Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been rumored to be working on a smart watch for years, and many are hoping that this will be the year the iWatch will finally appear. Unfortunately, however, the watch has a very real potential of disappointing a lot of people. Of course this is really no different than any Apple device these days, as they often fail to live up to the hype.
So what would fans like to see in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iWatch? CNN’s Doug Gross put together a list, and like me, he’s pretty skeptical that the actual device will turn out to be everything people want.
Will the iWatch really be smart?
One of the things on the list is for the iWatch to actually be as smart as a smartphone. This isn’t really a new thought, as analysts have been hoping that the device will do a whole lot more than just measure the number of steps the wearer has taken. Any pedometer can do that. The bar is currently set very low, so Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) could offer a watch that’s even just a little bit smarter than what’s currently on the market, and it would be an improvement.
So far most smart watches don’t do anything a smartphone would do, and, in fact, they require a smartphone to deliver information to them. But what if Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iWatch enabled users to not even have a smartphone? Indeed, that would truly be a smart watch.
Apple should make connectivity a big part
Another feature that would make the iWatch truly smart is if it connected with devices other than just the iPhone and iPad. Of course Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) does want to convince people to buy all of its devices and only its devices, but other companies are finding more success opening their devices to competing platforms. Gross would like to see a device that sends videos or photos to a TV using Airplay and the ability to play music on the iPhone or iPod by touching the watch.
And then there’s this whole concept of the Internet of Things. There is not currently a “one device to rule them all,” and the writer would like to see the iWatch become this device, connecting refrigerators, thermostats, lights and everything else inside the home to one device that controls them all.
Charging , battery and price
The writer also wants to see wireless charging, which is definitely a good idea for a smart watch. There are already wireless charging devices for phones, so this shouldn’t be too tall of an order. And then there’s the related issue of battery life. Some smartphones don’t even last a full day, and this certainly wouldn’t do for a smart watch, particularly one that could replace a smartphone. In fact, it would be hoped that the smart watch would last more than one day, which is about as much as we can expect from most of the smartphones currently on the market.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) isn’t known for making prices normal people can afford, so it’s probably too much to ask for an iWatch that the masses can afford. The company has taken an interest in slightly lower price points, so maybe this isn’t entirely out of the question, although even Apple’s “less expensive” offerings are still priced above what many can afford.
