From what I remember the number of people who bought a watch was small, but they wore it.
The problem with AVP is that the people who DID buy it can't manufacture reasons to USE it. Apple needed to have a very strong push out of the gate with new content weekly.
No. They didn't. They said it was missing some fitness features they wanted and hoped that software updates or next year's rev would fix that -- which they did.
It was always clear that the form factor was workable and the execution just needed to evolve a tiny bit. The AVP has an unworkable form factor: 2 pounds of headset and battery, and wearing it means mussing your hair and makeup and smashing a strap-on dorkbox to the front of your face.
That's entirely unworkable in ways that cannot be fixed with a software update or even next year's incremental hardware improvements. This form factor is a decade away from mainstream at best.
This is nothing like the Watch and only someone with a child's view of these products would make that claim.
You and I have very different recollections of the Apple Watch’s launch then. Everyone was convinced that the battery life would doom the product into obsolescence before it was even shipped to consumers. Only someone with a child’s view of these products would be unable to see the similarities between the two launches.
The only reason I have an Apple Watch today is because I 1) broke my iPhone when the waterproof case I had failed, and 2) sale on amazon pushing it below $200. If the watch waterproofing fails, it's a lot less catastrophic than an iPhone would be.
I only use the watch when surfing or doing mountain biking. It's still not all that great of a device, and not much (in a practical sense) has changed since 2015. Limited functionality and what is there is frustrating to use, especially while in action.
