Why the Apple Watch will change everything for wearables

Everyone has that one chemistry class in school where a goggle-wearing teacher decides to tentatively introduce a chunk of lithium into a tub of water, from behind a protective sheet of perspex.

It fizzes around for a bit, spits out a red flame, and, if you’re lucky, goes out with a little pop. Sure it’s interesting, and it’ll get people talking, but it’s hardly the explosion you were hoping for.

Drop a slice of caesium into your kitchen sink however, and you’ll need an expensive trip to Ikea to replace your cabinets.

So why the random chemistry nostalgia? Well, to be honest, it’s the first metaphor that popped into my head when trying to compare Android Wear to the Apple Watch.

Guess which one of the two is represented by caesium.

Fashionably late

Apple tends to be late to parties. Mini tablets. Larger smartphone screens. NFC. Hell, even copy and paste on the iPhone. But one thing that the Cupertino tech giant has always excelled at is making its entrances count, showing off polished products and slick features when it finally decides to knock on the door.

I’m an owner of one of the 720,000 Android Wear devices that shipped in 2014, and despite the fact that I wear my smartwatch every day (using it to control music, delete emails and check the weather), I’m not surprised to see the disappointing adoption numbers.

As it stands, there’s no killer reason to own one right now, and I’ve been advising my friends to hold off for prices to drop and feature lists to expand, before parting with their cash.

Oh, and of course, waiting to see what Apple will bring to the table.

Love it or hate it, there’s no denying the effect that Apple’s products have on the tech world. The original iPhone rebooted the smartphone market and has dominated it ever since. And despite the pressure from hundreds of Android competitors, the iPad remains the undisputed king of tablets, offering unmatched design, and made-for-tablet apps that the Google Play Store can only dream of.

High hopes

And then we have the Apple Watch, and the high expectations it brings with it. If developer history is anything to go by, the Apple Watch should be brimming with polished, innovative apps from the get-go, challenging our expectations of what we expect a smartwatch to do. And it’ll look damn good while doing it.

With its premium materials and design, to proprietary (but convenient) beautiful replacable wristbands, everything is set up for big numbers come release day. The standard ‘Apple Tax’ will of course add a hefty price tag to the various different models, but that hasn’t deterred gadgeteers from snapping up pricier iPhones in their millions, and I can’t see them being put off now either. Analysts agree, and are currently predicting 10-30 million Apple Watches wrapping themselves around wrists in its first year alone.

This is actually good news for Android fans too however. There’s nothing like an arch-nemesis to fan the flames of competition. More competition means better apps, better design and price wars, all of which are big wins for consumers.

But ultimately the main winner will be Apple, which could be looking at its biggest success since the iPhone.

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About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.