As if being permanently attached to a cellphone is not enough, wearables have become more and more common too. The connectivity people now heavily rely on is fully intertwined with modern existence and one of the big pioneers of wearables is Apple.
The company broke the mold with the introduction of its Apple Watch a decade ago, but branched out — slowly but steadily — into further wearables. They have become items that people attached to the brand clamor for, like AirPods and Apple Vision Pro.
What wearables bring to the table
A big part of the appeal of wearables? Their convenience and accessibility. For example, notifications received on a smartwatch take just a glance to absorb, instead of digging out and unlocking a phone — especially when doing other tasks like sitting in a meeting, driving, or in the middle of a workout.
App notifications are big and come from everything. It could be a health app reminding you to meet your steps goal for the day, or a push notification from an online gambling platform you were waiting for, like a BetMGM casino bonus code that’s just dropped, or maybe the latest score updates for your favorite sports team.
Having the latest information right to hand all the time just provides a higher level of enhanced communication. Wearables are designed to integrate seamlessly with each other too — like AirPods to the iPhone — which in turn is linked to the AppleWatch. Its completely switched-on connectivity is worth around $37 million per year to the company.
What wearables does Apple have?
The main wearable Apple has and most people are familiar with is the Apple Watch. It was introduced back in 2015 — which feels like generations ago. For that very first launch, the company ramped up the excitement of owning one as well because they weren’t available in their stores. The first one, incidentally, was sold in Paris, France.
Fast forward a decade: Apple is on the Series 10 watch, the latest incarnation of the wearable that does everything from answering calls, controlling playlists, and sending text messages, to health tracking, contactless payments, and providing safety features. They have become not only an essential piece of everyday life but also style icons.
AirPods
The next big wearable hit from Apple was the Airpods. It’s not like earphones were anything new in 2016 — when they launched the first edition — but AirPods changed the game in terms of style and connectivity. They became one of the first truly wireless earphone setups and because of portable recharging capabilities, long listening time, and evolved Bluetooth connectivity, they stepped into new territory.
Another thing that Apple always does so well is the aesthetics. As well as providing things like access to Siri, phone calls, and music, AirPods look cool and give people their personal space while working out, shopping, or commuting.
Apple AirTags
A newer innovation from the tech company has been AirTags, which have become lifestyle essentials for many people with concerns about the safety of their belongings. No bigger than a coin, the devices can be attached to personal items to help you track where exactly they are.
Used for things like backpacks, house keys, and wallets, the location of the tag can be pinged from the iPhone so you can immediately locate where the item is through the Find My app on the phone. When attached to something like a bike, for example, and that bike is moved without the owner’s knowledge, they will get alerted on their phone by the tag.
Apple Vision Pro
The limited wearable made a huge splash when it was launched last year. The Apple Vision Pro headset is something only worn for a shorter period, so not essentially a wearable, but for many it’s become an essential part of their interactive world.
The virtual reality headset provides immersive experiences in areas like entertainment, gaming, and more. It also enables collaboration in the virtual world with other users. Embedded augmented reality allows a user to interact with the world around them, like searching for information about something in their vision or following a head-up-display navigation tool.
Are they essential?
Are Apple’s wearables essential? In the sense that people lived and coped without them before — and could do so again — then no, they are not. But at the same time, they have evolved beyond just being fancy bits of technology on the periphery. The sales of iPhones account for more than 50% of Apple’s annual revenue, with four new ones released every year.
Having the phone as a central hub for further add-ons has led to the longevity of wearables. They have become much more than a fad, and are everyday essentials that people rely on. Combined they make an essential, modern ecosystem that keeps users plugged in.
Convenience and the easy pairing of devices, coupled with the famed Apple branding, just drive up the essential desire to have these extra devices to keep health management on track and get those all-important, can’t-miss notifications.
