Five reasons why the Apple Watch, iPhone 6 and mobile wallet bring Apple back
Craig Le Grice, chief innovation officer at Blue Rubicon, has told us the launch of the Apple Watch, iPhone 6 and a new mobile wallet "brings Apple back, undoubtedly". Here, he offers five reasons why.
The combined Apple Watch and iPhone 6 launch
1. It shows that Apple is listening to what users want.
The iPhone 6 Plus is a departure that reacts to global trends, not just North American ones. The iPhone 6 will be a top seller in the West and the iPhone 6 Plus will be a top seller in the East. That’s a humility balanced with commerciality that makes Apple special.
2. Apple Pay is fantastic, using Apple’s biggest asset – trust.
800m people trust Apple with their credit cards and it has used that to pivot a platform that creates a win-win-win for consumers, merchants and card issuers.
3. Once again, Apple waited to be late to market.
It was always clear that NFC wasn’t ready. Touch ID was the missing link – creating a secure environment that will help reinforce consumer faith in the platform. Apple’s strategy to shareholders has always been watch a technology arise, perfect its vision for it, then launch. That gives the long-termism that shareholders rarely see but stocks historically thrive on.
4. Whilst it was clearly the PR line they wanted to land, Apple Watch is really the most personal product the company has ever built.
It takes a space littered by confused product launches (none of the mobile watch creators have yet been able to say why customers should buy them) and shows clear direction. It also does it in a way that Apple does well – at a premium. It is expensive, it is the best, it is unapologetically within Apple’s ecosystem.
5. That ecosystem is getting stronger and stronger.
Once bought in – with a Mac, an iPhone, an iPad, maybe an Apple TV, perhaps an Apple Watch and using using Apple Pay, consumers will find it tough to leave. And not just in the ‘trapped’ way – but because when everything works together, why change it? Health, music, fashion, photography, video, identity, payments… They all come together to create a compelling offer.