
Does Anyone Even Want a Smartwatch? - nreece
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/07/silicon-valley-obsessing-over-smartwatches.html
======
quaunaut
The answer, as always, is yes and no.

Something no one seems to understand, is that the smartphone revolution didn't
happen because we suddenly had touchscreens and processors powerful enough to
have a relatively decent OS. We'd had that for years beforehand; someone
would've gotten it sooner.

 __It was the fucking user interface. __

That 's all iOS did. It got the UI right. It didn't take 10 awkward actions to
check your mail. You didn't have to go through complex menus to add contacts
to your address book. You could browse the internet, have it be the real
internet, have it feel like the real internet- and it felt manageable with the
ability to zoom in and out, and properly move through web forms.

Smart watches, similar to Google Glass, are starting from zero again. They're
brilliant ideas, as brilliant as the smartphone was before them. They're
_obvious_ , which is why they're brilliant. What isn't obvious, is how you
make the entire experience simple.

So, are smartwatches going to take off? Probably not right now. Neither is
Google Glass. There's a lot of talented UI guys involved with both, but you
can't get it just half-right. It needs to feel right, and every way it feels
wrong needs to feel like it's wrong in its own way, and not because it doesn't
do it the way something else does. And right now, no one has either figured
out that much.

~~~
jiggy2011
I think rollout of 3G and affordable mobile data tariffs were very important
to smartphones. If you'd had an iphone in 2004 it wouldn't have been much use
because it would be too slow and you wouldn't be able to afford to use it.

~~~
rmrfrmrf
IMO we all have Apple and Cingular to thank for that. Palm and Microsoft were
more than happy to allow telcos to force customers to pay extra fees to unlock
Wi-Fi and to pay for insane, complicated data plans; so much so that Apple's
demands basically had Verizon telling Steve Jobs to go fuck himself. It wasn't
until the success of the iPhone that the ridiculous policies and prices of
phone service started to drop.

~~~
xorcist
That opinion is terribly short sighted. Cingular/AT&T/Verizon was very late to
the mobile data revolution, globally speaking. The market would have developed
the same way without the North American carries on board. Which they hardly
were. I seem to remember quaint rules against tethering at the time of the
iPhone.

~~~
bruceboughton
>> I seem to remember quaint rules against tethering at the time of the
iPhone.

In the UK at least, it's still very hard to get a sane data plan with
tethering at a reasonable price.

~~~
xorcist
Agreed, the broadband situation in the UK leaves a lot to be desired. Building
mobile networks is still very much a national regulatory affair, with a lot of
upfront capital costs, so even the big multinational service providers do not
offer the same service in two different countries (often charging you for
roaming when you go abroad, even within the same provider's network!).

I've been waiting for some big provider to offer true multinational mobile
service _at_ _least_ within the EU, where the regulatory framework is similar
and necessary agreements in place. But it looks like I will be waiting
forever...

------
freshfey
Honestly, I feel like this is one of the "the internet won't be anything
worthwhile in 5 years" articles, so I definitely think something like a
smartwatch will make it into our lives. That being said, I'm pretty scared of
that fact, because in my life I try to win back my focus and try to be more
mindful about the things I do, a smartwatch won't help with that. It's just
another outlet (or input) that takes away our time from creating and shifts it
to consuming.

~~~
estel
> It's just another outlet (or input) that takes away our time from creating
> and shifts it to consuming.

Perhaps it's because I haven't configured my notifications well enough in the
first place, but I think my smartwatch has saved me a reasonable amount of
time in the last few weeks simply by allowing me to dismiss and ignore non-
critical notifications without reaching for my phone.

------
motters
I don't want one. I'm old enough to remember the trendy digital watches of the
1980s and how quickly the novelty of being able to tell the time in Tokyo and
New York, or being able to do calculations, or being able to play a beepy tune
wore off. Yes on a modern smart watch the multimedia experience will be much
better, but I'm still doubtful about the usefulness and ergonomics. You could
maybe do wrist based videoconferencing - as predicted in the 20th century -
but just the relative angle of your wrist to your face probably won't make it
a very flattering experience.

One possible useful function for a smartwatch would be as a wireless storage
device. That would mean that you don't need to upload anything to "the cloud"
and can be pretty sure of having your data with you at all times. That's not
much better than storing data on a phone though.

~~~
esc
A while back I did a lot of business travel and in that situation a watch with
world time actually has real value. Same story with ergonomics- rushing
through a crowded airport with luggage in one hand and documents in another,
it is much more convenient to have a device strapped to your wrist rather than
having to reach into your pocket. I think a 'hands-free' smart device will
prove to be useful in many other unexpected ways, regardless of the screen
size.

------
rcthompson
I've always hated wearing anything on my arms or wrists, even including log-
sleeve shirts. I was thankful for the day I got to ditch my watch in favor of
a cell phone, and I have no intention of going back.

(I used to teach a children's sailing class, so I needed to tell the time in
order to know when to sail back to the docks.)

~~~
personlurking
Related to time-telling and navigation (and the origin of the NY-NYE ball
drop)
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_ball](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_ball)

~~~
rcthompson
Unfortunately, our yacht club was not equipped with a time ball.

------
sundvor
I got a silver Pebble Steel about a month ago and I'm completely in love with
it. Small, discrete, smart and elegantly designed, it gives me notifications
without ever becoming too much. So yes, functionality is limited, but more to
the point it is focused. If I want something more I can always just reach for
my phone - so I don't have to contend with the overlap.

The Pebble allows me to have my Android phone on silent, displaying who's
calling without having to pull the phone from my pocket, as well as emails,
hangout and sms messages. Oh and by default it displays the time. This is
perfect for my usage.

As opposed to the new batch of "Gear" products, the epaper display is always
on, looks razor sharp, and the battery is fantastic lasting from 5 to 7 days.
When my watch gets a low battery warning, I have what must be a full charge of
a Gear device remaining!

~~~
bignaj
Discreet = careful and circumspect in one's speech or actions, especially in
order to avoid causing offense or to gain an advantage. Discrete =
individually separate and distinct.

This one always gets me, especially in a mathy/technical audience that should
have seen "discrete" mathematics or photons or something before.

~~~
twic
Maybe he means it looks like this:

[http://www.jzmic.com/vintage/wp-
content/gallery/transistors/...](http://www.jzmic.com/vintage/wp-
content/gallery/transistors/img_1717.jpg)

(as in
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrete_circuit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrete_circuit),
see)

~~~
bignaj
Upvoted for the laugh/nerd-out. Great post :)

------
lugg
I've wanted a _watch_ for about 15 years now. I don't think adding more
features my phone already has is going to change the status quo.

Main reason I've never got around to buying a watch: I always have my phone.

In fact this brings up another thought ive been kicking around for a while:
wearable computing and whether they will "fly" with audiences, the truth is,
they already do - phones, whether you consider clothing or not is pretty much
on your persons 24 hours a day. Its basically underwear for a lot of people.
Watches, while not "smart", are computers to some extent. I think smart
watches, are a natural progression but I dont see them being the next "mobile"
like some would have you believe.

------
jimlei
No, I don't want a smartwatch.

First of all it doesn't help they are in their infant stage (meaning: they
suck), I also don't feel the huge need to be even more connected than I am
today.

In fact I am doing the opposite. I'm trying to leave my phone more often as it
takes away my attention at times when I should give attention to other things
/ people.

I find it's kinda rude when I'm at a dinner or meeting and people sit there
watching their own little screen instead of actually beeing part of what's
going on in the real world.

I'm guessing another screen won't make it any better.

------
pmontra
A smart watch no.

A smart wearable maybe, but definitely not attached to my wrists. It's too
uncomfortable (25 years since I wore a watch) and monitoring my vitals doesn't
matter to me, maybe when I'll be old.

Probably I could use a wearable computing device attached to my cloths. By the
way, most cloths have been presciently engineered to hold those devices. They
have pockets. I've got a smartphone in one of them, which is much less a phone
than it is of anything else (internet browser, email client, video player,
clock, game console, ebook reader and more) so I'm already into wearables
together with a good chunk of the human population.

I can see me replacing a smartphone with something functionally equivalent
that spares me the need of reaching to it. Not glasses, they won't be as light
as the prescription glasses I'm wearing. Maybe VR contact lenses interfaced to
a base device in a pocket (inspired by Vernor Vinge's Rainbows End) but
unfortunately my eyes started to refuse contact lenses years ago so I'm
waiting for direct neural connections :-)

~~~
icebraining
If they can make VR contact lenses, I'm sure they'll be able to make very
light prescription glasses with a screen component. Google Glass already only
weights 50g, according to the wiki.

------
MRSallee
Obviously I have the benefit of hindsight, but...

I don't think it's a matter of waiting for the right guys (e.g. Apple) to
crack the smart watch and make it a hit. Not that Apple couldn't, but I think
that's looking at reality wrong.

Smart watches that exist now aren't hugely popular, not because the interface
is bad, but because nobody knows what they should do. "You get notifications?
That's it?"

When Apple made the iPod, they didn't start with a form and end with a
function. No one was asking, "When will brick-shaped things that fit in your
pocket be big?" There was a function -- portable players of digital music
files -- that needed to be done well. iPod was arguably the first MP3 player
that solved that problem. That it is brick-shaped and fits in a pocket is a
result of the required function, it wasn't the goal.

Ditto the iPhone. You could argue that "mobile phone" as an end form was pre-
determined, but it's semantics. The use cases, the functions, were what needed
solving. The end form has very little in common with mobile phones before it.

The talk around smart watches is backward. "We have this form -- a watch with
a microprocessor and probably Bluetooth -- but what can it do?"

    
    
      - Maybe it's for exposing notifications on your wrist.
      - Maybe it's for giving a view of the phone in your pocket on your wrist.
      - Maybe it's for measuring biometric data.
      - Maybe it's for identifying yourself.
    

Maybe.

Are these functions in need of a form, or a form in need of some function? If
the former, is a watch the best form anyway?

(I have a Pebble. I even wear it most days. I like it. But if it broke, I
wouldn't buy another.)

------
rmrfrmrf
My buddy has a pebble watch and I actually think it's pretty cool. That being
said, I have two major problems with smart watches:

1\. I'm looking for ways to get _dis_ connected these days; I don't want
another gizmo that tracks my existence and pushes useless information at me.
The article nonchalantly throws in how the smartwatch is gaining traction from
SV due to its potential as _yet another platform for people to buy stuff on_ ,
as if making a customer's life better has somehow become an afterthought. Why
don't companies even pretend to care anymore?

2\. Most importantly, automatic watches are amazing and one of the coolest
things about owning a watch is marveling at the intricacies of it. There's a
certain 'magic' missing from digital watches that I hope future smartwatch
makers learn to replicate. Things like IEEE 802.15.4 give me hope that there's
a way to bring these two worlds together.

------
laichzeit0
I think most people don't even know they want a smart watch yet because
they've never seen an actual "smart watch" (everything on the market right now
is shit). It will probably evolve to the point where the word "watch" doesn't
even make sense anymore, like the word "phone" does today. People need to stop
thinking about using a watch for telling time. That's the least of the
problems an always-on wrist-device needs to solve.

Personally I'm interested in all the sensors they can possibly cram into it.
If they can figure out how to get blood pressure readings from it, I'll wear
it 24 7. Judging from this [1] it seems a wrist device can do BP measurements.

[1] [http://www.healthline.com/health-news/tech-blood-pressure-
mo...](http://www.healthline.com/health-news/tech-blood-pressure-monitor-in-
the-form-of-a-watch-062213)

~~~
ekianjo
> I think most people don't even know they want a smart watch

Maybe I'm the minority here, but I haven't felt the use of even HAVING a watch
for like... 15 years of something. Unless you care about fashion, there's no
real need to have something 24/7 on your wrist just to indicate the hour or do
trivial other tasks. The screen estate is too small to do anything really
interesting anyway, and power-wise it's going to be limited by the form factor
as well. I have never thought of watches as being great ideas in the first
place once we were carrying multi-functions devices with us (like phones),
Smartwatches even less.

EDIT: as for sensors, yeah, sure, but then I don't really need a display, I'd
rather access the data through other means (phone, computer via bluetooth,
etc).

~~~
2muchcoffeeman
I haven't worn a watch in about as long either. Watches with sensors and
displays do have niche value though. Look at Garmin and Suunto sports watches.
Very useful for certain sports. I own a Garmin, but even then I only wear it
when I need it.

I can't work out wearables though. Google glass seems to have stagnated
technology wise. And all the watches seem like attempts to beat Apple at
shipping a device first based on speculation.

The sensor route might be something. But even then you are talking about
multiple devices due to form factor, power requirements and the simple fact
that you cannot take all measurements from a device on your wrist.

------
brotchie
I have been consciously using Google Now on my Android phone more and more to
add notes, send messages, ask for directions, find out where I parked my car,
find out the world cup scores, track incoming package deliveries, catch up on
Tour de France news, etc.

The more I use it, the more utility I gain from it, but the more I find it a
pain in the ass to pull out my phone (perhaps while driving, or walking, or
cycling), unlock the phone, then go "OK Google. Take a note. Remember to look
up details of Facebook mobile like button." or "OK Google. Message Tom mobile.
On my way, see you soon."

Now knowing that there are Android wear devices out there I think "damn this
would be so much easier with a watch." I'd really like to buy one now, but I
think I'll hang out for the Moto 360.

I doubt there's much utility in a smart watch for those that don't utilize
Google Now to the fullest.

------
bites
I was backer for pebble, and i have been using it now more than one year. My
behavior with phone has changed. Nowadays if I’m getting mail, txt or call, i
will glance pebble screen (phone is silent mode all the time) what it is about
or who is calling. Usually it is not something what i need to take action
right away, will respond to it later. When i look others who take the phone
out, unlock it, read message and put it back, this seems so annoying in a
meetings.

Bad thing is that you can have too much stuff coming to your pebble, but
anyway it is just matter of prioritizing what you want in your wrist.

Example i did get mail during writing this, quick glance and that back to
writing.

~~~
welly
> When i look others who take the phone out, unlock it, read message and put
> it back, this seems so annoying in a meetings.

This is more about behaviour. If you're in a meeting with someone continually
taking out their phone to check emails or messages, then they surely need
calling out on it.

I'd probably say the same to someone who is continually looking at their
watch.

"Are we keeping you away from something?" is the question I'd be asking.

------
onion2k
The marketing for them, in my opinion, shouldn't even _mention_ the word
'watch'.

Mobile phone manufacturers and tech journalists believe a smart watch is an
extension of your phone, a second screen that saves you getting your phone out
to do basic things. This is the vision that will, probably, sell quite well.
On the other hand, the general population believe a smart watch is a watch
that does some extra fancy stuff. That dissonance is something that is going
to be _very_ difficult to overcome while 'smart watches' just look like big,
ugly watches that do things your phone already does.

~~~
lugg
I think the angle of extension of phone will never really fly for much of the
population, I could see something similar to tablet uptake.

I think things will really get interesting when I can ditch the phone all
together. Think bendable screen around your wrist which straightens out (or
doesn't) when you use it.

------
tempestn
The _only_ thing I can imagine wanting one for, if it's small and light
enough, is tracking progress while I exercise. Essentially a more advanced GPS
watch with a heart rate monitor. Maybe you could put those zombie run games
and stuff like that on it. And music ideally, if you could do wireless
headphones.

Aside from running or biking though, I have zero desire to have my email and
such even more in my face than it is on my phone. Any time I'm going to
interact with it for more than 5 seconds, it's going to be preferable to pull
out my phone, which only takes a couple seconds anyway.

~~~
csixty4
> The only thing I can imagine wanting one for, if it's small and light
> enough, is tracking progress while I exercise.

I've been wondering about how comfortable & practical it'll be to have a
larger iPhone strapped to my arm while I run. The iPhone 5 is already kinda
big. If the rumors are true and Apple's screens are getting bigger, I might
need to start stuffing my phone in a waist pouch and use a wrist display like
Magellan's Echo series.

That would be a great opportunity for Apple to introduce a wearable that looks
better & does more.

------
mrweasel
That's not even the most interresting part. If the point of the Smartwatch is
to make up of the marked for phone and tables being saturated, what will they
do when the watches reaches the point that phones are at now? Cars? Not
likely, that would just move profit from the classical car makers, but
generate new consumption.

Perhaps at least some companies need to start think about a business plan that
does involve ever growing consumption.

No, I don't want a Smartwatch, even though I'm sure it would go great with my
non-smartphone.

------
ekux44
I believe the fate of Android Wear style smart watches is highly intertwined
with the proliferation and usefulness of 'contextual computing' (Google Now,
etc).

Glanceable cards afford great tolerance for false positives. Combining this
with advances in activity detection, indoor location tracking, and IoT opens
the door for a new generation of personalized software well suited for casual
wearable interaction. However it remains to be seen if the economics are there
to create this brave new software ecosystem.

------
kumarm
I didn't wear a watch since 1999 (Thanks to Mobile Phones). Started using LG G
Watch since Google I/O.

Its pretty useful for day to day things.

Mostly:

1\. Check who is calling without taking phone out of pocket. 2\. Look at email
to see if I want to take my phone out and check email. 3\. "OK Google" is cool
to quickly check next meetings etc..

I think most people who sound negative (I used to be one of them) did not use
a smart watch.

------
Kiro
I have one and it has changed my life for the better. I now think of the time
before and after smartwatch, much like it was when getting a smartphone. The
utility just has much more impact than I could imagine.

The general attitude on HN toward smartwatches seems very negative but this is
not reflected on other tech sites I visit regularly where it's mostly
positive.

------
easytiger
> Then there’s the matter of having a $300 gadget strapped to my wrist, which
> creates anxiety of its own.

And plenty of people walk around with a $5000 autonomous machine on their
wrist from Switzerland. It is those people who will never change to a smart
watch.

------
noir_lord
I haven't worn a watch since high school (I can't stand wearing jewellery
either, anything feels constricting).

I have no interest in yet another device that saps attention and I really
don't get what it offers over a phone.

------
DrinkWater
There are definitely people that are going to want a smartwatch. To me, a
watch is a pure accessory, and i have yet to see a decent one (except for the
Motorola 360).

Function-wise, i don't see the point of getting one at the moment.

------
okonomiyaki3000
Nope.

------
noonespecial
If I only have to charge it once a month or less, sure. Once every day or two
is a nonstarter. I have enough trouble finding all of the plugs and keeping my
phone charged.

~~~
pilif
One could, of course, argue that it's even less likely you're going to find
the plug if you only need it once a month as opposed to once a day.

However, to chime into the overall discussion: I don't really see myself
wearing a smart watch. The last time I've worn a watch was in 4th grade. I
really never liked the feeling of wearing one even when they were lightweight
and since then I also never missed wearing one, so I don't think this is going
to change.

If I'm willing to pulling out my phone and looking at it just to get the time,
I would assume that I'm equally willing to do that for whatever other task
these smart watches can fulfil.

That said: Who knows what we're going to see in the future. Maybe there will
be a killer application that would make the prospect of wearing something on
my wrist actually bearable, but for now, nothing I can think of would make me
want to.

------
Spearchucker
I want one. The use case I'm interested in is using it in multi-factor
authentication, so not interested in things like watch faces, notifications or
games.

------
sschueller
I want one but not what is out there right now and not from apple. Current
models are too bulky, battery doesn't last and cost too much.

------
monochr
No.

I want a true virtual reality input that beams a 360 degree laser virtual
display with a resolution of less than one arc-minute right onto my retina.

------
borispavlovic
Maybe, if it's a beautifully crafted piece of jewelry that elegantly notifies
on a subset of events received by your phone.

~~~
tempestn
Ya, I could go for something like that. Watch first, smart second. Not some
giant-screened monstrosity.

Although personally I have almost all my phone notifications off anyway, so I
would probably use it as little more than a regular watch.

------
gomesnayagam
Moreover wearing watch trend is going down drastically, i dont think the smart
watch trend will get its space.

~~~
rimantas

      > wearing watch trend is going down drastically
    

Is it? I am wearing a watch, but I have no idea about the direction of the
trend. Also, even if it does go down I'd expect it to go the way of the vinil.
Would not be surpirsed if wearing watches will become fashionable again soon.

~~~
BruceIV
I've worn a wristwatch since elementary school, and I'm noticing fewer and
fewer people wearing them. As a second anecdotal data point, it's getting a
lot harder to find replacement batteries and bands when they wear out - it
used to be you could find them in any department store or electronics store,
now you pretty much need to go to a shop that specializes in watches. (For
context, my watch is a utility more than a piece of jewellery, so I don't want
to spend more than I spent on my $25 Timex on replacement parts.)

That said, while I've been watching the smartwatch scene with interest, I'm
not particularly interested in buying one yet; maybe when the market matures
to the point where I can get a decent one for under $100.

------
linux_devil
I stopped wearing a watch way back, when I strap it on my wrist for formal
meetings , I feel uneasy.

------
chx
I want a ring with a laser projector, possibly into my other palm. A watch is
too big and heavy.

------
neals
I can't type wearing a watch, so not met. Sry.

------
letstryagain
If Apple sells one, I'll buy one. Unless it's really crap, which is possible I
guess.

I don't care what features it has specifically. If there's something useful
for me I'll get one. Will I end up wearing it full time? Who knows.

