The Apple Watch first began to ship on April 24, 2015. It was launched with lots of fanfare, and its arrival had been predicted for months before the initial demonstration. At first the rumors referred to it as the iWatch, but as Apple moves away from new products with an “i” prefix, the name Apple Watch was inevitable.
As was the case with the iPod, iPhone and iPad, the Apple Watch was far from the first of its kind to market. As usual, however, Apple offered a superior solution, and, within short order, began to dominate a nascent market. Getting a buzz as a piece of jewelry, rather than just another fancy tech toy, put Apple in a different category from the likes of Pebble, Samsung, and all Google Wear gear.
Pebble, at least, managed to carve out a place in the market for itself as a cheaper alternative, but with reports that the company is laying off 25% of its staff due to tight money concerns, its future is less certain. Sure, successful companies have their ups and downs, and perhaps this too shall pass. But it may also be that, regardless of price, the Apple Watch has sucked the air out of the market for most competitors.