Apple Watch is the first smartwatch that matters, says Tim Cook

The Apple Watch may not be the first smartwatch to market, but it’s the first that matters.

That’s the view of Apple CEO Tim Cook, speaking less than three weeks before the long-awaited wearable hits the wrists of avid Apple enthusiasts.

The stinging jab at the company’s smartwatch rivals will probably hit a little too close to home at Google’s Android Wear HQ, with the OS struggling to catch on with consumers since the first devices arrived last summer.

In an interview with Fast Company, Cook pointed out other instances where Apple didn’t invent the category, but sparked the widespread adoption of new sectors upon its arrival.

“We weren’t first on the MP3 player; we weren’t first on the tablet; we weren’t first on the smartphone. But we were arguably the first modern smartphone, and we will be the first modern smartwatch – the first one that matters.”

Cook also went into detail why the crop of rival devices haven’t engaged consumers and why the Apple Watch will succeed where Samsung, Moto, LG and the like have failed.

“You’re working with a small screen, so you have to invent new ways for input… Most of the companies who have done smartwatches haven’t thought that through, so they’re still using pinch-to-zoom and other gestures that we created for the iPhone.”

Wow, that last line is a double burn isn’t it?

Related: Apple Watch vs Android Wear: Smartwatch OS comparison

The CEO also explained how the Apple Watch will lure consumers, despite the common perception that smart watches are among the less essential tech innovations of recent years.

“Yes, but people didn’t realise they had to have an iPod, and they really didn’t realise they had to have the iPhone,” he said when asked why people are struggling to understand the usefulness of the Apple Watch.

“And the iPad was totally panned. Critics asked, “Why do you need this?” Honestly, I don’t think anything revolutionary that we have done was predicted to be a hit when released. It was only in retrospect that people could see its value. Maybe this will be received the same way.”

Do you agree with Cook’s assertion that the Apple Watch is the only one that matters so far? Or do you think his bravado is wide of the mark? Let us know your thoughts below.