CES 2014: Apple's Competition in the Smart Watch Arena

[CalWizrd]

I'm hoping for a $99 iwatch. Who wears a watch any more? You want to win me over? Make it cool and buyable with disposable income. I won't pay $250 for a watch.

The more MacRumors forum posts I read, the more I become convinced that an awfully large percentage of MR members are residing somewhere within the minimum wage earners.

"... buyable with disposable income. I won't pat $250 ..."

Kind of pathetic. $250 exceeds disposable income? For what, a day, a week, a month, a lifetime?

How do these folks manage to buy iPhones, or iPads, or iMacs, or ... ?

 

[powers74]

But I'd much rather wait and have Apple announce something that will leave the phonies jaws on the floor, scrambling aimlessly.

LoL this is precisely what will happen.

The expectations for the iWatch are very high…

And in my eyes this is Apple's ONLY challenge. iPod came out of left field. There weren't a lot of people looking at Apple to produce an MP3 player. This time the world's eyeballs are laser focused on Cupertino.

 

[phillipduran]

Unusual to see Apple behind on things.

It's normal. They were behind on the MP3 player, the cell phone and tablets.

I think it's normal for Apple to take their time to make a product right while they watch the rest of the industry flounder to rush something to market.

 

[mdelvecchio]

Unusual to see Apple behind on things.

really? you mean like tablets? or cell phones? or MP3 players? behind like that...? seems like theyre doing as they always do -- focus on building great products, not public betas.

 

[Rossatron]

the new pebble looks really nice

 

[Teste]

The iWatch, assuming Apple would ever release one, would likely be more expensive than those smart watches. That's what Apple does.

I also doubt very much that Apple would release an iWatch in multiple sizes, in order to fit both genders and multiple arm sizes. This kind of customization isn't usually found in Apple products.

I don't want an iWatch, but then again I thought I wouldn't want an iPad and look at me using one right now. Still, I think I'm going to pass on the whole smart watch thing. I wish Apple would invest in other things (TV, iPad Pro, etc).

 

[mdelvecchio]

but...what are electronics companies going to sell us *next* year!? 4k TVs will be the rage, dopey watches will be forgotten.

 

[Nunyabinez]

Yes, I don't need a smart watch because we know that all it will do is show the time, just like all you can do with an iPhone is make a phone call. /S

 

[CausticPuppy]

I agree that Apple could make a great fitness wrist product, and as a runner I would love to see it. I just can't shake the feeling they have something bigger planned. A wearable that is going to make every consumer want one and every current 'smartwatch' maker say "Holy $h!t" and run back to the R&D department.

Like I said, if they were just making a wrist brick like everybody else, they wouldn't be having all these rumored manufacturing challenges!

 

[The Doctor11]

The iPod Nano watch is missing from list.
Image

Well that's because it's a iPod not a watch all it will do is play music and be a watch. Not very smart just a little smarter then other watches.

 

[Stella]

Finally! A portable way to know that I'm getting text messages, e-mail as well as check time!! It's like they should have invented something similar years ago... oh wait.

I hope this market fails to catch on as I truly do not see a point to it. Is it just to show off that you're wearing a watch that notifies you what's happening on the phone in your pocket? With flexible, full-featured smartphones coming I see potential for a wrist-based product but these little companion products are useless.

Thats nice - not.

So, because you don't understand smart watches / or have any use for, you hope they never catch on.

Talk about self centred.

Wow...

 

[Sammilux]

One day we may see the coming of iWatch Mini, iWatch Air and iWatch Pro. Soon.

 

[IJ Reilly]

These things remind me of Tiger wrist games from back in the 90s. Or like the old Casio calculator watch. Total novelties, gimmicky, and essentially useless with no real value proposition.

They're all just jumping on the bandwagon with no real critical thinking, no purpose, just tossing something out there because they think its the "next hot thing."

Just like the flood of tablets at CES '10 before the iPad was announced. They instantly became worthless and obsolete just a few weeks later. Its too bad Apple probably isn't announcing their supposed wearable this month like they did with the iPad. But I'd much rather wait and have Apple announce something that will leave the phonies jaws on the floor, scrambling aimlessly.

And because their best chance of success is beating Apple to market with wearable tech. Still, with each new product, the bar gets notched up just a bit for Apple. They pretty much have to blow away the entire field.

 

[Zeldain]

I'll say it again, smart watch is not a category Apple will ultimately choose to enter. It's just not big enough. It doesn't offer a real benefit, but it also won't convert non-watch wearers to watch wearers.

 

[MattMJB0188]

ENOUGH. with these stupid watches. Nobody cares!!!

 

[JHankwitz]

Unusual to see Apple behind on things.

Apple has seldom, if at any time, been the first to come out with something. They're best at taking something and making it far better than anything else on the market at a premium price. Looking at what's currently available, this shouldn't be too hard to do.

 

[Albright]

The iPod Nano watch is missing from list.
Image

I'm really bummed that Apple decided to not continue with this form factor for the nano. I loved my nano watch, and would still be using it had not the home button broken… and I would have bought a new one if they were still available. (I've seen used ones for ridiculous prices, so I guess they're still hot commodities.)

Once the dust settles, I might end up with a smart watch to replace it. I don't want to be an early adopter and end up with something mediocre, though.

 

[powers74]

really? you mean like tablets? or cell phones? or MP3 players? behind like that...? seems like theyre doing as they always do -- focus on building great products, not public betas.

Agree. I'd even be a little surprised to see an iWatch unveiled this year. What's the rush? iPhone and iPad are still going great. Let these suckers flounder another year or so before you drop the bomb. It's not like any of them are going to take the market by storm.

On a side note, I predict a classy mechanical interface. Maybe a click wheel combined with touch, like a little ring/dial around the perimeter. At least that's one possibility. Seems like it could be nice.

 

[andy9l]

I'm hoping for a $99 iwatch.

We all hope for unrealistic things on occasion

Who wears a watch any more?

People who care about fashion, and some gym goers. Not you, apparently.

 

[Nozuka]

They are just not good looking enough. A watch needs to be beautiful.

Or maybe i'm just too Swiss.

 

[aloshka]

Image

I'm with you. It does sound like companies are following a fad. Unless someone has one here. Is it good? Worth it? What is the point, I don't get it. It's tethered to your phone anyway, so why not just use the phone. Not like you can read an email on a 32x32 screen.

Playing a little devil's advocate... would be cool to see notifications (just that you got new email, etc) without having to turn on your phone. That's one thing I LOVED about the MotoX. You move it and it turns on and shows you stuff without pressing any buttons.

 

[Windlasher]

cake eaters unite !!!

The more MacRumors forum posts I read, the more I become convinced that an awfully large percentage of MR members are residing somewhere within the minimum wage earners.

"... buyable with disposable income. I won't pat $250 ..."

Kind of pathetic. $250 exceeds disposable income? For what, a day, a week, a month, a lifetime?

How do these folks manage to buy iPhones, or iPads, or iMacs, or ... ?

Disposable income is income that would not really be missed. If you are a millionaire, congratulations. I don't currently wear a watch so I would probably not spend $250 for a device I don't really need no matter how much I make. I might spend $99 for one if it offered me something that I would use or thought was fun but I probably would do without if it cost me $250+ and was neither.

I paid 14K for my motorcycle, when I could have gotten one for 6K. It's all about perceived value.

That Samsung piece of crap cost $250. Not getting any rave reviews now is it? Rich or earning minimum wage, it would be stupid to take 3 $100 bill out of your pocket and set them on fire for the hell of it.

 

[JHankwitz]

Finally! A portable way to know that I'm getting text messages, e-mail as well as check time!! It's like they should have invented something similar years ago... oh wait.

With flexible, full-featured smartphones coming I see potential for a wrist-based product but these little companion products are useless.

I also wouldn't have use for one, but I'm sure many people might find it to be handy. One thing for sure is that the iWatch will have to look far better than what's being presented by others now. I think I'll burst out with laughter when I see someone actually wearing one of these things.

 

[spenceralger]

These all seem so reminiscent of tablets pre-iPad. They look like people are making a smart watch, not because they have a good idea for how they should work, but because they know they should make a smart watch.

I feel the same way, but I'm seeing flashbacks to the MP3 players that were released by the droves before the iPod hit the market (Archos, iRiver, Creative, Sony, etc.)

 

[Nunyabinez]

I'll say it again, smart watch is not a category Apple will ultimately choose to enter. It's just not big enough. It doesn't offer a real benefit, but it also won't convert non-watch wearers to watch wearers.

Maybe if you stopped thinking about it as a smart watch and thought of it as a wrist worn computing device your thinking might not be so constrained.

I am a diabetic and an avid fitness buff. If this device contains bio-metric sensors, I would be more than happy to put it on my wrist, though I haven't worn a watch in years.

I have little need for time to be displayed on my wrist, but I don't know how many times my phone has vibrated while in my pocket and I didn't feel it.

To be able to quickly glance at my wrist to see a text is much more stealthy than pulling my phone out of my pocket and opening it up.

And maybe it never happens to you, but even though I have blue tooth in my car radio, when a phone call comes in while I'm driving, I have to go through this horrible contortion to get my phone out of my pocket.

And I'm sure there are many more applications. I am amazed that people are able to predict the uselessness of a device that hasn't even been announced yet, let alone demonstrated.

And give developers a chance, and they will come up with all kinds of wild and cool things just like has happened with the iPhone.