It’s time for the Apple Watch to become Apple’s next big thing

The iPhone is Apple's most important product. Don't get distracted by all the people who want a car, wondering what the future holds, or wishing Apple would build a TV already. The iPhone still accounts for most of Apple's revenue, and users who pay for iCloud and Apple TV Plus account for even more. For the past 10 years, Apple has been The iPhone Company.

Apple will hold its annual fall product showcase on Wednesday, but the iPhone may not be the center of attention. The new iPhones are expected to be the latest in a line of slightly better phones. Most of the whiz-bang innovations of the iPhone may have already happened.

The most important device category Apple will discuss this week is the Apple Watch, so keep an eye on Apple's smaller screen. Apple appears to be preparing to announce as many as three new watches, including an Apple Watch Pro that is bigger, more powerful, and more useful than any previous watch version. The case could be made for the Watch as the next great Apple device.

After seven years, Apple has turned the watch into an accessory. Apple needs to make the watch a reality. Good luck waiting for that car to finally ship because we are not all getting Apple headsets right now. The watch gives Apple a chance to have the next big thing that is already here because people keep their phones longer and stay entrenched in their ecosystems. The wrist-Computer era may be just beginning.

The original plans for the Apple Watch were too large. It was imagined as a more human version of your phone. Since it is on your wrist, you don't have to take it out of your pocket a lot. It has a device that can sense how you are doing at any given time. Most simple tasks can be accomplished with the use of a voice assistant. You would have a device that could be a digital partner that could help make your life better, not a big screen that tries to suck the life out of you.

The watch has evolved into a fitness and health device. Most of the other watches have turned into that as well. The stories you hear about life-saving fall detection or heart rate notifications are real, and the Fitness Plus platform has turned into one of the best beginner workouts on the market.

Apple is still leaning into what it does best. According to reports, the new watches will have body temperature sensors, and Apple is rumored to be working on diabetes monitoring. The watch pro is going to be a powerful multi-sport fitness device, taking on the likes of garmin and polar with a more rugged body and a more advanced build. The new software that will power these new watches, health and fitness continues to be the driving force behind the devices. Apple is adding more sleep tracking, improved medication and heart rate tracking. The watch is still a fitness accessory.

Image: Apple

There will be an Apple Watch with a bigger screen and possibly better battery life. Maybe even satellite connection. It could make the Watch a better fitness device and open up some things Apple hasn't been able to do before. The small battery and small screen made it hard to type or use the screen too much. Some of the problems could be solved by expanding the battery and display. One button can make a big difference in what a device can do, and the watch pro is rumored to have one more button.

The Apple watch won't be a good way to watch TikTok or House of the Dragon. It doesn't have to be To live up to its promise, the Apple Watch needs to be a better tool for managing technology interactions. When you want to watch something, play a game, take pictures, read the news, instead of using your phone as a jack-of-all-trades device, it's your phone. The best way to turn on your lights is not to open an app, fish your phone out of your pocket, or turn it on without your knowledge. The Watch should be the answer for most of the things like that that exist in the life of an Apple user.

It is difficult to solve these problems on a small screen, and Apple has been working on it for some time. Apple says watchOS 9 redesigns notifications to be less interruptive. Reminders and Calendar are things you need to check frequently, but rarely need a full screen of information from. The combination of Watch and AirPods would be potent.

Some parents are buying their kids cellular-connected watches so they can track and connect with their kids without worrying about screen time and internet addiction. Apple added more parental controls and family sharing features to the watch. Apple hoped the watch would give everyone a functional relationship with technology.

One of the most powerful versions of the watch is not tethered to the phone. It will still feel like a phone accessory until you can set it up, download and organize all your apps, and use the watch on its own. Even though Apple has made a couple of moves in that direction, a fully self-sufficient smartwatch might still be too complicated and power-hungry to pull off. Apple doesn't have a reason to make that happen because it wants you to buy an iPhone. It's a good middle ground to have an Apple device for occasional setup and maintenance, but not the watch.

The watch has been held back by the fact that it isn't very good It works well for setting timers and executing basic tasks, but still makes dumb mistakes. About a hundred times a day, I shout "Hey Siri, remind me to" at my phone, but it only works for half the time. I have given up trying to get it to play the song I am thinking of or use it to replace internet searches. All the little things can be made easier to access with a fully featured watch. Voice commands will not be used.

There is a good chance that someone else will make a device that is more than a fitness tracker. The Pixel watch is expected to come in the next few weeks. The improvement of the GALAXY WATCH continues. There are real and powerful competitors in the space, even though Apple dominates.

When the new Watch models are announced, they will most likely continue to talk about them as health and fitness devices. The pitch is working. There are signs that Apple is starting to figure out what to do with a wrist computer that knows who you are and how you are doing. Maybe Apple is just building a great fitness tracker and there won't be any. As screens get bigger and batteries last longer, Apple may be ready to build a less intrusive, more functional computing tool.