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New Report Tempers iWatch Expectations, Device May Have 'Simpler' Technological Capabilities

If it doesn't have biometrics it is a non-starter for me. I am diabetic, have high-blood pressure and high cholesterol.

I also spend two plus hours a day in the gym. This thing could totally rock for me, but without the biometrics, it's hard to imagine giving me enough incentive to put something back on my wrist after all these years.
 
i think the question people are asking is whether this watch will be an accessory like samsung's smartwatch, or another product pillar like the iphone, ipod, ipad
 
This is pretty simple. It's currently physically impossible to build something that does everything everyone is expecting AND be small and attractive.

So companies have 2 choices:

1) Build a watch that does a ton but is large and ugly and gets smaller and more stylish with time.

2) Build a thin, stylish watch that only does a few things but adds capabilities over time.

Anyone want to take bets on which type of company Apple is?
 
Maybe make it look like this:

Turanga_Leela.png


Basically the same except way wider.
 
After Apples recent hires etc., I was already wondering if this will be more of a niche product that caters to the fitness/health-crowd instead of being the ultimate all-around toy to please the masses. I see a huge "disappointment!!!!!" sign on the horizon....
 
goMac said:
I'm not sure why people are asking for a music player on this. Why? Are you going to be plugging headphones into your watch? What's wrong with your phone?
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because it's cumbersome to take your iPhone while doing physical activities like jogging. So if you had a health monitor wristband, you would still need to have something like an ipod shuffle if you wanted music.

I wouldn't want to plug my headphones into a wristband, either. Apple bought an SF wireless headphone startup (Wi-Gear) and also put out a patent on wireless headphones. And historically, Apple usually don't buy companies for no reason.

.
 
baryon said:
I really like that concept mockup in the article, I'd love it if Apple's device looked like that.
Click to expand...

There are a few problems with it. First, one size doesn't fit all. Second, it needs an opening mechanism to get it on your wrist. Watchmakers have some experience with that. Third, it seems to be circular. My wrist isn't.

The display area is actually quite small. My watch isn't big at all, but the display area is probably the same, and all it displays is the time.

It looks nice in a picture, but I think it wouldn't work well in practice.
 
proline said:
The expectations had been getting quite out of hand. Non-invasive glucose monitoring is not broadly available and would likely be expensive and expose Apple to huge regulatory hassle. Not likely to be included.

This story, on the other hand, is not credible enough to reign in expectations. Apple keeps their employees isolated from the big picture. The guy who designed the M7, for example, had no idea it would go in the iPhone 5S, nor did he know any other features of the 5S. Only a very high level exec could know the complete iWatch feature set, and such a person would not be talking to nobodies like the source of this rumor.
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It is amazing how Apple is keeping its employee from seeing the big picture, while at the same time inventing so many great products with integrity
 
FDA approval

Getting FDA approval for anything falling under medical device regulations may be way too slow for a fashion device/accessory that has to be shipped before it goes out of fashion, or even gets copied to flood the market in countries where medical device laws are not well enforced, before the FDA even finishes looking at it.

Maybe there should be a fast track for these products, similar to process for vaccines for the latest flu.
 
iWatch:

VNC enabled micro-computer band with a omni-directional display showing your iPhone!

Simplez.
 
koppie644 said:
It is amazing how Apple is keeping its employee from seeing the big picture, while at the same time inventing so many great products with integrity
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Its true though. I have an engineer friend who works there on chip designs that tells people at parties that they can ask him anything they want to- he can't spill the beans because he doesn't even know what he is working on. There are few, if any leaks from Apple employees because of this. There are of course intentional leaks, such as to Dalrymple, and Chinese parts leaks, but stuff like software features or designs that haven't been sent for production almost never leak. This story is fiction.
 
Glucose sensing seems a pointless feature anyway. Diabetics should have a meter around with them at most times and non-diabetics (by definition) don't need one at all. I still don't understand why this is a "must have feature" or even a reason for Google to incorporate into their contact lenses.
 
Apple isn't going to release a new category of device that doesn't provide some new breakthrough use case. Fitness trackers already exist and Tim Cook praised them for being great at what they do. I think the iWatch will invariably sweep all those little bands up in its wave, but it's going to be bigger than merely counting calories and pretty design.
 
I really want an iWatch but now it's sounding like there's a ton of health stuff for it witch is good but it better not just be all health I won't use that as much as fun stuff and things like reading notifications on it. Come on apple bring on the iWatch! Witch reminds me did anyone else notice that iWatch is corrected by atuo correct it makes the W capital for you.
 
MOFS said:
Glucose sensing seems a pointless feature anyway. Diabetics should have a meter around with them at most times and non-diabetics (by definition) don't need one at all. I still don't understand why this is a "must have feature" or even a reason for Google to incorporate into their contact lenses.
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Yeah, I definitely wouldn't want to pay for a glucose sensor.
 
The first version of the iPod didn't work without a Mac and the first iPhone itself needed a Mac/PC to sync music and photos. The iWatch will start off as an accessory and evolve into a standalone product that may one day become what the iPhone was to the iPod.

Apple doesn't sit on its success and isn't afraid to obsolete its best selling products at their prime to create a new flagship product that will keep Apple on top for another generation.
 
The renderings are so much more cool than what's been shown. I would actually wear that, and I hate having things on my wrist.

A square watch is very yesterday, this - this is futuristic. This feels like something you'd imagine the future to be in the 80s and 90s, and in movies set in the future.
 
MOFS said:
Glucose sensing seems a pointless feature anyway. Diabetics should have a meter around with them at most times and non-diabetics (by definition) don't need one at all. I still don't understand why this is a "must have feature" or even a reason for Google to incorporate into their contact lenses.
Click to expand...

There are 400 million people with diabetes who would love a noninvasive way to measure glucose. Blood monitoring through skin is a breakthrough if deployed, because there are tons of use cases, not just diabetes.

An iWatch with the ability to measure blood, hydration, sleep patterns and quality, detect falls, etc., is a must have for many kinds of people, not to mention hypochondriacs, and folks who want insights into the quality of their lifestyles without expensive tests and visits to facilities. It also has implications for the relationships between doctors/hospitals with patients.

Steve Jobs in his Isaacson biography said, without anyone noticing amid the TV rumors, that the meeting of biology and technology was going to be the next big phase of tech. 9to5Mac reported that this iWatch project began late last decade, when Steve Jobs was still alive. This thing is no mere fitness tracker.
 
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