Counter-argument: There WILL be a future for smart watches

A few weeks ago, we published a great piece about smart watches and the passing fad they may ignite. This article points out that you’re essentially paying upwards of $150 to avoid having to remove your phone from your pocket, and that smart watches are just a stopgap before the next big thing comes out (Google Glasses, in this case).

Both of these arguments are valid and I completely agree, but these are also reasons why smart watches will have a future for consumers.

Smart watches keep your phone safe in your pocket

I recently bought a watch just because it was easier looking at my wrist instead of having to fish out my phone from my pocket to see the time; for this reason, having a watch lowers the risk of dropping your phone. I would know because that’s exactly what happened to me. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to see what time it was and before I knew it, my phone was on the ground. I ended up not having a good enough grip on it when I took it out of my pocket. You might say I just have clumsy hands, but this kind of thing simply happens to the best of us.

So, really, getting a smart watch (or any kind of watch for that matter) just to save you from having to fish out your phone from your pocket is a really nice convenience that could also save your phone from destruction.

Expensive, but it’s not just a simple watch

As far as the price of smart watches, $100 for the Pebble smart watch isn’t that bad of a price for the technology you’re getting. A lot of people spend much more on less sophisticated designer watches, so spending a hundred dollars on a watch that has Bluetooth, a digital display and can do more than just tell the time is quite impressive.

The next big thing isn’t here yet

As far as smart watches being a stopgap, that may be true, but who really knows when Google Glasses will be available to the public? (Google co-founder Sergey Brin says Google Glasses may possibly be releasing next year). When they eventually do hit the market, will they even be marked at a price that a majority of the public can even afford? And even if they were affordable, how long would it take for Google Glasses to be in style and be a normal part of life? A couple of years? Maybe even longer?

Conclusion

Overall, it’s hard to tell at this point what the fate of smart watches will be in the future; it’s still too new of a technology to really analyze and figure out. Smart watches might be here to stay for a long time or they really could just be a stopgap. In any case, I wouldn’t write them off just yet.

For me, smart watches are devices that I could see myself really getting into and I’m sure I’m not the only one.


Posted

in

, ,

by

Comments

7 responses to “Counter-argument: There WILL be a future for smart watches”

  1. jonathon wisnoski Avatar

    It does not sound like they will be a passing fad to me. A watch is far more convenient, and I would guess as hardware gets smaller we will get smart watches that have cell phones in them (and act exactly as cell phones do now).

  2. Yay watches Avatar
    Yay watches

    The watches are here to stay for any of us that have any common sense. The google glasses thing needs to be stopped now. Read Vision Machine, until then no one has any right to say otherwise about it.

  3. Dave Parrack Avatar

    Nice counter-argument, Craig. You make some great points. I must admit I don’t really wear a watch of any kind, the phone has become my watch and a lot more besides. But you could well be right. It’s an interesting form factor that could clearly go either way.

    1. Evan Wondrasek Avatar

      I hate to break this to both you and Craig, but there won’t be a future for either of these scenarios.

      THIS is the only future.

      http://ionetheurbandaily.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/flavor-of-love.jpg

    2. Evan Wondrasek Avatar

      I hate to break this to both you and Craig, but neither of these scenarios have a future.

      THIS is the only future for watches.

      http://ionetheurbandaily.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/flavor-of-love.jpg

      1. Dave Parrack Avatar

        Now that’s a watch, smart or otherwise.

Leave a Reply