By: Christina Succi
Interest continued to grow on Tuesday about sales of the new Apple Watch, with the company speeding up production before a promised June delivery date after strong pre-order sales.
Still, industry analysts are giving the device mixed reviews.
“Aside from the gimmicky add-ons, it’s essentialy like anything else, packaged as Apple,” said Corey Herscu, a tech expert in Toronto.
Apple is in fact “late to the game” and the wearable tech-gadget will be successful only because of the brandpower that Apple harnesses, Herscu told Humber News in an e-mail.
“It’s not [the] first major wearable technology,” said Herscu.
“People are buying it for the value of buying it, fan-boys if you will, not because it’s better than anything else on the market.”
Last Friday was the first day the device was available.
The device’s success precedes its official in-store launch on April 24 with a reported 1 million watches already pre sold and estimates that sales could quadruple in the first part of this year.
The Apple Watch is the latest venture by the billion-dollar corporation.
Reviews have called the watch a status symbol, but lifestyle blogger Mira Singh disagrees.
“I definitely think that the Apple Watch will be more of a luxury item than a necessary gadget due to the amount of customization available, like gold, silver etc.,” said Singh, who writes the blog Smoke and Mira‘s.
“But I would not consider something that starts at a base of $449 a symbol of wealth,” she said.
The watch also enters Apple into the fashion market but Singh told Humber News that, beyond the device’s functions, it won’t make it far as an accessory.
“To me a handmade Audemar-Piaget will always be more treasured than a gadget which tracks your steps,” said Singh.
The smartwatch is intrusive and distracting, Herscu said.
“This is why I cannot wear a connected device anymore, I don’t need four devices notifying me of emails,” said Herscu.
“Overall, I fail to see long-term value in using them,” he said.
The Apple Watch will have their moment in the spotlight but only temporarily, said Singh.
“I think that the watch will go with the trend as most things too,” she said. “A thing for a few months, then there will be a smaller version – Apple watch mini?”