Forbes Thinks A Round Apple Watch Is Next
This week Pebble announced the launch of a new face in its smartwatch lineup: The Pebble Time Round. The new addition joins a growing number of smartwatches that favour the classier rounded look such as the LG Urbane and G Watch R, Moto360, Withings; with G-Shock, Swatch and even higher end watchmakers like TAG Heuer launching their own versions soon. …
Apple will have to release a future version, whether Gen-2 or Gen-3, in both variants due to consumer pressure. When Tim Cook revealed the Apple Watch he said “The Apple Watch is the most personal device we’ve ever created, it’s not just on you, it’s with you.” however Cupertino will need to understand that to win the smartwatch war it can’t just force its design on you, it has to work with you and that may mean finally giving you the choice that should have been there in the first place.
To “win the smartwatch war”? Seriously? How far ahead of everyone else in marketshare and mindshare does Apple Watch have to be to be the “winner”? Does it have to double the combined competition’s output? Triple it? Because that’s what it’s doing.
Now then, to the bigger point: As I said before of the baseless rumor, the next-generation Apple Watch will not be round. Nor will the one after that. While I believe the thing should have been a circle from the start, the fact is that Pebble didn’t release its Pebble Round because the market wants round, they released it because Apple stole square from them and left the little company suddenly without an identity. That’s the sole reason for the move. Nothing more, nothing less. (Well, that and maybe to compete toe-to-toe with Android Wear, albeit Pebble is chasing the wrong price point here, going up when they should be going down. $150 flagships will keep Pebble in business. $300 models won’t.)
Maybe once Apple figures out how to make a viable circular UI, we’ll see a round Apple Watch. Give it a decade, and such radical form factor changes seem inevitable. But next year or even any time soon?
Not a chance.