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Back in 2007, Apple filed a patent application. The description stated that it was a bracelet with a flexible display that shows information from a phone or another electronic device. However, the first Apple Watch appeared at a presentation only in 2014 and went on sale in April 2015. In the very first quarter after the release of the smartwatch, 4.3 million units were sold. In just 7 months, Apple smartwatches captured 19% of the market.

At the time Apple Watch was released, the market already offered many smartwatches and fitness trackers. By 2015, many companies had tried various versions of their wrist devices. At the beginning of that year, the top five leaders included watches from Fitbit, followed by Xiaomi, Garmin, Samsung, and Jawbone.

However, the release of Apple Watch managed to radically change the market in just five years. The leaders changed, and some even left the market altogether, such as Jawbone.

Functionality and Appeal

Of course, a well-executed marketing campaign played its role, but Apple Watch smartwatches stand out for their ease of use and functionality, namely:

• easy strap replacement;

• fast response to gestures;

• smooth animations;

• Taptic Engine instead of the vibration motor used by other manufacturers;

• high-quality display with clear and realistic image reproduction;

In addition, the watch features numerous applications and sensors for health tracking, the list of which expands with each new generation.

From the First Model to Infinity

The first generation of Apple Watch ran on a single-core S1 processor and WatchOS 1.0. The watch was completely discontinued in 2016.

The second-generation model was released in 2016 and was produced until September 2018. It already ran on a dual-core chipset. In 2016, an update to Series 1 of the second-generation watches was released, and they left the market even earlier than Series 1.

The third generation was released in 2017. It was already equipped with the S3 chipset and LTE wireless technology. It was produced until 2022.

The 4th generation (2018) introduced the ECG function, and the watch ran on the fourth version of the processor. Production was discontinued in 2019.

The 5th generation (2019) was produced until 2020. In 2020, two variations were released. The first were labeled “SE” and essentially represented the 5th generation but with simplified features and a lower price. They were discontinued in 2022. The second was the 6th generation, which, in addition to other updates, introduced blood oxygen level measurement. It has not been produced since 2021.

In 2021, the 7th generation was released; in 2022, three variants appeared, including the 8th generation smartwatch with a car crash detection feature. In 2023, the 9th generation was introduced.

What watches will be like in the future is still unclear. However, most likely Apple will focus not on design, but on functionality.