You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.
Apple Watch and the Killer App Crisis

Apple Watch and the Killer App Crisis

June 30, 2015

Ken Segall:

Well, here’s the stark reality: The Apple Watch has no killer app. And it will never have a killer app.

But anyone who hinges the success of the device on the idea of a killer app is living far, far in the past.

If you need any proof, just look at the iPhone. We can all agree it started one of the biggest technology revolutions of our time. So … what’s the killer app?

Music? Banking? Fitness? Games? Email? Messaging? Camera?

That depends on who you are. Any one of those things, or a combination thereof, might be worth the price of admission. But what’s killer to one person is boringly insignificant to another.

I completely agree with Segall here and I believe this will be even more true in the years to come.

Every person will have different use cases depending on how they live their lives. If you live in a place where you can exersize outside year round, the health and Workout app may be your favorite apps on Apple Watch. If you live in a city where you’re constantly taking public transportation, Maps and other transit apps may be your favorite apps on the Watch. Or say you have a few babies and you’re constantly having to run around, just getting a phone call or text message may be your favorite parts of the Apple Watch. There’s something for everyone and how you live your life will effect how you use this device.

The phone started this way too. In 2007, Steve Jobs said that the phone app was the “killer” app. Today, many of us don’t even have it on our Home screens. Twitter is the killer app on my iPhone. For others it may be SnapChat, Facebook or something else. It’s different for everyone and that’s the beauty of a device that can be pretty much anything to anyone.

Also, think about this for a moment: Today, much of the world is unable to communicate back to the Apple Watch. That’s going to change a whole lot in the next few years. Expect way more Apple Pay terminals and expect many more ways to authenticate yourself with other products and services. Soon, you’ll be able to use your Watch to get on the train, get into the gym, open your car, and many more things. Once that happens, the Watch doesn’t just become far more interesting, for many people it becomes a necessity.