There. We said it. The Apple iWatch is not newsworthy. In fact, it may signify the death of the Apple we once loved. So we’ll cut the snark, and you keep reading, because this is a viewpoint you probably won't find anywhere else.
Now don't get us wrong, there is hype for this product. TechCrunch claims that it could end up being worth $6 billion. It could include biosensors. It runs iOS. Over a hundred engineers are said to be working on this project and hundreds of different models for the watch have been drawn up, ranging from an iPod nano on a wristpand to this incredibly sleek, Minority Report style wearable computer.
But here's what every news outlet is forgetting:
- There are no facts here. This is all conjecture based on unnamed sources who may or may not exist. They may be on the team, they may be supporting the team, or they may be janitors. We don’t know because Apple’s famous product development cycle prohibits any company-sponsored hype on a new piece of technology until it's completed.
- The iWatch exists already. It's called the Pebble, and it's a wonderful product. The Pebble is a $150.00 watch that you can customize any way you would like. You can change the watch face, add calorie counters, timers and other features, change your music, and get Facebook updates. The one problem with the Pebble is its battery life, which – at only two days – is not particularly impressive. The Pebble is also hard to get right now because demand is high and the assembly lines are still forming.
And here is the crux of the matter. Apple isn’t innovating. It isn't doing anything all that different with this watch (that the Pebble hasn't already done) and certainly isn’t doing anything new. It looks like Apple may be simply using its superior supply lines and smooth marketing to effectively crush real innovators.
In other words, Apple is the new Microsoft. Does that depress you as much as it does us?