TAKEAWAY: It’s the next platform, depending on who you listen to: smartwatches that will do more than tell time. But, those watch-savvy Swiss are not convinced they like them.
Samsung unveiled two new computerized wristwatches in February, this time including health sensors and related fitness features.
Smartwatches as wearable computers could be the next big rave.
Or, let’s say smartwatches may be the new iPhone. Already Google has announced that smartwatches based on its Android mobile software will be available later this year. It seems that Google is banking on smart watches becoming the next big thing, as it announces that it’s working with several consumer electronics and technology companies, including Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics and Intel Corp., and with fashion company Fossil Group to develop the new line of watches.
Google is not alone, as some speculate that Apple, too, is trying to come up with a wearable computer.
This sounds promising, of course. However, a recent piece in the International New York Times (March 26), tells us that the Swiss watchmakers—without a doubt the best in the world—are not convinced that smartphones as computers are ready for the big time. Not yet.
“For some reasons, none of the Swiss industry leaders seems committed thus far to combining diamond bezels with digital bits,” reads the INYT article. Specifically, the piece quotes Nick Hayek, chief executive of the Swatch Group, that in his view “the smart watch products developed by Google and others…raise several problems compared with traditional mechanical watches. The drawbacks, he says, have to do with limited battery life and the fact that they are trackable by the National Security Agency and other intelligent services. Ironically, the piece also quotes experts who claim that the wealthy potential buyers of smartwatches are tired of technological machines, and, as they are at their saturation point, they may tend to stay away from this new development.
In fact, this weekend the Financial Times reported that watchmakers have been reticent to throw in their lot with Apple because the companies have little faith in the potential of smart watches
So, how long before we can read the news digest on that smart watch on our wrist?
Nobody knows that answer. In fact, I recall stories about how the iPhone tested originally. Not too well. People in focus groups decided that a phone should be good only for talking, not for doing all those other things like taking photos and videos. We know the rest of that story.
Could it be the same for smartphones, and, could we all be walking around imitating James Bond and Dick Tracy and staring into our smart watches for other than checking if we are on time for lunch?