Apple Watch 2: Will this one feature change the game for smartwatches?

Smartwatches have been around for a while now, but it was only a few years ago that they went truly mainstream. The reason - Apple Watch. The mere announcement of this new Apple product turned the tech industry into a frenzy of sort, and even before the Apple Watch was out, a plethora of watches were out there. Google, who ensures that it is never late to a device party, announced Android Wear. Samsung tried every trick in the box - Tizen, Android Wear, and a standalone watch. In 2014, around 4.6 million smartwatches were said to have been shipped, but only 720000 were running Android Wear. That’s quite a small number compared to the overall figure. Moto 360 and LG G Watch turned out to be its saving grace. Pebble managed to sell 1 million by the end of 2014, but the number was calculated from its launch in 2013. Fitbit was the global leader in the basic wearable band market, and Xiaomi also managed to stay in the race. These figures have changed ever since the Apple Watch was announced and made available. In 2015 , as soon as the Apple Watch was launched, it dominated the smartwatch market. 12 million units, amounting to two-third of all the shipments belonged to Apple. Pebble was pushed down to the third spot, after Samsung. Fitbit continued to enjoy the top spot in basic watch categories. Clearly, the watch isn’t as sensational as the iPad or didn’t trigger a tablet-era. But, it is still an Apple product that has conviction to tell the industry where to head next. For instance, we have seen watches with mobile connectivity. And, the idea of replacing your smartphone with a smartwatch has never appealed to the masses. But, Canalys report says this might change with 7.5 million connected smartwatches likely to be shipped this year, triggered by Apple Watch 2 with cellular connectivity. Over the years, we have seen Apple decide trends. And, this time may not be different. But with falling iPhone sales, will Apple really want people to keep aside their fancy devices for a watch. Well, we don’t think so. There will be some form of connectivity. After all, any company will only want you to buy an additional product. “The phase 2 eSIM specification will enable more independent smart watches with a smoother user experience around cellular connectivity,” said analyst Daniel Matte. Those not in the know, companies like Apple and Samsung are in discussions with mobile carriers to help develop an ‘ e-SIM ’ via which consumers will have the ability to switch carriers without getting a new card. This implies that swapping SIMs to switch phones may soon be long gone as everything would be done via an interface on the device. There are no concrete plans announced yet.