Apple Watch Turns 5
The Apple Watch was released on April 24, 2015 and came in three ‘collections’: Apple Watch Sport ($349-399), Apple Watch ($549-1,099), & Apple Watch Edition ($10,000-17,000).
Five years ago, the hotly awaited Apple Watch arrived after being announced by Apple during their September 04, 2014 keynote addressed. Described by Apple as "the most personal product we've ever made," the Apple Watch featured the most comprehensive array of customization available in an Apple product, from the materials available to the number of customizable bands.
Initially, the watch was marketed heavily on three pillars: precision timekeeping, social connectivity, and fitness capabilities. A fourth niche Apple tried to break into with the original Apple Watch was the luxury watch market. Dropped after a single generation, the Apple Watch Edition originally came in 18 karat yellow or rose gold priced from $10,000.
The Series 0 watch wasn't an instant success; Apple has had a hard-fought road towards developing Apple into the successful product that exists today. Even for its time, the Series 0 was horrifyingly slow (apps were only installed on the phone & needed to be load data onto the watch each you checked them), the connectivity features were gimmicky (how often are you sending people your heart rate?), expensive, & the sport capabilities were underdeveloped compared to products like the FitBit.
But Apple persisted, & with each subsequent generation, the Apple Watch became faster, more capable, and more refined with the technologies and features sought after by users. I've owned an Apple Watch since the Series 0 arrived on my Doorstep on April 24, 2014. I've loved every moment with it, and continue to look forward to the watch's continued evolution in the next half-decade.
External Links
Apple’s September, 2014 Keynote: Apple Watch Announcement.
Apple also produced three short videos describing the machining process used in forging the metals in Apple Watch: Stainless Steel, Aluminium, & Gold.
