5 Years On, was the Apple Watch a Success?

The Apple Watch was the first big new product line for Apple since the death of Steve Jobs, and, needless to say, it had a lot riding on it. Leading up to its announcement, speculation around the Apple Watch ran wild, with many heralding it to be the next iPhone. But now, 5 years later, has the Apple Watch lived up to those lofty expectations? Well, yes, for Apple it has at least. When the Apple Watch was finally unveiled, it was met with some deal of disappointment. Some of this disappointment was understandable, as the Apple Watch could never live up to the insane amounts of hype surrounding it, but, on the other hand, some of this disappointment was definitely warranted. Ever since its release, the Apple Watch has felt more like an iPhone accessory than a stand alone device, with it falling closer to Apple’s AirPods than to its iPhone in terms of functionality and impact. But this doesn’t mean that the Apple Watch has been a letdown by any stretch of the imagination, it’s just not what we expected it to be. The Apple Watch is part of a broader technological future, wearables, where our computing is relegated into smaller, simplified computers that we interact with in more subliminal ways. The Apple Watch was never meant to be a stand alone device, it just wouldn’t work as one, instead, it is meant as supplement to preexisting devices, one that simplifies and advances the user experiences of those preexisting devices overall, most notably in the way in negates the need to use those other devices for the simpler tasks that the Apple Watch can complete. Like I said, the Apple Watch is a device for the future, where our computing needs are divided and spread out across multiple computing platforms, platforms like AR headsets, wireless earbuds, and, currently, smart watches like the Apple Watch. While this future isn’t quite here yet, for now, the Apple Watch offers an excellent companion to the iPhone for its health and fitness capabilities, messaging and calling applications, and more simplified tasks that negate the need to look at your iPhone.