“As the billion-dollar iPod accessory business has proved time and again, there are many ways to get a job done. Watchmaker Timex has come up with a rather elegant and straightforward solution that will have some appeal. Why not control the iPod with a wristwatch?” Arik Hesseldahl reports for BusinessWeek.
“Once you’ve tried it, as I did with the Timex Ironman iControl watch for iPod [US$125], it seems a head-slappingly obvious trick that makes one wonder why no one ever thought of it before, even before the iPod,” Hesseldahl reports.
“Four buttons on the watch’s face allow you to move forward and back through tracks, and raise and lower the volume, while a fifth button—the most prominent—allows you to alternate playing or pausing a song,” Hesseldahl reports.
“The Ironman iControl comes with a small radio receiver that translates the radio signals from the watch into commands the iPod understands,” Hesseldahl reports. “It comes in several colors, including gray. I would have preferred wearing a more conservatively designed watch, but that’s just me.”
Full review here.
Rumor has it that Timex plans a ZuneControl watch to be released as soon as time reaches infinity (which would be just before their big ZenControl watch debut).
For those folk who choose to do Ironman contests this is a perfect design – from my knowledge of them!
Do they also come in pink?
Why is it a perfect design, because it’s Birds’ Egg Blue? I’d have expected maybe a little more macho looking design. This look better suited to breast-feeding and soap-opera watching than to hardcore athletic competitions.
I’d have to say this is brilliant on Timex’s part. As watch sales tank, cash in on the iPod’s success and introduce a generation who may never have seen one to watches.
This might be a good Auto solution… pick playlist..put ipod in center console.. control with watch without taking eyes off the road..
A quick trip to timex.com shows it comes in 3 shades of grey, sky blue, lime green, and and orangish reddish color.
Price $125.
What a great MDN take. I actually laughed out loud. People were staring…
Hail to me. Apple kill those puppies and make me stronger.
Timex owes me some puppie, me thinks.
I will go see them.
Hail Me
I would demand a retraction for the MacDailyNews Take but then I have to consider the source. Face it MDN, Microsoft’s groudbreaking Zune has you and the rest of your MAC lemming readership scared.
Go ahead, make jokes. The Zune will soon overtake the iPod in popularity because people don’t want to use currency to purchase content. They want to use points. Zune points. It’s only a matter of time before Apple copies Microsoft (again) and implements a points system for the IPOD. Dorks.
Your potential. Our passion.™
Zune Tang – Microsoft’s “groundbreaking” Zune???
I’m not sure which broken ground you’ve got your head stuck in, but your assertion of the Zune’s current and future success is far more comical than any MDN take I’ve ever seen… unless, of course, you were just being sarcastic? Gads, I hope so, for the sake of anyone who has to interact with you…
They look gay.
Zune Twang…will you ever be able to say “ten million per quarter”? I think not!
You love the iPod portion of the iPhone, and you know it. The Zune recycle bin is getting full.
I cannot wait to read Zune Tang’s commentary when M$ discontinues the Zune.
Can no-one design a good-looking watch anymore?
But it won’t work with Nike+ since they both require a receiver to be plugged into the iPod. 🙁 Now if Nike and Timex teamed up and combined the two. THAT would be legendary!