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Apple insists its Watch is necessary

Technically Incorrect: The Apple Watch is simple, utilitarian, necessary and cool. That's Apple's latest pitch in new ads.

Chris Matyszczyk
3 min read

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.


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Singing for his supper? No, singing for his lover. Apple/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET

Apple has a lot of explaining to do.

One of its newest products, the Apple Watch, is a cause without much rebellion. Yes, it's from Apple, but do you really need a smartwatch?

Apple has maintained from the beginning that the Watch is useful. It does things your phone does, without you needing to take your phone out from a pocket or purse. That's useful, isn't it?

Is it so useful that you need to buy one? That's something the Cupertino, California, company tries to address in new ads, six of them, released this week.

The ads are short and to the point. Because that's how you're supposed to experience the Watch -- if you can squint quickly to see the screen, that is.

In one, a woman uses the Watch to ask Apple's Siri voice assistant for directions to Piazza Navona. She's on a scooter, so it would be much harder to pull her phone out. Instead, just a turn of the wrist and a voice command and she's on her way. We hope she is, anyway. How many times will she have to look at her wrist in order to make sure she's on the right road? We won't know that in 15 seconds.

In another, a handsome young lad sings. We think he's singing to his love. In fact, he's singing to his love and texting her his rendition via the Watch. He could have called her but that would have been far too personal. Seeing her and singing to her would presumably have been impossible.

One more emphasizes that with an obtrusive Watch on your wrist, you'll never miss a message. To make this feel positive, we see a happy couple's date being interrupted by a message showing their baby is asleep. All is well, mom and dad, keep on dancing, drinking and whatever else it is you're doing.

Another ad shows the joy of having a watch to track your exercise while you sweat and wish that your wrist didn't feel so sweaty.

Then there's the ad with a boxer trying to check his heart rate while he boxes absolutely no one at all. Yes, it's Floyd Mayweather. (No, actually, it isn't. But it should be.)

Finally, there's a busy mom showing how you can use Apple Pay on the Watch while holding a baby.

It's all very simple. It's very Apple and very utilitarian.

Apple's ultimate message: We're going keep on pumping these things out until you realize the Apple Watch can save you a second or two. That's why you should buy it.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Perhaps we'll all look back in a few years and realize just how essential the Apple Watch always was. It's just that we were too dunderheaded to see it.

I'm sad, though, that Apple didn't make an ad to counterbalance the idea that you do look very silly when you answer a call on your watch.