The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that Apple has been working covertly at a smart watch. According to the WSJ, the future, according to some, lies more in wearable devices rather than the mobile phone/tablet offerings that consumers are currently gobbling up by the millions.
These devices are expected to gather and transmit information automatically—without the user having to do anything—and to be more practical than phones or computers in some situations. Some analysts believe they could eventually replace smartphones entirely, while others note they aren't yet useful enough to appeal to mainstream users.
- WSJ
So Apple's working on something? Cue the Samsung rumors....
And right on schedule, rumors leak out that Samsung is also working on a smart watch, the Altius. The screenshots are fairly suspect, but if they are to be trusted, then in the near (or at least fairly near) future we may be seeing a watch with not just the ability to show notifications, but text, update a status on Twitter, search for a restaurant on Google Now, or even make a phone call. Pretty much everything Dick Tracy could do :)
Are you interested?
For this week's FBQ, we'd like to know what your interest level is in a device like this? Would you be willing to spend, say, $500 on a smartphone for your wrist? What about $200? What kind of features would this device be compelled to have in order for interest to be substantial? If Apple were to make one first, would that be enough for you to make the jump?
Personally, I think my heart likes this idea much more than my wallet and brain do. As a wristwatch connoisseur (I don't own an inordinate amount, but I always have a watch on), I really love the thought of having voice control and the ability to text, call, and e-mail from my wrist, but I can't honestly see myself doing so in public as an early adopter.
Also, as someone that wears a different watch for work, than I do for informal occasions, than I do for exercising, than I do for wearing brown shoes or black shoes etc., I don't think I could go cold turkey and only wear one watch for every occasion. This idea seems great, but I do doubt that it will change the world much like the smartphone has over the last 10 or so years.
What do you think?
Hit us up, and Happy Friday!
