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Does the Pebble Cause a Ripple In Apple’s Waters?

5 points by dwynings 14y ago

samstave 14y ago
I certainly think it does. Apple has not really tackled the watch market, but it will. Either they get bouht or one-upped by an apple watch-pod. the iWatch.
- frankus 14y ago
  The problem with an iWatch replacing all or part of the iPhone or iPod's functionality is how to get audio to user's ear(s) in a non-awkward fashion. One option would be to add a bluetooth headset (probably stereo), but adding another device that needs to be charged regularly just so you can talk on the phone or listen to music isn't a great user experience. Another option would be for the iWatch itself to be a handset. It would have to be easily removable from your wrist with one hand (cf. http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Slap_20Bracelet_20Cell_20Phone http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Slap_20Bracelet_20Cell_20Phon..., though it could just as well be a bluetooth device). Music would have to use a different mode/device. When there's an incoming call the watch face shows the caller ID and to answer you, say, squeeze a couple of buttons on the side of the watch, and it unwraps itself from your wrist and turns into a little stick that you hold next to your head. A final option would be to embed the microphone in the watch band and have some kind of semi-detachable earpiece that you could hold in your hand/stick onto your finger and basically talk into your hand as though you were pantomiming holding a phone. But a device like that seems far to fussy for a company like Apple to put its product development efforts behind.
6ren 14y ago
Curiously, the big news on kickstarter in Dec 2010 was also a watch, also for an apple product: TikTok for the iPod Nano http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-lunatik-multi-touch-watch-kits http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-lunati... I wondered if apple might seize this, but they didn't. In fact, you can now buy TikTok via Apple. http://store.apple.com/us/product/H6100ZM/A http://store.apple.com/us/product/H6100ZM/A (and other wristbands). I reckon Apple carefully considered watch form-factors many years ago - they are not surprised, and 7 or 10 or 20 million revenue is riches to us but rounding-error to them. Either, they've dismissed it entirely; or they are waiting for some tech threshold to be crossed. In short, they have other fish to fry. However... they don't like alternative appstores.
Mordor 14y ago
Apple's most recent hardware innovation was the iPad (2 years ago), that's easily enough time for someone to come up with something new and compete. Can only expect more of the same until Apple get their act together.

5 points by dwynings 14y ago

I certainly think it does. Apple has not really tackled the watch market, but it will. Either they get bouht or one-upped by an apple watch-pod. the iWatch.

frankus 14y ago
The problem with an iWatch replacing all or part of the iPhone or iPod's functionality is how to get audio to user's ear(s) in a non-awkward fashion. One option would be to add a bluetooth headset (probably stereo), but adding another device that needs to be charged regularly just so you can talk on the phone or listen to music isn't a great user experience. Another option would be for the iWatch itself to be a handset. It would have to be easily removable from your wrist with one hand (cf. http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Slap_20Bracelet_20Cell_20Phone http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Slap_20Bracelet_20Cell_20Phon..., though it could just as well be a bluetooth device). Music would have to use a different mode/device. When there's an incoming call the watch face shows the caller ID and to answer you, say, squeeze a couple of buttons on the side of the watch, and it unwraps itself from your wrist and turns into a little stick that you hold next to your head. A final option would be to embed the microphone in the watch band and have some kind of semi-detachable earpiece that you could hold in your hand/stick onto your finger and basically talk into your hand as though you were pantomiming holding a phone. But a device like that seems far to fussy for a company like Apple to put its product development efforts behind.

6ren 14y ago

Curiously, the big news on kickstarter in Dec 2010 was also a watch, also for an apple product: TikTok for the iPod Nano http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-lunatik-multi-touch-watch-kits http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-lunati... I wondered if apple might seize this, but they didn't. In fact, you can now buy TikTok via Apple. http://store.apple.com/us/product/H6100ZM/A http://store.apple.com/us/product/H6100ZM/A (and other wristbands). I reckon Apple carefully considered watch form-factors many years ago - they are not surprised, and 7 or 10 or 20 million revenue is riches to us but rounding-error to them. Either, they've dismissed it entirely; or they are waiting for some tech threshold to be crossed. In short, they have other fish to fry. However... they don't like alternative appstores.

Mordor 14y ago

Apple's most recent hardware innovation was the iPad (2 years ago), that's easily enough time for someone to come up with something new and compete. Can only expect more of the same until Apple get their act together.