With the invention of mobile phones, watches are now considered more like jewelry. Does anybody think smartwatches will be able to change this perception or just a very cool trend that will eventually be a niche?
Generally speaking, watches have been considered jewelry since way before the first computer. The Watch has not changed that one way or another. The Watch will increase the number of smartwatch users for sure, but they will still remain a small niche of the population. Regardless of what Apple puts on the Watch, most people will remain uninterested in a smartwatch. You can't tell it from reading the igadget forums, but go out into the general population and see what's going on. The Watch and smartwatches in general are the farthest thing from the minds of most people. But as for the thread title...watches have been a jewelry accessory for years.
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I agree with you on the fact that watches have always been jewelry at least that was my first thought when I saw the thread title. I disagree with you about the smartwatch's possibility of going mainstream. Before the iPhone smartphones were mostly used by business types. The Blackberrys, HP and Palm gadgets. The iPhone came out and was aimed at consumers instead of enterprise. Android followed in it's footsteps and device manufacturers implimented the Android OS. Now look at smartphones today. I think the Watch has the same oppurtunity of doing that same thing for smartwatches. It will become the standard for Android wear competitors because of it's success based on sales. If Apple was going to stop selling it next year then I could agree that it probably wouldn't make a difference. However I don't think there are many who would think that Apple will not be making Watch for the forseeable future. This is a 1.0 product and just like the apps make the iPhone. As apps come out and new features are added and existing features get better things will change rapidly. An Watch that allows people to open car doors instead of using a key fob, open the garage door/front door just by proximity. There is no way that the mainstream will not want that kind of convenience.
Your reasons are valid points, but MOST people won't be willing to pay the cost of the Watch for what it does. I know a few who say they would not pay $99. for the Sport model, much less $399. Go out and ask around. Prices would have to come way down for the Watch to go truly mainstream. Most can barely afford their smartphone.
I don't know. I know plenty of people that have no problem spending these amounts on a watch that does nothing more than tell the time.
Smartphones can be also be paid monthly on contracts and subsidized, which the iWatch cannot. That, along with the battery life, are the biggest reasons they won't go mainstream in my opinion. Looking at the iWatch has caused me to search into the Pebble. Because, you know, that's actually affordable.
Smartphones can be also be paid monthly on contracts and subsidized, which the iWatch cannot. That, along with the battery life, are the biggest reasons they won't go mainstream in my opinion. Looking at the iWatch has caused me to search into the Pebble. Because, you know, that's actually affordable.
There is no iWatch.
Sent from my ancient but trustworthy iPhone 5. ☮
True. But people are going to call it the iWatch even though Apple cannot due to trademark issues.
True. But people are going to call it the iWatch even though Apple cannot due to trademark issues.
I could be remembering wrong but I thought Swatch had iWatch trademarked.
A report from CNBC said, "In August 2012, Fresno, California-based OMG Electronics applied for the iWatch trademark. Apparently, there was a legitimate interest in doing something with it, as OMG ran a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo from September to October of that year.I could be remembering wrong but I thought Swatch had iWatch trademarked.