One Day They’ll Understand Apple
Samsung introduced its Galaxy Gear watch in fall of 2013, about two years before the Apple Watch was unveiled. To someone who doesn’t understand Apple, this was simply more evidence that Apple was no longer the leader.
From our vantage point in the future, we see that Apple was simply doing what it’s always done. It was entering an existing market and taking its time to create something that truly stands apart.
With the Gear Watch, Samsung did an excellent job of proving it isn’t Apple. Determined to beat its competitor to market, Samsung did the obvious — it shrunk the phone to wrist size, complete with camera. To them, it was nothing more than a technology challenge.
You can dislike and complain about Apple products all you want, but one thing has remained true since pretty much the very beginning: The industry needs Apple to help define what a category should look like and what its priorities should be. Few companies are able to do that and Apple is one of them.