Apple's New Products Are Great News for Android Lovers

When Apple dives into a new space, the world sits up and pays attention.

Apple made three big announcements yesterday: a contactless payment service, two new iPhones with larger screens, and its entry into the wearables market, the Apple Watch. That sound you heard in the background (no, not the translator talking over Phil Schiller) was a million Android users saying, "big deal—we've already got all that stuff."

It's true. Contactless payment, phablets ,and smartwatches are already on the market. The difference this time is that they're coming from Apple. Like it or not, that fact alone may be the reason some of the products announced Tuesday will succeed where others in the same space have failed—and why we're likely to see all three product categories skyrocket.

NFC Goes Mainstream

Contactless payments have been around for quite a while. (Remember Google Wallet? It launched all the way back in 2011.) The majority of Android phones on the market today are equipped with near-field communication (NFC) the technology needed to make the payments happen, but right now people just aren't buying with it. That's partly because of the unfamiliar technology, but also because many merchants have yet to adopt the technology at the register.

Here Apple Pay will be a boon to Android users. When you're a smaller business, implementing technology that's useful for only half your customer base probably isn't in the cards. But if iPhone and Androids can both use contactless payments, then we can expect NFC to become a much bigger deal over the coming months and years. After years of hype, perhaps the end of the physical wallet is imminent.

Just in Time

Apple isn't the first company to reveal a smartwatch, either—not by a long shot. So, rather than reveal something that's just like everything else out there, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced something a little different. The Apple Watch is controlled using an old-school dial rather than simply a touchscreen, and has some killer features built in for customization and health and fitness tracking.

What's more important than the watch itself is its timing. With Apple Watch coming right on the heels of compelling options including the Moto 360 and LG G Watch, Apple's watch announcement ensures that its diehard fans needn't stray from the brand (as long as they can wait until after the holiday season for the Apple Watch's release). The same goes for the larger iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. They come around just in time to help Apple hang on to customers who might have become frustrated watching their friends' Android devices grow and grow.

Ultimately, whether or not the Apple Watch can outsell Android Wear devices may be beside the point. For iPhone users, its arrival means that they have a competitive option in the smartwatch market. And for the tech world at large, Apple's much-awaiting announcement propels the smartwatch from being a geek accessory to a mainstream device.

If you're sworn to Android, you probably find it annoying that all it took for this to happen was for Apple to introduce a shiny new version of an existing platform. But mainstream acceptance of smartwatches will not only sell Apple devices but also probably influence more Android users to pick up a watch as well. Developers creating killer apps for one platform may consider adding the other as well. Companies will innovate. The possibilities will grow.

Whether you're already standing in line to buy an iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch, or already bought your Motorola Moto X and 360, Tuesday's Apple announcement will ultimately change your experience for the better.

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