So, Apple finally unveiled the long-revered Apple Watch – originally dubbed the ‘iWatch’ by the entirety of the tech world – and I must say, that was not at all what I was expecting. Is that necessarily a bad thing, however? I believe the answer to that question is no, and regardless of how you feel about the device itself there’s a big chance Apple will still change the face of the smartwatch market with their latest device.

How Is the Apple Watch Going to Change the Smartwatch Game?

How and why could I propose such a thing you ask? Let’s take a look at not only the current state of the market, but also compare it to the state of the smartphone market back when the iPhone originally launched.

Apple Changed the Smartphone Game With the iPhone

Just take a look back at all the articles I’ve written and you’ll notice right away that I’m not an Apple fanboy at all. In fact, I don’t even particularly like Apple products. Yes, in most cases that means I’m biased but that does not mean I am incapable of providing an objective and honest opinion.

When Apple introduced the original iPhone to consumers back in 2007, they effectively changed the entire game. Without delving too far into the particulars, they essentially convinced everyone to get rid of their shitty mobile devices and jump on the full featured smartphone bandwagon. Sure, there were a few straggler devices here and there that become popular, but Apple pretty much single-handedly boosted the market. There are a lot of underlying reasons for this which we won’t get into here.

The real point – and main focus of this piece – is that the market was definitely fragmented until Apple seemingly united everyone under one banner. Shit, there are still people today who swear by Apple products and current generation iPhones just because of the brand name.

Apple did what every other manufacturer in the space couldn’t. They made everyone excited about owning a smartphone. Even those who didn’t want an ‘iPhone’ became more interested in smartphones as a whole. It also helped boost innovation in the space, which resulted in the creation of many of the devices we have today. Did Apple create the very first and only smartphone, no way. However, they did the most important thing and that was get new customers onboard.

Fast Forward to 2014, the Supposed ‘Year of the Smartwatch’

You’ll notice that the current state of the smartwatch market is a hell of a lot like the original smartphone market back in 2007. The biggest difference is that smartwatches are already pretty popular – if not entirely desirable at the moment. It’s pretty obvious that everyone has their eye on the market, as we are all waiting for the one device that will revolutionize the industry.

Sadly, such a device has yet to arrive. To be perfectly honest though, the device may already be here – or it may be on the way in the near future. The goal is not just to get everyone excited about a smartwatch, it’s to get everyone using one. If anyone can introduce a smartwatch accepted by the masses, it’s Apple. They do pretty much brainwash their customers anyway – relax, it was a jest.

Just take a look at all the hype and sheer anticipation leading up to the unveiling of the Apple Watch. There were so many hundreds of concept images floating around, thousands of rumors being leaked, and of course an endless supply of speculations from every expert the world over. The Apple Watch was popular before anyone even knew it truly existed, and that’s saying something.

What is the Apple Watch?

Now that we’ve seen the device for ourselves, it’s easy to write it off with a simple “well, that’s a bit disappointing.” Admittedly, I feel the same way because I really thought Apple was going to come out of the gate swinging. That said, it’s not how things worked out for the original iPhone. In fact, most people were against owning a smartphone that was always connected to the internet and social media when it was first introduced. Who the hell would want to spend so much on a phone? A phone for christ’s sake? And why do you need so many features? Now look at us all, plugging away endlessly at our phones. It’s possible the same exact scenario is playing out in the smartwatch market.

The Apple Watch includes a very distinct style that fits in their device lineup. It may not be quite the game-changer we all expected – mostly thanks to those ridiculous concept designs – it’s a solid device nonetheless.

It features a Retina touchscreen display with Force Touch technology and a sapphire glass cover. It has integrated taptic feedback support, an accelerometer, heart-rate sensor, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and more. It’s also available in three unique styles – each with two sizes to choose from (38mm and 42mm).

The real game-changers come thanks to the digital crown navigation/home button, and the software. The Digital Crown, is a small rotating knob on the side of the watch modeled after traditional wrist-watch crowns that allow you to change the time. The crown will allow users to scroll down through menus, zoom in on photos, change settings, access Siri, all without obstructing the display, plus it also acts as a home button.

Of course, all the other features we’ve come to expect are there too. There’s voice controls thanks to Siri, fitness tracking support, notifications and alerts, remote messaging options and much more.

The watch is not going to launch until “early 2015” sometime, and has a price point of $349 currently – which you’ll notice is significantly higher than other devices on the market. The premium price will, of course, be for an improved user experience as with all Apple devices.

That’s exactly why they might succeed where others have come up short. Apple is the king of polish – unless you count that maps fiasco, but we’ll not discuss such things here. Sure, every brand and company has skeletons in their closet and they’ve all made mistakes. Apple is notorious for influencing new markets, and it seems that’s exactly what they’re poised to do here.

Market analysts are already doing what they do best – chiming in with predictions on how well the Apple Watch will sell. If their forecasts are accurate, the Apple Watch is going to be a success.

Don’t Underestimate the Apple Brand, or the Apple Watch

Photograph by David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

There is another pretty significant reason the Apple Watch might change the game. Android may be first in terms of market share, but Apple still has a pretty huge chunk of the market. The company recently ranked as the top smartphone manufacturer with 42.4% OEM market share according to industry analyst comScore’s MobiLens and Mobile Metrix studies.

Since the Apple Watch is one of few smartwatches compatible with Apple’s handsets that means current customers are going to be very interested in it – at least those who are in the market for a smartwatch will anyway. There’s a chance that everyone will collectively decide it’s not worth their hard-earned money, but at this point that’s pretty unlikely.

If you’re an iPhone user and you want a smartwatch, your options have been pretty slim until now. In 2015, when the Apple Watch launches and there are still few options as far as what’s compatible with your device, you’re probably going to go with Apple’s baby first. It makes a lot of sense, even if it is nothing but an assumption at this point.