The Apple Watch’s Worst Enemy is the iPhone

With Apple finally unveiling its long-awaited Watch, tech industry analysts are starting to anticipate an unexpected hindrance to its potential success: the company’s own flagship device, the iPhone.

Computing wearables are being touted as “the next big thing,” and the Watch represents Apple’s first major move to capture a large share of what is predicted to become a burgeoning market. But as the Internet of Things and wearables continue to evolve into a major factor in the tech industry landscape, there are those who believe that the iPhone could turn out to be a stumbling block to the Watch’s success.

In essence, the problem is this: Apple needs to find a way to convince consumers that they need an iPhone and an Apple Watch. The iPhone’s popularity is not expected to diminish anytime soon, but with the Watch being so fundamentally important to the company’s long-term strategic plans, it needs to find a way to position both products in what is fast becoming a saturated marketplace. With the iPhone already offering many of the Watch’s core functions, particularly the Apple Pay service system, industry analysts question whether or not Apple will manage to sell its Watch to the millions of people who already own a shiny new Apple smartphone.

If you’re an Apple Watch app developer, you’ll want to pay close attention to how this issue unfolds in the months ahead. Should high-quality, unique Watch apps emerge, Apple may face some serious questions about both products going forward.

An additional issue facing app developers in Atlanta and across the country is that the iPhone still brings in more than 50 percent of Apple’s revenues and an even larger portion of its profits. Software developers are unlikely to move away from such a successful product, even if the Watch does go on to propel Apple into a lofty place in the wearables market.