For the time being, the dream of charging your Apple Smart watch while on the go will remain just that; a dream. The technology which had been invented by Reverse Strap was intended to provide an accessory that would allow users to charge their watches from any location. This was meant to be just like what a power bank is to smart phone users. About a year ago, Reverse Strap an independent accessory maker discovered a hidden port on Apple watches that they thought would give them market for their new product. That is when they invented the wrist band charger in a way that it would fit into the six pin port and supply power to the watch. This they estimated would last more than 150% the time of a normal smart watch.
From the look of things, Apple Smart Watch owners were looking forward to this device but Apple the Company seemed not to have welcomed the innovation. According to the management at Reverse Strap, after learning about the device, Apple introduced a bug into the port that made it incompatible to foreign devices. The management at Apple affirmed these allegations but went ahead to state that they did not do that to block the wrist band charger but because the port was intended to be used as a diagnostic point and not to connect the watch to any other device. They therefore decided to block before they can ascertain that it safe to use such a device on the watches.
The Reserve Strap Company reported that their intention was not to accuse Apple of intentional frustration of their innovation but also went ahead to state that a memo passed by the around from Apple indicated that they had a plan to unveil a similar product in the near future. This to them explained why Apple never wanted this device introduced by a third party Company and this is because it will be stale by the time they are unveiling their own. For this reason, Reserve Strap suffered a massive loss as they were forced to recall all the orders they had shipped, considering the device would no longer be functional.
As for Apple, this was just a way of protecting their future by blocking any innovation that does not originate from them. The move came as a disappointment to Apple Watch users all over the world who were already looking forward to this new device. They however renewed their hopes when a patent application from Apple hinted that they would produce a similar device and even better. According to their description, their yet to be produced wrist band charger would not only charge the smart watch but also come with WiFi connection among other features. This is expected to make the watch function just like a smart phone.
In the competitive spirit, Reserve strap recalled all their products but are strategizing on how to diversify and manufacture for other brands as well. They reported that they will not give up on the Apple market because it was their first target and that they will take the delay time as a chance to re-invent and come up with an even much better model. In their next product, they intend to include notification functions and battery chargers. They believe this will boost their competitive advantage in the market. The recall might have looked like a disadvantage but it has also given them mileage in terms of creating awareness.
Most people all over the world who have probably read about the recall in local dailies or on the internet are now aware of the innovation and are urgently looking forward to it. The accessory maker who was also not known has made headlines and their brand once released will not face difficulties of penetrating the market. The management at Reserve Strap is confident that their next release will be huge and will get them market from all over the world. They might have disappointed their customers this first time and incurred huge losses, but they believe they will be in a position to cover for that in the near future.
