Apple's "Top Secret" Apple Watch Strategy
Apple followers haven’t been shy in arguing that the upcoming Apple Watch will be a flop. Dismissive reviews of Apple’s first wearable are plentiful (“a thick, ugly clunker,” “a very stupid idea“), while analysts’ fresh estimates of first-year sales have trended on the low side. Investors haven’t been too optimistic either: Apple’s stock fell 2% Tuesday, a day after it unveiled more Apple Watch details.
But what few realize is that Apple has a 3.7 million square mile ace up its sleeve: China.
Sigh.
Apple’s “China strategy” is not a secret. It hasn’t been a secret for some time. In fact, company executives are pretty open about the country’s import to Apple’s future growth. How do you suppose Apple earned a global record $74.6 billion in revenue last quarter? Why do you think Apple Watch debuted in the Chinese version of Vogue Magazine? Who do you think Apple Watch Edition is marketed to?
Apple’s reliance on China to move its brand forward is not an “ace up its sleeve.” It is a royal flush face-up on the table.