“According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the Apple Watch possesses several unique strengths, including a variety of designs, Siri integration and, yes, the ability to fight ‘the new cancer’: sitting,” Mark Spoonauer reports for Tom’s Guide.
“Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference yesterday (Feb. 10) in San Francisco, Cook likened today’s smartwatches to early MP3 players before the iPod came along. ‘We weren’t the first company to make an MP3 [player],’ Cook said. ‘They were fundamentally too hard to use, and the user interface was really bad,'” Spoonauer reports. “Cook was clearly drawing parallels to today’s smartwatches. Android Wear devices, for example, involve a fair amount of swiping to get things done. The Pebble Watch, which uses a somewhat awkward button-based interface, is now on more than a million wrists, but that doesn’t impress Cook. ‘There are several things that are called ‘smartwatches’ that are shipping,’ he said, ‘but I’m not sure you could name any.'”
“So how does Apple plan to shake up the market? By ‘changing the way you live your life,’ Cook said. And that could include saving it. Apple’s CEO told conference attendees that the Apple Watch will give you a little tap 10 minutes before the hour if you haven’t moved within the hour. Why?” Spoonauer reports. “‘Because a lot of doctors believe that sitting is the new cancer, right?’ Cook said. Apple’s CEO said a lot of his employees who use the watch are now standing up and moving around at 10 minutes before the hour. In addition, the Apple Watch has the ability to track your activity and exercise. But that’s not all the Apple Watch will do for health.”
Read more in the full article here.
Pre-BOOM! Apple Watch sales quiet before the storm.
I had an early archos mp3 player, and for someone like me who just likes technology it was great because it did allow me to carry a fair volume of music and relatively easily change it, but essentially it was just a load of components shoved in a case. The iPod was an actual product, with the hardware components fashioned to fit the function, not the other way around. The iPod got me to buy a powerbook, which has resulted in a MacBook Air, three iMacs, Macs at my office, and half a dozen iPhones/iPads/iPods. It may have room for improvement, but I’m pretty damn sure that Apple Watch will be otherwise fully formed and usable. Which is Apple’s fundamental strength.
A lot of naysayers about the watch…but this one is so clear, it will be total madness, monster hit, unlimited media frenzy, holiday craziness later year, new frontier of app development, reinforces iPhone even more.
Still have my original iPod. And about a hundred since.
ditto… though it occurs to me that since it has a Firewire port, it can’t connect to any of my current Macs without an adapter.
Firewire…sigh. Another strong alternative doomed by cost and the ubiquity of mediocrity.
The Watch will be great, but like the original iPad (which lacked a front-facing camera), I really want to wait for the second generation for one and only one reason: it won’t be waterproof. I just don’t understand how they missed this one critical requirement.
It will be amazing (and I’ll probably buy the first gen anyway), but until it’s waterproof (I’d pay an EXTRA $75 just for that alone), it is a long way from perfect…
For years I have been promoting the idea that Apple ought to design all iOS devices to be highly water resistant. Apple minimizes the number and sizes of ports in the exterior shell, so it should not be that difficult.
As a wearable, it is particularly important that the Apple Watch be highly water resistant. An Apple Watch is eventually going to get splashed from hand washing or a sudden rainstorm.
My cat has diabetes.
Wonder if there will be a collar adapter for 🍎Watch?
It will probably have to be a tail clip or ankle band of some sort.
How else could your cat see the display?
Touché !
FWIW, I had a diabetic cat too. She lived to be 16 years old.
(Probably because I gave her a shot of insulin twice a day for 9 years.)
I truly wouldn’t be surprised if someday fairly soon there will be devices worn continuously by pets (for the owners) to monitor their health.
Yeah- we are too. Just started last month. Two injections per day. Started with 2 units per shot and now up to 5. He is gaining back the weight finally. He was eating a case of wet cat food in 1.5 weeks and still losing weight. Once up to 5 units per injection, his food and water consumption went down and his weight went up.
That’s a great idea, it’s not just sitting, it’s sitting on a chair. That leads to all sorts of back problems. Way to go Tim, keep up with the great leadership.
The watch will be a great success.
Of course, the iPad is one of the most popular devices that promotes sitting in a chair for hours at a time!
You can use the ipad quite nicely sitting in the healthy easy pose on the floor, keeping your back straight and holding it up with your arms. Good exercise for the arms.
Chair sitting for an extended period of time is certainly not good for you, important to get up hourly and stretch. A good employer should encourage that.
The uninspiring leader of the great company is over the top in promoting the watch. Why, you ask? His future depends on its success. Careful, Tim, in overreaching otherwise you could be the next Brian Williams
If the watch succeeds with the expectations he is creating, it could be his turn around. If not, well …
Jay the new Brian Williams, full of the same crap. Troll on jay.
Hey you are back. I see you are calling Apple a great company. Isn’t that fantastic that an “uninspiring” leader can do that. It’s the first U.S. company to close with a market capitalization above $700 billion and even the stock is moving up nicely.
Of course we both know that the watch will never be successful in your eyes, if I recall correctly you called it “clunky” and dismissed it the minute it came out.
You are a one idea poster Jay, and now you are back for more, even though you said other wise. Do you have any idea what kind of leader you’d be called if you were in such a position?
Anyway, got to go, keep spreading the gloom and doom about Tim Cook, after all if you are going to be a one trick pony, be consistent about it.
Good gawd? Someone is using the old ‘Jay Morrison’ nick? Don’t they know that was branded TROLL BAIT ages ago? Should I be amused or sad? 🎭 👎👎👎
I’m not a financial adviser, nor do I play one on TV.
But, If you don’t have any Apple stock in your portfolio yet, BUY SOME NOW! If you already have some, BUY MORE!
I would like to say the Apple Watch will be a hit, but I probably won’t buy one because I don’t see a need for one (I haven’t worn a watch in over 25 years).
But that’s exactly what I said about the iPad also, and I’m now typing this on my THIRD iPad, so… What do I know? 😉
In terms of Apple leadership, it is gratifying to see Tim demonstrate some marketing chops.
More and more, it seems that Steve picked the most worthy successor.
What many have probably not thought of.
The largest consumer group, that has a good bit of money to spend, is the baby boomers.
Guess what age they are heading into?
55 to 70, when lots of health problems start. This group alone will be a massive target for sales.
So ostensibly, you can gift your parent an 🍎watch, and still get it for yourself.
Unless they run into those Antarians from the movie Cocoon.
(How do you get the black apple symbol into your typeset?)
Set a shortcut in Settings/keyboard/shortcuts on your iOS devices. Copy this icon to your clipboard and paste it in the shortcut you create. I used aapl for my shortcut.
Hey thanks! It works. I can now too. I read your instructable in the WordPress App, which doesn’t let you copy anything, so I went to MDN in Safari to copy it.
I’m curious to know if the icon/symbol is native in IOS somewhere or maybe it must be as you can copy & paste it and it is not an image.
the Apple Watch will give you a little tap 10 minutes before the hour if you haven’t moved within the hour
NOTE: iPhones don’t do that.
This has been a message for the benefit of clueless analcysts.