Apple Event Shows Subtle Shift in Product Strategy

Apple on Tuesday gave fans and customers a lot to be excited about, including an Apple Watch that seems to deliver great design at a competitive price. But Tim Cook and Apple’s growing leadership team also revealed an Apple that is bending its traditional approach to product releases at what could be a particularly opportune moment.

First, the company is spacing out the release of its new products. Tuesday’s event introduced three different products with three different launch dates: September for the iPhone, October for payments and early 2015 for the Apple Watch. The company also hinted at a fourth launch, saying developers will be able to create fully native apps for the Watch early next year (though they'll be able to build some integrations sooner). Uncharacteristically, such a software release would be out of cycle with the core mobile iOS software.