Wearables, and the Apple Watch

[engine]

Wearables have been around for some time, but it does take Apple to give the technology some impetus.

[apple.com...]

I haven't worn a watch for as far back as I remember, and I doubt i'll acquire and Apple watch for the long term, or any other manufacturer for that matter.

I'm intrigued to whether this new impetus work for the wearables sector.

[Old_Honky]

IMHO these "smart" watches so far have a major flaw, they only work with a smart phone. So they are just another piece of almost useless junk that the apple fanbois will wear for a while with pride then slowly forget. If it was a stand alone device like a sort of super Dick Tracy watch then it might have some traction. As it is, it is more decorative than functional, especially if you like carrying around a huge clunky statement of how much more money than sense you possess.

[ronin]

My take on it is that when the tech is right, smart-watches will fly off the shelves.

Browser-phones were around for years before the first iPhone in 2007. Tablets were around even longer before the first iPad in 2010. Neither tablets nor browser-phones ever achieved mass appeal before those dates because they lacked the no-stylus-touchscreen + integrated OS + software eco-system which Apple introduced and Android copied. Before that, the tech wasn't right.

Are wrist-watches more popular than pocket-watches? Inarguably, yes.

Is the smartphone (from one angle) essentially a smart pocket-watch? I would say yes.

So why aren't smart wrist-watches in the process of replacing smart pocket-watches?

I suspect because, at the moment, the tech still isn't right.

As Old Honky says, many (not all) smart watches rely on a smart phone. (Certainly, the Apple Watch does).

Also, any smart-watch screen is, by necessity, tiny.

I think smart-watches have yet to achieve mass appeal, principally because of the latter consideration. But I'm not persuaded that's the end of the story.

At this point, it looks like the best-practice software ecosystem model is already here. Anything that can work for an iPod or an iPhone or an iPad (or Android equivalents) is going to work for a smart-watch.

The real deal-breaker is the tiny screen.

Apple's "digital crown" device and force-detection are clever solutions for enabling input on a form-factor this small. But I'm guessing a light-screen, projected from the watch, which enables the watch to be (essentially) a wearable 7" tablet might have more mass appeal.

[lawman]

I still wear a watch (I'd rather look at my wrist for the date and time rather than pull a phone out of my pocket). I suspect when these new-fangled gizmos finally take hold, it'll be a natural move for me to get one - as long as I can still get the date and time with a quick glance.

[Leosghost]

Has to be recharged* daily ( or even more frequently )..=> "smart watch manufacturers" ..especially Apple..<= don't be silly..

*even if they eventually came with cordless charging, it still means that you'd have to take the thing off for extended periods to put it on a charging pad..and not forget to pick it up and put it back on your wrist when done charging..

Apple's watch also requires ..Apple Watch's MagSafe charging cable..$29.99..( it is Apple, what did you expect ;)..

search string..

apple watch charging time
;))))

"Apple,..probably the best marketing in the world"..

[Selen]

It is a failure, so much ado about nothing. Stock going back to $110 within a couple of months. Apple car is going to be more successful, unless it's a virtual car.

[J_RaD]

nothing is going to make me start waring crap on my wrists again.

[grandpa]

nothing is going to make me start waring crap on my wrists again

- I heartily second that!

any smart-watch screen is, by necessity, tiny

I'm put into mind a scene from Dune, where a shield came up during a fight. That shield was projected from a device on the wrist. Perhaps in time *real* technology will provide us with an interactive holographic image from otherwise tiny devices.

[Swanny007]

I'll get an Apple watch, why not. YOLO! My iPhone is in my hand or pocket nearly every minute I'm awake, so that's a non-issue. Battery life, well we'll see on that one.

I see the value in getting alerts/notifications on my wrist, it means less pulling my phone out of my pocket for a simple text reply. Plus my navigation can show up on my wrist which may be better than setting my phone in the cup holder in the car. I also like the idea of tracking my heartbeat and exercise levels, this eliminates me using my Garmin Forerunner 110 when I go for walks.

So I see a few uses for it, I'm willing to give it a shot because Apple puts a lot of thought into their products and stands behind them.

I watched the Apple Event live though, and thought they could have turned the 45 minute commercial into 15 minutes if they wanted. They have to try harder to convince people why they need this compared to some previous successful products LOL

My current Tissot dumb watch cost about $300 as it is and it needs me to reset the day of the month every once in a while.

[J_RaD]

I see the value in getting alerts/notifications on my wrist, it means less pulling my phone out of my pocket for a simple text reply

really? are you bill gates? cost you more to pick up a dollar off the street?

if you value the time it takes to move your hand to your pocket...... bravo! now if you please... i have work to do :-)

[Swanny007]

OK substitute the word value with benefit then.

[lawman]

Why argue about personal preference?

[J_RaD]

no argument.

it just is personal preference, this wearable (or any) isn't going to improve anyones productivity or save any meaningful amount of time. its just another one of THOSE things, if you want one cause you like it... ok, other wise..... marketing really did its job..and its really working overtime on this one!

[lucy24]

After years of being annoyed by wristwatches, I've once again bought a pocket watch.

A round one.

With a dial.

That goes in my pocket.

:: tweet tweet, chirp chirp ::