Apple granted comprehensive 'iTime' smartwatch patent with in-strap circuitry, arm gesture support

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  • Reply 61 of 100
    iaeeniaeen Posts: 588member
    misa wrote: »
    Anyway that's partly why I haven't picked up an iPhone. I wanted to see both NFC and VoLTE before I'd absolutely get one. I can live without either, but I can also get by with my UMTS Nokia non-smartphone as long as Google doesn't break the maps app on it, as it hasn't been updated in 3 years. I'm pretty sure Microsoft isn't going to keep the Nokia maps working.

    That's a poor analogy. If you switch to your Nokia non-smartphone, you will lose a lot of useful functionality. I am not aware of any actual uses of NFC.

    Can you name even one implementation of NFC that I can use in the real world today (that doesn't require me to live in Japan or wherever and have a local credit card)?
  • Reply 62 of 100

    While iTime is kind of limiting, I still like it better than iWatch with its double meaning. I'm surprised Apple TV wasn't the iWatch when you think about it. 

  • Reply 63 of 100
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    While iTime is kind of limiting, I still like it better than iWatch with its double meaning. I'm surprised Apple TV wasn't the iWatch when you think about it. 

    The technology wasn't there in 2007. It was barely there for the iPhone.
  • Reply 64 of 100
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    The technology wasn't there in 2007. It was barely there for the iPhone.

    Obviously. Wasn't referencing the patent, merely the current/potential naming conventions. 

  • Reply 65 of 100
    bigpicsbigpics Posts: 1,397member

     

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by WelshDog View Post

     

    As interesting as the iWatch might be, I can't get too excited about wearing anything on my wrist. 

     

    ....the real reason [my watch collection] lies dormant is that I strongly dislike the physical presence of the watch on my arm.  It annoys me throughout the day.  It bangs into things and gets damaged - which also annoys me.  Even though the iWatch would offer myriad feature beyond time telling, I still can't ignore the liberty of not having a thing on my arm all day long.   Anyone else feel the same?


     

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Roly View Post

     

    Hell no...I feel pretty naked without a watch on my wrist.

     

    I really don't get this whole "phones have replaced watches" sentiment. A phone might tell the time, but it's nowhere near as convenient as wearing a watch on your wrist - a quick glance is much easier than digging your phone out of your pocket. If (like me) you ride a motorcycle (and I admit this is a minority argument) a phone cannot replace the convenience of being able to quickly glance down and check the time). The watches I wear are mostly for fashion (a TAG Formula 1 being the main watch I wear) as a piece of jewelry however, but I'd never stop wearing a watch just because my iPhone has a clock on it. In fact, if there IS an iWatch, I'd definitely wear that in addition (not instead of) a regular watch and a phone :-)




    I'm with WelshDog and then some.  I feel positively liberated since I quit strapping/unstrapping an appliance on my wrist multiple times a day.  And it's almost hard to look around any interior environment (car, home) without the time on display somewhere.  In retrospect in this day and age, to my (admittedly strange) mind, more slave bracelet than fashion accessory.



    Also one less damn object to maintain, manage, keep track of. 

     

    And in my case, with an allergy to base metal, there are very few watches I can even wear without breaking out, i.e., all plastic with the watch mounted on top of the strap, or solid 14K gold (with special hard to come by custom hypoallergenic wrist pins). 



    I even experienced a strong desire to photoshop the damn things out of my pics as well - they were always (sometimes glaring) distraction points in nice human compositions....



    And something that has to be charged more often, is likely more susceptible to liquid damage, and has more things that require fiddling with or fixing, well... ....nawww, a big no sale here....



    ....except for the medical monitoring part since I'm getting up in years......  ....that could be life-enhancing and even life-saving, so the rumors that that's a main focus of Apple's take mean I may still end up with one....



    In which case I hope there's a pendant version that can be worn around the neck....

  • Reply 66 of 100
    carthusiacarthusia Posts: 583member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post

     

     

    AFAIK there is a watch out there already using gestures. The key to these watches will be sensors. And I personally believe a killer feature would be decent music playback. It's be nice to have a set of Beats and a watch and go for your jog.


    Wouldn't it make more sense to build a iPod nano-like player directly into the Beats wireless headphones?

  • Reply 67 of 100
    fuzzypawsfuzzypaws Posts: 111member

    I work in a medical laboratory, and when I am gloved up in the biosafety cabinet, I can't pull out my phone when I get a ton of notifications. Having that on my wrist would let me know if it's something actually important that I need to pay attention to right then. Substituting for various NFC-enabled cards would be great too, as would be gesturing or using the watch screen to control TVs and other devices, as would be health sensor stuff. Diabetics like my friend would especially appreciate the ability to check blood sugar without a finger prick, if the technology exists for that. So while I stopped wearing a watch a while ago, I'd go back for a capable enough smart device.

  • Reply 68 of 100
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in."

    – Ed Colligan, Palm CEO, circa 2007

    While that's a funny call back, you can't use it as a ready baked answer for Apple entering any conceivable industry.  Apple had no evident experience in mobile computing when Ed Colligan made those comments (apart from the Newton, which was actually pretty good, though didn't sell amazingly - Ed forgot about that), but Apple do have form with pliable materials, and as mentioned, their cables seem to fray at an above average rate, and I've lost track of the pairs of headphones I've gone through.  If those are the benchmarks for a watch strap with embedded circuitry then they aren't good benchmarks.

  • Reply 69 of 100
    fuzzypawsfuzzypaws Posts: 111member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Crowley View Post

     

    While that's a funny call back, you can't use it as a ready baked answer for Apple entering any conceivable industry.  Apple had no evident experience in mobile computing when Ed Colligan made those comments (apart from the Newton, which was actually pretty good, though didn't sell amazingly - Ed forgot about that), but Apple do have form with pliable materials, and as mentioned, their cables seem to fray at an above average rate, and I've lost track of the pairs of headphones I've gone through.  If those are the benchmarks for a watch strap with embedded circuitry then they aren't good benchmarks.


    I have to assume they would likely use a metal or glass-coated watch band for the premium feel, as well as to protect the electronics. A well-built non-plastic watchband is never going to fray like a flimsy earbud wire, and would be more than sufficient to protect the circuitry.

  • Reply 70 of 100
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    crowley wrote: »
    Possibly, but a phone's battery is part of its function, whereas a watch strap is both aesthetic and also dictates its comfort.  I think making the strap non-replaceable would be seen as a significant failing of any such product.

    Stop thinking that way. Imagine instead Apple offering up a standard interface where you can mix and match components at will.
  • Reply 71 of 100
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member

    Huh?  What components?  There's only the strap and the watch unit, unless you're foreseeing some sort of charm bracelet of electronics.

     

    ...

     

    Now there's an idea!

  • Reply 72 of 100
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by huglev View Post

    Excited about Jobs' last project to launch soon.

     

    Love of humanity, can we get better policing of the concern trolling?

  • Reply 73 of 100
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member

    Don't you have to express concern in order to be labelled a concern troll?

  • Reply 74 of 100
    themacmanthemacman Posts: 151member
    The iWatch will not look anything like the patent picture. And the data that it will be sharing is evident when you see the iOS 8 Health App.
  • Reply 75 of 100
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    gtr wrote: »
    He can't dream about it now.

    Because he has nightmares instead.

    I wish we could all have his nightmares then.

    "According to U.S. Securities and Exchange (SEC) documents, Ballmer owns more than 333 million shares in Microsoft. At Monday's closing price of $44.83, those shares were valued at $14.9 billion. :wow:

    On the day before Ballmer stepped aside, Microsoft's share price was $36.48, putting his portfolio's worth at just over $12.1 billion. Because of the 23% increase in share value since Feb. 3, Ballmer's Microsoft holdings have appreciated in value by almost $2.8 billion.

    The "Nadella Effect" -- Wall Street's assumption that the new CEO will turn around Microsoft's fortunes" (via Network world)
    http://www.networkworld.com/article/2456429/data-center/nadella-effect-makes-ballmer-2-8b-richer.html?source=NWWNLE_nlt_daily_pm_2014-07-22#tk.rss_all

    I doubt Ballmer loses much sleep.
  • Reply 76 of 100
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post





    I wish we could all have his nightmares then.



    "According to U.S. Securities and Exchange (SEC) documents, Ballmer owns more than 333 million shares in Microsoft. At Monday's closing price of $44.83, those shares were valued at $14.9 billion. image



    On the day before Ballmer stepped aside, Microsoft's share price was $36.48, putting his portfolio's worth at just over $12.1 billion. Because of the 23% increase in share value since Feb. 3, Ballmer's Microsoft holdings have appreciated in value by almost $2.8 billion.



    The "Nadella Effect" -- Wall Street's assumption that the new CEO will turn around Microsoft's fortunes"



    I doubt he loses much sleep.

     

    Plus Ballmer is still on the MS board of directors. He's like a bad penny.

  • Reply 77 of 100
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    gatorguy wrote: »
    I wish we could all have his nightmares then.

    "According to U.S. Securities and Exchange (SEC) documents, Ballmer owns more than 333 million shares in Microsoft. At Monday's closing price of $44.83, those shares were valued at $14.9 billion. :wow:

    On the day before Ballmer stepped aside, Microsoft's share price was $36.48, putting his portfolio's worth at just over $12.1 billion. Because of the 23% increase in share value since Feb. 3, Ballmer's Microsoft holdings have appreciated in value by almost $2.8 billion.

    The "Nadella Effect" -- Wall Street's assumption that the new CEO will turn around Microsoft's fortunes" (via Network world)
    http://www.networkworld.com/article/2456429/data-center/nadella-effect-makes-ballmer-2-8b-richer.html?source=NWWNLE_nlt_daily_pm_2014-07-22#tk.rss_all

    I doubt Ballmer loses much sleep.

    In a world where Kanye West has a net worth of a $100,000,000 I wouldn't place too much importance on judging the true worth of a person by their bank balance.

    And how will the world look back on the legacy of Steve Ballmer in twenty years?
  • Reply 78 of 100
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    gtr wrote: »
    In a world where Kanye West has a net worth of a $100,000,000 I wouldn't place too much importance on judging the true worth of a person by their bank balance.

    And how will the world look back on the legacy of Steve Ballmer in twenty years?

    Looking at Ballmer I doubt he's alive in 20 years.

    And I agree with you. The size of your bankroll has never been a good indication of your worth as a person. Sadly a lot of folks seem to think money does make them a smarter and more valuable human being than those less-well-off. I've seen a lot of posters even here denegrate others that have less in the way of financial resources than they do, believing themselves to be "more worthy". I'm sure you've seem those posts too.
  • Reply 79 of 100
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    gatorguy wrote: »
    Looking at Ballmer I doubt he's alive in 20 years.

    We'll have to see how things develop develop develop develop.
  • Reply 80 of 100
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by Crowley View Post

    Don't you have to express concern in order to be labelled a concern troll?

     

    You don’t have to read posts to think you have the right to reply to them, so I’ll say no to your question. The response won’t matter; you won’t read it anyway.

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