Tim Cook is not prone to outbursts of raw emotion, at least in public. But one of the few times he has come close occurred five years ago this week, when he unveiled Apple’s long-awaited smartwatch to the world.

It was three years into his premiership, and in that time Apple had released no magic product to match the iPhone, iPod or iPad that Steve Jobs had masterminded.

The fabled “iWatch” was the first to be developed in the post-Jobs era and as a result, was the subject of intense interest from investors as well as customers.

So when it was finally announced, Cook allowed himself some catharsis, punching the air triumphantly as he strode on stage, his sleeves rolled up to display the device on his wrist.

That triumph, as it turned out, was premature. It was not until the following year that the Apple Watch was actually released, and when it was, initial sales were meagre compared to analysts’ forecasts, even allowing for the fact that the iPhone’s success had created impossibly-high expectations.