→ Wearing Apple
[Via Marco.org]
Craig Hockenberry:
Given everything presented above, it’s pretty clear to me that a “smartwatch” isn’t in Apple’s immediate future. But they’re clearly interested in wearable technology. So what are the alternatives for a product that could be released this year?
His guess is as good as any others I’ve heard. I don’t know if he’s right, but I agree that watches are problematic.
Apple’s previous blockbusters — Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad — were all in categories that people really wanted, and there was hope of something good existing within what was technically possible. There were halfway decent portable music players before the iPod, and people really wanted portable music players. Same for smartphones and tablets.
I’m not sure those conditions hold, especially the demand side, for smartwatches: it’s a category that pundits and the tech media are telling us we want, but I’m not sure enough people really do.
[More]
Those who envision some sort of smart watch have it wrong. In many ways what I think will happen (and so does this article) is that Apple will make a lot of “kinda dumb”.
First, the computational power will be in our pocket – an iPhone. I have written about this several times. We do not want a large bulky watch.
What we wear will provide biometric input that, in combination with the security of an iPhone, will permit secure financial transactions to be done, safer than a credit card.
It will transmit health data to our iPhone and then out to the web.
As this article states, we do not have to wear these devices on our wrist. Heck, I expect there to be ear plugs that wirelessly communicate, or rings, or headbands.
Wearable separates the computer from display or input. That is where Apple is going.
A Man With A Ph.D. 