Swatch CEO doesn't believe Apple's rumored 'iWatch' is next tech revolution
Investors and tech observers are abuzz about the possibilities of a so-called Apple "iWatch," but the CEO of Swatch is skeptical about just how much such a device could replace Apple's iPhone, saying he doesn't believe such a device would be the next smart device revolution.
Speaking at a press conference on annual results in Grenchen, Switzerland, Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek said that the primary difficulty in having a watch replace a smartphone would be display size.
"Personally, I don't believe it's the next revolution," the head of the largest Swiss watchmaker said, according to Bloomberg . "Replacing an iPhone with an interactive terminal on your wrist is difficult. You can't have an immense display."
Hayek also noted that watch consumers often buy the items as jewelry items and often like to change them. Such behavior could represent an obstacle for Apple, as the physical style of any potential iWatch would not likely be readily changeable, though the visual possibilities enabled by a flexible display could mitigate that problem to an extent.
Swatch has had dealings with both Apple and Microsoft, consulting with the former on energy-harvesting technology and with the latter on bringing more interactive features to Swatch's watches. Bloomberg notes that Swatch, like Apple, has licensed Liquidmetal Technologies' alloys for use potential products.
The rumored iWatch is believed to consist of a flexible display that would wrap around a user's wrist, displaying information from the user's iPhone. Apple is said to have a team of about 100 product designers working on the device.
Speaking at a press conference on annual results in Grenchen, Switzerland, Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek said that the primary difficulty in having a watch replace a smartphone would be display size.
"Personally, I don't believe it's the next revolution," the head of the largest Swiss watchmaker said, according to Bloomberg . "Replacing an iPhone with an interactive terminal on your wrist is difficult. You can't have an immense display."
Hayek also noted that watch consumers often buy the items as jewelry items and often like to change them. Such behavior could represent an obstacle for Apple, as the physical style of any potential iWatch would not likely be readily changeable, though the visual possibilities enabled by a flexible display could mitigate that problem to an extent.
Swatch has had dealings with both Apple and Microsoft, consulting with the former on energy-harvesting technology and with the latter on bringing more interactive features to Swatch's watches. Bloomberg notes that Swatch, like Apple, has licensed Liquidmetal Technologies' alloys for use potential products.
The rumored iWatch is believed to consist of a flexible display that would wrap around a user's wrist, displaying information from the user's iPhone. Apple is said to have a team of about 100 product designers working on the device.
Comments
Uh oh. Three words. Dell. Balsillie. Colligan.
Echoes of Nokia CEO comments about rumors of an Apple phone.
While high end watch companies, for the most part, wouldn't be affected by an Apple product, Swatch, and other less expensive watch manufacturing companies would be, and he knows it.
The watch would be similar to Google's Glass in that it is a supplement or attachment to a phone.
i haven't heard about Swatch in years. Those guys are still around?
You forgot the CEO of Nintendo stating that smartphones were not a threat to their business.
Not everything needs to be a revolution.
Does this just make it a given that the watch is real and will be awesome?
Microsoft, Dell, Nokia told the same. And now, this moron. This fu(ktard is actually afraid. So, he is defending by vomiting out these idiotic words.
That's exactly what I was thinking.
Exactly! Not that I am sure if this is true or not, but I was just going to comment that at least he didn't say something along the lines of 'We've been in the watch business a long time and we know what we are doing, Apple doesn't stand a chance ... "
Quote:
Originally Posted by drblank
i haven't heard about Swatch in years. Those guys are still around?
Actually, I own a few. They still make a couple of cool, relatively inexpensive ones.
But their design capabilities seem to have significantly declined over the years.
(As an aside, people may not know this, but Swatch is, by far, the largest watch company in the world. They own a number of major luxury brands -- e.g., Omega, Blancpain, Breguet -- as well as high-end jewelry stores. They also have a chokehold on some critical watch components, as one of the biggest component suppliers to the industry. In other words, no one would be more threatened by Apple's entry into this market than Swatch).
Seems like there is a race with Samsung to be the first to release such a device.
Originally Posted by johnnyb0731
Does this just make it a given that the watch is real and will be awesome?
The same was said by TV executives over half a year ago. Still no television.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aBeliefSystem
An LG flexible display? Seems like there is a race with Samsung to be the first to release such a device.
No race. If this come to pass, Apple's implementation will not begin nor end with just the display.