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NYT: Apple is Working on a Curved Glass Smart Watch

To people saying that wristwatches are useless when you can just pull your phone out of your pocket, realize that these....

276px-MontreGousset001.jpg


... were invented centuries before their wrist mounted counterparts.
 
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APlotdevice said:
To people saying that watches are useless when you can just pull your phone out, realize that the pocketwatch existed long before the wristwatch.
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Yeah, but the wristwatch existed looong before smartphone so why a wristwatch from Apple should change anything? Besides, it's just another hassle: OS updates, charging (once a week judging by Pebble watch), device coupling. Too much efforts for too little gain.
 
GuitarDTO said:
No, THIS is a watch. And yes, I own this. I call it the Conversation Starter. The looks I get are worth the price alone. I've spoken to many a stranger simply because they were curious enough to ask me about it.

Image
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I think the U-Boat is in a different class.

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APlotdevice said:
To people saying that wristwatches are useless when you can just pull your phone out of your pocket, realize that these....

Image

... have existed for centuries.
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Now you're talking!
 
boss1 said:
And Lets not forget the art of stealing watches may be forgotten but not lost! I've seen watches taken on a handshake or casual bump while walking.
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Almost OT, but this fantastic video is worth suffering through the video problems that almost destroy it:

http://macknik.neuralcorrelate.com/node/19

... and you really need to be concerned more about how these "vulnerabilities in consciousness" are exploited in marketing, more than they are exploited on the street* ...

Edit: * Pretty everyone is constantly being pick pocketed by multiple marketing machines. Only a few are being physically pick pocketed on the street.
 
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motrek said:
Is everybody on drugs? What is this nonsense about "curved glass"?

If you go to a department store, maybe half of the watches with rectangular dials have curved glass.

My wall clock has curved glass. Hell, my dinner plates have curved glass.

Is there actually a technological hurdle here that I'm not aware of?

Edit: also I forgot that glasses have curved glass and so do camera lenses. Any lens, really.
Edit 2: car windshields or any other kind of car glass. I'll probably think of some more things in the next 2 minutes.
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Totally off-topic: I've got a car with flat glass windshields. They were too expensive or whatever to curve, so they used two flat pieces. I think this particular vehicle hung on to that split windshield concept rather longer than most vehicles though: it's a '67 VW Bus.
 
APlotdevice said:
To people saying that watches are useless when you can just pull your phone out, realize that the pocketwatch existed long before the wristwatch.
Click to expand...

From wikipedia - "Men, who carried pocket watches, were quoted as saying they would "sooner wear a skirt as wear a wristwatch"." So a pocketwatch is for penis'd individuals and a wrist watch is for the iPad mini people, you know, those with a handbag (and a vagina).

Personally, I can't imagine a pocket watch being strapped to my wrist and thinking anything but, "this thing is so bulky and heavy, it must have been designed by someone other than Apple, or I must be living in a steampunk world gone awry." The technology advanced such that the pocket watch could be attached to the wrist. So, since we're able to advance once again, how should we define the function of this item some people wear on their wrists? I'd like to find out, and btw I don't want to wear an iPod nano strapped (with an ugly strap) to my wrist - come up with something better, Apple.
 
Pebble set the standard

How often will we have to charge the iWatch? Every single day? Fortunately, Pebble has set the standard with a 1-week battery. I doubt Apple will be able to match (let alone beat) this without the iWatch looking like the touch version of the iPod Nano worn on the wrist, which would NOT be innovative (people have already modified the touchscreen Nano's to be worn on a wrist)
 
apolloa said:
It won't do anything a current smart watch or wrist exercise device can, plus you have the iPod and iPhone to look to.
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Amazeballs! You should change your forum name to Nostradamus for your ability to predict the future. :rolleyes:

<You know nothing about the project. No one outside of Infinite Loop does, so stop pretending you do.>
 
This totally makes sense.

Every company will have a wearable flagship product.

Google glasses. Ubiquitous. High volume. Low margin. Like LENSECRAFTERS in the mall.

Apple iWatch. High end. Rich ppl already happily pay 10k for a premium watch product.

Microsoft watch. It weighs 15.4 pounds BUT it runs the full version of Windows 8 AND Microsoft Office.

Blackberry iStapler. Most advanced stapler EVER. Aimed at corporate users.

Bring it on!
 
lilo777 said:
Yeah, but the wristwatch existed looong before smartphone so why a wristwatch from Apple should change anything? Besides, it's just another hassle: OS updates, charging (once a week judging by Pebble watch), device coupling. Too much efforts for too little gain.
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My post was only intended to address the notion that people don't need something on their wrist if they've already got something in their pocket.

I agree that having to charge these smart watches so relatively frequently is quite the hassle. However I'm willing to bet that Apple will keep the software and connectivity side relatively simple. My guess is that it will mostly display content that has been pushed to it from iOS devices via BT 4.0. Said iOS device could probably even handle all the configurations.
 
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I'd love a watch if it could save me from entering my passcode every time I unlocked my phone (some proximity sensor with the iPhone).

That plus some notifications shown on the screen, built in NFC for payments and some remote functionality and I'd buy it in an instant.
 
PlatinuM195 said:
I'd love a watch if it could save me from entering my passcode every time I unlocked my phone (some proximity sensor with the iPhone).

That plus some notifications shown on the screen, built in NFC for payments and some remote functionality and I'd buy it in an instant.
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You can go to Hong Kong to buy a NFC watch which has a function of digital wallet (e-wallet).

Many smartphones has NFC and app to read the dollar balance of e-wallet. I don't know if iPhone has NFC reader built-in or not? If not, good luck to Apple in Asia market.
 
I have been wearing my Pebble for a few days- and I am not taking it off until something better replaces it. The convenience of receiving important information on my wrist is huge and I do not want to go without it.

That being said I want so much more. The pebble is essentially an external display for your phone. There is some interaction- can answer or end a call, and control music. But the vast majority if the time you simply glance at the watch, then whip out your phone if you need to respond. The simple answer and perhaps only answer to this is Siri. Manual input is probably out of the question, and I cannot think of why Siri wouldn't work on your wrist. Adding a speaker and mic would hurt battery life, but ill take a hit for it. Definitely interested in a combination of the pebble and the Martian.

The screen is an issue for apple. Pebble can get away with the low res b&w e-paper display cause honestly it works, but no way apple would bring it to market. No doubt they will bring out something beautiful looking and low power, but it could be a while. I hope it looks like the new displays by the BMW speedometers- those look amazing.

Power is a huge deal, but I am confounded on how much it matters. 7 days seems like an eternity for the pebble compared to other devices, but then again it's a watch. I am so used to charging stuff every night I really would like features more than battery life. If apple could do a nice screen with Siri and bt 4 I could live with 24 hour life. More than 48 hours would be ideal in case your forget one day, but the difference between charging every 3 or 7 days is mute.

I am thinking Apple will do it own wireless connection- if it is Bluetooth than it could work with other phones technically, and Bluetooth management in iOS is too clunky for this. Apple will leverage this thing to sell more iDevices, so propriety wireless connection makes sense, and streamline the connection management. I don't like seeing pebble as a speaker option simply because its Bluetooth.
 
musician

Must have: time, alarm/stopwatch/timer, weather, notifications, sound recorder, simple calculator, simple universal remote, etc...
AND metronome, tuner!

Kids have been using silicone wristbands and even colored rubber bands "for fun". In candy colors, this iWatch would make them go crazy! Starting at 8GB for $99.
 
kriebe said:
List of things that the iWatch (but don't think of it as a watch) could be used for other than just a watch and as an extension of an iPhone:

- proximity password/key (can't use iphone unless it's near, open doors or even start your car)
- facetime
- health and sports (pedometer, heart rate, Nike+, etc.)
- quick map
- appleTV Remote
- simple notifications (email, text, voice) with white text on black background for the annoying texters during movies
- sports, stock, etc. updates that can be looked at when you shouldn't be looking at your phone
- Siri, to do most anything without having to get your phone out of your pocket, purse, etc. (make phone calls, texts, etc.)
- music player
- GPS
- NFC
- proximity from iPhone alert
- Find My iPhone/iPad
- most of the above but also with your desktop/laptop
- camera?


And if it were waterproof…

If it's to be used without an iPhone, I believe it will lack a lot of the functionality that could make it truely awesome. IMO, let the iPhone do most of the work and use the "iWatch" as mostly just a watch when the iPhone isn't around. Of course certain things would still work great without the iPhone being around (proximity password/key, health and sports tools, appleTV Remote)
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All these functions are redundant because smart phone can do all of them and can do better. Think about it. Bigger screen (imply a bigger UI), bigger battery (imply that it will be with you rather than at charger).
How about a feature that is so cool and no smart phone can do.
Ex.Telling time without pressing any button or drag it out of your pocket.
Yeah. A watch. Hence iWatch.
 
Seriouly, I would rather buy a Mickey Mouse watch than an iWatch.

Until the power problem is solved, this iWatch idea is a daydream, the product will be the worst iToy ever.
 
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