Simon Says – Musings of a Technology CTO

Apple watch – ah, I am so torn. For those who know me, I have a LOT of watches. In fact, not only do I wear a different one every day, most days I wear two or three..

I have a Pebble – I love it, but I just can’t wear it with a suit, or while diving, or while smashing down a wall, or while using an air chisel, and all the many other things I’m not meant to do.

I also have an iPod Shuffle in a Lunatik Lync strap – now that one I loved, really because of all the different faces – but, it’s not waterproof, and it’s not automatic, and it doesn’t match what I’m wearing, the face only shows when you press a button and, well just sometimes you have to wear an Omega, or a Seiko etc..

So where in my world is there a place for an Apple watch? If it replaced my phone, well that might be a compelling reason to have it – but as an extra screen to show me what my phone screen is doing? Really? How lazy do you need to be to need something which to be honest, just removes the need to take your phone out of your pocket?

Now technically I love the idea – and cheesy though it is, I can see Elle and I exchanging heartbeats all the time, well for the first few hours anyway – then I’ll be wearing my beater Sekio while outside working on the boat and she’ll be sending heartbeats to the dressing table.

Bloomburg writer Stephen Pulvirent sums it up nicely – the swiss watch industry is worth $21.3 billion dollars and survived the Quartz revolution quite well. People are NOT going to exchange their Rolex for an Apple watch.

We may be happy with the same phone in our pocket as everyone else – but watches are far more personal, and seeing someone wearing the same one? A social disaster.

What I want is a wearable that complements my hourly choice in watches – some unobtrusive widget I can snap onto my existing watch strap, something which complements my personal choice in watches rather than replaces it.

Apple watch? Gadget, not necessity.