Posted on 03/04/2013 7:59:25 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Apple's iWatch, which is reportedly coming this year, could kill three birds with one stone for Apple.
1. It gives Apple an experimental entry in the wearable computing market which is said to be the next big thing
2. If done well it would kill the Apple-can't-innovate-without-Steve Jobs meme
3. It could be super profitable.
Let's tackle the third one. Bloomberg, citing a Citigroup report, says the global watch industry will do $60 billion in sales this year, with average gross margins of 60 percent.
Apple's iWatch, should it be released, will probably not fit neatly into the watch industry, so these comparisons are probably moot. (The margins on a $54,000 Audemars Piguet watch are probably pretty high, but unrelated to a mini-computer on your wrist.)
However, that doesn't mean we can't take a shot at trying to figure out how much money Apple could make on an iWatch.
In 2010, iSuppli estimated Apple's cost of goods plus manufacturing bill was $45.10 for an iPod Nano. The iPod Nano was the little square iPod with a touch screen. It actually wound up being used as a watch by a lot of people, and perhaps was a preview of an iWatch at Apple
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
small screen... I suppose it’s possible it could be huge..
thing is my phone is 12 inches away from my wrist, in my pocket.. so that saves me 1 second to get my data on my watch on a much smaller screen.. is saving 1 second worth the inconvenience of this tiny screen?
what the heck do I know, however... I’m old.
Looks intriguing but kind of thick. Always best to wait for at least the 3G model.
I don’t even like to wear a watch, period. I can’t imagine anything as bulky as these would have to be being comfortable for me, nor do I have any information needs so urgent that I can’t just reach for my phone, which is always on my person when I’m awake.
Maybe there’s a market for such a device, but I’m not part of it.
this was done before.
this must be vaporware.
But, would I drop $500 bucks on it? Unlikely. I'd file this under "Cool toys for people who have more money than sense".
Could give a new meaning to the IPad.
watches are fashion not function.
see rolex
see any swatch.
see fossil
see cartier
IF this is rea, it is a “chick magnet” as much as a calculator watch...
Now, if the iWatch has a Dick Tracy like built-in phone, the next question would be this -— WILL IT BE ILLEGAL TO TALK ON THAT PHONE WHILE DRIVING? (It is in many states).
Imagine being able to control things in your office or home remotely from your watch... What’s not to like?
OK, you have my attention.
With sufficient reliability and bandwidth for wireless connectivity, this likely would be the end-game for such devices. Eventually, you have a single device that acts more like a “key” than anything else, although it would essentially double as a local I/O terminal (microphone/speakers, camera/screen) as well. You’d need little local storage space if everything were accessible on demand from “the cloud”.
If you need a real screen & keyboard combo, the desktop terminal you sit in front of uses your settings and data fed from your “key”. The TV set knows what videos you’ve bought or uploaded by accessing your “key” info; likewise the home or car stereo can access your music and audiobooks. And so on.
To a large extent, this can already be done with (using Apple’s ecosystem since that’s the article subject, but there are other similar - if slightly less integrated - approaches) iCloud and iTunes and compatible devices (Mac, iOS, and Win7 or later), though cloud storage capacity and reliable connectivity for mobile devices are limiting factors. Also, they still only tie existing multiple “accounts” together, that is, my PC profile and my iPhone are two distinct “accounts” for me, although they are linked by iCloud.
What we’re looking at here may be the actualization of the old Sun Microsystems slogan: the network IS the computer, but the technology isn’t there, not yet at any rate, and not affordable enough for widespread adoption.
But are they waterproof?
Hmmm...
Most young people don’t wear watches - their cell phone is their watch.
Most young people like to use two hands on their phones, for texting.
Cell phones have actually gotten bigger in recent years - the advantage of a useable screen being more important than micro-size.
I’m not sold.
“IF this is rea, it is a “chick magnet” as much as a calculator watch...”
Except, this is from Apple, so chicks will automatically think it is trendy and cool.
Not generally an Apple fan, but I have nothing against their devices.
If the price point was right, I might consider one of these.
Firstly, besides the “apple picking” phenomenon, I’ve seen a lot of broken iphones. People tend to drop them, or they keep them in a shirt pocket, bend over, and it falls out. Having the device on your wrist would be very helpful in that respect.
Also, as someone who would prefer a phone that was just a phone and not a camera, game device, mini browser, etc. and as someone who regularly wears a watch, I think a combination phone/watch could be a very attractive device to own.
If it could link to a basic (and inexpensive) pocket keyboard (via bluetooth?) then it might make it a useful text device. I’d also want the option of an earpiece for a more private conversation, but that’s an easy tech problem to solve.
But a lot depends on what it costs.
iWatch, I wait...............
But this ugly ol' thing (solar-powered, syncs via radio w/atomic clock in Colorado) has been the Best. Watch. EVAH:
I set all my other watches against it. < |:)~
I never wear any of them...except for fancy dress occasions....i.e....fashion.
The reason? I ain't no fashion bug and I have clocks that surround me 24x7;
I have 3 computers at work and each has a clock. I have 3 computers at home and each has a clock. Every room in my house has at least one...some have multiples. The kitchen stove has a clock, the microwave has one. In the living room, the TV has one, the cable box has one, the DVD player has one. In the bedroom there are two alarm clocks.
In my shop in the basement there are three clocks.
My cell phone has a clock and the dashboard in my car has one.
Why would I need a watch?
They will need to get kids back into the habit of wearing watches again.
RE: They will need to get kids back into the habit of wearing watches again.
Hey, if it’s the cool and in thing to do, they will.
All they need to do is pay a cool star ( Justin Bieber? Rihanna? ) to wear or advertise one and that’ll catch on...
The Pathfinder is also solar-powered and syncs via radio w/atomic clock in Colorado. Even cooler. ;-)
My $40 Casio is a purely functional wristwatch. I don't have a cellphone.
Still, if this thing is more than vapourware, I'd get one just for the coolness of having a Dick Tracy TV watch. It's about time. What can I say? I'm a nerd at heart.
My Seiko is so “green” and “earth friendly” that it doesn’t even require electricity! What will they think of next?
Each iTime will come with a complimentary pocket protector and a pen that can write in four colors!
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