Former Apple Human Interface Developer Speculates on Future 'iWatch'

An iWatch is about 10 years too late! I don't know anyone who wears watches anymore because of the fact that they have cell phones! :confused:

I, as the only remaining person on Earth who wears a watch, will explain that I do so because it is more convenient to glance at my wrist for the time than take my cell phone out of whatever pocket in which it is stored and push the home button to see the time.

Glancing at my wrist is clearly an antiquated and old fashioned way to learn the time.

But, according to the poster above, I am the only quaint fogey who still does that.

:rolleyes:

Everyone says the dont want or don't need one, but how many of these people said the same thing when the iPhone and/or iPad came out?

It's pretty unbelievable how narrow minded many of the people are on this forum....

I had zero desire for a smartphone before the iPhone was announced. I loved my little small flip phone and it did everything I could ever want in a phone. The second I saw an iPhone I new I NEEDED one immediately. I see this same possibility with the iWatch.

Sure, you say most people don't wear watches? That may be true (although I think there are a lot more watch wearers than you realize), but that's simply because most watches only serve one function... to tell time, and we all get that on our phones.

But the possibilities are endless with an iWatch, assuming it's implemented correctly (and with proper security). Wirelessly charged as you sleep each night. Warns you when you walk away from your phone. Can ask "where's my phone?" and it makes your phone start beeping. NFC payments. Notifcations. Siri communication (seems especially useful with reminders). Fitness apps/health monitoring. Apps that record precise sleep monitoring to wake you up at the right time. and so much more!

But no just because YOU don't wear a watch anymore, there is no reason you (or anyone else) would ever want to wear one again... :rolleyes:

It's pretty unbelievable how narrow minded many of the people are on this forum....

I had zero desire for a smartphone before the iPhone was announced. I loved my little small flip phone and it did everything I could ever want in a phone. The second I saw an iPhone I new I NEEDED one immediately. I see this same possibility with the iWatch.

Sure, you say most people don't wear watches? That may be true (although I think there are a lot more watch wearers than you realize), but that's simply because most watches only serve one function... to tell time, and we all get that on our phones.

But the possibilities are endless with an iWatch, assuming it's implemented correctly (and with proper security). Wirelessly charged as you sleep each night. Warns you when you walk away from your phone. Can ask "where's my phone?" and it makes your phone start beeping. NFC payments. Notifcations. Siri communication (seems especially useful with reminders). Fitness apps/health monitoring. Apps that record precise sleep monitoring to wake you up at the right time. and so much more!

But no just because YOU don't wear a watch anymore, there is no reason you (or anyone else) would ever want to wear one again... :rolleyes:

I love your ideas. Siri is still in its nascent stages but it's not difficult to understand where it's going and a watch is a perfect fit.

Asking your watch for information in Siri like style would present the answer, not a list of sites that might have that answer. To display that answer, a screen that fits on your wrist is sufficient. Apps specifically built for that screen size: a map showing your immediate surroundings and directions or a Passbook card with QR code (and NFC activated) or the cover of your currently playing album with overlaying playback controls or a notifications or incoming calls.... Any of these can be designed to need no more than a couple of inches of screen real estate.

The fact that you have this watch on your wrist makes it infinitely less likely to get lost and geo fenced with an iPhone, even more remotely possible. There are many more biometric authentication methods that have not been explored and a watch that is strapped to your skin is the perfect case scenario. The watch only works when on its owners wrist. Remove it, it won't work. Remove the phone from the proximity of the watch, it too won't work.

It used to be that MacRumors was a small community populated with Apple-minded people who understood Apple's DNA and owned Macs because they subscribed to that mindset. If people wanted super customizable devices with buttons for everything, they wouldn't own a Mac. They'd be happily off in the PC world. Since the surge of Apple's popularity, its users have become the mainstream person who can't think beyond what they see in front of their noses and who would never had asked for an iPhone before it was introduced.

Like Steve Jobs said: If Henry Ford had asked people what they wanted, they'd have asked for a faster horse.

I personally think the iWatch is a fantastic idea and would buy one the second it was released.

Then again, I'm a watch fan (I have quite a few) and would like the ideas he presented for added usefulness.

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i can only hope Bruze Tognazzini doesn't ever work for a bank....lose your watch and have your entire identity stolen!

Is losing a watch more common than losing your cell phone? Better putting an NFC tag in my watch than in my cell phone IMO.

One of his more compelling ideas includes the elimination of passcodes. With a passcode, he speculates, the smart watch, which would incorporate a sleek, button-free design, could be used to unlock iPhones and Macs via proximity.
Along with facilitating phone calls and incorporating sensors, Tognazzini believes that an Apple iWatch might also include NFC capabilities for making payments and temperature controls, similar to the Nest (https://www.macrumors.com/2012/12/21/nest-thermostat-now-available-in-apple-retail-stores/).

Lose your watch, lose your identity. Jeez, it sounds so much like a cheesey Sci-Fi plot, I just had to:

An iWatch is about 10 years too late! I don't know anyone who wears watches anymore because of the fact that they have cell phones! :confused:

Ten years ago we weren't all exactly playing video games on our cell phones though and i think the watch has been long forgotten as a utility device. I think if this were to come true, it would definitely push the smart watch market just like the original iPhone did.

An iWatch is about 10 years too late! I don't know anyone who wears watches anymore because of the fact that they have cell phones! :confused:

Did any of you actually read the article...

The ideas he was pitching behind the watch is that you WON'T lose your identity if you lose it, unlike if you lost your phone. Also, this is the first time I thought that the IWatch was something I would want. Unlocking my computer and iDevices as well as carrying the NFC chip that WON'T be in my phone...brilliant. The NFC only works when it is in proximity to your phone since the watch won't have any data stored on it.

Also, I like looing at my wrist for the time instesad of digging in to my pockets to get my phone.

I don't know, maybe I read it wrong, but I felt like this artcle actually made me want one for the first time.

What about the one BIG problem...I don't (and I know many others) want to wear a watch. Ever. I don't want a watch tan, and I don't want that dorky thing strapped to my wrist.

An iWatch is about 10 years too late! I don't know anyone who wears watches anymore because of the fact that they have cell phones! :confused:

I'm going to take a wild guess that you're likely under 20 or not much over. Newsflash: People have worn wrist watches for over a hundred years. Until recently, nearly every adult wore one. It's only been in the last 5 years or so that it has gotten less popular, yet many people still wear them despite also carrying a smart phone.

Is the smartphone going to kill the watch? The opposite may be true. My prediction is that if Apple or anybody releases a compelling wrist worn computer, people will stop carrying phones in their pockets.