The iWatch has been a big rumor ever since the first iPhone came out. The way things work with technology nowadays, is something is created, and then it’s put into everything imaginable. Here’s an example:
GPS was created a long time ago. Then it was put into cars, and eventually phones. “Mobile” computing also started out a long time ago in the form of laptops. This mobile computing then moved to phones and is continuing to move into other aspects of our lives. Now you can get a “computer” instead your cars system, a computer for your thermostat, a computer inside your phone and so forth.
If you told someone in the 1980’s that in 30 years they will be able to hold more computing power on their phones than was available on satellites, they would have probably laughed in your face. Now we’re here to tell you the iWatch is a reality, and you’d be silly to laugh about that, as much as someone in the 1980’s would have been laughing about the idea of powerful phones.
Reinventing our watch technology isn’t really that far away from the path we’ve been going down so far. While the iWatch was unrealistic a couple of years ago, it’s gotten to the point where it has become a reality.
Image from T3.com
According to Bloomberg, Apple has 100 designers working on a “wristwatch-like device that may perform some of the tasks now handled by the iPhone and iPad.”
Facts About the iWatch
The iWatch is being worked on by iPad and iPhone engineers, but also software developers and a biometric team. Biometric functionality on the iWatch would probably include sleep analysis, fingerprint scanners for verification and other health monitors such as heart beat and so forth.
The Release Date…
A lot of news sources are claiming the iWatch will be released in 2014. A lot of news sources are also claiming that if the iWatch is released then, it will be too late. One of these claims comes from Huffington Post. They feel that since Samsung has already confirmed a Galaxy smartwatch, and Google and Microsoft are close behind, a 2014 release date wouldn’t be a good idea.
I have to agree with the fact that if Apple releases their new watch in 2014, it’s not going to go over well. Apple is a company known for being revolutionary. How “revolutionary” is an iWatch going to be when it comes out 1-4 months after Samsung’s own watch?
If we don’t see the iWatch out next September, we will see it by the end of 2014 no matter what. I speculate that Apple will try to release it within the next month, instead of within the next year though.
Rumors
When mentioning rumors regarding iPhone devices on iTouchApps, we like to mention only the ones with a hint of realism to them. However, if you do any research on the iWatch, you’ll quickly discover there are no good rumors from any well known sources.
This basically means that your guess is as good as anyone else’s. The iWatch will be one of the biggest products Apple has released other from their iPhone and iPad, and they are planning to surprise us all. Apple over the years has been mentioned as “un-revolutionary” and critiqued for losing its creativity. Hopefully that all changes with the iWatch.
For the iWatch to be competitive it would have to run Siri (offline if possible) for tasks and reminders. It would also have to connect to other iDevices and interact with them in a revolutionary way.
This means that if you’re wearing an iWatch and your iPhone is in your pocket, you should be able to answer a call from there. You should be able to turn off an alarm, etc.
The iWatch will also need to play music and connect to the internet/use a basic form of an app store to be competitive with upcoming smartwatches, and Apple’s other products.. The iPod nano doesn’t even let you install Pandora, which a lot of users complain about. But the iWatch is going to offer way more app freedom, and it will have a lot of fitness features.
Fitness guru Jay Blahnik, from Nike, was hired by Apple to work on the iWatch. This means that we should see some sort of compatibility between the iWatch, fitness products and iDevices. If you want to go out for a run then you better expect that the iWatch will track your heartbeat, your arm movement (for extra calorie counts), and integrate with your Nike shoes and iPhone fitness app to connect everything. If the iWatch won’t be able to do any of these things for $200, then it won’t be a product everyone runs out to buy the day it comes out.
Since a lot of people already have iPhone, iPod touches and iPod nanos, the iWatch is going to have so many extra features that it will make getting another iDevice worth it.
My Take on the iWatch
Watches are like pens. No matter what you do to them, to some extent they will always remain the same. You can put a phone and camera inside your pen and sell it for $100, but no one will love it. Even if that’s cheap, it will be a bulky pen that doesn’t get the job done right.
Image from ablogtowatch.com
I love technology but I think it’s really hard for people to not get immersed in it too much. Do we want to live in a world where technology is literally attached to us? It’s not a matter of taking your laptop out of your bag or your phone out of your pocket. It’s a matter of strapping a computer to your hand.
Obviously the fitness and sleep analysis features will be really useful. But that’s a type of thing you’d only use when working out. Just because something can monitor your heart beat and other biometrics doesn’t mean you need to strap it on 24/7.
Would you pay $150-250 for a expensive watch that everyone will have and is probably going to get stolen or damaged? Don’t forget that Apple’s products get outdated within two years. Do you know anyone that uses an iPhone 3GS or iPad 1 that is happy with it?
That means that if you get an iWatch, you’ll probably be needing to update in another 2-3 years.
When it comes to phones, everyone needs those. They are necessary. When it comes to music, people love music and they want a great music player. You could almost say you “need” a music player. Ask any 10-25 year old and they will tell you they “need” these things.
But the iWatch is more like an extra thing to worry about. It’s not something you need. It’s an accessory. The biggest question is if people will find the iWatch useful enough to spend money on, or useless enough to ignore. I mean Apple has failed before… Apple TV anyone? For the sake of Apple and us as consumers, let’s hope they get the iWatch’s features and prices right.
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