The Apple Watch has caused a fair amount of waves around the internet and brands are keen to align themselves with the fancy doodad that launches in australia on April 24.
Music streaming site Pandora is the latest brand to get involved, with its chief technology officer, Chris Martin, announcing the app would be available on the smart watch when it launches.
“When the original iPhone launched in 2007, we knew we had to be available on it from day one,” he said. “Additionally, when the iPad launched in 2010, Pandora was there from the moment you could pick one up. That’s why we are incredibly excited to announce that, Pandora for Apple Watch, will be available on your wrist as soon as you can buy the Watch, from April 24, 2015.”
Having had a pretty solid partnership with Apple for a number of years now, Pandora aims to continue its always-there availability.
“We are always on the lookout for the devices that are going to be immensely popular, and we feel that the Apple Watch marks another occasion to provide the best lean-back music experience,” said Martin on the announcement blog post.
“We also recognise that many of you use multiple devices when listening to Pandora (from TV’s to game consoles to connected speakers), and the launch of Pandora on Apple Watch is another example of our commitment to being available whenever and wherever you want to listen to your favourite music.”
Martin told B&T that right now there’s no future plans for integrations with other smart watch brands.
“We had a successful integration with the Pebble Watch in 2014 and are always navigating the technology landscape to examine the devices that our listeners are using,” he said. “At this time, we have nothing to announce in regards to another smart watch integration.”
Ads will still be served aurally too. “At launch, advertisements served to Pandora listeners on Apple Watch will be audio only,” added Martin. “With the growth of mobile… audio is proving to be a powerful medium to connect with consumers on-the-go who are not necessarily looking at a screen.”
Will other music streaming sites make a play for the smart watch market? At the time of publishing, B&T has yet to hear back from some of the other major players in the Aussie market. However, other brands are jumping on board.
Around this time last month news publisher The Guardian announced it would be available on the smart watch, with a new offering called ‘Moments’.
“Of course, this is our first pass at a content proposition for an entirely new platform, and based on feedback we receive we hope to make changes and improvements as we go along,” explained The Guardian’s Subhajit Banerjee at the time.
Real estate brands, Domain and REA Group, too have also announced intentions to start-up an Apple Watch app, both due for release April 24.
However, while brands now seem to be all over this shiny new piece of wearable tech, Business Insider reported no one had been interested in smart watches until Apple announced its own.
Marketing director at Y Media Labs’, Robbie Abed, reportedly told Business Insider none of its clients had been keen on creating apps for smart watches, but now a bunch of them want to build one.
The launch in a few weeks will be one to watch.
