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The wrist watch replaced the pocket watch because it was more convenient to look at your wrist to tell the time than reach into your pocket.

That's a very interesting parallel.

So, in 20 years, will we be referring to antique smartphones by the quaint retronym, "pocket-phones"? :)
 
That's a very interesting parallel.

So, in 20 years, will we be referring to antique smartphones by the quaint retronym, "pocket-phones"? :)

Look at Cellphones.

The Motorola Brick phone replaced the car phone because it was smaller and easier to carry around.

The flip phone movement replaced the brickphone because it was smaller yet.

a wave of newer phones were even smaller than the motorola flip and thinner.

Now look at us. We want bigger and bigger screens.

funny stuff.
 
I have a watch. I wear one every day. You want to dig out your phone and look at the screen evey time you want to know what time it is, go right ahead.

I currently have a fuel band and its a simple double tap on the button and BAM time. Sadly my iphone5 was stolen in the summer and the iphone5s
was due to come out in a month but I needed a phone then and there. So I wasnt going to get a new 5 with the 5s coming out so I opted for the HTCONE if the iwatch is as bad ass as it looks I will most defintely drop my HTC one and get an iphone/iwatch combo.

They better make that it waterproof/sweatproof/ heat resistant.
 
I will probably wear a smartwatch if one has a flexible band, flexible battery, flexible screen, can communicate with a phone from miles away, can take or make calls, long lasting battery(10 days +). Even better if it's just like the watch phone that the niece wore in the TV animation Inspector Gadget. I want it!
 
That's still two hands that have to be involved. :) But whatever, still better than relying on pulling a phone out.

a smartwatch will always be a two hand deal, unless Uncle Tim figured out a way to not have the band turn on everytime we swing our arms.
 
a smartwatch will always be a two hand deal, unless Uncle Tim figured out a way to not have the band turn on everytime we swing our arms.
I actually wouldn't be surprised to see some kind of special gesture for one-hand function activation. Like, twist your wrist 3 times or something.
 
Spot on.

That's why there aren't any watches anymore. Nobody bought them, so the watch industry closed down. Look at a dedicated watch forum like "watchuseek" - it's a complete wasteland. Nobody posts there because they all are busy posting on macrumors and android central talking about their cell phones. Have you ever tried to find a watch on Amazon? It's almost impossible.

Ever heard about that kickstarted project "Pebble"? It's a flop - instead of the targeted $100.000 goal, they barely made it over $10.000.000.

Ha, brilliant.

I love my Pebble. It's a great device but I see myself switching to Apple's smartwatch once it's out, especially if Nike throw through out a Fuelband-like app.
 
I actually wouldn't be surprised to see some kind of special gesture for one-hand function activation. Like, twist your wrist 3 times or something.

Hey, got a name for it, iWatch is boring: The Carpaller.

You know, because of the millions of repetitive motion injuries it will cause.
 
Apple to Use 'Stepped Battery' Technology from LG Chem for iWatch

The problem lies with the implementation. I still have to physically remove my phone from the pocket to reply to a text (unless i want to write a lengthy message from a watch face)..and remove the phone to talk to it and use the features. Thats why the ability to communicate and take over some "practical" functions from a smartphone would be only a SECONDARY capability for a smart-watch. It has to offer much more then that in my opinion.


Agreed 100% with having to offer much more.

Phones were originally for voice communication. Then they got SMS capability, and then the ability to run applications and access Internet services. I would classify today's phones as dual-mission (1) Communications and (2) Information Gathering devices, the information being stuff one inputs, like schedules, photos, or stuff one retrieves, like map locations, weather, and websites. This second mission is what really changed the nature of phones.

A watch was originally meant for monitoring one piece of data: time. By extension, a smart watch can monitor other things: weather, Call/SMS/App alerts. That's the obvious part, the stuff you can derive by analogy reasoning. A watch watches stuff. It could even watch your health, like the rumored health monitoring functions.

So if a watch is (1) A monitoring device… what is iWatch's (2) "new mission"?

My guess is Mobile Payments.

Think about how we pay today at stores: dig out wallet, take out bank card, swipe, put back card or wallet. Cash is similar. Take out cash, get change, put it all back. It's cumbersome. It sucks. If someone steals the wallet, they can spend all the cash or use the credit cards until the cards are canceled. Wallets are generally loose items and can easily be lifted or misplaced unless chained, which is not common.

What if that was replaced with a digital payment system stored in the watch. Wave wrist over a checkout terminal, which establishes a connection to the iWatch. ***Confirm with TouchID*** built into the iWatch. Far better than signing for credit card (a joke, the sigs always look dubious), or using a pin (easy to steal). Since the iWatch rather than the payment terminal is responsible for authentication, you don't have to worry about hacked terminals. If the iWatch is stolen, the thief can't use it because TouchID won't authenticate. The device is also strapped to the wrist so it's less likely to be randomly lost or snatched in public.

I don't think iWatch will attempt to replicate what iPhone does well: communication and information manipulation. It will have its own unique "must have" function.

Think of a crazy future where even forms of ID are kept on these devices. For example being carded at the liquor store. Wave wrist over payment terminal. Use TouchID to authorize the checkout person to view your Driver's License info, which they can view from DMV database. Fast, convenient, and reduces counterfeit license risk. The possibilities for rethinking the wallet are endless.
 
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Agreed 100% with having to offer much more.

Phones were originally for voice communication. Then they got SMS capability, and then the ability to run applications and access Internet services. I would classify today's phones as dual-mission (1) Communications and (2) Information Gathering devices, the information being stuff one inputs, like schedules, photos, or stuff one retrieves, like map locations, weather, and websites. This second mission is what really changed the nature of phones.

A watch was originally meant for monitoring one piece of data: time. By extension, a smart watch can monitor other things: weather, Call/SMS/App alerts. That's the obvious part, the stuff you can derive by analogy reasoning. A watch watches stuff. It could even watch your health, like the rumored health monitoring functions.

So if a watch is (1) A monitoring device… what is iWatch's (2) "new mission"?

My guess is Mobile Payments.

Think about how we pay today at stores: dig out wallet, take out bank card, swipe, put back card or wallet. Cash is similar. Take out cash, get change, put it all back. It's cumbersome. It sucks. If someone steals the wallet, they can spend all the cash or use the credit cards until the cards are canceled. Wallets are generally loose items and can easily be lifted or misplaced unless chained, which is not common.

What if that was replaced with a digital payment system stored in the watch. Wave wrist over a checkout terminal, which establishes a connection to the iWatch. ***Confirm with TouchID*** built into the iWatch. Far better than signing for credit card (a joke, the sigs always look dubious), or using a pin (easy to steal). Since the iWatch rather than the payment terminal is responsible for authentication, you don't have to worry about hacked terminals. If the iWatch is stolen, the thief can't use it because TouchID won't authenticate. The device is also strapped to the wrist so it's less likely to be randomly lost or snatched in public.

I don't think iWatch will attempt to replicate what iPhone does well: communication and information manipulation. It will have its own unique "must have" function.

Think of a crazy future where even forms of ID are kept on these devices. For example being carded at the liquor store. Wave wrist over payment terminal. Use TouchID to authorize the checkout person to view your Driver's License info, which they can view from DMV database. Fast, convenient, and reduces counterfeit license risk. The possibilities for rethinking the wallet are endless.

Good post. I think mobile payments will be incorporated into IWatch but that in and of itself can't be the killer feature simply because it'll probably be a feature on the iohone too. I think there's quite a bit of smoke lately regarding biometric data and I think that's what's going to be a big part of IWatch, in addition to the mobile payments bit. Having some sort of sophisticated biometric monitoring is something that is much easier to implement insofar as it doesn't really require large scale cooperation from multiple parties in the same way mobile payments would.
 
Good post. I think mobile payments will be incorporated into IWatch but that in and of itself can't be the killer feature simply because it'll probably be a feature on the iohone too.


That's a good point, but I think a wristwatch is a better option for mobile payments because it's more convenient (especially for those ladies who don't want to dig through a handbag to retrieve their phone at the checkout), and the fact that the device is attached to the wrist means it's less likely to be lost or stolen. There are plenty of sad stories in the iPhone forum from people who misplaced their phone or set it down and had it taken.
 
What's wrong with your average coin cell Apple uses in their remotes ?

All watches today use coin type, and would last allot longer than any of the battery's would last longer than any of the batteries Apple makes for their products.

Is their a reason why Apple didn't choose coin cell ? They already have it small already, just change the shape if they want... technology is already there.

And would last allot longer probably then their one they are working on for the iWatch, since you'd only go a week .... compared to a few month, or longer with cell..

Makes more sense.


Seems to me, Apple favoring technology ie wireless charging, and/or other methods over longevity.

I vote longevity...

The CR2032 coin cell used in the Apple remote and many watches has a capacity of ~225 mAh. In contrast the rechargeable batteries in the Pebble and Galaxy Gear are 170 mAh and 315 mAh, respectively. Meaning that they are already in the same neighborhood.

It is their simple/low-voltage electronics that let conventional watches run continuously for such long periods of time, not some super-effiecient battery.
 
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How is this battery technology much different from the one Apple boasted about when they made it non-user-replaceable in the MacBook family? They said they had been able to take advantage of every nook and cranny in the case since it didn't have to be removable anymore.
 
How is this battery technology much different from the one Apple boasted about when they made it non-user-replaceable in the MacBook family? They said they had been able to take advantage of every nook and cranny in the case since it didn't have to be removable anymore.

This takes advantage of previously unused space inside the battery.
 
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