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The Apple Watch: Pros and Cons

Apple WatchesEleven years ago, after Bill Gates personally introduced Microsoft smartwatches at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I wrote a column in WatchTime entitled “Honk If You Want a Computer On Your Wrist!” The column asked the following simple question: “Does anyone really want this contraption?”

My answer in the column, admittedly inelegantly stated, was “Whaddya, stupid? Of course not!”

Forgive the immodesty, but I was right. Microsoft smartwatches, produced in conjunction with Citizen, Fossil, Suunto and Swatch, were all total flops. Since then, despite the arrival of various and sundry smartwatches (Pebble, i’m Watch, Martian, Galaxy Gear and more), very few people have shown any sign that they want a computer on the wrist.

We are now arrived at what is surely the moment of truth for smartwatches. On Sept. 9 mighty Apple unveiled the Apple Watch, described by the New York Times as “a miniature computer strapped around the wrist.” Finally, once and for all, we are about to get the answer to what I believe is still the fundamental question about smartwatches: Does anyone really want these contraptions? If Apple can’t convince Americans to buy smartwatches, no one can, and the smartwatch adventure will be over.

We’ll have to wait until next year for the answer since the watches don’t go on sale until the first quarter of 2015. In the meantime, let’s assess the pros and cons of the Apple Watch in terms of some crucial smartwatch criteria.

apple smartwatch

DESIGN: PRO

Previous smartwatches have been panned because of their poor design. “Geek chic,” their manufactures have learned, has a limited appeal. Apple has designed its watch with a traditional rectangular watch design, and the early reviews are positive. “The device is stunning to look at,” wrote Farhad Manjoo in the The New York Times, “with a variety of faces and watchbands that bear more in common with luxury jewelry than with gadgets.”

Tim Bradshaw noted in the Financial Times, “The impression was that here was finally a smartwatch that feels more like jewelry than technology.” Whether regular consumers (particularly women) share the fashion sense of technology reporters remains to be seen. But style-wise, Apple Watch has outdone its rivals.

apple smartwatch



Tokyoflash has revealed its latest watch concept, which could catch the eye of a timepiece enthusiast with its rotating technique of reading the time


A new timepiece concept has been offered by Tokyoflash, which could interest watch fans looking for a product that is very unique.

Entitled the LCD Concept Watch Design With Accelerometer, the product stands out for its tilt sensor, allowing the dial to rotate around the wrist.

This is done via twelve numbered markers, which each stand for five minute groups going upwards. The current minute group then sits at the twelve o'clock location.

Each of these numbers also represent hours, with wearers being able to distinguish the time thanks to the current hour being shaded out from the other digits.

Time is highlighted furthermore via a LED backlight, while Tokyoflash has indicated that the watch itself would be finished in either stainless steel or a combination of black and brushed stainless steel.

Watch fans have been treated to a double dose of newTokyoflash products this week, with theAnalog Disc Concept offering a unique yet simple way of reading the time.

 

Baume & Mercier

 

Baume & Mercier heats up the watchmaking world!

Switzerland, January 17th, 2011 – Snow-covered mountains, skiers on the slopes, must-have accessories: hat, mittens… Except for the happy few who attended the fabulous event organized in Geneva by the Swiss Maison d’Horlogerie Baume & Mercier on the occasion of the SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie

Panerai Shooting

 

Panerai PAM00357 Limited Edition Dubail Paris