The Apple Watch Series 2 And Its Impact

Emerging Technologies

Apple has been quick to adopt new technologies. The Apple Watch Series 2, for example, introduced built-in GPS which meant owners no longer needed to pair their iPhone with their Apple Watch to get location data. The Apple Watch Series 3 (2017) added a cellular option enabling the Watch to connect to its own mobile Internet, further reducing the need to pair the product with the iPhone. Whilst some of these developments are not emerging tech, they are the result of tech becoming smaller, more powerful and more reliable.

Unveiled in 2018, the Series 4 Watch introduced both larger screen sizes and added an electrical heart sensor (ECG/EKG) allowing users to check their heart rate at any time, with the watch being capable of detecting and alerting the wearer to a high or low heart rate. The latest Watch Series 5 adds an always-on retina display, improved battery life, hardware and software improvements and greater customisation.

Intellectual property

A paper from George Washington University Law School, (Dubuisson, 2018) notes that the Apple Watch “is not just a watch. It is a masterpiece of intellectual property (IP) rights. It is not just a revolutionary product. It is the next chapter in Apple Inc.’s story. Apple believes in technology designed for the wrist (such as a smartwatch), but also in a strong design patent protection strategy. To protect this wearable, as a result of their investment”.

Indeed, the story of much of Apple’s success has been its ability to secure patents and protect complex technological developments and manufacturing innovations to secure its place as market leader whilst increasing the barriers to entry for other firms seeking to enter the market. This approach may go some way to explaining why Nokia lost their position as a market leader and why Microsoft also failed to gain any real traction in the smartphone marketplace.

Its impact

The Apple Watch, like so many Apple products, has become a huge success for the firm. Adopted by some corporates as an essential business tool, and by millions of consumers for a multitude of functionalities, the Apple Watch has disrupted the wearable tech sector, bringing together a vast and ever-increasing range of functionality into a single tool that today has the capability to operate independently of an iPhone.

Apple continues to achieve success in the marketplace through an aggressive innovation and IP strategy which has helped the firm to maintain a strong market position in a competitive market space. Like the iPod, iPhone and iPad, Apple have led another tech revolution which many of its competitors seek to emulate, but never achieve domination.