First U2, now marathon-running 80s supermodels – where did it all go wrong for the once sleek, minimalist Apple launch event? The whole of Monday’s Spring Forward event – at which the Cupertino team unveiled its much-anticipated Apple Watch – seemed geared around asserting Apple’s caring, sharing credentials.  Case studies were rolled out that the iPhone 6 has changed lives around the world and aided everything from medical research to, oddly, helping model Christy Turlington run a charity marathon. All of this came before the unveiling of potentially the most outlandish Apple product in history: a $10,000-plus 18 carat gold watch. It was almost as if Apple needed to pat itself on the back for the good it does in the world, in order to justify catering to such a niche market. All delivered without a hint of irony.  Apple has not had a product failure in more than 10 years, but the Apple Watch could very realistically be the first. The various iPads, iPhones and Macs that have been rolled out over the past few years have managed to captivate a mass audience of consumers who see these products as essential additions to their working and home lives. Aimed at a small demographic of people that are hellbent on conspicuous consumption, the Apple Watch has instead pulled the company’s focus away from what it always excelled at: creating engineering-heavy, beautifully-designed and functional products. It’s now creating hype around an ancillary device to a mobile phone that’s a close relative to the much-maligned bluetooth headset.  Related: Time for a loan? Solid gold Apple Watch will cost $17k  As a bit of a product design history lesson, let’s take a step back and look at the evolution of the watch itself and why it exists. Originally, the pocket or fob watch was a precursor to the wristwatch. Smaller and cheaper mechanisms combined with good product development meant that something that was essentially a luxury item became mass market as soon as it graduated to the wrist.  In terms of utility, the wristwatch was an obvious piece of innovation. Having the time of day available at a glance, rather than taking a fob watch in and out of your pocket, was a clear step forward. It gave users easy access to something they needed regularly, which is one of the central tenets of excellent innovation.  Arguably, the Apple Watch is trying to do what the wristwatch did for the fob watch: taking the phone out of people’s pockets and putting it on their wrists to provide constant ease of use. But that isn’t necessarily new in terms of functionality; we’ve been able to use our phones while it’s in our pocket for ages – just look at bluetooth.  For a while now we’ve seen personal devices grow in size and increase in functionality. Users are happy to see devices get bigger as long as the functionality is there. This is where the iPad has fallen down since you can’t make a call on it. However, going smaller and losing functionality seems like a move that just ignores what the market wants.  Which is where we come to the fashion-forward nature of what Apple is trying to do. Instead of leading with problem-solving, function and usability – as it did with the Mac, iPhone and so on throughout the years – Apple has decided to do something it’s never felt the need to do before: get the fashion industry to buy in. In the past month the company has taken out 12 pages of ads in Vogue, worth a staggering $2.2m, to promote this new lifestyle brand they’re calling Apple Watch. The sleek white art direction that leads with the product is still there, but what’s missing is the gravitas of a functional item.  Ex-Burberry Angela Ahrendts, who stepped down as CEO of Burberry last year to become senior vice-president of retail and online sales, has clearly done a great job in attempting to haul Apple firmly into the world of fashion. She has worked hard at creating a myth surrounding the more luxury version of the watch. But will those fashion-conscious, Omega and Rolex wearers view this product as a credible addition or replacement? Is Apple losing some of its credibility in jumping into this market of pure design, aesthetic and high-cost, eschewing utility and all of the sexy innovation it was previously known and loved for?  One thing’s for sure, this is not a Steve Jobs move.  Martin McNulty is chief executive of Forward3D and Locaria, whose clients include luxury watch manufacturers  To get weekly news analysis, job alerts and event notifications direct to your inbox,sign up free for Media Network membership.  All Guardian Media Network content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled “Brought to you by” – find out more here.  • This article was amended on 11 March to disclose that the companies for which the author is chief executive represent luxury watch manufacturers
Apple Watch: a fashion-first, utility-last approach means that the company’s dorky coolness is long gone, along with its credibility