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.