Apple has a goal for its eight-year-old smartwatch: for it to act as your “key to the world.” That’s according to Kevin Lynch, Apple’s vice president of technology, who recently sat down for a virtual interview with CNET.
This direction isn’t new; Apple has been gradually extending the Apple Watch’s functionality over the years, enabling it to work as a digital key for your car and home. In fact, that goal was part of the Apple Watch from the beginning through the original model’s support for Apple Pay.
But this theme feels more prevalent than ever in WatchOS 10, the upcoming software update launching in the fall and arriving in public beta next month. The new software introduces updated widgets to help the watch surface information as needed, perhaps a testament to just how much we’re doing on these tiny wrist-worn devices today. The goal is to provide a lot of data at a glance while maintaining the watch face aesthetic, Lynch said…
Lynch couldn’t say what’s next when asked about other ways the Apple Watch could become a so-called key to the world around you.
But the clue could be sitting in our pockets.
“What do you use a wallet for today, and do you still have things in your wallet?” he asked. “So that would be another area to think about in terms of maybe over time, how we can reduce the amount of stuff you have to carry around with you.”
MacDailyNews Note: Learn how to access your car, home, workplace, and hotel room with keys in Wallet today on Apple Watch running watchOS 9 here.
Please help support MacDailyNews. Click or tap here to support our independent tech blog. Thank you!
Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
I’m as big an Apple fan as the next guy, but I won’t buy an Apple Watch until they have enough battery to get through a 3-day weekend trip. More features are nice, but until they fix the battery life problem, this is a non-starter.
I feel the same way. I loved my original Apple Watch and only upgraded to the Apple Watch 5 when it died. New features aren’t enough to get me to upgrade to a newer watch until there’s a significant boost to the battery life.
“key to the world” meaning “marketing beacon we can monetize”
Oh, cool.
The main reason I carry a wallet anymore is for my insurance cards. I don’t want to be caught someplace without my car and health insurance proof. If Apple would work with states to get drivers licenses set up on more than 4 states I might feel more comfortable without that except if I get pulled over there’s no way I’m giving my iPhone to the police so they can plant “evidence” or install spyware while using my iPhone for ID.