I am sure you have all heard the buzz about Apple’s newest gadget: the smart watch. I am also sure you heard the startling news that it may become the most expensive product Apple has ever launched with a price targeted over $10,000 for those who are fashion conscious. This will certainly be fun to watch and to see how it sells. After all, Apple fans are almost addicted to wanting the latest and greatest. Some sign up to be the first for whatever Apple launches as a new product.
I first heard of the concept of a watch that could do more than tell time when I was a youngster and read the Dick Tracey comic strip. He had a watch that could act as a phone. I also remember the series Get Smart, where the bumbling Agent 86, Maxwell Smart, had a phone in his shoe. Seemed pretty silly to put one there, but phones were big and bulky, so I guess a shoe made sense. Apple has certainly revived some memories and made a statement with this latest gadget.
However, there are others who may be a bit fleeter afoot, and who might just upset the apple cart (pun intended). Take a look at this link to see Pebble Time, who just raised almost $20 million to compete with Apple on what appears to be a far more functioning watch and at a compelling price point compared to Apple’s.
Click Here to view the Kickstarter campaign. Keep an eye on this.
Those of you who have followed me for a while know I have been alerting the incumbent utilities to new entrants that can upset their business. If you want to know how, just read the intriguing book I recommended back in 2013, Digital Disruption.
A few weeks ago, I focused on the OODA loop because it seems these companies have mastered it and to compete in this new world, you have to master it too. It is going to be really interesting to see if Apple can pull this new watch off, or if they will pivot quickly using the OODA loop to gain some ground on the upstarts. But, they no longer have a Steve Jobs to frantically drive organizational innovative at top speed.
We ordered some Pebble Time watches just to see how good they are. They are due out this summer, so those of you who run into me may want to see it up close and personal because I will be wearing one. Or, maybe you want to truly run on the wild side and get one yourself, seems like a few others have.