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."
Re:The iWatch (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Oh, the irony! (Score:4, Interesting)
Brilliant... (Score:2, Interesting)
...now we have to look forward to all the Apple fanbois claiming that Apple invented the wrist watch.
The problem is... (Score:5, Interesting)
A) The display
B) The interface
The closest Apple has come to a watch is the iPod Nano (6th gen) which had a whole host of problems, namely that the screen (and therefore the interface) was tiny. Assuming the Nano 6th gen as a template in size, what functions of my smartphone could that easily replace? Music playback would work, but not videos, nor would web or messaging work all that well. I suppose a game or two might not be too bad. But other than that I'm at a loss as to what it could have that my smartphone has. Streaming music perhaps? But really, the screen is going to be too tiny to be usable.
Re:Oh, the irony! (Score:4, Interesting)
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.
Ten years from now: "I stopped carrying a cell phone in my pocket years ago because I can just speak to my wearable device to make a call."
Re:Oh, the irony! (Score:4, Interesting)
I stopped wearing a watch outside of work recently, for the same reason. However, no one is allowed to bring cell phones, 2-way pager, cameras, or anything that can transmit or connect to a computer. So I wear a simple Casio watch to work and typically take it off when I get home. I'd love to go to a smart watch like Pebble that can connect to my phone, display alerts, play music, etc however I couldn't wear it to work.
They let someone wearing a simple Casio watch [wikipedia.org] into a high-security environment?
Re:And I should give a rat's ass... (Score:5, Interesting)