
Does the Pebble Cause a Ripple In Apple’s Waters? - dwynings
http://battellemedia.com/archives/2012/04/does-the-pebble-cause-a-ripple-in-apples-waters.php
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6ren
Curiously, the big news on kickstarter in Dec 2010 was also a watch, also for
an apple product: TikTok for the iPod Nano
[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-
lunati...](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-lunatik-
multi-touch-watch-kits)

I wondered if apple might seize this, but they didn't. In fact, you can now
buy TikTok via Apple. <http://store.apple.com/us/product/H6100ZM/A> (and other
wristbands). I reckon Apple carefully considered watch form-factors many years
ago - they are not surprised, and 7 or 10 or 20 million revenue is riches to
us but rounding-error to them. Either, they've dismissed it entirely; or they
are waiting for some tech threshold to be crossed. In short, they have other
fish to fry.

However... they don't like alternative appstores.

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samstave
I certainly think it does. Apple has not really tackled the watch market, but
it will.

Either they get bouht or one-upped by an apple watch-pod. the iWatch.

~~~
frankus
The problem with an iWatch replacing all or part of the iPhone or iPod's
functionality is how to get audio to user's ear(s) in a non-awkward fashion.

One option would be to add a bluetooth headset (probably stereo), but adding
another device that needs to be charged regularly just so you can talk on the
phone or listen to music isn't a great user experience.

Another option would be for the iWatch itself to be a handset. It would have
to be easily removable from your wrist with one hand (cf.
[http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Slap_20Bracelet_20Cell_20Phon...](http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Slap_20Bracelet_20Cell_20Phone),
though it could just as well be a bluetooth device). Music would have to use a
different mode/device. When there's an incoming call the watch face shows the
caller ID and to answer you, say, squeeze a couple of buttons on the side of
the watch, and it unwraps itself from your wrist and turns into a little stick
that you hold next to your head.

A final option would be to embed the microphone in the watch band and have
some kind of semi-detachable earpiece that you could hold in your hand/stick
onto your finger and basically talk into your hand as though you were
pantomiming holding a phone. But a device like that seems far to fussy for a
company like Apple to put its product development efforts behind.

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Mordor
Apple's most recent hardware innovation was the iPad (2 years ago), that's
easily enough time for someone to come up with something new and compete. Can
only expect more of the same until Apple get their act together.

