The AppAdvice week in review: Is the Apple Watch doomed?
Do we really want (or need) an Apple Watch? Should Samsung buy BlackBerry? These questions and more were discussed during the week that was.
“Steve Jobs” begins filming
The company that became Apple got its start in the garage at Steve Jobs’ childhood home in Los Altos, California. It’s fitting then that “Steve Jobs,” the biopic penned by Aaron Sorkin, began filming this week at this iconic location.
Directed by Danny Boyle and distributed by Universal, “Steve Jobs” stars Michael Fassbender as Jobs and Seth Rogen as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Other confirmed cast members include: Michael Stuhlbarg as former Apple employee Andy Hertzfeld; Katherine Waterston as Chrisann Brennan, Jobs’ longtime partner; and Perla Haney-Jardine as Lisa Brennan-Jobs, Jobs’ first child and daughter of Brennan.
Samsung might snag BlackBerry
Apple competitor Samsung is making a strong play to purchase beleaguered smartphone maker BlackBerry for $7.5 billion. The company, in a hunt for BlackBerry’s extensive patent portfolio, wants to purchase the company for a premium of anywhere from 38 to 60 percent more than its current stock price.
As Brent Dirks highlighted:
It will definitely be interesting to see whether Samsung can pull off the purchase. I suspect along with patents, Samsung sees BlackBerry as its best way to make the push into the enterprise sector, which still has room for growth.
That was one of the main reasons behind Apple’s partnership with IBM, which was first announced in mid-2014.
Analysts, AppAdvice readers discuss the Apple Watch
Things are very quiet on the Apple news front, making it the perfect time for many to discuss the upcoming Apple Watch.
In recent days, a number of analysts have weighed in on Apple’s first wearable device. Most have turned decidedly bearish on the Apple Watch, which is likely to arrive in stores in March.
On Thursday, CNBC said that Abhey Lamba of Mizuho Securities had downgraded Apple’s stock to “neutral” from “buy.” The change reflected Lamba’s opinion that Cupertino’s first wearable device “could be disappointing,” and cause Apple’s stock to drop by 20 percent.
Earlier, the cable network noted that Union Square Ventures partner Fred Wilson said that the Apple Watch “will not be the home run product that iPod, iPhone and iPad have been.” They even suggested that the wearable device could be Apple’s “(Microsoft) Zune moment.”
What do our readers think about the Apple Watch?
First, endoftheQ notes:
Apple’s had plenty of Zune moments already, Pippin and Newton spring to mind. It’ll be interesting to watch (!) given that any wearable tech faces a lot of hurdles, but I doubt anyone will blame Apple for having a go.
Chris Jones explains:
If Apple releases the watch and it does as they touted AND isn’t so buggy that they have to release 2 software updates immediately, then I think it’ll sell. Will it sell in the millions? Maybe not, but it’ll sell. Many of us iOS users are looking for an iOS compatible watch that isn’t Pebble.
Finally, Jurassic says:
Famous dates in “analyst” history:
January 2007 — The iPhone will be a failure. Apple is doomed!
January 2010 — The iPad will be a failure. Apple is doomed!
January 2015 — The Apple Watch will be a failure. Apple is doomed!
Link roundup
Some of the other news making news this week:
- Apple is cracking down on European Union users who abuse the new 14-day app return policy
- More RAM and a much different display could greet ‘iPhone 6s’ buyers
- Apple and other tech companies settle anti-poaching lawsuit for $415 million
- Macmillan, one of the ‘Big Five’ publishers, joins Oyster, the ‘Netflix for books’ service
