The Swiss watch industry had a near-death experience when the Japanese started making electronic watches en masse. Now one of the saviors of the Swiss says that Apple, too, presents an existential threat. Elmar Mock, one of the founders of Swatch, told Bloomberg that he thinks Apple will soon sell as many watches as all of Switzerland, and that "[a]nything in the price range … [Read more...]
Chinese Tech Giant Huawei Opens “Aesthetics” Design Center in Paris
Huawei is an immense tech company that you may not have heard of if you're entirely US-centric. It focuses mostly on its domestic Chinese market, India, and emerging economies. You know: most of the world. It had a huge presence at Mobile World Congress. If there was any doubt, though, that its ambitions are large, word comes today that Huawei is opening a "Paris Aesthetics … [Read more...]
Apple Watch Wins Because Function Follows Form, Says Analyst
There's a very nicely reasoned piece on Ben Thompson's StraTechEry site this morning, arguing that Apple's emphasis on design in the Apple Watch is the very thing that will create demand for new types of interactions with devices. Essentially, Thompson argues, the function of wearables won't matter unless people are persuaded to wear them in the first place: There has been … [Read more...]
Want an Apple Watch? Think High Street, Not Main Street
So it's April 24, you want to buy an Apple Watch, but the lines at the Apple Store are too long. Sorry, but don't head to your AT&T store, because they won't have it. You may have better luck at a fashion retailer. WWD, the fashion bible, reports that the Watch will be available at a roster of stores not necessarily known for technology. Places like Galeries Lafayette in … [Read more...]
Android Wear Gets New Gestures; Details on Apple Watch
We're now into the war of public attrition between Google and Apple as details dribble out about Android Wear and the Apple Watch. None of it is worth a full article, but you may find it all worthwhile to know. (We suspect there's going to be a lot of this for the next month or so, by the way.) 9to5Mac is reporting breathlessly that the Apple Watch will contain 8GB of RAM, … [Read more...]
Functional Details of Apple Watch Start to Emerge
Now that the Apple Watch is truly out from under its covers, details about software and performance are starting to emerge. To answer the question of how long the battery lasts, Apple today posted a page setting power life expectation. They're saying the Watch will last 18 hours, assuming you check the time about five times an hour, get around five notifications an hour, use … [Read more...]
Apple Watch Details: April Ship, Prices from $349 to $10,000 and Up
Apple took a lot of the veils off the Apple Watch today at a typically elaborate event in San Francisco. Most of the Watch demos had been originally shown in September, but the demos were deeper and more apparently ready for shipment. The most important details: Pre-orders on April 10, with previews in stores. Shipment April 24. Battery life touted at 18 hours of typical … [Read more...]
MWC Day 3: Orion Reinvents Push-to-Talk and Gets Fashionable
There is something compelling about the walkie-talkie interface: push a button, talk, release, listen. Simple and instant. Public safety workers -- cops, firefighters, EMTs -- love it, and they still mourn their old Nextel phones. Now, a couple of guys with a background as emergency medical technicians (and some impressive big data cred) are reinventing push-to-talk (PTT) for … [Read more...]
MWC Day 3: Flat Bendable Components from ST
We saw interesting stuff at Mobile World Congress ranging from as small as 1mm square to as big as minivan-sized power backups for cell sites. The small stuff held our interest better, particularly the components from STMicroelectronics. Unless you're in the business of putting together electronic systems, it's unlikely you know ST; if that's your line of work, you almost … [Read more...]
Latest Word on the Apple Watch
There's a big Apple announcement coming Monday, apparently about the Apple Watch, and the rumor/leak mill is in full flower. Here's what we people claim to know: TechCrunch says the Watch will automatically check your heart rate periodically. You will get notifications on your Watch only when you're wearing it and the strap is locked. If it's lying on your desk, the watch … [Read more...]