Apple Said To Be Working On a 'Watch-Like Device' 291
The WSJ reports that Apple is "experimenting with designs for a watch-like device that would perform some functions of a smartphone, according to people briefed on the effort." An excerpt: The company has discussed such a device with its major manufacturing partner Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., one of these people said, as part of explorations of potentially large product categories beyond the smartphone and tablet. Apple's efforts come as companies have introduced various kinds of wearable gadgets, mainly designed to measure physical activity. More sophisticated devices face big technical challenges, but also are attracting investments from large technology companies. Foxconn, as Hon Hai is also known, has been working on a spate of technologies that could be used in wearable devices, one of these people said. In particular, the Taiwan-based company has been working to address the challenges of making displays more power-efficient and working with chip manufacturers to strip down their products."
Oh, the irony! (Score:5, Insightful)
I stopped wearing a watch years ago because I could pull my phone (not even a smart one) out of my pocket to see what time it was.
I'd be interested to know how many people still wear a watch as anything more than a big piece of jewellery.
Re:The iWatch (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:And I should give a rat's ass... (Score:3, Insightful)
Because everything Apple does is super important! Even a rumor about them possibly thinking about making a gadget that 100 other companies are also working on is important enough to get an immediate front page on Slashdot.
Re:The iWatch (Score:2, Insightful)
Eco or Sewage system?
Re:Oh, the irony! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:And I should give a rat's ass... (Score:4, Insightful)
And I should give a rat's ass...because???
Actually you do give a rat's, you posted a message. If you truly didn't give a rat's ass you would have skipped over this story without posting
Re:Oh, the irony! (Score:1, Insightful)
I stopped wearing a watch years ago because I could pull my phone (not even a smart one) out of my pocket to see what time it was.
I'd be interested to know how many people still wear a watch as anything more than a big piece of jewellery.
Right. Because fishing around in my inside jacket pocket, extracting my phone, figuring out which way is "up" and then pressing the button to wake up the screen to check the time and then put it back again is just soooooo much more convenient than glancing down at the watch on my wrist... I'll keep my Rolex. It makes me happy, and it cost more than the car you were conceived in, to boot.
summary incorrect (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Oh, the irony! (Score:3, Insightful)
Unprofessional only in the same way that white, unembossed business cards are unprofessional. Would you say an executive who wore a cheap Casio also looked unprofessional compared to the exec next to him/her with a gold-plated arm ornament?
Professionalism is in the eye of the beholder, and when I see an expensive watch I think "more money than sense". One can argue about how many smartphones are overpriced toys, but at least they do something more than tell the damn time.
Re:Oh, the irony! (Score:4, Insightful)
Years ago, I purchased an expensive watch. WHY? Because I discouvered that over the years I had spent that much on a series of CHEAP watches that I would eventually break, or they would simply give up working.
In 1990, I paid $1500 for a nice watch. It still works today, 23 years later, and I expect I will own it until I die.
Sony makes an Android watch ... (Score:5, Insightful)
Sony already makes an Android watch, the SmartWatch [sonymobile.com] ...
But this will be Apple's ... Ooooh ... Shiny ...
Re:And I should give a rat's ass... (Score:5, Insightful)
Not to mention that dozens of these are already on the market, some specific to the Android world, some rather generic.
Sony has bluetooth Smartwatches and LiveView watchs that let you check email, messages, etc without taking the phone out of your pocket.
These are peripherals for your phone.
There are also full phones [amazon.com] that actually seems to get good reviews. Some of these are actually fairly inexpensive [amazon.com].
But, hey, if Apple makes it and charges $596, they will sell millions because it will be the best thing ever.
Re:Uh, oh... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:And I should give a rat's ass... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:And I should give a rat's ass... (Score:5, Insightful)
Hi, you must be new here. Slashdot is a moderated site, meaning enough people were interested to mod the initial story up so that it made it as a published story. That also means your somewhat slanted view of what is news and what isn't doesn't mesh completely with all the folks on this site. Welcome to the internet. Not everyone will agree with you, or want the same stories as you would like to see.
I might suggest in the future you simply ignore the post, or mod it down prior to it being published rather than whining about it after the fact, clicking on the link, and posting a response to the story, which in turn makes the post look more valuable in 'clicks' as well as measured by activity.
You might want to think that through for a moment ;)
Re:The iWatch (Score:3, Insightful)
And without e-ink, which means it will need to be recharged every 10 hours.
Re:And I should give a rat's ass... (Score:5, Insightful)
So? When Microsoft released the Surface Pro, it did what Microsoft wanted (as limited by technology and budget; I'm sure Microsoft wanted 10 hours of battery life but didn't get it). Same for Samsung, Motorola, etc.
It seems like you are implying that "Apple releases features that Apple wants, not that consumers want." If you're not saying this, then please clarify. If you are saying this, then I think the evidence proves you wrong.
Long Long Ago, there were many MP3 players which all did what their manufactures wanted (and what their manufacturers thought consumers wanted). They sold okay, but then Apple released an MP3 player with fewer features but a different interface and musical ecosystem. Tech folks scoffed (No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame.) but after a few iterations, consumers found that they loved Apple's features more than other players' features. You can clearly divide the MP3 market into "before Apple" and "after Apple" portions with a huge feature shift for all successful players at the break. Exact same thing happened with smart phones. Exact same thing happened with tablets. Given Apple's record, there is a good chance this could happen with a theoretical iWatch.
Look, I've got lots of issues with Apple, but arguing that they do not give users what they want is difficult. If you make an argument that contradicts all available data, you must first give an explanation which doesn't involve every consumer except you being a brainless zombie (but only for exactly one product), a nefarious deception performed years ago by forward-thinking Kenyan grandparents, perfect collusion between all climatologists, or some other unlikely conspiracy theory.
Re:And I should give a rat's ass... (Score:5, Insightful)
Not to mention that dozens of these are already on the market, some specific to the Android world, some rather generic.
And notice how no one uses them or even remembers them until Apple makes one.
It's not, like you seem to think, that Apple is some also-ran that is late to the party, but somehow gets all the credit. It's that Apple tends to put in the inordinate effort required to take a product that is simply neat tech and make it great.
That's why people get excited.
"Sony's making a watch that connects to your phone? That's cool. I probably won't get one (or even see on in person, ever), but it's cool."
"Apple's making one? I can hardly wait to see what they come up with!"
Do you get excited when MS comes up with a new online service? Probably not. What about Google? Yeah, me too. Excitement with Apple and hardware works much the same way.
Re:Oh, the irony! (Score:5, Insightful)