Apple Inc. (AAPL) Watch Lacking a Killer App to Make it Compelling for the Price

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s Watch was likely the most anticipated of their products unveiled on Tuesday, their long awaited entry into the smartwatch world, which has been anticipated as the proverbial opening of the smartwatch industry’s floodgates towards mass appeal. Yet despite being praised by many for its designs (or at least the non-Sport versions), some analysts just aren’t sold on the entire concept. Speaking to Bloomberg today, Electus Chairman Ben Silverman doesn’t understand the need for another device.

“So I stopped wearing a watch because my phone provides the most accurate time around, right? And separate from the beauty of your watch, the utility of time-telling is so much more effective through your smartphone. Do we need another device? Why couldn’t the smartphone just be doing what this watch is doing, that Apple’s bringing out?” Silverman said.

As Bloomberg’s Sam Grobart added, the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Watch seems to be missing that killer app or function to really make it stand out as a must-have item separate from a smartphone. The very fact that some of the functions of the Apple Watch and most other smartwatches are essentially tethered to smartphones somewhat starkly illustrates the idea that you may as well just reach for your smartphone in the first place, though the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Watch does have several health and activity tracking functions that are not present in smartphones.

That viewpoint has to be slightly concerning to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), especially considering the Watch will retail for a hefty $350, which is well above the generally accepted price estimation of $200 that many sales projections were based on. Even on Apple-centric discussion forums like Macrumors, the reception to the Watch was generally poor, with many expressing disappointment in it, and especially its price. Even some who seemed impressed by it were turned off enough by the price to say they would not purchase it.

If analysts aren’t overly impressed with what it can do, and even Apple fans who like it think it’s too expensive to purchase, it’s hard to imagine throngs of consumers are going to be lining up to pay $350 for it; certainly not the 50 to 60 million people as has been predicted would do so in year one.

Disclosure: none