Will the Apple iWatch replace traditional watches?

Wearable revolution in the making

The day Steve Jobs died weighed heavily on Apple fans the world over. The iPod, iPad, iPhone, and iTunes were all revolutionary developments in the tech world that elevated Apple from its moribund ways in the early 90s into the stratosphere of the 21st century.

Since Jobs’s passing, Apple enthusiasts continue to lie in wait wondering what else Apple can introduce that’s going to fundamentally impact human behavior.

Disruptive technology is the bane of any long-standing traditional industry. When something new unexpectedly comes along that excites the user base, it shakes up the status-quo. It’s no surprise, then, that rumors of an “iWatch” have begun to seep out, raising the eyebrows of traditional watchmakers.  Just how disruptive would an iWatch be to the more traditional wristwatch industry, where more than a billion wristwatches are sold every year?

I wear a wristwatch, but my iPhone tells me the time when I want it to. I find myself spending a great deal more time with my iPhone than I ever do with my watch. What could an iWatch provide me with that my iPhone or iPad doesn’t already do? Reviewing the history of the digital watch, you come across these fun developments:  Seiko’s first LCD, Casio’s calculator watch, Seiko’s TV watch, Timex’s Data Link 150 — all of these have come and gone, all essentially replaced by greater advancements in digital technology.

Apple’s Chief Executive, Tim Cook, is under pressure to deliver some bold new products by the end of 2014 to beef up Apple’s aging product line. Apple hasn’t delivered on any new product since the iPad’s debut back in 2010. What else could Apple add to the wristwatch (or smartwatch)  that consumers don’t already have?

Wearable sensor technology

Wearable tech might still be a fad these days, but it’s the future for a number of companies looking to create ways for technology to augment our everyday experiences.

Nice article #wearable technology hitting a tipping point. Like ref to most prolific sensor on phones: the camera. http://t.co/F8ATsDydc6
— Corey Wilson-Wirth (@corey_ww) April 22, 2014

Apple’s foray into wearable technology has prompted it to invest in the biotech sector — in particular, sensor technology. With a reported 100 + product designers at work on the iWatch, the features that are currently under consideration include enabling users to make calls, displaying the identity of incoming callers, and checking map coordinates, according to this Bloomberg article.

It could also include integrated sensors for monitoring aspects your health, such as your heartbeat, or biotech features that will help you sleep better. Apple is developing a new health-related app called “Healthbook,” and according to 9to5, it will be part of iOS 8 and will be reliant on the iWatch. One mobile health executive told Reuters that Apple has aspirations beyond wearable devices and is even considering a full health and fitness services platform modeled on its App Store.

Traditional luxury watchmakers respond: is iWatch a threat?

Suffice it to say, with Apple wanting to break into the billion dollar smartwatch marketplace, more traditional players in the watch market have their own opinions on the move. For starters, Swiss watchmaker Swatch has registered its own trademark with the iSwatch and according to Serena Chieseura, Director of Communication for the Swatch Group, the company believes there is a “high risk of confusion between the two products.”

This wouldn’t be the first time that Apple got into hot water over trademark infringement.
Of course we don’t yet officially know if Apple will call their product the iWatch, but it most certainly would face potential legal challenges if it does. Southern California-based fine watch purveyor Westime isn’t intimidated by Apple’s investment. “Westime is expanding and finding that our industry is still in high demand.

The iWatch does bring some concern, but if you put a fine watch next to this new technology, you will see that the consumer buying fine watches is not the same consumer that would purchase an iWatch,” said Greg Simonian, the president of Westime.

It brings up a more important point about those who still value timepieces as the original fine pieces of jewelry that they are. It was Peter Henlein, a clockmaker out of Nuremberg, Germany, in the early 16th century who is attributed as the inventor of the first pocketwatch. Today, traditional wrist-watch aficionados can still find each other on various social media channels like this Pinterest Watches Lover board.

Cristiano Ronaldo wearing #Jacob

Simonian told me that fine watches are purchased for their quality and for their aesthetics as watches, not for their digital functionality. He noted, “smartwatches and fine watches are inherently different, so for our purposes, we will continue to provide high quality service to customers who are looking for fine watches, not new tech.”

Or take it from Philippe Léopold-Metzger, chief executive of jewelry and watchmaker, Piaget, who told the New York Times, “We’re arriving at a stage where people are getting tired of technological machines, because I think they are invasive. If I go out at night or am invited to a dinner, I don’t take my phone with me.”

Wearable competition between two giants

Apple’s splash into wearable technology will also increase competition with that other 800-pound gorilla, Google. Google has made its computing device, Google Glass, available in fits and starts to the public at large while trying to avoid more PR imbroglios involving glassholes. Owners of Glass can snap pics, shoot video, and connect with email, among other tasks, but Apple is no stranger to disrupting already-mature markets.

The iPhone virtually reinvented the smartphone overnight with record sales thanks to Apple’s unique style and design. Tim Cook needs to find a new product to counteract slower sales of the iPhone. Coming up with a new watch that captures the imagination of millions of consumers will test Apple’s design strategists. If the iWatch successfully merges fashion with product design it just might quadruple the size of the watch business.

As far as an iWatch is concerned, I’m in no rush. Right now, I can feel my heart beat, I know what time it is,
and I’m taking a brief respite from opening my email. I could use a break from staring at my computer screen though.

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Source;technorati.com