity: notifications for incoming call or message from your iPhone
- Music player: just like an iPod
- New ways to connect: sending taps, sketches, or even your heartbeat to friends
- Fitness: tracking your movements, heart rate, and location throughout the day and providing you with progress reports towards set goals
- ResearchKit: open source software framework to create apps that could revolutionise medical studies
- NFC technology: allowing you to pay wirelessly with Apple Pay
- Remote control: for your Apple TV, camera, and connected smart-home devices
- Siri voice assistant: text to speech and voice commands
- Watch specific apps: Maps, Messages, Phone, Mail, Workout, Calendar, Passbook, Photos
There are already apps designed specifically for the Apple Watch, including:
Starwood Hotels & Resorts: directions to the hotel, reservation details, check in and even use your watch as a room key
American Airlines: flight information, connection details, flight time, map to the airport with travel time
Nike+ Running: displays distance, duration, and pace when you’re running
Instagram: watch specific Instagram app
MLB.com At Bat: live stats, updates, player details, highlights, and scores
BMW i Remote: charging status of your BMW i, door lock status, service reminders and remotely change the cabin temperature
Citymapper: step by step instructions for public transport from your current location
CNN: minute by minute news updates
Salesforce: summary of your business statistics
Invoice2go: uses geofencing to remind you to start tracking your time for more precise records
Lifesum: tracks water and food intake intake and provides feedback on foods to avoid / consume
The Apple Watch is set to be a huge success thanks to the combination of brilliant design and great functionality. The opportunities for business and marketing are endless.
How else could we harness this piece of technology?
Health insurance: predict when someone will become sick, notify them to prevent expensive health care bills
Government health: predict how much funding will be needed for healthcare each year depending on the health of a sample of Apple Watch users
Car insurance: predicting premiums based on how people drive, if they speed, how often they drive, where they park, etc
Taxi companies: automatically offer to book a cab based on locations you frequently visit at a certain time
Online film services: automatically predict your mood and upload appropriate films to your Apple TV
Healthcare: automatically book doctor appointments based on your health status
Security: walk up you your car, house, bike, carport, safe, work place, or friends house and the doors will automatically unlock when your apple watch is in a 1m radius
The Apple Watch will be able to help solve business problems and create innovative and efficient ways of interacting with customers. Get in contact with PENSO to discuss how the Apple Watch could help to solve your business problems.