Expectations were high for the Apple announcement from the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco where Tim Cook and a host of Apple executives introduced the new iPad Air, iPad Mini with retinal display, new Mac Pro and Macbook Pros. Many in the industry were hoping to see the beginnings of Apple’s move into the wearable space through the much-rumored Apple smart watch. While Apple didn’t announce anything overtly “wearable” I would argue Apple entered the wearables race when it introduced the iPhone 4s and has been laying the ground work ever since.

The iPhone 4s was the first Apple device to support Bluetooth^® Smart technology. Since then, virtually every Apple product included support for Bluetooth Smart and gave developers the ability to build wearable appcessories — think FuelBand, FitBit, Adidas MiCoach, LumoBack, Neo Sleep Monitors, Heapsylon socks, even Google Glass. This really kicked off the wearable boom and introduced the possibility to consumers.

Apple’s early adoption of Bluetooth Smart shaped the wearable space and propelled the technology into the de facto wireless solution for sports and fitness, wellness and medical, and body-sensing devices. The entire industry now supports Bluetooth Smart — Apple led the way, and now Android, Microsoft and Blackberry stepped up to provide native Bluetooth Smart support as well.

The Apple news may not have been what everyone was expecting, but from our perspective, it continues to show Apple’s long-standing support and innovation with Bluetooth Smart. They were the first “platform” to support Bluetooth Smart and, along with their peers, set the stage for OEMs and developers to make more intelligent communications between applications and virtually anything using Bluetooth Smart.

(Credit: Suke Jawanda)