Does the Apple Watch Make Sense For the Indian Market?
Yesterday at the massive event held at Cupertino California, Apple announced its long-awaited smartwatch, the Apple Watch. And we have to admit, this revolutionary device looked stunning. Square face with detachable straps, Apple Watch has an easy to understand interface for working with standard applications. It’s user-friendly, equipped with the new ‘Apple Pay’ remote payment system, and, obviously, comes with amazing watchfaces. With three choices to choose from, Apple Watch, Sport, and Edition, there ought to be something for everybody.
Well, everybody here might refer to be restricted to people from developed country. How much is Apple’s newest technology feasible for a country like ours, where tech such as NFC and Apple Pay wouldn’t be of much use?
Clearly, Apple has put lot of brains and research in the Watch. However, the starting range US$349 (INR 22,000 approx), Apple’s Watch seem quite expensive in Indian market which is ruled by value for money budget devices. The Indian handset market is ruled by Android-powered smartphones. It seems to be a major setback that the Apple Watch requires an iPhone to operate. Which makes its real price much, much higher.
Second major setback, India doesn’t have kind of technology to fully experience the power of Apple Pay, which will be one of the selling points of this device other countries. In India, over the past year, there have been several NFC trials for ticketing in Delhi Metro, in Delhi buses and a movie halls in Mumbai, which failed.
Apple has also tied up with several app developers to create useful apps for their watch. One of the important features which was welcomed yesterday, with a round of applause from the audience, was the ability to open hotel room doors by simply tapping the Apple Watch to the door. This feature was brought out with collaboration with Starwood Hotels, a popular chain in the US. They’ve even teamed up with American Airlines, to automatically show you your flight information and a copy of your boarding pass on your watch. With such apps, Apple Watch eliminated the need to carry around magnetic plastic cards provided by hotels and the need to safe-keep your boarding pass. However, it will take a long time before Indigo Airlines or Taj Hotels invest to work on such technology.
We wouldn’t say that this wearable would fail in our country. It still has several interesting features which would make life simpler, no matter where you’re located on the globe. Apple’s ecosystem is undeniably very strong. The way it lures consumers into the endless arena of iPods, iPhones, Macs, App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple TV is enviable.
[poll id=”20″]
