The Apple Watch, when released, immediately wowed potential customers and saw Apple race to a market share dominance in the smartwatch sector. The excitement that was sparked by its unveiling and subsequent sales soon subsided as people realized that it frankly didn’t do much on its own and was a slave to the iPhone in your pocket or purse.
Apple Watch 2 to change all that?
The Apple Watch has the unique standing as the only new product that the company has released since the death of former CEO and founder Steve Jobs. Everything else that Apple has released has simply been an upgrade of an existing product that predated the former CEO’s death.
Apple needs the Apple Watch 2 to return the excitement that briefly accompanied the Apple Watch. The company has seen its market share drop in the smartphone sector from the mid-seventies to under fifty percent over the last year according to a recent report. In fact, the wait for the Apple Watch 2 has seen smartwatch sales decline by 31% year-over-year according to research firm IDC. Given that Apple has never released sales numbers for the Apple Watch, it’s tough to figure how IDC came about the company’s decline in market share and overall sector sales.
But that could all change with the unveiling of the Apple Watch 2 that should come roughly 18 months since the first generation watch went on sale. While expected to be unveiled in September the Apple Watch 2 likely won’t go on sale until early next year.
Apple is hoping that the Apple Watch 2 will completely change the way that consumers view smartwatches. WatchOS 3 will surely power the Apple Watch 2 and that could help but the guts of the watch will need massive improvements to run it.
What will see from the Apple Watch 2?
If the rumors are true the Apple Watch 2 will have GPS, better waterproofing, a better battery and the all important improved processor. A FaceTime camera could prove a wonderful addition as well. Throw in some watchbands and you could see the Apple Watch 2 truly make a difference for Apple.
The most exciting of this expected upgrade for fitness fanatics is the addition of GPS which will make the watch a proper fitness tracker that could truly stand alone given the work that Apple has done with its software. While the Apple Watch is alright, those that jog, walk, etc. will certainly welcome the addition.
Whether or not Apple uses its media day to unveil the iPhone 7 to also unveil the Apple Watch 2 is anyone’s guess as Apple is notorious for its silence when it comes to just about anything which dates back to the Jobs’ era.
Quite simply, we just don’t know what to expect but given the time Apple has had to work on the Apple Watch 2 you have to believe it will wow. The company quite simply needs it in a year that has seen Samsung really step up the pressure with its flagship handset offerings and Apple’s unprecedented drop in iPhone sales announced in the Q2 earnings call which sent its stock reeling.
Apple needs to do something to reinvigorate interest in its innovation. While most expect a standalone speaker powered by Siri to compete with the Amazon Echo, that’s likely something for 2017 and Apple needs something now despite still being an absolute giant.
