It’s been 4 months since Tim Cook, grinning like a 10 year old readying to show off his new bicycle, mimicked the legendary ‘one more thing’. Within few minutes, all speculations about Apple’s first wearable device were either confirmed or contradicted. However, one string was left untied by bracketing Apple Watch’s launch date of the as ‘early 2015’.
As expected, we have had varied interpretations of ‘early’ – ranging from Valentine’s day to May end. Old timers were quick to point out Apple’s tradition of stretching estimated timeframes to the maximum. While optimists argue that Tim Cook’s Apple is much more aggressive. Irrespective of the camp you side with, speculations of Indian media is bound of bewilder you.
Led by The Economic Times, many Indian news websites like BGR, Digit and IB Times are reporting a surprising February launch of Apple Watch in India.
To put things in perspective, the popular Apple blog 9to5 Mac is tipping that Apple Watch will reach American wrists sometime in March. So if we go by both these reports, India should get the Apple Watch before the US! Even if the earliest estimates of Valentines Day launch are to be believed, the chances of almost simultaneous launch in India are slimmer than the iPhone 6.
The February estimate is even more surprising when you consider Apple’s launch history in India. India generally makes to the third list of ‘launch countries’ for major products. iPhone 6 had hit Indian shelves on 17th October, while iPad Air 2 was introduced on 29th November – both more than a month after their respective US launches.
Another strong indicator of these reports being wishful thinking is Apple’s website itself. While apple.com says ‘coming early 2015’, Apple India’s website carries a more ambiguous ‘available in 2015’ message. Get the hint people!
The premises of these reports is the growth potential of Apple in India and how Mr. Cook should be seeing the country as its next best man. Agreed. But the best man shouldn’t expect to eat the cake before the groom.
