HALF MOON BAY, Calif. -- The Apple Watch hasn't even launched yet, but it's going to be "huge" when it does, predicted an Apple marketing executive.
Greg Joswiak, vice president of iPhone, iPod and iOS product marketing, said on Tuesday that Apple set out to offer consumers plenty of choices with its first wearable -- including offering a couple of different sizes and multiple different bands. And people may ask Apple who the watch is for, but other devices have faced similar questions early on, he said.
"People asked us the same thing about iPhone," Joswiak said. "I think [Apple Watch is] going to be something that's one of these really huge devices."
Apple has had a very busy couple of months. The company in September launched its bigger-screeniPhone 6 and 6 Plus smartphones and showed off its first wearable, the Apple Watch. Apple also unveiled new iPads -- the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 -- and refreshed Macs during a more low-key event in mid-October, as well as launching its Apple Pay mobile payments system that same month. The products are key for Apple's continued growth in the mobile market.
Apple generates about two-thirds of its sales from the iPhone and iPad, but the markets for those gadgets are becoming saturated, with rivals including Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Samsung battling for customers and the billions they spend on mobile devices. Apple's newest iPhones, however, have attracted a record number of buyers since their launch last month. The iPhone 6 has the potential to be the biggest product launch in Apple's 38-year history.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said during Apple's earnings call on October 20 that demand for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus "is far outstripping supply" and that things could stay that way through the end of the calendar year. The iPad hasn't done as well. Apple's newest tablets hit the market that same week, but analysts say the incremental changes likely aren't enough to attract buyers in droves.
Cook also appeared onstage at a Wall Street Journal conference on Monday. He said the new Apple Watch is a "profound" gadget that people will want to use so much they'll end up running down the battery every day and need to recharge it overnight. But even with the Apple Watch in the wings, Cook said that the iPhone, which delivers more than half of revenue and the majority of Apple's profit, will continue to be the company's biggest moneymaker for the foreseeable future. (Apple earlier this month announced it won't break out watch sales when the device is released.)
The Apple Watch marks Apple's first new product category since the iPad in 2010. It's also the first new push by the company under Cook's tenure. Cook had promised for over a year that Apple in 2014 would introduce "amazing" new products and enter "exciting new product categories" beyond its wildly successful smartphones, tablets and computers. The Apple Watch, which will hit the market next year, is Apple's move to fulfill that vow.
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