Tag: apple smartwatch

Are manufacturers of smartwatches over thinking their products?

Pebble believes that some of the current wearables that are being released have been overcomplicated.

It is starting to become difficult to find a smartphone or electronics manufacturer that has not either released, unveiled, or at least considered the creation of its own smartwatches, but at the same time, these devices have yet to truly take off.

Many in the industry believe that the rollout of the Apple Watch will bring these wearables into the mainstream.

However, one of the most established brands of smartwatches has now stated that it feels that many of the companies that have attempted to create their own gadgets have actually over thought what the devices should be. Primarily, the difference between a standard wristwatch and the upgraded wearable technology is that it offers a range of additional features aside from telling the time and date, and perhaps even adding a stopwatch or alarm clock option. They tend to bring the user notifications for incoming calls and texts and have controls for music playback, for example.

But as the market for smartwatches becomes increasingly crowded, brands are working hard to stand out.

smartwatches OverthinkingThis has caused them to add broad spectrums of new features and options that may or may not be all that appealing to the user. According to Pebble, many of the additional features that are being incorporated into the devices in the name of differentiating them from one another have actually been overcomplicating things. Speaking of the wearable technology devices that have been launched by Samsung and Apple, Monica Isla, a Pebble spokesperson, said that “I think they overthink what people are going to do with them.”

Isla later went on to say that “We don’t lose sight that it’s a watch. I think a lot of people lose the fact that it’s a watch. It’s not a phone. It’s not a gadget. It’s a watch and time is what matters to people.”

Clearly, it is Pebble’s opinion that smartwatches are great to act as wristwatches that also have additional bonus features such as alerts and notifications, but when all is said and done, the more complex tasks can simply be done on a smartphone, where they will be more convenient and efficient, anyway.

Apple technology news event reveals a little bit of everything

From its mobile wallet to the newest MacBook and, finally, the launch of the Apple Watch smartwatch.

When it comes to Apple technology news, few headlines are more important than those that report on one of the company’s few but always highly anticipated events, where rumors are proven to be true, or are swatted out of the air.

In the Spring Forward event that occurred yesterday, the most greatly awaited news circled around the Apple Watch.

However, when CEO Tim Cook took the stage, it was evident that the most wanted Apple technology news was going to be kept for last. He opened the keynote with some facts about the progress of Apple Pay, which now works with more than 2,500 banks and that is accepted at almost 700,000 locations and even over 40,000 Coca-Cola vending machines. This was followed by a brief discussion of the future of CarPlay and HomeKit.

The Apple technology news continued with the HealthKit and ResearchKit, which it claims to be promoting breakthroughs in medical study.

Apple Technology News - Apple Watch - standard editionThe newest Apple MacBook notebook computer was announced, in a device that is lighter and thinner than ever. The keynote showed that the sales of these computers have risen by 21 percent over the last year, despite the falling sales figures in the total industry. This new full-size Mac comes in space gray, silver, and gold and is 24 percent thinner than the MacBook Air 11 inch device. It weighs only 2 pounds and is just over 13 mm thick.

Finally, the smartwatch, the Apple Watch, was announced, stepping the company into the already crowded wearable technology market. Though there are many different gadgets already available from different brands and companies, many in the industry have predicted that it will be this specific device that will bring wearables into the mainstream.

There are three different types of smartwatch, including the Apple Watch (in stainless steel cases of traditional or space black), the Apple Watch Sport (in anodized aluminum cases in space grey and silver), and the Apple Watch Edition (in 18-karat gold cases of rose or yellow gold).

This was, by far, the most anticipated Apple technology news for the Spring Forward event. The smartwatch will be available for pre-order as of April 10 at Apple Retail Stores. It will begin shipping on April 24 to nine countries (U.S., Canada, Australia, China, France, Hong Kong, Germany, Japan, and the U.K.