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 Apple's prefix has anchored the brand names of generations of
products, from its phone to the iPad. But in announcing "the next
chapter of Apple's story" on Tuesday, Chief Executive Officer Tim
Cook chose to call an apple an apple.
The company that spends hundreds of millions of dollars marketing
and advertising its gizmos does not do things without careful
deliberation. Some branding experts say Apple chose that
foreshortened appellation both to distinguish its first new device
in four years and send a message to the public that it was moving
into new territory.
Others say the absent alphabet may signify the Watch's positioning
for now - as an accessory and companion to the iPhone, which it
requires in order to work, rather than a product that exists on its
own merits.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
"They are looking down the road," said Robert Passikoff, president
of Brand Keys, New York- based brand research consultancy. "The
watch is going to be an adjunct to a lot of other things that will
still have the ‘i’ attached to them. All of this wearable technology
stuff really isn’t stand alone."
It “becomes more of an app attachment than a single product,”
Passikoff said.
But the Watch may carry higher stakes for the company and CEO Cook.
Cook, who has labored for years under the shadow of his legendary
predecessor Steve Jobs, on Tuesday kept the Watch for last,
unveiling the first device to be developed under his tenure with a
hint of emotion in his voice. Before the unveiling, he had stressed
the historic significance of the Flint Center venue - where a young
Jobs unveiled the Macintosh decades ago.
Now, the company that waded into smartphones in 2007 and tablets in
2010 is again venturing into unfamiliar territory, though this time
the inherent demand is less than certain. IT research outfit IDC
experts predict around 42 million smartwatches will be sold in 2015;
Apple sometimes sells that many iPhones in three months.
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The financial impact for the company remains unclear, but analysts
say the success of the Watch will help restore some shine to its
dimming reputation for innovation. In past years, Apple had appeared
stuck in an iPhone product cycle, with a new version typically
launched in the second half and a more complete redesign only every
two years.
That elevates the importance of the timepiece. Marketing chief Phil
Schiller once said in court that Apple's strategy, which spends
hundreds of millions of dollars on ads, is to "make the product the
biggest and clearest thing in advertising."
"It is a new era," said Ellen Leanse, a brand strategist and former
senior Apple executive. "It was a highly confident move that
signals, pardon the pun, watch us."
"It would have been trite to call it the iWatch. It would have been
looking backwards," she added. "This could pave a new path for a
product family" like the Macintosh.
(Writing by Edwin Chan; Editing by Eric Effron and Lisa Shumaker)
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