Technology is a funny animal. It’s always evolving and at times the ambition outweighs the usefulness. I wonder if the “smartwatch” is really the next big thing or is it just going to be an afterthought in a years time.
I’ve seen some news reports today that a Google smartwatch is in the works. Yes, an Android based watch made by Google. How about Nexus Watch? That might tie into their current Android Nexus line-up of smartphones and tablets. Of course Apple has already been rumored to have a smartwatch in development. Same goes for Samsung apparently.
This makes sense in technology. If one company is getting first to market, that can offer big advantages. Look no further than the iPad and how big of a lead Apple gained over the competition as they played catch up. So I’m suggesting that companies need to follow the trends and products of other companies without hesitation. In other words, I wouldn’t yet be making predictions about smart watches being the next big thing because there are a number of companies working on their own models. It’s not an indicator of the demand in the marketplace and it doesn’t mean the future is the smartwatch.
If you think about it, the smartwatch has a real dilemma on its hands right off the bat. Smartphones. Most people are upgrading and will likely have a smartphone in the near future. That will have an impact on the watch market as a whole. Your mobile phone has the time and so much more. People who wear watches are more and more doing so for the fashion of it and not the practicality of it. I’m suggesting essentially that a smartwatch is going to be redundant. Whatever function the smartwatch has, your smartphone or tablet can do it. If you carry a smartphone, are we really going to become so lazy that controlling something via our wristwatch instead of the phone in our pocket is going to become the “new lazy”?
I’m sure Holidays 2013 is going to have various smartwatches available. Let’s hope that the companies can offer some functionality that makes them less redundant. I don’t doubt that watches are headed in this direction, but I do question whether this is a growing market or a shrinking market.
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