By Dennis D. McDonald

I approached the September 9 Apple announcement with some trepidation. I knew Google+ tech groups would be overrun with anti-Apple trolling and tech websites would be doing a lot of empty instant analysis, so I waited till the evening to watch the show, unencumbered, via my Apple TV.

While I still need to hold the iPhone 6 to compare to my iPhone 4s in terms of compactness and portability I admit to being very impressed by the “phones” and whole show. The camera and the upgraded motion sensing features of the new iPhone are very intriguing along with the greater thinness and continued attention to one-handed usability. The screen looks gorgeous, even though I figure there is a point beyond which my eyes won’t be able to tell the difference.

I was intrigued by the system now being implemented to take advantage of local wireless to improve phone signals as I sometimes have difficulty using my own iPhone for phone calls via my existing Verizon cellphone service while sitting at my home office desk. We’ll see about that.

Apple Pay looks like a real game changer especially given how Apple is lining up participants. I think this is going to be a big deal if the account setup process is easy. I don’t understand the economics of how Apple will benefit from this, plus I don’t understand whether the improved transactions will actually result in reduced transaction costs being passed along to retailers and consumers (pause for brief skeptical laugh).

I was totally blown away by the Apple Watch. I hadn’t really known what to expect. But I do agree this is something different and amounts to a lot more than an electronic wristwatch or wearable health device. An incredible amount of work that has gone into developing a new interface to support both straightforward as well as yet-to-be-developed functionality and it shows.

While the Apple Watch product looks fantastic, one caveat might be that there is so much new and different about its functionality and its interface that it might take time for adoption to reach critical mass. That’s where Apple has an advantage here. They have resources to throw at this and the wherewithal to integrate the Watch with all their other products and services. That’s an awesome possibility that I think may actually may pay off in really big way for them and their customers.

Copyright © 2014 by Dennis D. McDonald, Ph.D. Dennis is a project management consultant based in Alexandria, Virginia. He is currently working with BaleFire Global on open data programs and with Michael Kaplan PMP onSoftPMO project management services. His experience includes consulting company ownership and management, database publishing and data transformation, managing the integration of large systems, corporate technology strategy, social media adoption, statistical research, and IT cost analysis. His web site is located atwww.ddmcd.com and his email address is ddmcd@yahoo.com. On Twitter he is @ddmcd.