The most anticipated Apple product reveal since the iPad kicks off today on the West Coast, and the stakes could not be higher for Mac Daddy Tim Cook as he is expected to reveal the final version of the make-or-break Apple Watch, the company's first wearable device.
To hear industry analysts tell it, this product launch could rocket the company to an unprecedented valuation of $1 trillion — or doom it to be pigeonholed as a washed-up maker of mobile phones and laptops, ensuring the stock will sink for some time.
This is Apple's biggest launch since 2010, its first foray into a new product category since it unveiled the iPad almost exactly five years ago. Again, Apple is seeking to own the category, not just enter it.
With a variety of design options, the Apple Watch collection includes the choice of several bands that range from leather to metal links and more. With a display protected by sapphire crystal, the Watch starts at $349 for the sport version, which is meant to appeal to fitness buffs. Features are meant to complement and extend the capabilities of the iPhone, even while it's tucked away in your pocket.
I expect Cook to further detail how the Watch interacts with HomeKit, Apple's smart-home framework, perhaps showing it turning on lights and opening doors. He will surely also show off the fitness-tracking capabilities of the watch, though sadly, the company seems to already be marketing the Watch more as a game changer for fashion timepieces than for health.
With the announcement slated for 1 p.m. Eastern, Cook will need to hit these five goals for the reveal to be a success:
• A post-event stock bump, which usually is more of a dip after Apple's product reveals. So if it rises, that's an excellent sign of Wall Street confidence in Cook.
• Hit the top-tier pricing sweet spot. Estimates of up to $19,999 for the upscale Apple Edition seem too soul-crushing to comprehend. I'm more apt to believe the yet-unconfirmed reports that have the most bejeweled version clocking in like your average Rolex, $4,500. (Apple's thought process is pretty simple here: If the super-rich are willing to pay that much for a mechanical brushed-metal band, why not so for a feature-rich smartwatch?)
• Be available in stores soon. The clock is ticking on "early" 2015, which has been the company's target.
• Reveal awesome third-party bands. If Apple wants in on the fashion industry, it needs to stock a healthy supply of watchbands from designers like Kate Spade and Michael Kors, similar to the red-hot iPhone case market.
• Roll out that killer feature. Apple has already announced so-called "taptic" feedback — little taps that do a number of things such as tell you if you're walking in the wrong direction. But it will have to surprise with at least one more stunner to get that aforementioned announcement bump from the markets.
If Cook hits those five marks and there are no major surprises, we'll officially be continuing the era of "i."
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