What's right (and wrong) with Apple Watch

Following months of mockups and renderings and guesses, Apple has finally unveiled its newest product line – the Apple Watch. And it wasn't a bangle or a snap bracelet or a small iPhone that you strap to your wrist. It's not even a smartwatch, it's a smart wristwatch.

While the Apple Watch won't go on sale until early 2015, we got a huge amount of information dumped on us, and ahead of getting our hands on a working Apple Watch, we can start to work out way through this information and come to some conclusions, as well as ask a few questions of our own, and take a peak into the crystal ball and make a few predictions about the Apple Watch 2.

See also: Wearables in business: Deployment plans, anticipated benefits and adoption roadblocks

What's right with the Apple Watch?

• Starting price: $349 is a great starting price. That's not going to scare people.
• Design: It's an innovative design, combining some of the paradigms of a traditional wristwatch and of the iPhone, and adding a few new ones.
• Embeds well into the iPhone ecosystem: iPhones ranging from the iPhone 5 to the latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus can play. That's a massive ecosystem of some 200 million devices.
• Innovative: Not only do we have an innovative design, an innovative way to change and fasten the straps, the Digital Crown, the Taptic Engine, but it also thrown in innovative – and intimate – new ways for people to communicate.
• Closely tied to health and fitness: Like having a small, benevolent drill sergeant on your wrist.
• Doesn't look like a smartwatch: Looks more like a wristwatch than a smartwatch.
• In fact, it isn't a smartwatch: People haven't been asking for smartwatches, and as, as pointed out by James Kendrick, "downright indifferent to them." At no point did Apple refer to this as a "smartwatch," and that's both telling and a very clever move.
• Plenty of hype: Did the Apple unveiling generate a lot of hype? Yes it did.

Special Feature: Are Wearables Fit For Business?

• Long ramp to release: Do people like waiting? Not sure they do anymore.
• How well does it work? Demo units are a long way off from finished production units. Just how usable a design is it?
• A look that might not suit everyone: Take away the straps and finishes, and the Apple Watch is a rectangular watch.
• Tied to the iPhone: This is still a companion device, an accessory. It is not a standalone platform.
• Some aspects feel gimmicky: Sending heartbeats and taps and little drawings kinda feels like a gimmick to me. But gimmicks like this can catch on.

See also: Wearables in business: Deployment plans, anticipated benefits and adoption roadblocks

• Price: While $349 is a good starting price, this will be for the base model. It will be interesting to discover the price ceiling for this product (which, given that the high-end models are made using 18k gold, could be eye-watering).
• Battery life: Seems like it is a "charge daily" piece of kit, which might rule out certain functionalities, such as acting as a sleep monitor.
• Storage: How much storage will there be on the Apple Watch? How much space for apps?
• Developer interest: Can Apple convince developers to support the new platform?
• What's the lifespan? Are people going to have to buy a new watch every few years as the battery wears out from daily recharges? If you're into 18k gold timepieces, this could get pricey.
• How durable? Apple products aren't renowned for their durability. Can the Apple Watch – especially the Sports variant – take bashes, bumps, and exposure to water and sweat?
• Comfort: How does it feel to wear, especially day in, day out?
• How much can it do without an iPhone? We don't know.

Special Feature: Are Wearables Fit For Business?

Let's take a peak into a crystal ball and make a few predictions as to what the Apple Watch 2 might bring.

• Smaller and thinner: The Apple Watch looks like it is about as thick as the first-generation iPhone. While it's not as bulky as some Swiss watches – especially mechanical wristwatches – Apple will no doubt be keen to make future generations thinner and lighter.
• Better battery life: Again, no doubt something Apple will be interested in.
• Unified wireless charging with the iPhone and iPad: I'm surprised Apple didn't add wireless charging to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but now that Apple is dabbling in wireless charging, that will no doubt happen with future product incarnations.
• Front-facing camera: This would have huge potential.
• More sophisticated look: How long until there's a partnership with a designer to make the Apple Watch look sexier? My guess is not long at all.
• OS X integration: Just as iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 are now closer than ever, expect the Apple Watch to tie into OS X soon.

See also:

• Apple Watch takes the Digital Crown
• What's right (and wrong) with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
• Moto 360 smartwatch powered by a four-year-old processor
• Get ready to provide iOS 8 support

Special Feature: Are Wearables Fit For Business?