Five days ago, September 9, Apple unveiled to us all its latest and greatest fruit of the company’s labor. At the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino, California, Tim Cook put on quite the show, introducing the world to the new iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and the revolutionary (Cooks words, still up for debate) Apple Watch. And with all of the hype it’s generated this week, it’d be almost criminal not to share an opinion on the new, equal parts trendy, equal parts techy timepiece. Instead of feigning that I’ve got the insiders scoop on all things electronic, however, (lol I spent 20 minutes trying to play Ariana Grande on my friends smart tv the other day) I’m choosing to make a point about something I’m very fluent in – advertising and marketing.
The fact that Apple has always presented its customers with options is nothing new. They’ve been a consumer-facing company emphasizing personalization since the release of the iMac G3 in 1998. Maybe unrecognizable by name, but if I drop that it was the fluorescent orange desktop Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller caveman-style-destroyed in Zoolander or that it was the ‘cute’ laptop Elle Woods purchased at the Harvard Bookstore in Legally Blonde, you’ll pick up what I’m putting down. What I’m getting at, though, is that Apple’s decision to make the Apple Watch “unparalleled in personalization,” offering it in a variety of different colors, sizes, materials, and styles, should come as no surprise.
What is note-worthy, though, is their decision to break up the personalization options by three distinctive collections: Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport, and Apple Watch Edition. By creating these separate divisions, Apple is acknowledging their ever-increasing familiarity with their customers. Back in 2004, Apple released the iPod Mini, a single product in a variety of colors. Whether someone bought the Mini in Cornflower or Lime, Apple was still only identifying its market as a single body. In contrast, however, with the release of the Apple Watch in its three collections, Apple is identifying at least three different markets. And the company’s realization of this— that it couldn’t have just released one standardized watch with a few different color variations— illustrates their advanced (and maybe risky?) ability to so distinctly identify their market these days. Maybe because the product is a watch, a piece of technology specifically designed to be worn, Apple recognized its need for further variation and specialization. Either way, however, with the company’s continued capability to be so on point, and so progressive, it only makes sense that their diving into the realm of timepieces should be successful.
I guess only time will tell… (Sorry, couldn’t resist).