lol if they really thought a face computer so big and bulky and limited and heavy would be a status symbol. I think they genuinely thought that they’d have people on planes wearing these making people jealous enough to fork the money, but it was never practical for that.
The Apple Watch is only a successful product because of the iPhone. It is just a convenient second screen for that, that also happens to track some useful health measures under a guise of privacy.
If Apple is forced (as they are in the EU) to allow third party devices like withings and garmin to interact with notifications as first class citizens, then Apple Watch sales will likely drop off a cliff. Or Apple will innovate. My bet is on the dropping off a cliff though.