Former Apple Human Interface Developer Speculates on Future 'iWatch'

[Ciclismo]

What about the one BIG problem...I don't (and I know many others) want to wear a watch. Ever. I don't want a watch tan, and I don't want that dorky thing strapped to my wrist.

The "problem" it's supposed to solve is that I don't want to take the phone out of my pocket? Why have the phone then? I think it sounds silly.

I want to see you do that whilst riding a bike. No biggie when you have a watch, but taking something out of your pocket whilst riding? Oh, sorry,I forgot, if you think it is uncool, then it should be illegal 🙄

 

[louiek]

I, as the only remaining person on Earth who wears a watch, will explain that I do so because it is more convenient to glance at my wrist for the time than take my cell phone out of whatever pocket in which it is stored and push the home button to see the time.

Glancing at my wrist is clearly an antiquated and old fashioned way to learn the time.

But, according to the poster above, I am the only quaint fogey who still does that.

🙄

I'm so old fashioned I have to manually reset the time on mine once a week. I love my watch and I really like this idea, so my problem with it would be that I don't want to wear 2 watches. A simple wristband with a flexible display would work perfectly though.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

what happens if you lose the watch? Don't you have a security problem?

 

[Daalseth]

People don't wear watches - but they wear Nike+ Fuelbands.
I have yet to see someone who ditched his or her watch because it was uncomfortable, so that's not the point.

I did. I started wearing a watch in highschool and went through a fair number over the next 25 years, but as soon as clocks became ubiquitous I stopped wearing one simply because I found it to be annoying. So for me at least that was the point.

 

[Lancer]

An iWatch could be useful Dick Tracy style when connected to you iPhone (or iPad) to make an receive video and audio calls, read text without getting your phone out and selecting the next track to listen to. Or even be used as the next micro iPod with built in player?

So it might work but I do worry that Apple is making too many different products, one of the reasons it got into trouble before Jobs came back and saved the company.

Personally I've not worn a wrist watch for years, I don't see the point since my iPhone goes with me when I'm out, when in my car I have a clock (and radio) and if I'm in front of a computer it has a clock. I have noticed of late less and less clocks in business and supermarkets (on the walls), maybe it's because everyone has a phone they don't need another clock?

 

[carlgo]

I have an expensive bling watch, my only bling actually, and wear it only for bling occasions. It is fun to do so.

The Apple watch thing could be an extension of the iPhone, housing a mike and a speaker so you wouldn't have to dig in your pocket. And you could tell time, dial numbers, access your iTunes and all sorts of things. And there could be apps like heart rate, miles run, altitude, gps. And I am in if it eliminates passwords. It would be like those cars that unlock and start if the key is in your pocket. Are a lot of keys/cars stolen?

I would still wear my bling watch to a nice restaurant or a sophisticated party (someone is bound to invite me someday...I just know it).

 

[Krazy Bill]

Saying that a Dick Tracy wrist communicator is so 1963 is like saying a Star Trek Transporter is so 1057 or a Holodeck is so 1987. Making an iPhone the size of a Dick Tracy communicator would be revolutionary.

Ok. Thanks for the info!

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Asking your watch for information in Siri like style would present the answer,

When you do this just make sure you over-enunciate each syllable and speak from a nice quite place... like a closet.

 

[Compile 'em all]

"...........using pressure data from millions of watches, Apple could build a precision altitude map of the world. This map would indicate true altitudes everywhere that iWatch wearers travel. The granularity would be several orders of magnitude......."

What is granularity and how is it measured in orders of magnitude?

Sorry, this is enough to scare the c*** out of me. I don't want to sound defeatist, but thank God I'm in my mid 50's and hopefully wont be around (ie: I'll be dead!) when every single person on the planet will be trackable/contactable/accountable...

Why don't we all iOFF, get a life and appreciate the things that are important like gorgeous sunsets, bird song - anything but this junk...

iPis**d

What are you doing on this forum then?

 

[fullauto]

Just don't wear it on your fap arm or Siri won't talk to you for days..

The TV volume going up and down franticly in the lounge room.. 'He's at it again!'..

😛

 

[SockRolid]

Oh, darn...and I was so looking forward to that cutting off the finger thing. This takes all the fun out of being a sadistic scumbag thief.🙁

Now let's hope that the cutting-off-your-finger bad guys either know a bit about biometrics or, at least, have read this post.😛

🙄

That's the problem, isn't it? Severed fingers won't work. But the bad guys don't know that.

 

[Fatalbert]

An iWatch is about 10 years too late! I don't know anyone who wears watches anymore because of the fact that they have cell phones! 😕

They're pretty much only useful in school. I can't use my phone as a timer during a test or pull it out in class to check the time. Since I have to check the time especially frequently, it's useful. But outside of school, there's no point.

You never know, it could be for fashion.

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Everyone says the dont want or don't need one, but how many of these people said the same thing when the iPhone and/or iPad came out?

Something to consider is that Apple has often surprised us 🙂
But that was while Apple had Steve Jobs.

 

[Gasu E.]

I, as the only remaining person on Earth who wears a watch, will explain that I do so because it is more convenient to glance at my wrist for the time than take my cell phone out of whatever pocket in which it is stored and push the home button to see the time.

Glancing at my wrist is clearly an antiquated and old fashioned way to learn the time.

But, according to the poster above, I am the only quaint fogey who still does that.

🙄

It's fairly likely that you have an actual job and need to be places or meet people at specific times. Just guessing...

 

[Shrink]

It's fairly likely that you have an actual job and need to be places or meet people at specific times. Just guessing...

Good guess... 😀

So old fashioned...😛

 

[MacFly123]

Reading his thoughts have made me interested in such a product for the first time! That's saying something because I am not a watch person at all 😎

 

[a0me]

Glancing at my wrist is clearly an antiquated and old fashioned way to learn the time.

Plus, a nice timepiece looks great.
Now, if only someone could make a smartwatch that looks nice.

 

[JoeG4]

3) The portable music category was moribund until the iPod.

Not exactly. Portable CD players were still selling in droves, and my bro was still using a sony discman when i got my first iPod.

Actually, I remember when the iPod came out - it kinda sat there, not unlike how the Apple TV did for the first year or so it was on the market. The initial ads were embarrassingly corny, and one tech mag even called it the new pocket protector.

At the time the iPod first came out,IIRC it was $399, but you could get an MP3 CD player for ~$60, and most people I knew just got those instead. That's not to say it wasn't a better product! The iPod was the NICEST MP3 player - not the biggest, not the smallest, and not the cheapest. In fact, it wasn't the most expensive either.

It definitely wasn't the first, either. It had a medium between flash-based players and the laptop hard drive players, and I think may have been the first to use 1.8" drives.

Thanks to the unique white headphones, and the REALLY slick dancing ad campaign that hit around the 3rd gen, not to mention the cheaper minis and such - the iPod sales skyrocketed around that point.

But yea, it wasn't a cult classic - and it didn't revive a dead market.

 

[RAPTORSKI]

Am I the only one who is thinking of an iWatch as a replacement of the iPod Shuffle line up but with other cool features such as Siri, etc.

As for everyone saying watches are outdated, just remember how many people went out and bought custom watch straps for their ipod nanos a year or so ago. Apple even introduced its own line up to supply demand because so many people began turning their nanos into watches.

 

[Peterg2]

what happens if you lose the watch? Don't you have a security problem?

I am just reiterating what several people here have already said, but don't some of you actually READ the source article for Macrumors' posts? If I wish to comment on one of Macrumors News and Article discussions I always read the source article. I am funny like that, I try to be reasonable acquainted.

Let me make it easy for you - http://asktog.com/atc/apple-iwatch/

Apple must ensure, however, that, if you remove the watch, you must reestablish authenticity. (Reauthorizing would be an excellent place for biometrics.) Otherwise, we’ll have a spate of violent “watchjackings” replacing the non-violent iPhone-grabs going on today.

...

Individuals or companies that demand a higher level of security can require both the presence of the watch and a passcode, aka, two-factor authentication. Even that could be made a lot less onerous, again optionally, if, when at work or within your own house, the security software would be allowed to lift the requirement for the separate passcode, only applying it when you are out and about.

 

[twotwo11]

A watch is still a great fashion accessory IMO.

I'd like to add that a smart watch sound pretty cool.

 

[Shrink]

Plus, a nice timepiece looks great.
Now, if only someone could make a smartwatch that looks nice.

I didn't want to say anything before, but since you brought it up...those watch type things are not...how shall I say this...attractive watches. Not exactly Patek Phillipe!

More bluntly...I wouldn't wear one of those things if you put a gun to my head!!!

😀

 

[RAPTORSKI]

I didn't want to say anything before, but since you brought it up...those watch type things are not...how shall I say this...attractive watches. Not exactly Patek Phillipe!

I don't think this is exactly a smartwatch but it looks pretty good. It is definitely possible for Apple to design a good looking smartwatch in my opinion.

 

[Navdakilla]

An iWatch is about 10 years too late! I don't know anyone who wears watches anymore because of the fact that they have cell phones! 😕

Very true, however I think I'm one of the few that still loves my timepieces. Actually just bought a new one a couple of weeks ago. My wrist feels empty without a watch

 

[Macrolido]

Seems a little outdated.

 

[Alphaforcex]

I am actually thinking it the other way. The iWatch or the iWear will have the embedding radio for all communication needs. Your iPhone will now become just an iPod touch...or more so just a iMonitor and it will be so thin and light. The iWear will be able to pair with a BT headset and make/receive phone calls. And the iMonitor could be a iGlass as well...or and to add on top of that, it could be used for external gesture control for your other iDevices 😀 Fast forward to 2020 now...

 

[Karma*Police]

I haven't worn a watch in ages, but I do love the proximity, no passcode idea. I'd buy it just for that. Authenticate once in the morning and forget about passcodes the rest of the day for all my devices. Brilliant.

Just don't make me plug it in every night... if ever.