Smartwatch, what problem are they trying to solve?

[Thump553]

Personally I haven't worn a watch in roughly 20 years-and I live a busy worklife with tons of critically scheduled appointments. Between the cellphone, car and computer alone I almost always am right in front of an extremely accurate clock. I don't think I've had to ask someone the time or hunt around for it for more than twenty seconds in years.

Watches these days are an affection. If you want to wear them as jewelry fine but it's silly to pretend they are utilitarian anymore.

 

[smackababy]

Wall Street doesn't seem to be impressed. Apple's stock didn't go up nearly as much as expected. I think that they were expecting $105. Instead, it's flat.

Same as every iPhone announcement. The stock falls and then in a week or two when it comes out and breaks sales records, the stock sores. It is far for the course for Apple.

 

[edro]

knowing apple, you probably have to buy the "watch" app

wat?

Apple apps are free.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Coming soon, the iFleshLight. Apple will make it trendy to hang this off your hip via carabineer and price them at $599 for the batter free model and $699 for the with battery model. Apples marketing department will make it cool.

 

[Phoenix86]

So has anyone actually looked at the design for Apple's watch? It's fucking terrible. I'm honestly shocked that's an Apple product.

 

[zerocool84]

So has anyone actually looked at the design for Apple's watch? It's fucking terrible. I'm honestly shocked that's an Apple product.

Because there's only so much you can do with the technology on hand. They left out so many details too I don't know why people were expecting magic.

Steve Jobs is gone, there is no magic left at Apple. I said that years before he ever died. Once he died, Apple's innovation and attention to detail died with him. All Apple is doing is playing catch up to everyone else. Their hardware shows it and their software shows it.

 

[TXHokie]

We need a Smartwatch so we can pretend we're James Bond.

I'm not getting one until it comes with a laser that can cut thru metal bars.

 

[phucheneh]

Most people quit wearing watches because of phones. If a 'real' watch is not needed for reliability/accuracy or desired for fashion, it has no purpose.

So design a phone that IS a watch.

That would sound brilliant.

If I was retarded.

 

[Imp]

Most people quit wearing watches because of phones. If a 'real' watch is not needed for reliability/accuracy or desired for fashion, it has no purpose.

So design a phone that IS a watch.

That would sound brilliant.

If I was retarded.

You shut your mouth and buy a watch. Corporations need your money.

 

[phucheneh]

You shut your mouth and buy a watch. Corporations need your money.

No you!

It really is just kind of hilarious/sad that this product probably WILL succeed, but I just can't come up with any line of thinking that would make a rational person buy one.

I shat on tablets. Didn't think they would catch on like they did. Didn't see a real use. But I warmed up to them, and one big primary purpose has always remained: to be a smartphone, but more usable. But with the ever-growing popularity of giant phones, they seem to be fading fast...at least a things that people actually lug around with them.

And that's the really maddening part- the big push, from Apple users and otherwise, is for a phone with a bigger screen. No one seems to be saying 'BUT I CAN'T CARRY A PHONE! Make it more tiny and useless!'

...but they will buy iWatches. Madness.

 

[smackababy]

People stopped wearing watches because we stopped holding idiots accountable for being late. If you had to be somewhere at exactly a certain time, you'd have a watch.

 

[phucheneh]

People stopped wearing watches because we stopped holding idiots accountable for being late. If you had to be somewhere at exactly a certain time, you'd have a watch.

I have these things called clocks.

And it just dawned on me what the true purpose of this is, really. And it is kind of evil genius.

Phone goes in pocket/purse. Can't be seen all the time unless you talk on it all the time. If it's hidden, so one knows how hip you are.

So pay to put your hipness on your wrist. Brilliant.

It could just be a Casio with an Apple logo, and it would sell.

 

[smackababy]

Doesn't even need an Apple logo on it. Casio G Shock Hypers go for like $400. You could buy them retail (only in Japan) for $100. I had a friend whose old roommate was stationed there and was able to score one for retail, but on eBay they are still over $400.

 

[Crono]

I'm not that impressed by the Apple Watch design. I had higher hopes for a band rather than something trying to emulate the style of a traditional watch. I'm sure they'll sell some because it's a fashion accessory and the fitness/health tracking will probably be very useful, but it's not for me.

It might take two years for the technology to come to market, but I think the eventual "winner" is going to be whichever company can make an ultra-light, very thin, flexible OLED-display band that sips power. 3" wide all around, but only 1/4" thick. If it has something like Nokia Glance and senses when you rotate your wrist to display time/notifications, you could easily squeeze a lot of battery life out of such a device.

When that exists at $200 and has the ecosystem to match, I'll buy it. Even Apple is too early for this new wearable segment.

And to answer the OP: what smart wearables will solve is the problem of health/fitness tracking, timekeeping, and notifications, by putting it all into one device on a wrist band or watch. Before smartphones existed, you had separate PDAs, cell phones, GPS units, and mp3 players. There wasn't a true "problem", except for those people who could afford to carry all of those, and found it inconvenient to do so. But once companies started creating smartphones to combine those features, it created a much bigger market, bringing in those people who might not have considered buying all those devices separately.

It's not likely to be a "must have" category of technology right away, but once the technology and software is there, I can see maybe 50 to 90% of the population getting one. But the technology does need to advance, especially where battery life and customization is concerned. Even for tablets and smartphones people often buy cases and skins just to make them their own, and the need for that is even stronger for an accessory or companion device for your wrist.

Next up: more devices like the Moto Hint, which - like smartwatches - were predicted by sci-fi, like the Ender's Game series (Ender's jewel for communicating with Jane, even subvocally) or "Her". After that: OLED scrolls to replace tablets.

 

[sdifox]

wat?

Apple apps are free.

watch app is only included when you buy the deluxe model :awe:

 

[UglyCasanova]

I don't wear a watch and I thought the concept like you said was unnecessary and just another product to sell. I just watched the iwatch video though and I'm pretty impressed. Certainly better looking than the other smart watches I've seen and it seems actually neat and functional. I'm not going to buy one, but I do think it is impressive.

 

[disappoint]

Exactly. This is a big deal. Not just for the time of the motion, but as a way to check your notifications in a situation where it would be rude/difficult to check your phone. I would pay $200+ for a smartwatch tomorrow if it gave me Google Now and my notification bar perfectly on my wrist.

I'll give you $250 for a pipboy and 5 stimpacks.

 

[JackBurton]

So for me, I see the Apple Watch and Apple Pay as complementary components. My whole goal is to get rid of my wallet. I'd love to store my CC on my phone and pay for items with my watch. No more digging for my wallet or phone. I also love the fact that you can use it for your boarding pass. Definitely comes in handy, when I have suitcases in my hands and don't have to go digging for my paper boarding pass or phone. Super convenient. Now I just need to find a way to get rid of my keys.

 

[rockyct]

I think it was a mistake for the watch to not come out for another six months or so. Part of the initial Apple launch hype is getting people to immediately rush out and pre-order/buy the gadget. They were probably bent a bit over a barrel because if they didn't announce it, their stock price may have taken a hit but "early 2015" misses the holiday season completely and allows Samsung/others to catch up a bit.

 

[lxskllr]

I'd consider paying ~$10 for a watch that interfaced with my phone for very occasional use. I have very little use for one, but could justify $10. My primary use would be a wrist vibrator when I'm in very loud ares, and phones are hard to hear.

 

[CZroe]

I'd consider paying ~$10 for a watch that interfaced with my phone for very occasional use. I have very little use for one, but could justify $10. My primary use would be a wrist vibrator when I'm in very loud ares, and phones are hard to hear.

My Sony Ericsson MBW-150 was $50 and did that very well.

 

[Bateluer]

As I've said (for about a decade now): They're doing it all wrong!

It should be a watch FIRST. It should look like a watch. It should function as a watch. The time should always be visible and you shouldn't need to perform a gesture to make it show the time.

It should have some kind of auxiliary display that can display BASIC information from your phone.

• Incoming caller's name or number
• Current song playing
• If there's no music and no call, perhaps a number of notifications waiting to be addressed.

No camera.
No smartphone-like storage.
No smartphone-like processor (only an extremely limited ASIC capable of retrieving information to display -- THAT'S ALL).
Battery life should be closer to that of a watch than that of a smartphone.

Seriously. Why don't manufacturers and CE companies get it? Now they're going all the way back to full cell phones on your wrist with a 3G data connection.

I disagree. A smartwatch needs to be able to function on its on, as a standalone device. With its own radios, storage, whatever. With the current products, if you want something thats actually useful, you need to buy something like the Neptune Pine; a gigantic device. Or you can buy a Moto 360, Galaxy Gear, G Watch, and get what is basically a glorified notification system.

Displaying the time should be pretty low on the list of things the 'watch' needs to do. If you want to know the time, its trivial to pull your phone from your pocket. Perhaps we should stop using the word 'watch' to describe these?

 

[Kaido]

I think it was a mistake for the watch to not come out for another six months or so. Part of the initial Apple launch hype is getting people to immediately rush out and pre-order/buy the gadget. They were probably bent a bit over a barrel because if they didn't announce it, their stock price may have taken a hit but "early 2015" misses the holiday season completely and allows Samsung/others to catch up a bit.

Yeah, I think that was a big mistake - it's a mediocre product, but they should have capitalized on impulse buying to get it sold. Now you're going to have awhile to think about it, and so far, like 1% of the people I've talked to actually want to buy one.

I dunno, maybe it'll turn around. I thought the iPad was amazing and it ended up being annoying (hate software keyboards) - I swapped it out for a small Chromebook instead. Maybe the iWatch is meh, but IRL it will turn out to be a handy tool. Dunno yet.

 

[CZroe]

I disagree. A smartwatch needs to be able to function on its on, as a standalone device. With its own radios, storage, whatever. With the current products, if you want something thats actually useful, you need to buy something like the Neptune Pine; a gigantic device. Or you can buy a Moto 360, Galaxy Gear, G Watch, and get what is basically a glorified notification system.

Displaying the time should be pretty low on the list of things the 'watch' needs to do. If you want to know the time, its trivial to pull your phone from your pocket. Perhaps we should stop using the word 'watch' to describe these?

Just what is it you want to do on your watch that takes all that? Almost all I want is a glorified notification system on a standard watch. Wanting a smartphone on your wrist is asking for all the drawbacks thst come with it (reduced performance, tiny battery, low capacity, poor readability, bad UI etc).

Getting a buzz on my wrist with a blinking Bluetooth logo to tell me that I was walking away from my phone is the kind of notification I want. Not a fully interactive health/activity tracking app.

 

[Kaido]

I disagree. A smartwatch needs to be able to function on its on, as a standalone device. With its own radios, storage, whatever. With the current products, if you want something thats actually useful, you need to buy something like the Neptune Pine; a gigantic device. Or you can buy a Moto 360, Galaxy Gear, G Watch, and get what is basically a glorified notification system.

Displaying the time should be pretty low on the list of things the 'watch' needs to do. If you want to know the time, its trivial to pull your phone from your pocket. Perhaps we should stop using the word 'watch' to describe these?

The problem with having everything in the watch is that you're stuck with a bulky watch & a service contract. The tethering system allows it to be reasonably small & not have to have a monthly fee associated with using it. Although I wish they had put the barometer in the watch instead of the phone...