HP partners with Gilt, Michael Bastian to build iOS-compatible high-fashion smartwatch

Posted:
in General Discussion edited August 2014
Amidst a quickly growing smartwatch market, Hewlett-Packard is throwing its hat into the ring with a fashion-forward iOS and Android-compatible device made in partnership with Gilt and designer Michael Bastian.


Source: Gilt Groupe


HP's wearable concept is a familiar one, with a wrist-mounted design that connects to a smartphone for notifications and low-level remote control functions, reports fashion blog Fashionista.

Unlike other smartwatch offerings from Pebble, Withings and Motorola's upcoming Moto 360, however, HP has offloaded aesthetic design duties to flash sale service Gilt, which in turn delivered Bastian.

The collaboration has HP taking on technical details and internals, while Bastian handles the looks. As far as design, Bastian wants the watch to exude characteristics seen in the interior of a luxury car. To that end, the concept drawings feature exotic leather bands, bezels resembling a dashboard's instrumentation and a watch face sporting both analog and digital elements.

On the inside, the as-yet-unnamed watch is said to boast hardware capable of syncing with an iOS or Android app to read push notifications, control music and perform other basic remote tasks.

HP is casting a wide net by offering compatibility with both Google's Android and Apple's iOS operating systems, a tactic Microsoft is said to be mulling with its rumored device.


Source: Fashionista


The HP-Gilt-Bastian collaboration does not yet have a firm release date, though the report claims a fall debut. The launch should line up with a glut of products based on Google's Android Wear platform.

Apple is expected to release its own "iWatch" wearable, which is said to focus on health and fitness and could come in multiple sizes and models. Most recently, rumors claimed the unannounced device is seeing manufacturing issues and might not hit mass production until the fourth quarter.

Given the problems, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo forecasts Apple to ship only three million units in 2014, down from a previous estimate of five million.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 25
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member
    Remember the HP iPod?
    Yeah. Didn't think so.
  • Reply 2 of 25
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    sockrolid wrote: »
    Remember the HP iPod?
    Yeah. Didn't think so.

    There's a memory for ya. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod+HP
  • Reply 3 of 25
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member

    The best wearables out there so far are the super-simple limited-use things: fitness trackers.

     

    Distant second-best: a two-way tie between Google Glass and old iPod Nanos. Neither of which excites me.

     

    Third-best: decent-looking normal watches with a little extra added. Which is fine I guess.

     

    Then everything else comes in last, including Pebble and weird stuff from Motorola and Samsung. Bad execution.

     

    Leaving me not very interested in anything Apple may be experimenting with, but kind of hoping it's nothing like we've been able to imagine so far. (Like the iPhone was—but that was a rare event.)

     

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SockRolid View Post



    Remember the HP iPod?

    Yeah. Didn't think so.

     

    I remember them showing it off in a sickly, mildewy HP blue-gray and chrome look, like a 1960s vacuum cleaner. And what did they actually sell? Just white. Unbelievable let-down. Fool me once, HP!

     

  • Reply 4 of 25
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member

    This is of the form I'd like to see in an Apple watch, except that I'd like Apple to produce a handsome dress watch with brilliant functionality/capability/utility based on advanced sensor technology and low-power communication with an iPhone. I like the mockups regardless of their authenticity.

     

    Some of us are old enough to remember when HP owned technical/device computing. There was a brilliance in HP products hat no one could touch. When you enjoy the nice click of the home button on an iPad, you have HP to thank... and so much more. Every time the name comes up, I say that HP could also now have owned everything that Apple is (and the rest for that matter). Inertia and probably more than a little contempt ensured this didn't happen.

     

    Take your time Apple, get it right... right out of the box lol.

  • Reply 5 of 25
    robbyxrobbyx Posts: 479member
    I don't get smart watches. Seems like a total niche market. I have zero interest. I really hope Apple doesn't fall on its face with the iWatch. I think an Apple TV with gaming and an App Store is where they should focus right now. It has far greater appeal.
  • Reply 6 of 25
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    robbyx wrote: »
    I think an Apple TV with gaming and an App Store is where they should focus right now. It has far greater appeal.

    Ah!

    But hold an iWatch half an inch from your eye and you HAVE an Apple TV!

    And a portable one at that!

    ;)
  • Reply 7 of 25
    sockrolid wrote: »
    Remember the HP iPod?
    Yeah. Didn't think so.

    How about the HP smart phones? Remember them?

    Didn't think so either...
  • Reply 8 of 25
    iqatedo wrote: »
    This is of the form I'd like to see in an Apple watch, except that I'd like Apple to produce a handsome dress watch with brilliant functionality/capability/utility based on advanced sensor technology and low-power communication with an iPhone. I like the mockups regardless of their authenticity.

    Some of us are old enough to remember when HP owned technical/device computing. There was a brilliance in HP products hat no one could touch. When you enjoy the nice click of the home button on an iPad, you have HP to thank... and so much more. Every time the name comes up, I say that HP could also now have owned everything that Apple is (and the rest for that matter). Inertia and probably more than a little contempt ensured this didn't happen

    Yeah I remember... HP equipment from the HP-35 calculator through all that sweet lab equipment... beautiful and sturdy stuff...
  • Reply 9 of 25
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,520member
    robbyx wrote: »
    I don't get smart watches. Seems like a total niche market. I have zero interest. I really hope Apple doesn't fall on its face with the iWatch. I think an Apple TV with gaming and an App Store is where they should focus right now. It has far greater appeal.
    Not sure why Apple has not released the App Store for the Apple TV, they should've released it with the ATV 2
  • Reply 10 of 25
    jimdreamworxjimdreamworx Posts: 1,095member

    I like how the face of this watch is obscured.  No real idea what it does.

     

    I don't think HP knows either.  At least until Apple releases theirs, then they can design it.

  • Reply 11 of 25
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    I like how the face of this watch is obscured.  No real idea what it does.

    I don't think HP knows either.  At least until Apple releases theirs, then they can design it.

    I just assumed it would be running Android... Maybe they found a use for WebOS again.
  • Reply 12 of 25
    robbyx wrote: »
    I don't get smart watches. Seems like a total niche market. I have zero interest. I really hope Apple doesn't fall on its face with the iWatch. I think an Apple TV with gaming and an App Store is where they should focus right now. It has far greater appeal.
    It might not ever "fit in" for your life and your interests, but believe the potential for a useful device is great. For me it depends on how many different things are monitored, but the ability to collect, monitor and correlate body functions in realtime will be a game changer. The exact timing may be fuzzy, but I presume the iWatch will be a reality. Heart rate, temp, blood pressure monitoring can be useful, but monitoring of things like glucose levels will be intriguing. Whether the technology issues are solved this go-around, at some point I see it as a just a matter of time before we have our own "medical lab" connected to our body.

    Many saw the potential immediately at the time of the iPhone announcement, but for others they needed to see the iPhone in action before seeing how it would impact their lives. I expect the same will be true for these devices. Once you have the potential for 24/7 monitoring available it opens up the world for apps in personalized nutrition, identifying allergy issues, elder care, accident alert, diabetes detection and management... It will be interesting to see how this evolves, as I'm sure more applications will be envisioned once people start correlating the data. I'm sure my vision of the potential is limited - the next decade should be interesting.
  • Reply 13 of 25
    The iPhone doesn't need a second screen. If it does, then maybe the iPhone is getting too big and unwieldy like the Android phablets, which needs a second screen on the wrist so you don't have to pull out your gigantic Galaxy Note 3 just to take a phone call. No really--that's the logic an Apple-hating friend of mine used to justify his Galaxy Gear! Never mind that he was adding more screens, more batteries to keep charged, and more future tech waste to keep from having to take an oversized phone out of his pocket.
  • Reply 14 of 25
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member

    Originally Posted by Macky the Macky View Post





    How about the HP smart phones? Remember them?



    Didn't think so either...

     

    Nope.  "HP smart phone" didn't ring a bell at all.

    Oh.  You mean the Compaq phones running WinCE?

    I remember reading about those.  Or something.

  • Reply 15 of 25
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    I'd almost forgotten HP existed!
  • Reply 16 of 25
    mj webmj web Posts: 918member
    Anyone who doesn't believe Jony Ive has the design bone fides to produce an iWatch that's a fashion statement has another thing coming. Fashion driven tech is what I expect. ;)
  • Reply 17 of 25
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    iqatedo wrote: »
    This is of the form I'd like to see in an Apple watch, except that I'd like Apple to produce a handsome dress watch with brilliant functionality/capability/utility based on advanced sensor technology and low-power communication with an iPhone. I like the mockups regardless of their authenticity.

    I don't want it to look like a watch at all.

    I want an iPod/iPhone/iPad-level revolution.
  • Reply 18 of 25
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Originally Posted by cali View Post

    I don’t want it to look like a watch at all. I want an iPod/iPhone/iPad-level revolution.

     

    Oh, I got it. It’s a necklace. Namely a solid piece choker. Direct access to your pulse, et. al., vibrates when you get a call or whatever so you’ll never miss anything, and slightly prevents decapitations.

  • Reply 19 of 25
    sockrolid wrote: »
    How about the HP smart phones? Remember them?


    Didn't think so either...

    Nope.  "HP smart phone" didn't ring a bell at all.
    Oh.  You mean the Compaq phones running WinCE?
    I remember reading about those.  Or something.

    Nope, I mean the HP phones they produced after they bought Palm. It's easy to forget them since the fiasco with the HP tablet blowout happened about the same time.
  • Reply 20 of 25
    I think it would be hilarious if all the rumors of a 5.5 inch iDevice, in the spirit of the Mars Climate Orbiter English/Metric snafu, were fueled by a 5.5 centimeter iWatch. (If it's square, that's 1.53" on a side.)
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