..now, it's just not quite right. Somehow.
Remember the way way back 'smart' phones before 2007?
What everyone did was that they took what they thought was the most advanced piece of consumer electronics at that time - the PC,
squeeze it onto a phone, first the keyboard, email, then web browsing,
applications, even the mouse cursor, etc., and called it a 'smartphone'.
The idea was good, but the product wasn't.
The square-form factor of the 6th generation iPod nano kickstarted the original watchband project shortly after it's release in 2010 - Lunatik, which watch-ified the iPod nano. The company simply created a clip-on band that would clip-on the nano, making a watch. Response was huge, and more designers joined in the business. Apple even updated the nano with watchfaces to play along the watch game, which probably wasn't their original intention.
The iPod nano-watch wasn't just any digital display watch, it was already a music player, FM radio, pedometer, voice recorder, what's more, it came with a multi-touch screen! The same multi-touch display from the iPhone, now on the wrist. How cool is that?
So begins the race for 'cool' watches.
In 2012, Pebble became the most funded Kickstarter project in history. The project to create a watch with different watchfaces people love so much from the iPod nano, combined with smartphone-sync functionality, has garnered $10 million USD funding in just a month.
Fast forward back to the present. As of January 2014 Samsung and other big brands, or small, have released their respective steed for the race. Check out Galaxy Gear, LG Life Band, Sony Smartwatch, Toq watch, etc. What do they all do? Trying hard to be your smartphone.
They are designed exactly the same way how 'smart' phones were designed before 2007.
Taking what we think is the most advanced piece of consumer electronics at the present - smartphones, and cramp them onto a wristwatch.
It is a good idea, but the product somehow feels.. unfinished.
I'm positive the next big thing in tech is 'wearables', after tablets. 'Wearables' as in what the tech community refers to wearable technology - glasses, watch, necklaces, even clothing. But what is seen so far in the field simply does 'glance-able information' from our smartphones, or things we already are doing with our phones. Like having notifications, answering a call, taking a photo, instant Foursquare/Facebook check-ins, what else? I wouldn't mind the trouble of picking out my phone from my pocket to do just that, that, that, and that.
I think there is just so much more unexplored potential for a wearable device so much in contact with our body. Biosensors would make sense. And I think Apple is the company up for it.
Why? Cause they have vision. Just look at the first 20 mins of the original iPhone release in 2007. That's the man I admire. Keep in mind this is 2007.