“While we’re all waiting to find out if and what Apple’s 100 person team is up to, it is worth opening the aperture on the full range of what an iWatch could be,” Anthony Wing Kosner writes for Forbes.
“Tom Bradley in PCWorld discusses Three ways to imagine an Apple ‘iWatch’: a standalone iWatch, an extension of an iPhone or a replacement for the iPhone. The first is really what Pebble is doing, the success of which will hinge a lot on the app ecosystem it is able to foster. I don’t, however, see Apple settling for that (small) level of disruption,” Kosner writes. “”
Kosner writes, “The second is really what I was writing about in my previous post, and I still think that something that consumed data in a s super light-weight way could be a really big product—but not necessarily for Apple. The third possibility — that an iWatch could both work with and in some ways replace an iPhone — is really what Simeonov [Bulgarian web designer and iOS developer] has imagined here.”
More info and many more images in the full article here.
Related articles:
Apple ‘iWatch’ beyond ‘experimentation phase,’ sources say – February 13, 2013
Features that would make Apple’s iWatch a killer product – February 12, 2013
7 reasons why Apple’s unannounced ‘iWatch’ won’t fly – February 12, 2013
Patent application reveals Apple secretly developing wearable computing platform – February 12, 2013
Morgan Stanley: Apple iWatch, iTV could generate additional $80 billion annually – February 12, 2013
With ‘iWatch,’ Apple could turn wearable devices into next big thing – February 12, 2013
Why Apple is working on ‘iWatch,’ not ‘iGlasses’ – February 11, 2013
WSJ: Apple testing ‘iWatch’ device – February 11, 2013
iWatch: Apple developing curved-glass smart watch, sources say – February 11, 2013
Tog: The iWatch will fill a gaping hole in the Apple ecosystem – February 7, 2013
Why Apple should hang-up on the iPhone, iWear is next – January 6, 2013
Analyst sees wearable computers from Apple as future replacement for iPhone – January 2, 2013
Apple and Intel secretly building Bluetooth smartwatch that connects to your iOS devices, say sources – December 27, 2012
Apple patent application details display-integrated cellular antennas – May 6, 2012
Apple patent app details next-gen microstrip cellular antenna for future MacBooks, iWatch and beyond – October 25, 2011
Meh.
There could be something to it. “Siri, get Sheila on the phone. I’ll take it on my headset.”
“Siri, Who owns Mac Daily News? Just asking.”
I’m still waiting for the Bluetooth 4.0 “hearing aid”. 🙂
Pardon?
TB you rotten bastard. GD was that funny.
Right. Something the size of a watch replacing an iPhone. I’m only talking about making phone calls here. It could work, but only for a short call to 911 or your sister. The size of the battery is the issue. With all those headlines you see from time to time about some new revolutionary battery technology, it’s still creeping along at a snail’s pace.
Your talk time would be measured in minutes. And not many of them.
what if the band was the battery?
Notice that the wrist band is actually battery cells so no power problems.
Use this link and look down the page and you’ll see the wrist battery concept.
http://justdesignthings.com/iwatch.html
Didn’t the iPhone or iPad replace the PC?
The motion of moving can recharge the battery. When I was a kid they had watches that worked that way. You just had to shake them to get enough of a charge to keep it going. I see no reason you can’t charge a phone that way and have a watch that NEVER needs charging.
Actually, not a bad article. A “what if” piece that actually tries to seriously look at what kind of things would work and what would not on a watch interface.
Worth a quick read.
Just a thought,
en
the problem is that it would still have to be taken off every 1-3 days to charge. that’s too frequent, unless it had an elastic type band that slipped over the wrist quick and easy.
And that’s what I like about shoes – they NEVER have to be taken off to recharge every few days, even though I do every night WHEN I GO TO BED.
Would it really be that difficult to take off an “iWatch” every couple of days to recharge while you sleep? Really????
Well, just when they invented something that couldn’t be left behind in a bar, there’s this thing that could be forgotten in a strange bedroom …
I would love a watch that would make having to continually use, in my opinion, a big clunky iPhone 5, would be a dream come true. Something small, light, and always available would sell like crazy. Even if I had to keep the phone in my pocket to actually make a call through the iWatch.
Ridiculous. The iWatch would be a companion piece to the iPhone, something that allowed for fast access to basic information – clock, timers, messages, calendar, etc. Perhaps Twitter.
It could not possibly have the batter life to have any cellular connectivity, so it must connect to the iPhone via bluetooth. Perhaps in a passive bluetooth state, where data is pushed from the iPhone at scheduled intervals or when a notice comes in (like an alarm) to the iWatch.
Anyone who thinks Apple could cram all or even most of the iPhone’s functions into a watch-sized device is a moron. There just isn’t the space and the screen is too small for most input required for a smartphone.
Wrong. Use this link and look down the page and you’ll see that the wrist band is actually battery cells.
http://justdesignthings.com/iwatch.html
Just read your comment. Jeeze Biz, I should know not to write anything when you already have. :/
Stick to law, your future as a tech writer/predictor doesn’t look good, your imagination seems limited at best.
“It could not possibly have the batter life to have any cellular connectivity”
Remember the pager? It is absolutely ‘POSSIBLE’ to do what you say cannot, moreover Apple is just the company to solve “that which cannot be done”.
“There just isn’t the space and the screen is too small for most input required for a smartphone.”
You are familiar with the small microphones Apple uses across their product lines yes? You are aware of the existence of Siri and the new dictation built in OS X right? So who says the input must be done with ones fingers?
That said, I doubt it is an iPhone replacement, but it COULD be, Apple could do it if they wanted to. Personally, I expect something I don’t see coming and that isn’t currently being done with the form factor.
I’ll put my money on Biz’s take, which really isn’t different from what you’re saying at all.
i use my iphone one-handed. a watch as a phone requires effectively two hands (or one wrist and the other hand!). many years ago i used a calculator in one hand (my right) so i could write results down with my left. i now use a calculator on my phone the same way. a phone that ties up (no pun intended) both hands is not my idea of an advance. on the other hand either this would cut down on people using their phone while driving or tremendously driving up the accident rate!
Will it run Flipboard? Evernote? Bento? Hmm, I guess it doesn’t replace my iPhone, then.
Possible or not, likely or not, it would be the first and only watch that I would not drop, scratch, crush to death within 48 hours of purchase.
If the watch is made from Liquid Metal you don’t have to worry about dents and scratches. Since LM can be transparent and provide water proofing the face and chips could be protected.
If it’s practical AND looks good, people will buy them. Bottom line is they HAVE to look good for people to even consider them. A practical gadget alone is not enough for people to by and WEAR.
How do you get a 5″ screen on a watch. That screen size seems to be what many on this site and others are saying that the iPhone needs to have or Apple will be out of business.
“If I asked people what they wanted they would ask for faster horses” – Henry Ford by paraphrase.
Alternative title: “What If Apple Released a Watch with 14 Minutes of Battery Life?”
If Apple releases a watch, it certainly won’t have a FaceTime camera. The connection to it and other Apple kit will be strictly via Bluetooth 4.0. Other things that it won’t have, as depicted in the well-intentioned, but hilariously spec’d mock-up:
-a nano-SIM. 4G LTE in a watch? Umm…no.
-slide to unlock. For what purpose?
-AirPlay? Kinda tough to pull that off without WiFi, which has no chance of making into an Apple watch
-a watch strap/battery? Love to see Apple pull that off in a way that wouldn’t make Ive puke.
Renderings are nice, but this isn’t a product Apple would build. The designer got about 60% of the aesthetic and 5% of the features right.
Nice to dream though.
Wrong. Use this link and look down the page and you’ll see that the wrist band is actually battery cells.
http://justdesignthings.com/iwatch.html
I saw that the wrist band is battery cells. It’s ridiculous.
Completely doable with just a little big of thought.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_film_rechargeable_lithium_battery
“Doable” is not the same as “desirable”. This is not Apple’s MO. Neither is a FaceTime camera, 4G or AirPlay in a watch.
You either get it or you don’t.
this is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard will most likely be the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.
The iWatch appears to be a solution in search of a problem. That is not the Apple approach.
There was no market for an oversized iPod touch either. Why would anyone ever want one of those? If Apple releases it, it will sell millions the first weekend and then go on to dominate the smart-watch market that didn’t really exist prior to its introduction. Others will copy it, but it will take some time to copy it in a meaningful way. And of course, it will not be “the first” smart-watch on the market, just the one people want.
The everyday wristwatch is dead, Jim. Nothing will revive it. All the Dick Tray stuff would not hold up in daily use.
Truly, who has a watch these days? What about a watch would make my phone easier to uses than it already is. I don’t need my hands to deal with my phone.
A real one trick pony, if you ask me.
Look where and how long, users are using their mobile devices and compare.
Mobile computer/iPad : on a desk, tens of minutes to a few hours
iPad : on their knees, a few minutes to tens of minutes
iPad /iPhone : held in two hands, from a few seconds to a few minutes
iPhone : Held in one hand, tens of minutes
“iWatch” : fixed on the wrist, 24/24
If iWatch comes to life, in addition the existing set of sensors, it will have compartiments to welcome sets of completly new sensors never used until now in smartphones, paving the way for completly new iApps, even if some of them are already in the App Store.
Once again, cannibalization will be on the table, but this time, it will be almost negligible.
Like Bulova Accutron in 1960, there will be domain innovations in accordance to the epoch. Why not an iWatch with a “Power Felt” (Wake Forest University) aided battery ?
I wouldn’t want it on my wrist though. A watch is something you take off before bed for the most part. If you have an active lifestyle there would be a lot of potential abusive situations where you could damage it. Why not like the shirt mounted Star Trek communicator. Something that you could attach securely to your clothing perhaps.