First, let’s look at the market for quality timepieces; ones that you’d be proud to wear on your wrist. It’s dominated by companies with centuries of experience. It’s also a high-end market: spending a few thousand dollars on a nice watch is chump change. You’re buying a work of art.

Apple certainly has great designers, but they’re going to be competing against craftsmen who’ve been refining their craft since the 15th century.

Craig Hockenberry makes an interesting case for a wearable device by Apple that isn’t a watch.

We discussed the importance of the fashion aspect for wearables on The Prompt, and I believe that it’s often overlooked by the tech press. I don’t know if Apple’s focus will be on health and fitness tracking or using the wearable’s sensors for notifications and inter-device communication (maybe all of them?), but I think it’s obvious that it has to look good – and be “incredible”, as Cook said – to be considered by young customers.