Smart watches are just a fad

[sportello]

I think Apple Pay could end up being the killer app that suddenly gives people a reason to buy a smart watch. Think how nice it would be to just wave your watch by a register rather than reaching for your wallet and locating a credit card. Your information will be much more secure, and payments could automatically be transferred onto a spreadsheet. Moms holding a kid would love something like this. Or just the vast number of people that don't use a check register now would suddenly have an automatic one. Expense reports, budgets and taxes would all become easier and instantaneous. If Apple Pay takes off, so will their watches.

That coupled with the more discrete way of checking texts and screening calls, I can see the allure, however a $200-$250 price tag would get so many more adopters.

I could see the Apple Play connection, but that will mostly be beneficial for people without the latest gen iPhones. It's not much more of a hassle to pull out your phone to pay, and it negates the extra device you have to wear all day.

I see the iWatch coming into its own, but it will be better with a year or two of iterating.

 

[Oridus]

Yes. Just like 3D TV. Look how that imploded. No one cares about it now, totally imploded.

Same thing with this Apple Watch. Having to be tethered to an iPhone absolutely kills it. There's no point.

Maybe in five years, when the Apple Watch is cut down 2/3 in size, and it has its own radio for wireless communication, maybe then there is a reason for it. But not now.

What smart watches have you used to date?

 

[Velin]

What smart watches have you used to date?

Someone gave me a Pebble. Hated it. Gave it away.

 

[roxics]

Not a fad. But I wonder if they'll get viewed as the new nerdy calculator watches for the 21st century.

 

[ctdonath]

Yes. Just like 3D TV. Look how that imploded.

It imploded for the same reason as Tim noted mobile payments (a la Pay) haven't caught on: focus on product line & corporate interest instead of user experience. For starters - and enough right there - 3D TVs were implemented using stupidly expensive product-specific glasses (company-specific shutters), rather than cheap universal ones (simple polarization). While the problem bugged me early on, it was slammed home when I walked into a showroom where the demo glasses had been shattered, making the 3D-ism not just unusable but EXPENSIVE to fix ... screw that, I'll just watch it in 2D. If I could just go see a 3D movie in the cinema and take the glasses home to use with the TV, or just order more from Amazon for $5 each, problem solved ... but no, Sony et al had to opt for brand-specific complicated battery-powered breakable >$50/each glasses (idiots).

I'd be with you on "imploding fad" were we stuck with the before-today slate of smart watches. Given that still freaking DOMINATES the smartphone market, despite all the naysaying, I expect they'll get this one right and a whole lotta people will be deciding a $350 smart watch will be preferable to a $350 dumb watch. (Guy I work with observed that just the 5-year maintenance on his nice watch is over $1000; he'll think nothing of getting something with a nice UI that does a whole lot more for a whole lot less, even if he does have to replace it every couple years.)

 

[mtmac]

NFC could also be used for unlocking your house or your car. While you can fumble for your phone, holding bags of groceries would just make a watch that much more convenient. Smart watches haven't yet succeeded because there isn't yet an irresistible feature that exists. Getting rid of your keys, credit cards and tickets and not even having to reach for a device to do it would likely be the killer app that would make everyone want one.

 

[Oridus]

Someone gave me a Pebble. Hated it. Gave it away.

Therefor you don't understand their current purpose, or at least haven't experienced it enough. The ideal behind a smart watch, at this point in time is not to replace the phone, but enhance it. I personally do not want my phone to be replaced, because there is too much on it (with screen size) that I don't want to miss by just having a watch be a stand alone device. However, a smart watch that gives me quick notification, access to music/pictures/gps info at a glance without having to dig my phone out (great for when i'm on a vacay w/ my daughter and my phone is in her stroller or diaper bag) is huge. Being able to view and respond to not only text messages, but emails and post to other mediums such as Facebook and Twitter in a matter of seconds using my voice can be a huge advantage. Especially in my line of work.

It's not for everyone, no. It's not perfect, yet. However, the smartwatch, no matter the company who makes one, is coming into fruition, and for good reason. I don't think it's just a niche market, I think it's here to stay... and Apple at this current time is trying to make the best in class it can... AT THE MOMENT. Sure, there may be battery life and stand alone gps issues... but what smart watch doesn't have battery issues, or individual issues that plague it? Look at the Galaxy Gear. It still needs to be tethered, but has gotten a decent response... as has Android Wear, Pebble, and LG's G Watch. There will always be room to improve, but as of right now, this is what it is.

Do you really want to replace your entire phone with a watch, and make it completely tethered free? I, personally, don't think it would be practical... and even it was, there's only so tiny you can go before you wish you had bigger again to see the content you love.

 

[Squid7085]

I completely disagree. I would like to honestly hear if anybody that has ever "used" any type of smart watch agrees it is a fad. I have worn the Pebble on and off since the Kickstarter and I don't think it is a fad, or even close.

10-15 years down the road, the "watch" will likely replace the actual phone, but until that time, I think we will slowly move in that direction. Having worn the Pebble, despite all it's flaws and simplicity really has solidified that a wearable is a really neat idea. It is not about laziness, but about just having something always on your body. I have missed so many calls and texts with my phone in my pocket. Just to have a glance-able way to check notifications, or even know that something is happening is huge. I can't stand the Pebble, and I take it off all the time. However, not long after it is back on my wrist because I keep checking my wrist for notifications.

I think people hate on the category because so far everything has sucked, just like the computer was a fad, the MP3 player was a fad, tablets were a fad... you get the picture.

 

[mcdj]

Funny, because history shows that most of what Apple has made in the past 15 years has been relevant and popular for far longer than any of the posts calling them fads.

 

[BigJohno]

Yes. Just like 3D TV. Look how that imploded. No one cares about it now, totally imploded.

Same thing with this Apple Watch. Having to be tethered to an iPhone absolutely kills it. There's no point.

Maybe in five years, when the Apple Watch is cut down 2/3 in size, and it has its own radio for wireless communication, maybe then there is a reason for it. But not now.

Yeah and everyone called apple crazy for making the iPhone. It takes sometime to develop a market. The thickness is a result of all the amazing tech they were able to pack in there. This is gen 1 people. It can only get better from here.

 

[roxics]

If I could just go see a 3D movie in the cinema and take the glasses home to use with the TV, or just order more from Amazon for $5 each, problem solved ... but no, Sony et al had to opt for brand-specific complicated battery-powered breakable >$50/each glasses (idiots).

My 3D Vizio tv does just that and it's great. Aside from the pair of 3D glasses that came with it (that we've never taken out of the box) we just use some of the 30 pairs of 3D glasses we've collected from the movie theater.

I love 3D and hope it sticks around. Maybe not as a premiere feature to sell tv's but definitely as an standard option on them.

Sadly though the market had such a strong negative reaction that companies like Vizio pulled the feature from their latest models. I hope in the future when mine eventually dies that I don't have to go looking on the used market for old 3D tv's to replace it.

 

[omenatarhuri]

NFC could also be used for unlocking your house or your car. While you can fumble for your phone, holding bags of groceries would just make a watch that much more convenient. Smart watches haven't yet succeeded because there isn't yet an irresistible feature that exists. Getting rid of your keys, credit cards and tickets and not even having to reach for a device to do it would likely be the killer app that would make everyone want one.

Now theres an idea! Much more value than sending drawings of fish or heartbeats.

 

[APlotdevice]

I use a smartwatch every day. It has helped tremendously.

Wrong, they are all totally different standalone products. This watch is not, it's just an overpriced accessory which cannot fully work without an iPhone.

In order to get any kind of content onto a non-touch iPad, it must be plugged into a computer. They can do nothing without one.

 

[GreatUsername]

Wrong, they are all totally different standalone products. This watch is not, it's just an overpriced accessory which cannot fully work without an iPhone.

The iPod required a Mac or PC with iTunes to get any music on it and some models still do.

I'm sure that by the Apple Watch 2 or 3 they will come equiped with all the necessary equipment to run standalone. They probably just had trouble squeezing in all those parts and opted for a bigger battery instead. Besides, everyone's going to carry around their iPhones anyway for when they need to do bigger things so I don't see the problem.

 

[Velin]

Well, some of these points do make sense, especially first gen and NFC use. This first model is way too thick and doesn't do enough.

But if they can slim it down, and do some of the other things mentioned, including seamless payment processing, and unlocking cars and homes with state-of-the-art security, I guess I can see how it would be both useful and worth a dinner for four at decent restaurant.

 

[firewood]

.
It's just a fad and i predict in 2 years time smart watches will be a thing of the past.

Of course it's a fad. Just like the classic form iPod, which had a nice run that just ended after over a decade.

And it's a fad on the upswing. So many people have recently become absolutely addicted to their fitbits and fuelbands. The Apple Watch is the luxury edition, which like a Veblen good, will bring in even more sales.

 

[0007776]

The iPod required a Mac or PC with iTunes to get any music on it and some models still do.

And if you had to carry around your Mac or PC to make it work the iPod would have failed miserably.

 

[APlotdevice]

And if you had to carry around your Mac or PC to make it work the iPod would have failed miserably.

The difference is that a cell phone is something most people DO carry around with them pretty much all the time. The only time it's probably not on your person is at home or work, and even then it's not like walking a few feet away is going to break the BT connection.

 

[mwa]

Ah, but isn't life itself just a fad in the stream of time?

 

[mattopotamus]

It imploded for the same reason as Tim noted mobile payments (a la Pay) haven't caught on: focus on product line & corporate interest instead of user experience. For starters - and enough right there - 3D TVs were implemented using stupidly expensive product-specific glasses (company-specific shutters), rather than cheap universal ones (simple polarization). While the problem bugged me early on, it was slammed home when I walked into a showroom where the demo glasses had been shattered, making the 3D-ism not just unusable but EXPENSIVE to fix ... screw that, I'll just watch it in 2D. If I could just go see a 3D movie in the cinema and take the glasses home to use with the TV, or just order more from Amazon for $5 each, problem solved ... but no, Sony et al had to opt for brand-specific complicated battery-powered breakable >$50/each glasses (idiots).

I'd be with you on "imploding fad" were we stuck with the before-today slate of smart watches. Given that still freaking DOMINATES the smartphone market, despite all the naysaying, I expect they'll get this one right and a whole lotta people will be deciding a $350 smart watch will be preferable to a $350 dumb watch. (Guy I work with observed that just the 5-year maintenance on his nice watch is over $1000; he'll think nothing of getting something with a nice UI that does a whole lot more for a whole lot less, even if he does have to replace it every couple years.)

Passive 3D. 4k will spark a 3D rush. It is way better than 3D at the cinemas.

 

[iBug2]

Let's all bookmark this thread and come back to it in a few years to laugh at the OP. Seriously, the same thing was said about the iPod, iPhone, and iPad when they launched. Look at the massive success they brought.

1. For every product out there, some people will say it sucks. That doesn't mean that when people say it for another product they are wrong. Because some products do indeed suck.

2. In years, this watch will get revisions. So people's judgements on rev1 may still be correct even if rev3 sells like hotcakes.

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The difference is that a cell phone is something most people DO carry around with them pretty much all the time. The only time it's probably not on your person is at home or work, and even then it's not like walking a few feet away is going to break the BT connection.

What about jogging, when this watch is supposed to track your health? I hate those armbands. Eventually tech will be ready to put everything inside the watch so it'll work without the phone but we aren't there yet, unfortunately.

 

[APlotdevice]

What about jogging, when this watch is supposed to track your health? I hate those armbands. Eventually tech will be ready to put everything inside the watch so it'll work without the phone but we aren't there yet, unfortunately.

From what I gather, watch apps that don't require a data connection will work without the need of your phone. They even mention how you can use it as a standalone music player while jogging. (Albeit you will need BT headphones)

 

[iBug2]

From what I gather, watch apps that don't require a data connection will work without the need of your phone. They even mention how you can use it as a standalone music player while jogging. (Albeit you will need BT headphones)

Yeah but without the phone there's no GPS so you can't track how many miles you ran. It'll only give heart rate, which my current tracker already gives. I'm ok with BT headphones though, as long as we get some decent ones, since all BT Headphones I've tried so far sucked.

 

[kerrikins]

Wrong, they are all totally different standalone products. This watch is not, it's just an overpriced accessory which cannot fully work without an iPhone.

When the iPad was launched people said it was just an 'overpriced stretched iPhone' and that they had no use for it when they had a smartphone and computer.

People should really hold off on declaring new products duds. For one, it has the potential to make you look really foolish in future. Secondly, it hasn't even launched yet so there's nothing to base this on. There are many products out there (not even going to keep this restricted to Apple) that people think are useless until they have the chance to use them or the product evolves and gets better.

 

[Maxerl]

Yeah but without the phone there's no GPS so you can't track how many miles you ran. It'll only give heart rate, which my current tracker already gives. I'm ok with BT headphones though, as long as we get some decent ones, since all BT Headphones I've tried so far sucked.

Actually, in the film of the fitness aspects of the -watch the two young women who were running didn't seem to carry any iphones, and it still recorded the distance. I think there is a possibility that it can measure how far you run with the help of the accelerometer only, without having it paired to an iphone.