Apple has set continually set the standard for innovation in their products, including their latest release, the iWatch. In the past year, there have been several products released which compete with Apple’s iWatch. The Samsung Gear S is a smartwatch that offers comparable features with the highly popular iWatch. “The Gear S has its own speakers and microphone. It vibrates when you get messages or an alarm goes off. It’s studded with sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope and compass, optical heart rate, ambient light for screen brightness, UV and barometer. It has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 and 3G cellular. It’s got 4GB of storage, 512MB of RAM and a dual-core processor. And it weighs 66 grams (2.3 ounces).” The Gear S also can be used as a phone; however, its size is much bigger than the iWatch. Samsung’s smart watch offers similar benefits and features and gives consumers options outside of the Apple’s iWatch.

The iWatch is in the product growth stage. It has been introduced to the market and highly publicized prior to the launch. Apple Inc. spent a substantial amount of money introducing their new product line, the iWatch, to the market. The introduction of the iWatch was successful, and the product was back ordered for months before it was even available. The product development and consumer testing had been completed, and the product successfully launched to public on April 24, 2015. Once the introductory stage has been complete, the company then shifts their focus to the growth stage.

Apple Inc.’s iWatch is now in the growth stage. It is known that the introductory phase has been completed successfully. The growth stage provides an opportunity for an increase in sales and profits. The company shifts their focus from introducing the iWatch to the community to marketing an existing product. Apple Inc. can invest their money in promotional activities that can maximize the potential of growth since it has progressed past the introductory stage. The general public is aware that the iWatch is available; now the shift can focus on increasing sales. The growth stage provides a new opportunity for the company to market a product on an entirely different level.

The marketing strategy to extend the product lifecycle for Apple’s iWatch will be to focus on releasing the new version with updated technologies prior to their competitors. Innovation is not a new concept for Apple Inc. however they have taken their time in making sure that the iWatch is ready for market release. “Consumer electronics and high tech supply chains remain the crucible for the needs for tight linkages among product development and supply chain teams to meet highly competitive and compressed time-to-market and time-to-volume objectives.” There was a handful of smartwatches released prior to the iWatch’s launch. It did not affect the popularity or sales for the iWatch; however, that may not be the case for future releases. Apple Inc. has a history of re-releasing their products yearly with updated features and technologies. The recommendation for the marketing strategy will be to beat the competition in introducing the new iWatch to the market. Apple Inc.’s much-awaited release dates and secrecy associated with their new products will provide an advantage over their competition for future releases of their iWatch.