What’s Next For Wearable Technology

On my way home from work last night, I listened to a Mac Observer podcast with the hosts discussing the highly anticipated Apple iWatch. The wearable electronic market is predicted to be worth more than $8 billion by 2018 and Apple is once again positioned to be a leader in the segment. Google’s Android was first to market with a smart watch but many have criticized it as being not so smart.

As I wait for the release of the Apple device, I contemplate what could they dream up that their competitors haven’t but I, as a consumer, cannot live without. If it was up to me, here is what I would integrate into the iWatch:

• Telephone functionality – As phones get larger and tablets get smaller, I continue to believe there will be a convergence for a one-size-fits-all device. On that same note, I don’t always want to be tethered to my iPad but I do want to have the ability to run to the store and still get a call from my wife telling me we need almond milk. The iWatch could be that minimalist device that gives me the ability to have a phone without carrying along all the extras.

• Removable health tracker – I love apps that track my healthy progress. Right now I use a Nike Fuel band to document my activity, Map My Hike to remember my favorite trails, Strava to track my runs, Flywheel app to record my spin classes and a Garmin heart monitor to make sure I don’t die along the way. All of these generate metrics that don’t correlate with one another and I feel like a giant nerd with devices strapped all over my body. If I was a developer, I would construct a pendant that could be worn around my neck or on my belt that discreetly captured all this data no matter what activity I was doing and synced all the information to one device: the iWatch.

• On-the-go wallet – I won’t enter a Starbucks without my iPhone because I haven’t paid cash for my coffee in two years. I want to pay for everything using apps! The virtual wallet has been beta tested by many other companies but no one has yet to master it. Apple is the company for the job; I trust them to deploy this technology safely and securely.

• iHome integration – I dream of a day where my entire home is automated and I can control the system without hitting a button. Once connected to your home network, there is no reason the iWatch can’t track movement through your house and trigger custom programed scenes that respond to your individual preference. George Jetson was a trendsetter and I want to live in his house one day soon!

• Fashion statement – I am a watch snob that wears a different watch every day of the week (maybe every day of the month!) so as much as I love the potential technology benefits, I am also afraid to lock myself into just one watch. If Apple wants to exceed my expectations, they will need to provide consumers with an expansive line of stylish watch bands and faces. Apple has recently hired the former Tag Heuer sales director so hopefully the Tag Monaco worn by Steve McQueen in Le Mans will closely resemble my future iWatch.

Regardless of the form and functionality of Apple’s smart watch, I will be one of the first customers in line on release day to get my hands on yet another one of the brand’s revolutionary products.

Jetson fan club member,

Michael