It’s not long now. Not long until the Apple Watch becomes a reality. Well, it’s real now because we’ve seen it, but I mean really real. So real we can all walk into an Apple Store and touch one. Maybe even buy one if we’re lucky.
When we finally do get an Apple Watch onto our wrists we’re going to want to play, and no doubt download apps from the App Store. Some analysts seem to think there will be over 100,000 apps ready for the Apple Watch at day one, though that may be somewhat optimistic. Whatever the number though, it’s sure to be a large enough one to placate all but the most demanding of downloader and that must surely be enough.
What worries me is quite the opposite of any app drought. What I worry about is opening the App Store and seeing nothing but Apple Watch apps but for all the wrong reasons. Being there on day one is an important milestone, but do some of them need to be there at all?
As time has ticked on and developers have been able to take the time to test out the tools offered by Apple for Watch development, we have started to see simulator screenshots of various Apple Watch apps from some of our favorite developers. Normally that would be cause for much rejoicing. But I fear that we may be seeing apps made for the Apple Watch that just don’t quite fit. Apps that are being shoehorned into existence because developers think that they need to be on the Apple Watch. That they’ll be left behind or forgotten about if they are absent.
As a potential Apple Watch buyer I think that the opposite is actually true. Developers run the risk of damaging their reputations by putting sub-par Apple Watch apps out into the wild for the sake of it, or for devoting time and resources to an app that doesn’t fill a gap or fulfill a need.
Things will settle down in due course and the App Store and its developers will learn what will and will not work on a watch soon enough. I just hope the true gems don’t get drowned by the flood of mediocrity that is sure to arrive.
Developers, please prove me wrong though.
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