The challenge for Apple and others trying to crack the code on wearables is to produce an appealing device for a mass market that doesn't need a watch to tell time and doesn't want to get all wound up by an overly complicated gadget.
A mockup showing what an Apple iWatch might look like.Many signs are pointing to Apple incubating a wearable wristband, perhaps an "iWatch," given all the trademark applications the company has filed for the name. Apple is reportedly moving around some of its top engineers, and is hiring experts in sensors and in digital fitness and medical technologies, to build up a special task force to create a product that can follow in the grand footsteps of the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. The company has also filed 79 patents containing the word "wrist."
It could be that Apple is working on a competitor to Google Glass, but the company isn't telling.
Apple's team has a great deal of research material to work with in its quest to develop an "incredible" iWatch. The smartwatch category is littered with failed products and teeming with new attempts to crack the code. So far, none of the candidates, which are primarily accessories for Android and iOS smartphones, have reached critical mass.
The Pebble Watch, which has music controls, text messaging, call notifications, and a mini-app platform, and the Martian Passport Watch, which screens phone calls and messages and even makes phone calls, are among the recent entrants. Sony is revamping its Smart Watch, and Samsung and Microsoft are reportedly also working on wrist-bound devices.
No doubt Apple can come up with a compelling design and engineering magic to deliver the most elegant looking smartwatch that materials science and industrial design can render.
Do an image search on "iWatch" and you'll discover plenty of fanciful renderings of the rumored device, from various blogs and Web sites.The challenge for Apple and others trying to crack the code on wearables is producing a device that appeals to a mass market that doesn't need a watch to tell time or view blockbuster movies. The user experience for the tiny screen must feel intuitive and be simple to operate -- otherwise it will scare away the nongeeks. It can't frustrate users with physical or virtual button controls that require complex combinations to perform a function, or a battery that lasts only a few days.
The iWatch has been pegged by Apple watchers for launch either later this year or next year. Whenever an iWatch appears, the expectations are high that it will redefine the smartwatch category as an extension of the iOS platform, and sell in the tens of millions in the first year. If not, the Apple watchers will start to question whether the company is losing its magic touch.
(Via Cnet)
