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I think there are going to be an awful lot of disappointed people when/if the actual "iWatch" is announced by Apple.
 
While the iPhone addressed a real need.
The iWatch seems to want to create one.

Disagreed. While, after playing with a real UV meter for some days (I have a professional one) it's pretty easy to estimate the actual UV radiation on a given day (this is why I don't really use my UV meter any more), it's still good to have such a gadget with you or if you can't estimate the UV levels because you haven't had a chance to play with a decent UV meter to gain some experience allowing you to estimate the current UV level.

Of course, all depends on what kinds of UV regions it's capable of measuring. UV-A? UV-B? (Surely not UV-C; that is, around 185 nm, which is only useful to measure whether you have any direct exposure from non-natural UV-C emitters in, say, hospitals.)
 
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To everybody questioning the usefulness of UV metering in an also outdoor sports-oriented gadget: just look around on eBay / Amazon - there are TONS of (to keep the costs down, pretty rudimentary (10-level), but, for running, perfectly adequate) UV meters for runners.

UV metering is definitely asked for by most outdoor sportsmen/women. And it doesn't take up much volume as opposed to, say, a Geiger-mueller counter.
 
If a smart watch would look as the mockup in the article I would buy one in a heart beat.
 
I call this one as totally false, reasons being a watch or band is worn under clothes as much as not, and not all of Apple's markets are sun blessed!

But you never know.

Runners / outdoor sportsmen(women) generally don't wear that much clothes, which makes the need for UV protection / estimation even more important. And if you do wear clothes, then, you don't get that much of an UV dosage. (Even light clothing essentially blocks all kinds of UV radiation.)
 
I'm still not convinced we're going to see all this in the guise of a watch - I think at least an option of a wrist-band has got to be the way to go. There's already a growing market sector for wrist-based health trackers (Jawbone UP, Fitbits etc) and all of these are designed to be worn independent from a watch. I think for many people an existing watch is just too personal and intimate to be dropped for a health device.

How many people are going to be interested in this device who won't want to stop wearing their £3000 Omega or maybe the watch their father handed down to them? And look at the variety of watch designs available - do we really think Apple can come up with a design that everyone will like? And even if they did, can you imagine if it became as ubiquitous as the iPhone at the height of it's success - nearly everyone you see wearing the same watch? No thanks.

And then there's other factors to consider - if this is going to be a 24hr fitness tracker, lots of people don't like sleeping wearing a watch, but might be able to do so with a more discrete wristband.

I just think if Apple goes down the watch-only route with this, then they're going to lose a lot of potential customers from the start. I think a separate wristband is the way to go, maybe with the option of fitting some sort of optional Apple "watchface" device to it that replicates some of the functions that would otherwise be handled by a connected iPhone etc.

Got to agree here, a watch is such a thing of personal taste it is inconceivable that Apple could produce something aesthetically pleasing to enough people to make it worth while. I think its going to be a wrist band type device that doesn't necessarily replace a watch but more provides a vehicle to attach sensors and technology to the wearer.
 
That UI looks amazing. I just hope it looks similar to that (the UI, not the watch itself), because if it's like the way iOS 7 looks, I will pass.
 
So I'm sure this has been discussed elsewhere, but what is the advantage of having a live tracking of my blood's oxygen saturation at all times? What would I do with that information?
 
The new device isn't a watch. It's a wristband. And it was revealed as such since the second phases of rumors last year. Sites like these and analysts, however, kept referring to it as a watch, which threw people off. Apple knows people won't wear watches again, as Tim Cook expounded on in an interview once.

Me personally, I would definitely love something which helps me become and remain healthy. These devices add functionality which you couldn't get from your phone. What I would never wear is a smartphone, which all it does is duplicate the already existing functionality of your phone. Also, the band would worn tight on your skin, which means it would be under your sleeves. The pulse sensor needs direct skin contact to work.

You must have some serious inside information. This product hasn't been revealed as anything yet. It's been rumored to be a wristband, just like it's been rumored to be a watch. No one knows but Apple.

No matter what it is, it will not help you become and/or remain healthy. That is the province of a healthy diet and exercise. Never been secret. If produced, it can help you monitor your health. There is a difference.
 
If they can somehow make this thing capable of blood pressure readings, I will buy it immediately. Regular blood pressure reading that automatically sync to healthbook would be incredible for someone like me with hypertension.

There is a system that measures the shape of the pulse waves with a wrist mounted sensor and then applies some very complex math to work out blood pressure. Im not sure if its a prototype or in use anywhere yet but cant see why they couldn't use that system at some point. The iphone is certainly powerful enough to do the calculations.

I agree that being able to monitor blood pressure almost constantly would be a literal life saver for many people.
 
You must have some serious inside information. This product hasn't been revealed as anything yet. It's been rumored to be a wristband, just like it's been rumored to be a watch. No one knows but Apple.

No matter what it is, it will not help you become and/or remain healthy. That is the province of a healthy diet and exercise. Never been secret. If produced, it can help you monitor your health. There is a difference.

That's like saying a fitness trainer too doesn't help you remain fit.

Anything which tracks the amount of steps you take, the oxygen in your blood, etc, and gives you valuable recommendation, helps you become/remain healthy.

The point I was trying to make is that it actually adds value to something you don't already have, as opposed to a smartwatch, which simply duplicates the functionality of your phone.
 
I call this one as totally false, reasons being a watch or band is worn under clothes as much as not, and not all of Apple's markets are sun blessed! But you never know.

Yes, don't forget that Apple designs their products for use in California :)

(That's partly why no one else had rushed to do a capacitive screen. When you design in cold climates, you don't want something that requires taking off your gloves and/or using your nose. It's also why Apple thought it was okay to leave out 3G and depend on WiFi, which was far more ubiquitous in California at the time than anywhere else.)

So, back to the problem of the device seeing the sun. How about an Apple headband? No? Okay. Hmm.

Maybe Apple's going to blow everyone away by coming out with a StarTrek like comm badge that you wear on your chest or lapel. It could talk via Bluetooth to a hidden wristband for getting information that requires skin contact.

(half joking)
 
iFlop

Yes, people thought the iPad would be an 'iFlop,' but I wasn't one of them.

But I will say it about the iWatch, and the masturbatory zeal over its pending birth is puzzling. One, it's prone to banging against countertops and whatever else...and there you go. Two, viewing marvelous content on a tiny surface appeals to no one. Three, people will look stupid holding their wrists to their face trying to view all that 'content.'
 
The Apple iPiece?

Dunno, but I do know that it isn't going to be "iWatch." That name is just awful.

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I'm still not convinced we're going to see all this in the guise of a watch - I think at least an option of a wrist-band has got to be the way to go. There's already a growing market sector for wrist-based health trackers (Jawbone UP, Fitbits etc) and all of these are designed to be worn independent from a watch. I think for many people an existing watch is just too personal and intimate to be dropped for a health device.

How many people are going to be interested in this device who won't want to stop wearing their £3000 Omega or maybe the watch their father handed down to them? And look at the variety of watch designs available - do we really think Apple can come up with a design that everyone will like? And even if they did, can you imagine if it became as ubiquitous as the iPhone at the height of it's success - nearly everyone you see wearing the same watch? No thanks.

And then there's other factors to consider - if this is going to be a 24hr fitness tracker, lots of people don't like sleeping wearing a watch, but might be able to do so with a more discrete wristband.

I just think if Apple goes down the watch-only route with this, then they're going to lose a lot of potential customers from the start. I think a separate wristband is the way to go, maybe with the option of fitting some sort of optional Apple "watchface" device to it that replicates some of the functions that would otherwise be handled by a connected iPhone etc.

You're getting the idea better than 95% of the people who post to these threads. Or who write these articles.
 
While the iPhone addressed a real need.
The iWatch seems to want to create one.

I'm pretty sure health monitoring has been a centuries old problem that has typically been solved through very expensive equipment and very expensive healthcare visits.

This could be an incredibly big deal for a lot of people. This could also encourage people to care more about their health (especially in an unhealthy country like America). Don't be too thick to see the potential.
 
The Apple iPiece?

Hmm. Need to go check the trademark database and see if "iBand" is taken. That seems to be the favorite choice.

If it is taken, and the owner is some rinky dink place in Maryland etc, then it's probably an Apple shell company holding the name for them until it comes out.

:)

Ah! Should also check Chinese trademarks. Before the iPad came out, Apple grabbed "iPad" and "iSlate", IIRC. I found a while bunch of names that way.

--

EDIT: I checked. A law firm in Boca Raton Florida filed for "iBand" for remote phone alerts in late 2013. It smacks of an Apple surrogate.

However, that application was suspended because a Long Island accessory company had already filed it for watches a few months earlier. They must, of course, actually come out with a product using that name pretty soon (or file for an extension of time), or lose it. If Apple wants the name, they're going to have to buy it from them.
 
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