Apple Outlines Smart Wristband with Phone Connectivity and Gesture Control in New Patent

[roow110]

Still not convinced this smart watch thing is ever going to happen. Pointless and trivial use of technology.

Current smartwatches are pointless and trivial pieces of technology. They are tethered to a smart phone and only replicate what the smart phone already does but in a far inferior way. Current smartwatch manufacturers aren't getting it; they aren't implementing technologies that a smartphone can't do but a smartwatch could.

A smartwatch needs to be your own personal connection to the digital world. Think about it: a smartwatch would always be with you, always be connected to you wherever you go. It would be your body's digital identifier and microchip. Your smartwatch could know if it is you wearing it and when you are provide you access to all your secure services. It would be like touch ID x 10. You wouldn't need passwords, pin codes or keys.

It knows your location, your biometrics and your activities because it is always connected to you. It then not only could revolutionize the medical and fitness industry but provide intimate access to the internet of things. It could sense if you are cold to control the thermostat, it would know it is you walking up to your car and automatically unlock and start it, it would know you are home and unlock the front door or driving a car to open the garage. A smartphone can do many of these things but in a more manual way because it is not always with you and not always attached to you or aware of you biometrics or identity. The beauty of a smartwatch is it could do so many things in the background and the screen almost doesn't matter. The functionality is provided by its connection to you not by it bringing another screen to your wrist.

I hope that Apple recognizes this when making the iWatch and doesn't center it around technology and features already in and optimized for smartphones.

 

[sransari]

Look for a Design Patent to be filed the day the iWatch is revealed to the public. The design patent will protect the look for the watch vs the functionality of it (which is what this utility patent does)

 

[iolinux333]

Could you show me how those watches are modular in any sense of the word?

Is modularity the only thing the patent claims?

 

[cmChimera]

Is modularity the only thing the patent claims?

The device's modularity is a large part of of all the claims. I'm confused as to the point you were trying to make. Are you saying the patent should not have been granted because some features are in other devices? Would you invalidate an iPhone patent because other phones had screens?

 

[JHankwitz]

It's square, ugh!!!

Good Grief!!! This isn't a design patent. It only covers technological features and functions. This type of patent seldom represents final product appearance.

 

[lincolntran]

Who want to bet that Samsung will have the "face-removable galaxy gear" in a few months?

 

[JHankwitz]

Do these patents ever see the light of day.

Absolutely, although you may never realize they're in use because they may describe obscure technological functionality, not appearance.

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Wireless charging?... Please?

I'd rather have a larger battery and longer battery life than lugging around a wrist full of charging electronics.

 

[roadbloc]

You could say the same thing of smartphones and tablets 10-15 years ago but now they are huge.

I don't know anybody who denied a tablet would be useful 10-15 years ago. The technology just wasn't ready for them at the time. Now what exactly is useful about a small screen wrist device that pairs up to your phone with limited functionality? Especially when your phone is a mere moment away in your pocket?

Can a watch even offer what we have now? Never mind offering something we don't have. I liked the idea of tablets and touchscreen phones. Smart watches still sounds pointless to me. Just another device I'd have to charge up everyday.

I'd be happy to be proven wrong though. Maybe someone will make a smart watch that is actually useful and not just a gimmicky extension of your phone.

 

[pcmofo]

I think this is great news as it is solid info that some work is being done on an iWatch. Based on what Johnny, Tim, and Steve have said in the past they go over every detail with a fine toothed comb. Including the packaging, going so far as to make mockups of different sizes and variations to get everything just right. I have no doubt that whatever the shape of the display it will be the best size and UI on the market.

That being said... it would be interesting to see a user facing camera for wrist-wrist facetiming.

 

[LordVic]

I don't know anybody who denied a tablet would be useful 10-15 years ago. The technology just wasn't ready for them at the time. Now what exactly is useful about a small screen wrist device that pairs up to your phone with limited functionality? Especially when your phone is a mere moment away in your pocket?

Can a watch even offer what we have now? Never mind offering something we don't have. I liked the idea of tablets and touchscreen phones. Smart watches still sounds pointless to me. Just another device I'd have to charge up everyday.

I'd be happy to be proven wrong though. Maybe someone will make a smart watch that is actually useful and not just a gimmicky extension of your phone.

At a glance notifications without reaching into your pocket?

Thats what I want in a smart watch. Not a full phone replacement on my wrist.

 

[phillipduran]

I like the idea of a modular strap with sensors. You could buy a "low cost" model with less sensors then upgrade as needed (or when your wallet recovers)

Or they could make one of these to dock the iWatch in.

 

[edenwaith]

What If....?

Makes me wonder, what if, instead of a separate wearable device, Apple is just extending the capabilities of an iPod, which can also double as a watch (amongst other things)...

 

[stevejobz]

I actually like the square look i think it is more functional and looks more modern. But what it really needs to be for me and other consumers is something that will camouflage with our daily lives so we can use it constantly without looking like a fool.

 

[roadbloc]

At a glance notifications without reaching into your pocket?

You're willing to spend £100-£200 for just that? I know just fine when I get a notification. My phone vibrates.

But... different strokes for different folks I guess. Enjoy your smartwatch.

 

[AdonisSMU]

I actually like the square look i think it is more functional and looks more modern. But what it really needs to be for me and other consumers is something that will camouflage with our daily lives so we can use it constantly without looking like a fool.

Yeah thats where google missed the boat.

 

[KdParker]

I'd say this patent is definitely going to see the light of day.

It's coming! (eventually).

I hope not.

If they want to sell me a wearable on my writst then I want it to do what everything that my current phone can do.

I don't want these adjustable parts that I would have to pay for individually.

 

[gnasher729]

It's square, ugh!!!

It's not a design patent. And Apple wouldn't give away its designs without a good reason.

 

[LordVic]

You're willing to spend £100-£200 for just that? I know just fine when I get a notification. My phone vibrates.

But... different strokes for different folks I guess. Enjoy your smartwatch.

thats the wonder of competition and multiple vendors making tonnes of different products.

the hope is that there is someone out there who will make the product you want, and someone out there that will make the product I want

But yeah, I would rather my watch be shiny and looks like a traditional timepiece, that could then also show you notifications and summary info. If I want more interaction, I can pull out my phone. A watch is really meant for "at a glance" information. 1-2 second views. a fairly discreet method of seeing time/date information. That is the way I think a smart watch should be. Not something i need to stare at, integrate heavily with, or look at for long periods of time.


On the other hand, I don't see why someone can't make a smartwatch that could also fully replace your phone.

Maybe thats why there are rumours of Apple making multiple watch devices (I think last rumour had 3 different watches). A watch for different types of usage.

----------------

Ideally, the watch idea i would love to see (Though we're not technologically there yet), is a standard watch design with an analogue face. However, the glass itself is a screen that can overlay information on top, but can also go transparent when not using the screen in order to look / operate as a traditional watch.

Such method would extend battery life (screen wouldn't need to be always on). while maintaining the reason lots of people do still wear watches today... Jewellery. functional jewellery, but still jewellery.

I know i love my watch. its not some fancy high end watch. But I still always wear it. looks good. and gives me quick enough at a glance time and date, without the need to pull my phone out of my pocket.

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Yeah thats where google missed the boat.

Thats not google.

Google is only providing the software. The hardware manufacturers are whats providing the devices. So far we have LG, Moto and Samsung making them. Moto went round, LG and Samsung went square.

I don't think google cares the exact implementation people use, shape or size. just that they use Google wearables software.

 

[gnasher729]

Fine. But I still think it is a waste of screen display, because to display the same amount of information as a square screen it would need to be almost double the size. A double sized wouldn't look as good, so the screen text will probably get scaled down, which then older users or users with bad eyes won't be able to use too well.

Either way I do like circle better, it looks less like a my lightning mcqueen watch from when I was a kid. But just I think there can be some problems with it, like imagine your Mac screen being a circle just how much would be cut off, right?

You're wrong. A square or rectangular shape of the same area would be much less comfortable to wear. It has corners. You don't want corners on your wrist, you want a round shape.

 

[Casiotone]

I hope the iWatch can transform into a robot when you remove it from its wristband!

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I actually like the square look i think it is more functional and looks more modern.

But therein lies the problem with the whole iWatch rumor. Watches are jewelry. They've had 100+ years in "the wild" and people have come to appreciate them in every shape, depth, style, width, height, color, etc. We've got heavy duty metal vs. dress w/strap. We've got divers, pilots, everyday, mickey mouse, et all too. There's Rolex & Omega vs. Timex & Swatch and everything in between.

As jewelry, there is such diverse tastes in watch designs. Go to bing or google images and type in "watch designs" and then scroll through the pages of thumbnails. Where you feel as you do about the square look, others will want round, landscape vs. portrait rectangles, octagons, hexagons, and all kinds of other shapes, designs, colors, faces, etc. Should the metal be gold, silver, black, white, <other>? Should there be metal? Should the strap be metal, plastic, leather, alligator, et all and wide, thin or something in between?

In the last week I traveled a LOT and was thinking about this concept as part of those travels. So I paid a bit more attention to what was on people's arms. The variety was endless. I can't even make a case that a particular shape or type or color was obviously more popular. There is no "99.9% of people want a..." argument here. And thus, I find it hard to imagine Apple rolling out a singular design that can appeal to the masses.

When I was in college, I worked in retail jewelry. The stores in which I worked would dedicate 2-5 cases to a wide range of watch designs. There was no favorite… no one design that most people would buy. Instead, every buyer bought on what their own subjective sense of watch design favored. A Seiko, Wittnauer, Tag, Gucci, Longines, Bulova, Movado, etc could not come up with a singular design that would appeal to everyone. Instead, what appealed to everyone was design diversity. NOT complying with a mainstream design seemed to be the better play.

But what about iPhone and iPad? Prior to iPhone, smart phones were not that common. Tablets had been around but were also fringe. There was not 100+ years of endlessly diverse designs already well established in those markets. While the crowd here (and then some) will jump on anything from Apple, it's the much larger crowd beyond here that needs to buy to make an iWatch the next iPhone & iPad. While I won't completely dismiss the possibility, I find it hard to imagine that the masses would give up on the diversity of design of this particular piece of jewelry to comply with a singular "best" design. Especially for men, the watch is usually the ONE piece of jewelry they want to wear. Do they really want to blend in with all other men if the masses would adopt it?

If a singular design of this can roar, I think the iUniform must be right on it's heels. And I only half joke there. Like watch design, we've got thousands of years of clothing fashion diversity. Just as I can't hardly imagine everyone adopting a singular uniform, I find it hard to imagine everyone adopting a singular watch design.

 

[iolinux333]

I don't know anybody who denied a tablet would be useful 10-15 years ago. The technology just wasn't ready for them at the time. Now what exactly is useful about a small screen wrist device that pairs up to your phone with limited functionality? Especially when your phone is a mere moment away in your pocket?

Can a watch even offer what we have now? Never mind offering something we don't have. I liked the idea of tablets and touchscreen phones. Smart watches still sounds pointless to me. Just another device I'd have to charge up everyday.

I'd be happy to be proven wrong though. Maybe someone will make a smart watch that is actually useful and not just a gimmicky extension of your phone.

I think a little Star Trek beepy on the left boob connected to phone, with a Siri that Ctually worked, would be cool.

 

[alexgowers]

Moto 360 is quite thick and big. I can't imagine a woman wearing it. Certainly not anyone with tiny wrists.

I still think smart watches are a solution looking for a problem. It's the tech world trying to find "the next big thing" and looking for growth since smartphones and tablets are starting to become more mature and growth is slowing.

Totally right, it's a solution to a problem that no one has.

If anyone can make a compelling problem... sorry feature as a reason to own one it'll be apple. i suspect they are plenty aware of this too.

I think the key lies in making it work as a standalone product, like the iPad was. Then connecting it as a benefit but not as the only way it can operate. the stumbling block with that is how do you configure something that has very poor input options and needs internet access to do anything useful. The phone is many things but the iwatch can only be one or a few. Sports is not a market that can sustain it either, so few people are active and those that are who want to monitor it already can.

It's like the apple tv it's just a few key building blocks short of a smash hit but no way to add them in sight.

 

[harley3k]

It's iTime they came out with this already...

 

[thekeyring]

But therein lies the problem with the whole iWatch rumor. Watches are jewelry. They've had 100+ years in "the wild" and people have come to appreciate them in every shape, depth, style, width, height, color, etc. We've got heavy duty metal vs. dress w/strap. We've got divers, pilots, everyday, mickey mouse, et all too. There's Rolex & Omega vs. Timex & Swatch and everything in between.

As jewelry, there is such diverse tastes in watch designs. Go to bing or google images and type in "watch designs" and then scroll through the pages of thumbnails. Where you feel as you do about the square look, others will want round, landscape vs. portrait rectangles, octagons, hexagons, and all kinds of other shapes, designs, colors, faces, etc. Should the metal be gold, silver, black, white, <other>? Should there be metal? Should the strap be metal, plastic, leather, alligator, et all and wide, thin or something in between?

In the last week I traveled a LOT and was thinking about this concept as part of those travels. So I paid a bit more attention to what was on people's arms. The variety was endless. I can't even make a case that a particular shape or type or color was obviously more popular. There is no "99.9% of people want a..." argument here. And thus, I find it hard to imagine Apple rolling out a singular design that can appeal to the masses.

When I was in college, I worked in retail jewelry. The stores in which I worked would dedicate 2-5 cases to a wide range of watch designs. There was no favorite… no one design that most people would buy. Instead, every buyer bought on what their own subjective sense of watch design favored. A Seiko, Wittnauer, Tag, Gucci, Longines, Bulova, Movado, etc could not come up with a singular design that would appeal to everyone. Instead, what appealed to everyone was design diversity. NOT complying with a mainstream design seemed to be the better play.

But what about iPhone and iPad? Prior to iPhone, smart phones were not that common. Tablets had been around but were also fringe. There was not 100+ years of endlessly diverse designs already well established in those markets. While the crowd here (and then some) will jump on anything from Apple, it's the much larger crowd beyond here that needs to buy to make an iWatch the next iPhone & iPad. While I won't completely dismiss the possibility, I find it hard to imagine that the masses would give up on the diversity of design of this particular piece of jewelry to comply with a singular "best" design. Especially for men, the watch is usually the ONE piece of jewelry they want to wear. Do they really want to blend in with all other men if the masses would adopt it?

If a singular design of this can roar, I think the iUniform must be right on it's heels. And I only half joke there. Like watch design, we've got thousands of years of clothing fashion diversity. Just as I can't hardly imagine everyone adopting a singular uniform, I find it hard to imagine everyone adopting a singular watch design.

Smartwatches don't seem to replace traditional watches. In the same way we still have landline phones as well as iPhones.

People who want jewellery or a nice timepiece are not necessarily the same people who will buy an iWatch.