Apple Watch, the new smartwatch set to be unveiled by Apple on Monday, could be the thing that makes the Cupertino, California, -based company worth $1 trillion, writes Guardian technology writer Charles Arthur.
Arthur doesn't buy into the criticism that Apple Watch will be a failure. He points out in a Sunday column http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/08/apple-watch-crunch-time-1-trillion-dollar-company that Apple has often defied the critics, as with the iPod and iPad.
"Apple needs a new product to reduce its reliance on one core product, the iPhone," said CNN technology editor David Goldman, in February. "It won’t find that with the Apple Watch."
Apple Watch works in conjunction with an iPhone in that the apps used are accessed through the wristwatch without the user having to pull out the phone itself. Apps on fitness, messaging and mobile payments will be among the features.
In addition to the touchscreen, a small dial on the side can take users through the watch's features. Its "taptic engine" will alert users to messages with a gentle vibration.
The lowest-priced version of Apple Watch will be $349, the lowest price-point of any newly released Apple product. But critics say that the most expensive versions made with gold start at $5,000, going against Apple's claims to be affordable luxury.
The watch will be available with 11 different faces and in two sizes, 38 mm and 42 mm.
And while tech critics may not be sold on the watch, Wall Street is.
FBR Capital Markets Analyst Daniel Ives said Apple Watch could be a "major game changer."
James McQuivey of Forrester Research says 20 million people in the United Stats alone are likely to buy a new Apple product.
"We stand by our initial assessment that 10 million units sold by year-end is likely," he said of Apple Watch.
Even the lowest estimates would far outpace the current smartwatches on the market. Pebble, the largest maker to date, has shipped 1 million units in the past two years.
Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty said Apple shares could be worth $160 a year from now. They were worth $126 a share on Friday.
That would put the company's value at $934 billion, wrote Arthur, approaching his $1 trillion prediction.
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