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Marc Newson believes the Apple Watch will be an iPhone-level game-changer within 5 years

Marc Newson, a close friend to Jony Ive and famed designer himself, spoke recently to the Australian Financial Review about the reaction to the Apple Watch so far.

“As far as I’m aware, it’s been enormously successful however you gauge it. The point is, it’s the beginning of something. I think people, consumers or analysts, whoever, are so impatient. Everyone wants immediate, instant recognition, instant understanding,” he said.

Apple hasn’t disclosed Apple Watch sales to date, Tim Cook citing competitive reasons, but analysts ball parked numbers around 3.95 million last quarter. Newson suggests Apple Watch will reach iPhone levels within five years. (Apple sold 48 million iPhones last quarter.)

“Look at the iPhone: it was a game-changing thing. And I believe that this product – for many, many reasons people are not aware of because they haven’t thought ahead or they just don’t know – will become a similarly game-changing thing. In five years’ time I have absolutely no doubt this will be right up there.”

Newson, who officially joined Apple over a year ago, has previously spoken about the Apple Watch and its role in the fashion space as well. When asked about his own experience with Apple Watch, Newson described checking alerts on it rather than his iPhone as liberating and cited the fitness aspect as especially positive.

“I exercise, probably not enough, but I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I am more conscious of my physical wellbeing because of this than I was six months ago.”

You can find a lengthier profile of Newson with much of the same piece included at the Australian Financial Review.

Via The Loop / Top image via Daily Mail

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Comments

  1. chrisl84 - 8 years ago

    “Marc Newson, a close friend to Jony Ive…” Yeah his opinion is unbiased. Might as well ask Ive himself if the Apple Watch will be successful, wont be any sugar coating at all.

    • Jonny - 8 years ago

      It’s about as predictable as negative reactions in internet comment sections……..

      • chrisl84 - 8 years ago

        Don’t want blowback, dont ask a brand ass kisser for his opinion on a product and portray it to be an honest prediction.

    • rogifan - 8 years ago

      Right because we should only ask people who are skeptical on the category or Watch specifically. God forbid an Apple employee involved in the product give their opinion when asked in an interview.

      • chrisl84 - 8 years ago

        Ask him all you want, to suggest his response as news worthy is absurd….I dont expect much level headed perspective from you however

      • Carlos Benjamin - 8 years ago

        You do know the difference between editorial coverage and hard-news, right? Based on this conversation I may be giving more credit than is due, but news outlets do a mix of hard-news and editorial coverage. In sports you see interviews with people who just played or coached a game, in politics you try to talk to people on the inside. There’s even a term for it: trying to get the “inside scoop”. Would it be an less biased to ask someone at Google what they thought of the watch? Motorola? Maybe they should only talk to people who have no knowledge whatsoever….. “What? Apple makes a watch?” Yeah, that would be riveting I’ll bet…..

    • Ty Belisle (@Pifman) - 8 years ago

      He literally works for Apple and many of his ideas are on the Watch and its bands. If he “believes” that it will a huge success based on what he knows (how many have sold, features in the pipeline) then I’d say it’s worth listening to.

      • chrisl84 - 8 years ago

        Do you honestly think he would say anything else? Its his JOB to say this….are we going to get articles for every PR remark Apple Employees make? The whole article is pointless.

        “Apple Employee thinks Apple Product good” well I’ll be damned.

  2. rnc - 8 years ago

    Humm, the Apple Watch was co-designed by Newson already, and he’s an Apple employee…

  3. Jake Becker - 8 years ago

    If “they don’t know”, that means Apple needs to help ensure that they do. If I made my purchase decision based on their ads, I would still be on the fence. I bought and now enjoy the Watch and agree with Marc only because of resources like this site.

  4. Amogh Max - 8 years ago

    so will the competitors…

  5. Paul Van Obberghen - 8 years ago

    In 5 years? The iPhone has been a game changer on day 1! In 5 years, more like a century in our times, nobody will care about the Apple Watch. Mostely because within 5 years Apple will have A) introduced at least one new game changing product that will make the watch looks like ancient or B) well, no B… I hope…

    • DJ Miller - 8 years ago

      Conservative estimates of Apple Watch sales were around 3.95 million units in the most recent quarter. The 2007 iPhone only topped 1.12 million units in the equivalent quarter. By that measure, the Apple Watch is MORE of a game changer than the original iPhone was in ’07.

      Source: http://www.statista.com/statistics/263401/global-apple-iphone-sales-since-3rd-quarter-2007/

      It’s all in the uptake. People need to learn WHY they need a wearable device like Apple Watch, just like they needed to learn why they needed a multi-touch smartphone. These things take time—and as an Apple Watch wearer today, I’m sold. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for Apple Watch in the next 5 years and beyond.

    • Milorad Ivović - 8 years ago

      LOL your memory of day one has faded. No apps, no picture messaging. The first iPhone was utter garbage compared to Blackberry at the time. Steve Jobs even resisted apps at first. Apple’s strength comes from its willingness to adapt and respond to what the market wants without going too far and creating a hot mess in the process. That’s quite a skill, but let’s not forget the many speedhumps along the way to success.

    • acslater017 - 8 years ago

      The POTENTIAL was there and it gave great demo but the 1st-gen iPhone had so many limitations it seems crippled by today’s standards.

      No third party apps. No 3G. No GPS. No video camera. No multitasking. Just Wi-Fi, EDGE, and stock iPhone OS apps! I think it’s only in retrospect you can claim it was a “game changer from day one”. It looked amazing on stage and indeed took the game-changing course. But there was nothing intrinsic in the first product that inevitably brought it to today. It was the result of relentless iteration and improvement, year after year.

  6. Those I’ve met with an Apple Watch say: “It’s okay”. Contrast that with original iPhone owners: “It’ll change your life.”

Author

Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.