Last month, Apple did something that they’ve never done before,
they released two brand new Apple Watch models, the Series 6 and the budget-oriented SE model.
This review is gonna be focused on the Apple Watch SE,
and my experience and thoughts on it after having it here in the office for 2 weeks.
But instead of this being the same old review you see on every other channel,
I wanna mix things up and take a unique look at the Apple Watch SE from Apple’s perspective,
in terms of marketing and why they decided to release this model alongside the Series 6.
If you’re in Apple’s shoes, your ultimate goal is to sell as many Apple Watches as possible,
and the best way to do that is to try to make it a trend that catches on.
That’s why the overall design of the Apple Watch really hasn’t changed in over 6 years,
ever since Tim Cook said.. one more thing… and introduced the very first Apple Watch
at their September event in 2014.
Apple’s ultimate goal was to make the Apple Watch a symbol of their brand, just like they did with
the original AirPods which basically went viral, and that’s why the design hasn’t really changed.
And Apple succeeded, with the Apple Watch being not only the best-selling
smartwatch in the world.. But also the best-selling watch.. Period.. In the world.
You basically see people wearing Apple Watches
EVERYWHERE.. And while that’s great for Apple.. It does create a problem.
When most people buy an Apple Watch, they keep it for years. Most likely at least 3,
or 4, or maybe even 5 years. We made a few Apple Watch videos last week and I was surprised by the
amount of people who said they still have their original Apple Watch, or even the Series 2.
So the problem this creates for Apple is market saturation..
This basically means that no matter how good your brand new Apple Watch is..
If everyone already has one.. There’s no one left to sell it to.
Sales will ultimately go down unless you can figure out a way to either get people to
upgrade to a new one.. Or find a completely new market of people who will buy one.
And I’m here to tell you that Apple has figured it out.. But before I tell you how..
Let’s get into the second major issue for Apple.. And that’s feature saturation.
When Apple released their Series 5 watch last year, they immediately discontinued the Series 4.
They did that because it was almost the same exact watch. In fact, there were only 3 changes.
The Always-on display, 32GB of storage instead of 16.. And the compass feature.. That’s it.
And then last month.. They revealed the Series 6,
while immediately discontinuing the Series 5 for the exact same reason.
There are only 6 changes.. The new blue and red finishes..
The always-on altimeter.. The blood oxygen sensor.. The brighter always-on display
while in direct sunlight.. The faster processor.. And the Ultra wideband chip..
Now while there are more changes than before.. A lot of those things don’t really matter to someone
who already has the Series 5. That’s why my brother Max is returning the Apple Watch Series 6.
That’s also why I’m not buying my wife an Apple Watch Series 6. She has the Series 4
and she says she’s completely happy with it.. And it does everything she wants it to do.
That’s called Feature Saturation, when the Apple Watch is so feature-rich already that it’s very
hard to think of groundbreaking new features that’ll make people want the latest model.
So from Apple’s point of view.. This is a problem, especially if they want to continue
selling Apple Watches for the next 5 to 10 years.. Which their investors are counting on.
So I’m here to tell you that Apple has figured it out..
And it all starts with the name.. The Apple Watch SE.
Back in April of this year, Apple released the new iPhone SE,
and they had 3 main goals for that device.. At least in my opinion.
Goal #1 was to make it affordable for other countries like China and India,
where the bulk of the smartphone market shares goes to lower-priced phones.. And
at $399 for an iPhone with the latest chip.. It’s definitely a great value.
Goal #2 was to get people who are still using older iPhones like the iPhone 5,
the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 7.. To upgrade.
$399 for a brand new iPhone with the latest chip, a brand new battery and a familiar design
is definitely enough to get non-techie users to upgrade..
And it even attracted a bunch of Android users as well.. Which brings us into goal #3.
Make an affordable smartphone that’s a great choice for parents to buy for their kids,
mainly young teenagers. Previously, you’d have to spend at least $700 to get an iPhone,
so a lot of parents would buy a more affordable Android phone instead,
regardless of how badly their kid wanted an iPhone.
But now, $399 is a reasonable price for an iPhone.
But here’s the secret that most people don’t think about.
If you’re a teen and the first phone you own is an iPhone.. You’re much more likely to upgrade to
another iPhone in the future, since you’ve now become comfortable with the operating system.
And there you go.. You have another lifetime Apple customer that’s more likely to buy other Apple
devices and pay for Apple services.. And that finally brings us to the Apple Watch SE.
It’s basically got almost all of the same features as the Series 6.. But it’s only $279,
so THIS is what can FINALLY get those people who still own an older Apple Watch to upgrade.
But that’s not even the biggest deal. Out of all of the new features Apple released
this year for the Apple Watch.. The absolute most important feature is the new Family Setup feature.
Now, you can set up an Apple Watch for someone who doesn’t have an iPhone.
This means someone with an Android phone can now use an Apple Watch.
An elderly person with health issues can now use an Apple Watch without an
iPhone.. And most importantly.. A child can now have an Apple Watch without an iPhone.
Now if you think that’s crazy.. It actually makes sense compared to buying a phone for your child.
Compared to even the cheapest iPhone, the iPhone SE for $399.. You can get the Apple Watch SE
with LTE for $329 which is the model you want for Family Setup.
On top of that, Cellular service for wearables is significantly cheaper
than getting another smartphone life.
For example, T-Mobile charges $28 per line
for the absolute cheapest plan, and that’s if you have a total of 4 lines.
But to add a wearables device.. It’s literally only $10 a month per device,
so you’re saving money on every front by going with the Apple Watch instead of an iPhone.
So for a child ranging from ages 8 to around 13 to 15, an Apple Watch makes sense because
you don’t have to worry about them dropping and cracking their iPhone, or even worse losing it.
It’s always on their wrist so you can track their location at any time,
you can text them or call them no matter where they are, and you don’t have to worry about
them browsing the web on sites they shouldn’t be looking at.. Or maybe even worse.. Using TikTok.
You can manage who they’re able to communicate with.. And you can even send cash directly to
their Apple Watch which they can spend at any place that supports Apple Pay.
It’s basically the perfect solution for keeping in touch with children that
aren’t quite old enough or responsible enough to have their own smartphone.
And I personally think buying Apple Watches for kids
is gonna become a trend within one to two years.
If you think about it.. When everything goes back to normal and kids start going back to class.
Every single kid in the classroom will notice the Apple Watch on that one kids wrist.
And that kid is gonna show off his new Memoji watch face that looks exactly like him..
And just like what happened with the AirPods..
Every single kid in that classroom is gonna want an Apple Watch.
And there is one thing I know for sure..
that child Apple Watch user is almost guaranteed to become an Apple Watch user in the future,
which means they’re also likely to become an iPhone user as well.
So to wrap all of this up.. If you’re in Apple’s shoes and the Apple Watch has just about reached
peak levels of market saturation and feature saturation.. What do you do?
You spark a new trend of Apple Watches for kids and you secure the future generation of users
who will eventually be much more likely to buy Apple products and services when they grow up..
And THAT is Apple’s Master Plan for the Apple Watch SE.
And here’s a little bit of proof that Apple is quite literally planning this..
Why do you think they released the Solo Loop bands that you simply stretch onto your wrist?
Because it’s meant to be easier for KIDS, as well as the elderly.
Oh, and by the way, I forgot to share my experience with the SE. It’s basically been great,
and if you don’t care about the Always-on display or the added health features… Just buy the SE,
especially if you want to get an LTE model since you’ll save $170 compared to the Series 6.
And there you guys have it. Hopefully you enjoyed my marketing-focused review of the Apple Watch SE,
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