Sight unseen, Apple's competitors expect 'iWatch' to help establish wearable computing market

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 73
    Apple produces the most innovative and best products, and charges a premium price. Other companies swoop in with imitations that are not nearly as good, lacking any innovation, but are offered at a steep discount.

    What's the problem? It's market segmentation. Apple will continue to make significant profits and with them do the R&D needed to keep innovating. Samsung/LG/etc. will keep following in Apple's footsteps. Many who buy the Samsung/LG/etc products would rather have Apple products, but can't afford them. But down the line they may be able to, and they'll become Apple customers.

    Apple will stay a few steps ahead of the Sonys and Samsungs of the world. Those companies want to be big; Apple wants to be the best. There's room in the market for both approaches.
  • Reply 42 of 73
    h2ph2p Posts: 329member

    I still like (for the moment) the SameDung watch designs. Vaguely iPhone-ish with a curved display. Utilitarian band. (No comment on the OS.)

     

    I fully expect that Apple is essentially setting up an entirely new division of the company for the iWatch (wearables). With the new hires of fashion marketers, etc. Apple is saying that they will be going into the iWatch in a big way. Perhaps they will have $5,000 - $10,000 versions once the proof-of-concepts are out of the way... all the way down to $429 for the efficient, everyday (SameDung market) version... albiet with the Jony Ive styling. (I own the original iPad -- while ground breaking there is no camera and obvious extras because it was proof-of-concept.)

     

    Also, the round face appealed to me until this morning when I saw the Moto 360 demo video. It really comes off as clunky. Quite un-Apple like. Now I'm wondering if it will be a watch-and-band-as-one affair. What do you think?

  • Reply 43 of 73
    pazuzupazuzu Posts: 1,728member
    I know of not one person clamoring for an iWatch except the diehards on here.
    Unlike the iPod iPhone and iPad prior to launch.
    We shall see.
  • Reply 44 of 73
    mjtomlinmjtomlin Posts: 2,673member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by fallenjt View Post

     

    Don't think so. Luxury watch? how luxury: Rolex, Omega, Cartier or down to Movado? Apple would be so dumb to do things that they're not expertise. 2 types of wearable devices are for gender.


     

    "luxury" as in fashionable, not necessarily extremely expensive. This will have the mobile payments feature everyone is talking about and interact more with the iPhone - more of an out-on-the-town device. It may come in various styles and price points depending on materials used. Probably priced from $300 to $500

     

    The other wearable will be a fitness and health oriented device and have all the bio sensors we've been reading about. This will come in one style, but different colors - meant to be worn during workouts, and for health tracking in general. Priced around $100-$150.

     

    I seriously doubt there will be "one device to rule them all".

  • Reply 45 of 73

    Apple Inc. - R&D to the rest of the world.

  • Reply 46 of 73
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member

    Originally Posted by Silver Shadow View Post





    ATM's already have me nervous. They give your card back right away now, at least where I am, then let you continue your transaction. So when I'm done I'm always wondering "So it's not on my account anymore right?" Especially if there's people in line waiting to use the same machine.



    Agree.  And always cover up your fingers when you tap out your PIN.

    It's always possible that someone has set up a camera to view your PIN keystrokes and a skimmer to read your card number.

    Sure, I know it's paranoid, but if you search for "ATM skimming" you'll get a lot of hits.  The FBI site is a good one.

    (And I've played enough poker that I know to cover my cards when I squeeze them, so it's fairly natural.)

     

    Just wait for the "Thank you" banner to appear on the ATM's screen.  That indicates that the transaction is over.

     

    Extrapolating a bit, I wouldn't be surprised if the number of armed muggings increases after cash and credit cards become rarer.

    If cash and credit cards and ATM cards are replaced by encrypted signals exchanged between ATM and smartphone / watch,

    then the easiest way to steal money from people would be to force them to extract money from an ATM, maybe at gunpoint.

    If it's no longer possible to spoof an ATM into giving you money, then thieves will be forced into armed assault.

    Just a (paranoid) thought.

  • Reply 47 of 73
    512ke wrote: »
    Anything Apple makes, its competitors can make cheaper and faster, that's for sure.

    It's all about the OS in wearables.  iOS vs Google vs Tizen etc

    It's about how you integrate everything and create a user experience -- that's what will decide if any of these gizmos is a break-out hit.

    My money's on Apple personally.

    ^^^ Your answer is within the quote below.
    Now that Apple had a clear idea about how competition would replicate the devices in every category it redefined (SmartPhone, Tablet)...rest assured that it will ensure that entry barriers for competition is DAMN high for any new category it gets into.

    The entry barriers encompass
    a) Component/material levels (ex: Custom Sapphire, Liquid Metal Branding Logo, superior sensors).
    b) User features tied to those complicated components (ex; Touch ID, A7/A8 chip level Vault)
    c) New Features capitalizing upon itunes-ecosystem and apple-negotiation-heft for critical mass adoption (Payments)

    ..it will be interesting to see how the competition responds to this hard-to-reproduce strategy!

    +1 - Short-n-Sweet and I fully agree.

    I think Apple learned it's lesson with the iPhone, in that they can't win (even when they do) in the courts or (unjust) populist opinion punditry. Just one of the reasons that they did what intelligent people and companies do: they tried to do better before they release anything this time.

    Which means in this case with the iWatch... regardless of whether it sells in a month or in 2015... it is already version 2 that they will be selling.

    All the pieces are in place. The only thing they may be waiting for is approval at the federal level... and for developers to do magic with the new SDKs and APIs... which they will.

    I'm just wondering if Apple hasn't created the "Perfect Storm" in technology, that may not happen again or even can be duplicated if some other company wants to. Far too much advanced tech, patents, wholly owned chips and sensor designs, manufacturers/manufacturing processes, and long-term suppliers... and then... the iOS ecosystem.

    Get ready for gales of cheering, fist-pumping, screams of excitement from Apple fans and press in attendance.... while the screeching sound of teeth gnashing will be heard world-wide across the internet from Apple's foes, bracing themselves against the Perfect Storm of 9.9.2014!

    Experienced live in the once-in-a-lifetime Apple Pavilion at historic Flint Center... in stunning CupertinoColor™.... What a story! What a show!... don't miss it! :smokey:

    +++ needs a poster :)
  • Reply 48 of 73
    I can imagine a time at some point in the not-far-off future when a skilled thief will be able to take extremely detailed photos of a person's fingers from a distance and create a 3-D printed version of that unique fingerprint as a latex model for their own finger to steal their identity...
  • Reply 49 of 73

    Apple doesn't need to put out a smart watch. Putting out a watch with only NFC and BT to any linked iOS device will give them a long life between charges. And they can opt for having a watch face or not with various skin contacts for biometrics.

     

    Does the human body carry any electric current that a worn very-low-power device can use?

  • Reply 50 of 73
    I’m still totally okay with this design from 2004. It’d have to be a 13” or 15” tablet, but I like it.
    I do to, it was a good concept, real or not.
    I'm eager to see Apple announce something else entirely. And at the end, they can say "Oh, and all those rumors about iWatches? Utter nonsense; we have no intent to produce a wrist-worn smart-watch: the niche is too small. But we were glad to see our competitors fritter away their resources and fall all over themselves trying to beat us to market with their half-baked toys. The media should NOT publish such rampant speculation and rumors!"
    I'm interested in this idea too.
    sirlance99 wrote: »
    And this is not what will happen
    You decide what happens?
  • Reply 51 of 73

    There are no iWatch leaks because this is one of the greatest corporate hoax's of all time. Apple will just keep stringing it out while the bottom feeders battle for supremacy in mediocrity.

  • Reply 52 of 73
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by msimpson View Post

     

    Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep who will buy their wearable computing products?




    Ha! 

     

    Are you an old fart too or is that actually read by post-Boomer generations?

  • Reply 53 of 73
    "And though Samsung and LG intend to compete with Apple's rumored wearable device, both companies admitted to Reuters that Apple's presence would help legitimize what remains a nascent market."

    Translation: we hope Apple legitimizes this market segment so we can off-load our crap, just like with phones and tablets.
  • Reply 54 of 73
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bloggerblog View Post

     

    If Samsung prepared some anti-Apple ads about iWatch; come Tuesday, they'll have to do some major editing :D


    They can now..."Can you make a phone call? That's what they'll compare the Gear S with iWatch because iWatch won't be a phone.

  • Reply 55 of 73
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheMacMan View Post



    Apple has not manufactured the iWatch which is why no parts have leaked. Not because of mfg issues, but because they don't want parts leaked before the announcement.

    Made in USA. Did Mac Pro have any leak?

  • Reply 56 of 73
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by fallenjt View Post

     

    Made in USA. Did Mac Pro have any leak?


     

    This was my thought as well. Everyone was blindsided by the Mac Pro.

  • Reply 57 of 73
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    fallenjt wrote: »
    Made in USA. Did Mac Pro have any leak?
    fastasleep wrote: »
    This was my thought as well. Everyone was blindsided by the Mac Pro.

    I don't see the connection. The Mac Pro didn't go on sale for a 192 days after it was announced and demoed. Regardless of anything else we shouldn't have expected to see leaked components with sort of lead time before going on sale, and that's before considering its low volume as a Mac, all the Mac's low volume as an Apple product, and how slowly it ramped up production after it officially went on sale.
  • Reply 58 of 73
    They won't be scrambling back to the drawing board.

    They'll be at the board already... The board will be completely clean and they'll have a marker in 1 hand and an eraser on the other while watching the Apple presentation.
  • Reply 59 of 73

    Many on this forum were sounding the death knell for Apple, saying that the likes of Google and Samsung had overtaken Apple in innovation. Samsung's own CEO evidently doesn't agree. A leader in innovation doesn't need a competitor to expand the market. A leader should have the vision to do what it takes to define the market. 

     

    Not all of the lack of Samsung's major success in wearables can be chalked up to "the market not being there." There are many things Samsung could have done that could have prevented the first Galaxy Gear from ending up as such a dud. Using a little common sense would have told Samsung's management that the version of Galaxy Gear that was released in September 2013 was not in a state fit for being in the hands of a customer. For starters, the device didn't look great on the wrist, which is a major requirement of wrist-worn devices. Secondly, the Galaxy Gear was essentially a smartphone accessory. It was a wrist-worn device that would allow you to take calls on your watch, receive notifications on your watch and other things. The health-related capabilities were limited. The first Gear was basically a smartphone on the wrist and that's not something that customers are going to spend hundreds of dollars on, especially when the device doesn't look that good on the wrist. 

  • Reply 60 of 73
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    sockrolid wrote: »
    There's no lock-in.  Verizon locked users in by storing their contacts on their server instead of on their handsets.

    That's totally wrong. You could have your a back up of your contacts on Backup Assistant but they were also on the device.

    As far as lock in goes, read this.

    http://www.cnet.com/news/steve-jobs-wanted-to-further-lock-customers-into-apples-ecosystem/
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