There's Only One Reason to Buy an Apple Watch
There is indeed one feature that sets the Apple Watch apart from the recent smartwatch deluge: it buzzes eloquently via haptic feedback.
If there is any promise in the smartwatch category, it lies in the fact that it is in contact with your skin at all times. Haptic UIs have some history in mobile techhowever clumsy it may be: your smartphone, for example, probably buzzes with all the eloquence of an Olive Garden notification puck. The iPhone takes it a bit further and allows for customizable vibration notificationsi.e, if your dad is calling, you get a rapid burst of buzzes; if it's your roommate, you can set up a few loooong vibrations. But this merely scratches the surface of what can be transmitted through feel.
Vibrations, for example, can be localized within a device. This means that different vibrating areas can signify different things. This localization could (and has) be used to direct human movements; buzzes on the left indicate you should go left and vice versa, while a rapid burst means you've arrived. This is the perfect interface for walking directions or other location-based apps like Foursquare/Swarm (not to mention something like Grindr).
But feel-based UIs have the promise of being so much more expansive. The technology already exists to recreate tactile experiences using a solid surface, like Fujitsu's tactile touch screen that can recreate textures and sensations such as rough, smooth, or slippery.
Just imagine the possibilities: your device could transmit the feeling of running water if a rain storm is approaching, or a friend could "send" you a sandy sensation to let you know they arrived at the beach. This opens up a whole new dimension of interaction. And a device that literally wraps around your arm would be an ideal conduit.
That's why I am happy to see Apple taking the lead with haptic feedback. Specifically, the Apple Watch boasts a new "taptic" technology, which provides sensations directly to the wrist. Apple says that the device can provide very slight notifications on your wrist that only the user will feel and hear. Additionally, the Watch allows users to virtually "tap" each other remotely, and the device's vibrator is specific enough to provide directional turn-by-turn guidance. As developers explore the Apple Watch's API, we can expect a lot of other cool applications.