Marc Newson has ultra-high hopes for the Apple Watch
Marc Newson (pictured above), the famed designer and friend of Jony Ive, has shared his thoughts on the Apple Watch in an interview with the Financial Review. Newson sees the smart watch, ultimately, as being a hugely revolutionary device, and expects the Apple Watch to be as successful as the iPhone in five years.
The interview (which reached us from The Loop) can be accessed now, though it is paywall-blocked. Describing the Apple Watch as being "the beginning of something" and criticizing members of the public who want "immediate, instant recognition, instant understanding," Newson rightly argued that many future Apple Watch customers just don’t understand the device yet (something I recently suggested in relation to the smart watch’s fitness functionality).
He said:
Look at the iPhone: it was a game-changing thing. And I believe that this product – for many, many reasons people are not aware of because they haven’t thought ahead or they just don’t know – will become a similarly game-changing thing. In five years time I have absolutely no doubt this will be right up there.
I’m not sure if I share Newson’s optimism, but I certainly feel the device will gain prominence among consumers in the years to come. As a new product category for Apple, customers are unsure of how the Apple Watch can fit into their lives, and of the functions it serves. The "regular" people I speak to about the device often have no real understanding of what the Apple Watch does.
Mark Newson, however, seems desperate to spread the message. Concerning his Apple Watch usage, Newson described himself as being "addicted" to the wearable, noticed that the device "liberated" him from his smartphone, and he celebrated the Apple Watch’s health and fitness features.
He added:
I exercise, probably not enough, but I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I am more conscious of my physical wellbeing because of this than I was six months ago.
Me, I’d argue that I’m not addicted to my Watch, since I feel the product removes the desire to check something, whether that something is your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, regularly for missed messages or email. If an important notification comes in, I know I’ll get a tap at the wrist. This, for me, is the Apple Watch’s greatest feature; like Newson, I’m no longer a compulsive iPhone-checker.
Dave Mark, in his post at The Loop, commented that "there’s so much richness" to the Apple Watch, "it’s easy to forget that it is still first-generation hardware," and he’s exactly right. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for Cupertino’s smart watch, and how the device continues to shape our lives.