Apple Watch faces fashion challenge

Tim Cook says the Apple Watch can be customised to suit the owner's taste.Picture / AP

Now that Tim Cook has outlined the full range of what the Apple Watch can do and how much it will cost, his next challenge will be proving high-tech counts as high fashion.

In addition to laying out uses for the device, Apple has also been careful to market it as stylish. The company paid for a 12-page advertising spread in this month's Vogue magazine, and model Christy Turlington Burns appeared onstage with chief executive Cook yesterday to help reveal new details and applications. Cook unveiled a version laden with gold that retails for US$10,000 ($13,700) or more.

Apple, with its emphasis on sleek design and easy-to-use interfaces, has helped make products - say, smartphones - that hadn't previously been seen as fashionable into must-have accessories. Now the company's task is to persuade style-conscious consumers that its watch is both useful and chic.

"The question is, can they really sell this thing as a fashion item?" said Jan Kniffen, chief executive of J. Rogers Kniffen Worldwide Enterprises, a retail consulting and equity-research firm in New York. "Apple's a cool tech brand, and it's not the same people shopping."

At the event, Cook emphasised the customisable nature of the watch's face and bands, including options for different colours and stainless steel cases, and even a Mickey Mouse motif.

He said thousands of app developers have been at work building products for Apple Watch. Applications from companies including Facebook, American Airlines Group and Tencent's WeChat were among those showed at yesterday's event.

Apple is counting on such apps to help define those must-have services for customers who have so far shrugged off smartwatches made by Samsung Electronics, Motorola, LG Electronics and Sony.

Some luxury-watch buyers aren't interested. Kevin Rolle, 26, an investment banker who was getting his watch serviced at the Tourneau shop on 57th Street in New York yesterday, said the Apple Watch doesn't stand out as a must-buy.

"I prefer high-end watches - it's not really high end," Rolle said.

Making the case for buying Apple Watch isn't just a challenge among those who might otherwise opt for a Cartier or Rolex. The California-based company showed off its everyday uses in a bid to convince consumers they need another gadget in their already tech-heavy lives.

Cook is betting that moving many of the conveniences of an iPhone to the wrist will save people time, and make Apple Watch worth the price tag.

"There's so much hype and expectation, but if it doesn't have any real utility you're going to have critics coming out of every corner," said Scott Galloway, a professor of marketing at New York University's Stern School of Business.

Image 1 of 9: Apple CEO Tim Cook explains the features of the new Apple Watch. Photo/AP

There has been plenty of skepticism surrounding Apple Watch - that it's too expensive, and the battery won't last long enough.

Smartwatches made by other firms have a lacklustre sales history, and some may be concerned it's unsafe to trust a technology device to safely store health data.

Unlike most timepieces, the device will be obsolete in a few years.