Design Dossier
It does not seem right now that the Apple Watch will usurp the iPhone in any way in terms of pedestrian popularity, even though the iPhone has arguably usurped the iPod and iPad in terms of Apple brand product popularity.
I was surprised, since it seemed that the design and functionality of the Apple Watch perfectly fit our modern marked demands for tech gadgets with multi-taking efficiency.
We can only wonder if we had not lost the bright mind of Steve Jobs, what kind of new gadgets would be on deck for Apple, a company that has become very profitable in the business world. I thought the iPhone would face great difficulty when competing with Windows Mobile phones.
Windows Mobile
IT Tech chiming in. iPhones primarily used for corporate environments is largely due to contract providers (AT&T, Verizon) offering cheap volume plans on older models rather than specific designs and functionalities. Many companies are android-only shops as well. Since I service and support an iPhone-only environment, I suppose I'm a bit more jaded when it comes to reliability. In other words, I RMA faulty IOS devices on a regular basis. I myself carry a 5s for work, but I prefer my personal Samsung Galaxy android phone, which I just feel outclasses the iPhone in several ways.
I feel the smartwatch trend caters to too small a niche of consumers in an already oversaturated industry demanding more power with bigger displays and a thinner, sleeker form factors. Apple excels in the latter, but not so much in the former. The iWatch doesn't really seem to fulfill a 'must-have' user requirement to me. Apple has stellar marketing and will probably enjoy a peak of their smartwatch sales before the next big trend comes along, but trust me, it *will* eventually be surpassed by some shiny new gadget.
As a pretty proficient techie, the smartwatch offers nothing to me beyond the novelty of being wearable. I didn't understand the necessity when Samsung introduced their smartwatch years ago and Pebble prior to that, and I still don't.
Apple's IOS software is elegant and intuitive, which I believe is truly its biggest selling point. But their 'walled-garden' ecosystem approach (can't upgrade hardware/memory, must have a Apple Id to do anything useful, etc.) is a bit restrictive in a market that heavily relies on open-source software. Their business model is now starting to trickle outside of their ecosystem, and frankly, it kind of sucks. For example, the latest Samsung/HTC/Motorola devices are now more like the iPhone - no removable memory/battery. That's a deal breaker to someone like me who prefers function over form.
In closing, I feel the increasing throw-away culture of our mobile devices is disappointing. It chains consumers to specific brands/providers when they want to upgrade or their devices go belly-up. I don't need that chain. If I want an iPhone one year and switch to an android/windows device the next, I should be able to do this a lot more seamlessly without taking a big hit to my pocketbook than it is. Apple embraces this culture, so I'm ever wary as a power user. Your mileage will vary, of course.
