Smartwatches: needed or not? opinion

I'm kinda with you, only even more extreme. Every 3 or so years I have to replace the battery in my watch (it's a solar rechargeable). This is about all the effort I'm willing to put in maintaining my watch, regardless of whether it's dumb or smart. So until the smart watch battery can last that long (and obviously hold enough charge overnight to not die before daylight recharges it fully) I have zero interest.

 

Hold the press, me and VF agree on something! I also don't see the need for a "smart watch". "Google Glasses" sound interesting, but I can't see myself wearing that either (altho a HUD on my car would be cool ) I keep reading alot about "wearable technology" these days, so it seems alot of companies see that as the next frontier. I can see wearing a watch or band (like Alcatel's) if you have a medical condition and need to be monitored, or an athlete who wants to monitor heart-rate, but that's a niche thing and far from the mainstream path where the big sales happen.

But who knows, maybe the "wearable technology" is the future. Gerbing fetches $250 for a pair of heated gloves, and sales seem to be good. Maybe put a wifi connection on there too and charge double that. Intel has the "if you build it, they will come" mentality:

Looking back to around 2000, I built some of the first 3G networks in the world, everyone wanted fast mobile data speeds, but then after we built it, nobody really "came". The networks were "under-utilized" because nobody knew what to do with the fast speeds, web-browsers didn't really exist on phones then (WAP!) and screens were too small anyway. The operators were waiting for the "killer app" that would make everyone pick up their phones and use data on it. 3G dongles for laptops became slowly available, but operators were so afraid of network congestion that they charged outrageous prices to limit the people using them so they wouldn't crash the network. The 3G nets didn't really become fully utilized until the mid-late 2000's, when screens got bigger and not one "killer app" became available, but rather a bunch of apps became available. Ask AT&T how their data traffic volume changed overnight and crashed their network when suddenly everyone wanted to watch YouTube on the iPhone.

So, maybe "wearable technology" doesn't have much appeal right now, but let's wait and see how it evolves over the next decade. Personally, I see more use in embedded technology, machine-to-machine (M2M), but who knows. There's millions of smart and creative people out there, let's see what all these brilliant minds can come up with over time. Throw enough stuff at the wall and something will stick eventually...

 

I just don't see the use of a smart watch. I am always having my hands on the phone instead.

I have several watches, but they are mostly time pieces used to complement what I'm wearing... And I can't see myself paying $250 for a functional accessory.

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A watch and a bracelet have the same meaning for me, a decorative item that manages to get caught on things, and are not a necessity .

So yes, I agree with the others, I do think the vendors jumped on the Smartwatch concept too quickly and there isn't a huge market for it.


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Apple has been stagnant and Samsung declining a little, so they are both probably under a lot of pressure to find new ways to grow.

Apple was talking about it, but has been quiet lately, maybe after seeing Samsung flop they might think twice. There is no real interest in it, and no 'must have' feature it can bring to the table right now.

 

I haven't worn a watch in almost a decade, so I don't have the need for a smart watch.

But I could see them replacing dumb phones in the future. It could give people another way to control their home alarm or automation system, their cars, and other things in a small and easier to use device.

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But I thought smart watch didn't operate without a smartphone. Wouldn't people wanting to replace dumb phones be better off with a dumbphone watch?

 

Great information, thanks for sharing it.