iWatch?
My watch is broken... the battery is empty, the glass is damaged, and so on. Gotta buy a new one.
Made me think of better-looking watches. Made me think of good design. Made me think of... Apple. A watch with an Apple logo? There were some (merchandising stuff) about half a decade ago over here in Germany, yeah... didn't really like them.
I'm more thinking of a new digital hub device to wrap around your arm just like iWatch.
- Of course, it would always give you the time. Including world time, and so on.
- Through Bluetooth, it might be possible to connect it to "iPod2" (since iPod doesn't *have* Bluetooth, people) and control it. Some kind of spiffy remote control, better than the usual "control at the headphone cable" trick.
- Games? Nah... bad idea
- Maybe a simple Address management, replacing that of the iPod 1.1 software. Maybe also other minimal PDA-style apps, but clearly distinguishable from today's bloated PDA apps (such as those media players and browsers... ugh)
- Maybe also a slot that will enable you to take data with you (such as the addresses) and synchronise them with your computer(s) - what do I know... half a Gig should be sufficient.
- Some very cool GPS-powered navigation system, perhaps?
- Can't think of much more. I belive there were ideas in the early 90's to do something like this.
Made me think of better-looking watches. Made me think of good design. Made me think of... Apple. A watch with an Apple logo? There were some (merchandising stuff) about half a decade ago over here in Germany, yeah... didn't really like them.
I'm more thinking of a new digital hub device to wrap around your arm just like iWatch.
- Of course, it would always give you the time. Including world time, and so on.
- Through Bluetooth, it might be possible to connect it to "iPod2" (since iPod doesn't *have* Bluetooth, people) and control it. Some kind of spiffy remote control, better than the usual "control at the headphone cable" trick.
- Games? Nah... bad idea
- Maybe a simple Address management, replacing that of the iPod 1.1 software. Maybe also other minimal PDA-style apps, but clearly distinguishable from today's bloated PDA apps (such as those media players and browsers... ugh)
- Maybe also a slot that will enable you to take data with you (such as the addresses) and synchronise them with your computer(s) - what do I know... half a Gig should be sufficient.
- Some very cool GPS-powered navigation system, perhaps?
- Can't think of much more. I belive there were ideas in the early 90's to do something like this.
Comments
However, two big problems with the iWatch idea...
1. Size. The watch has to be small, the screen has to be small, the batteries will have to be small (and light, too). Fingers are big and clumsy, too many buttons would make them too small and confusing and difficult to use, and who has room for a stylus on their watch, and even if they did would they be able to keep one for more than 2 seconds? I doubt even Apple could squeeze a decent screen and an iPod-like piezoelectric wheel into a watch form factor. It's just not feasible for a watch to be overly interactive, with current screen and interaction technologies and the size a watch really needs to be.
2. Apple. Apple aren't just another PC company trying to shove one bunch of functions or devices into another "innovative" shape or device, but that sounds like what this is. You're trying to supplant a watch, a PDA, an iPod, address book, GPS system, etc, into just a watch. Who on earth needs or wants all of that in a tiny watch form factor? That is like anti-design, it would be a heinous crime to take all of those useful devices and put them in such a limiting (and inconvenient) package. Apple thinks more along the lines of, ?How can we improve this device, how can we make these more useful to consumers or businesses? What is the missing link?? Just as with the current digital hub applications and device(s, in the future, we hope). It's not just thinking like Apple, either, it's thinking logically and using good product design?which doesn't always just mean aesthetics or how cool it looks.
Still, keep up the brainstorming. Apple is listening.
it seems to me that a watch that would be capable of any of those thigns u mentioned would be huge.<hr></blockquote>
Compared to usual watches, yes...
it would end up being a clock tied to ur arm.<hr></blockquote>
...but that's exaggerated. I would estimate the size of about half a computer mouse. Which is still very much, nevertheless.
[@uote]1 kewl thing some1 could do is make somekind of blootueth or wireless auto connection to a comp and to set the tyme.
Yes, I thought of that earlier, too, but had forgotten it meanwhile. You could connect it to Computer A, which synches its time through the internet, and have iWatch *download* the time. And then you connect it to Computer B, which also has Bluetooth, but perhaps no internet connections. Now you *upload* the time. Both the two computers and your iWatch will be synchronised then.
[quote]imagine getting a new analog watch which is stupidly set to some weird wrong time by the jerks in the store, then u sit down at ur mac, start typign and glance at ur watch to notice the hands setting themselves. that'd b groovy.<hr></blockquote>
Yup.
[quote]but i think watches are already good enuf that setting them is only a 1time thing nowadays (tho i stoped wearing 1).<hr></blockquote>
The watches I've been wearing for the past few years were radio-controlled, so they were at synch anyways. Thus I don't really know about "usual" watches either. I can only tell that some of the older clocks in this house are always few secs off after several weeks.
I might be interested in that.
it would have to be uber-cool looking.
MSKR
That's a new idea, I'm glad to see someone thinking about new ideas instead of rehashing the same old crap.
Thought so.
[quote]However, two big problems with the iWatch idea...
1. Size. The watch has to be small, the screen has to be small, the batteries will have to be small (and light, too). Fingers are big and clumsy, too many buttons would make them too small and confusing and difficult to use, and who has room for a stylus on their watch, and even if they did would they be able to keep one for more than 2 seconds? I doubt even Apple could squeeze a decent screen and an iPod-like piezoelectric wheel into a watch form factor. It's just not feasible for a watch to be overly interactive, with current screen and interaction technologies and the size a watch really needs to be.<hr></blockquote>
I'm not thinking of typical watches; I know it would have to be a lot larger. What it has in common with a watch is how you wear it - you only put it off while taking a shower etc. It's your (nearly) all-time companion, which makes it such a great thing for storage of small data (such as, for students, your homework). Who needs disks when you've got a watch that can store several hundred megs?
[quote]2. Apple. Apple aren't just another PC company trying to shove one bunch of functions or devices into another "innovative" shape or device, but that sounds like what this is.<hr></blockquote>
Uh, no, it isn't.
What PC companies are doing is to copy old ideas.
Compaqs iPAQ is a ripoff. "iPAQ" is soooo similar to "iMac" - don't tell me that that is a coincidence. But that's unimportant - what's more important is what the thing actually does - it's really like a Newton, only bloated with lots of useless features to show why they had to put such a "powerful" processor into it. Most PDAs from today are stupidly-designed attempts to copy Newton.
Same goes for most other "experiments" by Compaq & Co.
*This*, though, is something new. You no longer take the thing into your hand, or put both your hands on it. You wear it on your arm, and use the other hand to control it.
[quote]You're trying to supplant a watch, a PDA, an iPod, address book, GPS system, etc, into just a watch.<hr></blockquote>
Not an iPod, no. The iPod is already close to perfect. I think that the "addresses" feature doesn't fit into it, though.
There *are* already watches that have an address book. Their usability suckz - you have buttons that aren't much larger than a millimeter, and you *still* have a display from a watch that *doesn't* have address book capabilities.
Concerning PDA, I only think of an address book, maybe some minimal notepad, and that would probably already be it.
GPS - what's taking much space concerning GPS? If I'm not mistaken, there are already watches that do this as well.
Same goes for current watches with mini calculators built in. They serve no real purpose because you actually can't use them.
[quote]Who on earth needs or wants all of that in a tiny watch form factor?<hr></blockquote>
All people buying iPAQs and other PocketPC 2002 devices (HP Jornada series, etc.) apparently do want something like this. They're buying what seems to be a minimalist device and yet it has way too many features.
[quote]That is like anti-design, it would be a heinous crime to take all of those useful devices and put them in such a limiting (and inconvenient) package.<hr></blockquote>
I don't see what's limiting or inconvenient about this. Before the first mp3 player came out, you would have probably thought that not offering recording capabilities and not even the feature to play CDs would render mp3 players useless. And now there's iPod, and it's popular. And it can't record, and it can't play CDs. It can store data and addresses though. Does that make it a total "un-walkman"? I don't think so.
[quote]Apple thinks more along the lines of, ?How can we improve this device, how can we make these more useful to consumers or businesses?<hr></blockquote>
I guess that's what I was trying to do as well.
[quote]What is the missing link?? Just as with the current digital hub applications and device(s, in the future, we hope). It's not just thinking like Apple, either, it's thinking logically and using good product design?which doesn't always just mean aesthetics or how cool it looks.
Still, keep up the brainstorming.<hr></blockquote>
Will do.
[quote]Apple is listening.
I doubt that.
<strong>If you could marry an Ironman to a Casio digital memo deal and have a watch that could hold 60 secs of low quality audio.
I might be interested in that.
it would have to be uber-cool looking.
MSKR</strong><hr></blockquote>
I don't see where I ever said that it should play music. Why should a watch play music? Would it play it like a bycicle radio, with minimalist speakers? How stupid.
But I wouldn't mind them rereleasing this:
sorry about the the quality on the 2nd. Just figuring out how to use this new camera I'm playing around with for a while
[ 06-19-2002: Message edited by: applenut ]</p>