Lenovo CEO Reportedly Posts Image of Next Gen Moto 360 Smartwatch

MojoKid (1002251) writes "When the Android Wear platform was unveiled last year, the star of the show was undoubtedly the Motorola Moto 360. With its stainless steel body and round display, the smartwatch looked futuristic while retaining styling that was somewhat familiar to traditional time pieces. However, it's been a year since the original Moto 360 was unveiled and there have been a number of round-faced Android Wear devices that have either hit the market or will in the coming months. Motorola, of course, is still pushing ahead with a second generation Moto 360 and it appears their new parent company — Lenovo — may have just leaked the design of the upcoming smartwatch. Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing posted an image to Weibo, which shows a number of smartwatches in various states of assembly. The image is interesting, because it provides us with two interesting bits of information. First, the new Moto 360 appears to adopt a traditional, exposed-lug design, which should make it easier for users to swap out the band that comes with the Moto 360 for a wider variety of third-party bands. Also, what you can glean from the photo is that, it appears that the "flat tire" display found on the original Moto 360 will carry over to its successor. The Moto 360 currently houses its ambient light sensor and display driver in the crescent-shaped cutout at the bottom of the display."

Comments

Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

When tablets first came out, it was obvious that they were a fad, but at least some people did seem to have some genuine interest in them. Some of the people I worked with at the time were really gung-ho about tablets, thinking they were revolutionary and otherwise making a big fuss about them. But I'm seeing none of this when it comes to smartwatches. It's like nobody really cares about them, except the people hawking them. Average people have feel no excitement toward smartwatches. Average people have no desire for smartwatches. Even technophiles don't really give that much of a damn about them. It's like smartwatches are a fad that has died while still in the womb, in effect. It's looking like this smartwatch fad won't even get to the stage that tablets got to, where people were at least somewhat excited about them, before realizing that they're just fad devices without much practical use.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[occasional_dabbler]

This is certainly my own perception. I'm usually an early adopter of all things tech, but I really can't get excited about smart watches at all. I have to say the only interesting product I've seen in this whole arena is the Microsoft Band; at least it isn't pretending to be a watch, but is trying to be somewhat useful.

Yes I ordered one (I was drunk) and I'm something of an MS fan, but even for me and for this product my enthusiasm level is 'meh'

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[pspahn]

Well think about it, now you won't have to reach all the way into your pocket to grab your phone if you want to know what time it is. Genius, isn't it?

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[dimeglio]

I think smart watches still have a lot to prove. We'll see if Apple entry in the market will make a difference. I think it will. Apple wouldn't be investing in something like this without knowing it has a winner but time will tell. For now I'm also sticking with no watch.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Carewolf]

I would love to care about it, but technologywise most of the smartwatches have sidetracked by using smartphone operating systems and hardware which gets them unacceptable battery life, and all they get in return is phone-apps you wouldn't run on your watch anyway. Smart watches should have focused on notifications and remote control of the smartphone, both with much simpler operating systems, and e-ink displays. Pebble is doing it right, but doesn't have the weight to make mainstream. Android watches are getting there, and slowly figuring ít out, but are still overkill for the form-factor.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

When tablets first came out, it was obvious that they were a fad

Umm... what? What decade are you writing from, again? Perhaps you've missed the 2010's so far, so I'll fill you in.

Tablet sales are increasingly 25% year over year, and have been since the iPad shipped, and will surpass all traditional PC sales combined this year. That is, more tablets will be sold than laptops, desktops, ultrabooks, and ultra-mobile PCs put together. Furthermore, traditional PC sales are stagnant, while tablet sales are seeing explosive growth. They'll surpass PCs this year and it's fully expected their growth will continue, reaching 3X the total PC sales volume within another decade.

Tablets are huge sellers, second only to smartphones, which outsell everything else by massive margins.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

Tablets, a fad? Dude, this actually IS the post PC era. Tablets are going gangbusters.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

What you're saying supports what the GP is saying. Yes, a fad does involve lots of hype, which often leads to sales. But a fad also involves people realizing that what they've bought isn't so useful, and then they end up not using it.

If people were actually using tablets, then we wouldn't see stats like these. So out of over 1 billion web requests to numerous U.S. government websites in just the past 90 days, not even 8% came from a tablet. Meanwhile, over 66% came from desktops.

Why do we see stats like that? Because desktops are usable, and tablets are not. People buy tablets thinking they're useful, but don't realize that they aren't. That leads to lots of sales. But then these people figure out how useless tablets really are, and go back to using their desktop systems, which is why we see them being used so little in reality.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

You're overlooking some important things.

Desktops and even laptops tend to last at least several years. It's not unusual to run into MacBook users with computers 5 to 7 years old, even. Many average consumers will have PCs older than that, even. That's why Windows XP is still so widely used, even today.

Tablets, on the other hand, are disposable devices. You're lucky to get two years out of them. They break easily, and the software is hard (if not impossible) to update.

So while people may buy a new desktop or laptop every 4 to 8 years, they'll be buying a new table after 18 months. Anyone with a brain will realize the impact that that has on sales numbers. The desktop sales numbers are lower, while the tablet sales numbers are higher. But that's only because people have to buy tablets much more often due to the inferiority of tablets.

Re: Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

If you're making a claim that your argument is correct because tablets are somehow a fad, it is safe for all to disregard your argument.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Dixie_Flatline]

Some tech writers have made this point already, and I probably won't get it out as clearly as they have, but the problem with smartwatches and our perception of them is that we're thinking about them in the here and now, and not in the future. Microsoft (well, Ballmer) famously laughed at the iPhone as too expensive and useless before it took off and crushed the Microsoft Mobile business into dust. He was thinking of the here and now, and not the future.

This is where Apple's so-called fanboys can be used to bootstrap a tech shift that would've taken much longer otherwise. When enough people start wearing these watches, they'll start to have more applications. Apple Pay will work with the watches out of the gate, so the people that (legitimately) complain that the phone is just as convenient as pulling out a wallet will now have to re-examine the position. The phone is on your wrist and is unlocked by being there and tethered to the phone. (Presumably, one day you won't need the phone at all, but we're not there yet.) And if you can trust your payments to your phone/watch, you can probably trust your car, computer, office door, etc., to that combo as well.

Without Apple, there's more of a chicken-and-egg problem. Nobody wants a watch because the services don't exist, and nobody wants to make a service because there aren't enough watches out there. Get a few million Apple faithful to buy a watch, and suddenly people that are a lot smarter and more creative than me will be making services that can interact with it.

I don't know if this market has legs—I can easily believe that those are things people will shy away from as too insecure or too cumbersome or too ugly. Having to charge one more device every single day doesn't really appeal to ME much, I admit. But if I try to think about the smartwatch market and how it might work in the future, when a bunch of these concerns are addressed, I can see there being somewhere for it to go.

(As to your comment about tablets, my iPad 3 is my most used computing device. I happen to be sitting at my computer right now, but this is the first time I've made a comment on /. from my home PC in months. I bought it originally to give me less of a reason to buy a new phone, but the unexpected side-effect is that I don't really care about home desktop computers anymore either. I'll upgrade in a year or two, when it stops getting OS updates.)

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

So you're going to ignore all the pesky direct data on what people are buying and instead attempt to divine the "truth" from something once or twice removed?

And to make it worse, the data you're using is from usage of government websites? Not exactly a typical use case, but it fits with your beliefs, so screw all them facts n' stuff.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

Different AC here.

Can you try to properly refute the claims made in the comment you just replied to, without resorting to denial, false accusations, ad hominem attacks, and shenanigans like those?

The comment you replied to makes its point, then backs it up with credible evidence.

You, on the other hand, just spew bullshit.

When I consider all of the evidence given so far, the only conclusion I can reasonably come to is that tablets are a lost cause.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Noah Haders]

If tablets were a fad, we would have seen sales peak early on and tell off after that once people realize they were a fad or moved on to something new. Instead what we have seen is sales continuously increasing year after year. It's clear that tablets will not sell as crazy as smart phones do, because it's clear that people are using them more as laptop replacement then sell phone supplements. So it looks like they're going to follow upgrade paths somewhere to laptops being multi year, rather than cellphones people getting a new phone with each contract renewal..

The stat that sales continue to be strong indicates that tablets are not a far, and the stat that the majority of visitors to US gov website are desktops indicates the tablets are not being used as a direct replacement to desktops. That should not really surprise anybody. nor does it imply or prove the tablets are a fad.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

Fads fade. Tablet sales continue to accelerate year after year, and show no signs of slowing. People have now had many years to decide "meh, those aren't useful", but instead they continue to snap them up at ever increasing rates.

The sales numbers don't lie. Just because YOU don't like them doesn't mean the average person doesn't. Slashdot readers virtually always predict the opposite of what succeeds in the marketplace.

Tablets are here to stay. Deal.

Re: Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

The tablet form factor was anticipated in Star Trek's PADD. The cellphone had its antecessor in the Starfleet communicator, which morphed into a piece of jewelry that could place a call. The watch doesn't fit: no one on TV Sci-Fi had a watch (although B5 came close with its back of the hand communicators).

Science fiction attempts to anticipate what is useful. Characters can't fiddle too much with devices, or they lose lines on screen. Things have to be simple and efficient and accomplish goals. The smartwatches don't fit that pattern: they're over complicated and underpowered. When you can tap your wrist and call someone by saying, "Adam to Starbuck, come in," and get an instant connection without also carrying a cell phone, the device will sell. Until then it's a toy.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[gnupun]

Tablets are huge sellers, second only to smartphones, which outsell everything else by massive margins.

Any idea why tablets outsell laptops? I think it's because tablets have millions of apps for a dollar or for free. However, if you were to use tablets for 2-3 hours a day, won't you get arm/hand strain from carrying the tablet for hours at a time. There is no such strain with laptops as you typically place them on a table and don't have to carry them. Tablet type devices are useful for occasional use (like on Star Trek). But for constant use, laptops/desktops are far superior, ergonomically.

Re: Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[edittard]

Science fiction attempts to anticipate what is useful.

It does nothing of the sort. See the second word? It tells a story. It's entertainment.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

You like to think you're being rational, but you're simply believing what you want to be true and ignoring the basic fact that tablets continue to sell strongly.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[rklrkl]

Your first and last sentences utterly ludicrously claim that tablets are a "fad". Actual facts show that they've been selling in bucket loads every year, although the market is approaching saturation point with them (i.e. those who want a tablet have got one now and they're "good enough" to use for years, unlike the early tablets).

Personally, I find tablets give a much better user experience than mobile phones, simply because of the larger screen dimensions. This makes video viewing and game playing more pleasurable and onscreen keyboards actually usable (I have severe trouble with onscreen keyboards on mobile phones - even turning the screen landscape still makes it an uncomfortable experience).

Smartwatches are a nice idea, but wake me up when battery life is in months or years like any dumbwatch and the price is under $100 for a decent model. This is why smartwatches are indeed currently a fad - only patient people who like charging their watch almost daily and have more money than sense are buying them. I'll stick with my Casio Wave Ceptor - battery life in years, radio controlled time adjustment, countdown alarm, stop watch, second time zone, alarm - all for $50.

Re: Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

See the first word? Yes, it tells a story, but within the context of that story, it speculates. Or at least good science fiction does. Sometimes even successfully.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Hognoxious]

Instead what we have seen is sales continuously increasing year after year.

There might be people that haven't got one yet.

It's also possible (though not as certain as you think) that the site visitor stats are skewed - perhaps things on those sites aren't suitable for tablets - anything involving heavy data entry, for example.

On what grounds can you say they're not a typical use case?

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[NickFortune]

Some tech writers have made this point already, and I probably won't get it out as clearly as they have, but the problem with smartwatches and our perception of them is that we're thinking about them in the here and now, and not in the future. Microsoft (well, Ballmer) famously laughed at the iPhone as too expensive and useless before it took off and crushed the Microsoft Mobile business into dust. He was thinking of the here and now, and not the future.

Interesting.

I think there's a difference though. When the iPhone came out it had this tremendous aura of Cool about it. I say that as someone who is in no way an Apple fan. I think just about everyone (or everyone who didn't have a vested interest in a competing product) could see that.

This is where Apple's so-called fanboys can be used to bootstrap a tech shift that would've taken much longer otherwise. When enough people start wearing these watches, they'll start to have more applications.

The thing is, I don't get that "Cool" vibe from these watches at all. I mean if the bootstrapping effect takes off then that's great, but I'll be surprised if they have the impetus needed to carry the change. Maybe I'm just not part of the target audience :)

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Thumper_SVX]

Honestly, I think it depends on a lot of factors.

For the record, I own two smartwatches; the original Pebble and a Moto 360. The Pebble has mostly been relegated to a drawer because I just don't use it any more... probably go on eBay pretty soon. My Moto 360 gets used daily because it's really handy for my work. I work in the tech field; I'm a consultant for a large company who travels all over two states talking to customers about their technology needs.

For my part, my Moto 360 nearly always gets questions at the table. "Do you like it?" "Is it useful?" etc. and I'll tell you exactly what I've told them; it depends a lot on your use cases.

I use my 360 all the time. It's right there on my wrist, so even while driving if I receive a notification that I've received a text message I can flip my wrist over and check the summary on my wrist to see if I need to respond to it, or if it can wait until I get to my destination. I don't need to pull my phone out of my pocket or retrieve it from my jacket that may be hanging in the back of my car (depending on where I put it). I get reminders of appointments and again I don't have to rely on my phone to do the same. In fact, because the alarm on my 360 is vibrate only I can actually turn the notifications completely off on my phone most of the time and I still know what's going on. Similarly, in a meeting when my phone rings I can immediately see who's calling at a glance and throw it off to voicemail. I also like the ability to use the microphone in my 360 to set timers, set an alarm, bring up the weather etc. For my use case, it works extremely well.

There are some things I wish my 360 did though that would be cool. I wish airlines in particular would get with the program and allow me to bring up my boarding pass QR on the screen of my watch rather than digging for my phone. American Airlines already has an app for the Android Wear OS, but it doesn't do that... annoying. But as a general rule these are niggles that will be ironed out as/if people buy more of these devices as you said.

I'll also note that because I'm not turning my phone on every time there's a notification or I want to know the time, my battery life on my phone actually increased when I moved to a smartwatch.

As far as charging every night, that's less of a problem than you might think. I don't wear my watch to bed, so I have my Moto 360 charging base sitting on my nightstand right next to the cable for my phone. Instead of setting my watch on the nightstand itself, I set it on the charging base and voila... no problems. It's no more a chore than setting it down, really. Yes, it can be frustrating if you are traveling and forget the base, but that's also true of forgetting charging cables for any of your other devices. So far it hasn't been a problem. Battery life also isn't half bad on the 360; I can get about 30 hours of tested time out of mine... given that I charge it nightly that's pretty bloody impressive and I have no complaints about it.

I do agree though that this is still a nascent industry... people haven't really found that killer app for a smartwatch yet, but for people like me who are natural early adopters, techies and people who just like stuff like this I think there's still a market.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Dixie_Flatline]

I think they're nice looking watches, but I'm not enthralled by them, certainly. I'm more actively looking at the Withings Activite Pop and Garmin VivoActive because I'd like to have swim tracking, and I'm willing to put up with an ugly (or at least not-pretty) device to get it.

But I'm almost 40 and I'm having trouble figuring out what's actually cool any more. ;)

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

They call it FishWrist: Powered by Superfish!!!

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

without resorting to denial, false accusations, ad hominem attacks

He didn't do any of those things. Ad hominem would be if I said, "You're stupid, therefore your argument is stupid." It is not, "Your argument is stupid and also you're stupid." To be ad hominem, the argument has to flow from the personal attack. A personal attack itself is not ad hominem, it's abuse. Nor are what he said denial or false accusations. He gave a direct accusation (indirect data doesn't ignore the previously posted direct data) and while he's technically denying the claims, he states why. I think you might be getting tripped up simply because he wrote everything in the form of a question.

Re-written as statements, his comment would read:
You can't just ignore the direct data (sales figures) and instead support your argument with indirect data that's once or twice removed. To make it worse, the data you're using is usage of government websites, which isn't exactly a typical use case. So great, you found some data that fits your beliefs, but it doesn't refute anything I stated.

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yep, the iPhone looked better than the competitors, was easier to use thanks to the touch-screen and apps were straightforward to download (Java apps were common on mobiles of the time but it was often an unwieldy process getting hold of them). The first gen was expensive & other phones did similar but the iPhone had everything working well enough & the economic might of Apple for support & marketing.

The iPad and tablets have some fairly obvious uses that appeal to the general public - they're not bad as reading devices, can scale PDF files so will be fine reading comics or textbooks (try reading a textbook on a normal Kindle - ouch), you can get hold of lots of free software and they tend to be quicker to start than a desktop or laptop meaning is easy to pick up your tablet if you want to check something on IMDB or look up that song you just heard on Youtube. Furthermore tablets are pretty cheap & kind of secure so are useful computing devices for kids. As a handy bonus they use little power compared to a desktop running all day. Revolutionary computing device kicking off the post-PC era? Nope. Handy quick media consumption machine that a five year old can play with? Indubitably.

Smartwatches meanwhile should be quite useful for runners, but that's really it for now. The battery life is kind of wretched, their sensors aren't reliable enough for use as a medical device (i.e. a smartwatch that keeps check on users with heart problems or one that can determine blood glucose in real-time) and the 'you can keep your phone in your bag' selling point is kind of rubbish when we've spent a decade 'training' people to be phone-addicted. If someone can come out with such a device that runs a week on battery maybe they'll take off. The current tech? Early adopter porn.

Re: Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

Page 44 of this - the Smartwatch as envisioned in 1980...

Usbourne's The Future

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's much better! Would you mind terribly if in the future I send you my comments first so that you can spruce them up a bit? ;-)

Re:Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't you think a government website would be more likely than the typical site to be visited from work, by office workers running whatever computer they've been given? I don't know the answer, but I do know that the stats given on that site are markedly different from stats published by others.

But the obvious point, in the end, is that one can hardly say "tablets were a fad" when sales remain strong.

Re: Is the smartwatch fad stillborn?

[edittard]

Science isn't speculation any more than drawing is sharpening a pencil. You seriously think SF writers do extensive research into feasibility & utility rather than what will look cool/make a good plot device/drive merchandising sales?

smart sliderule

[turkeydance]

"smart" is no watch.

Re:smart sliderule

[Anonymous Coward]

and dicss is no PENIS.

Motorola is dead to me.

[Anonymous Coward]

Lenovo already proved they weren't worthy of carrying the IBM PC brand. Now they want me to trust them with the Motorola brand?

Sorry, but the Droid 4 is my last Motorola device, and may be my last phone until someone comes out with a keyboard for Project Ara.

Re:Motorola is dead to me.

[Anonymous Coward]

I have stopped having interest in Motorola once Google sold them to Lenovo, and their factory in Fort Worth was shuttered for one on the mainland.

My main reason: I have grave concerns about trust with Lenovo products. Until there is some time that there are no negative reports about their products and security, they are a no-no in my book.

Plus, the Apple offering is the same price, and has a far higher tier of fit/finish/materials/engineering. Aluminum instead of plastic. A decent reputation of security. Wider developer support.

Until the Android vendors can come up with something that isn't a cheap plastic Swatch look-alike, Apple will own this market.

I find Motorola's products kind of 'meh'

[bogaboga]

I wonder whether it's just me. Anyone else too? No wonder they aren't doing particularly well in the market. Or are they?

Re:I find Motorola's products kind of 'meh'

[whh3]

I think that the 360 watch is probably the best looking (aesthetically) watch out there so far (granting that the Apple watch is not yet officially "out there"). I just think that tepid market reaction is part of the larger overall muted reaction to smart watches. Anyone else have thoughts?

Re:I find Motorola's products kind of 'meh'

[Anonymous Coward]

A watch you can't rely on to tell you the time in two days is an extremely questionable purchase. They're going to have to be able to last friday-till-tuesday or so before any ordinary non-tech-enthusiast person considers one. And at the very least they should have some kind of contingency "dumb" mode that will tell you the time for a long, long time. You know, like normal watches.

Superfish

[Anonymous Coward]

Never forget superfish. Don't buy lenovo.

not a watch enthusiast

[Anonymous Coward]

what is a "flat tire" display?

Re:not a watch enthusiast

[beakerMeep]

The bottom part of the display is not actually a screen and makes the circle around the display look like a flat tire at the bottom.

This shows it pretty well:
http://img.talkandroid.com/upl...

(still the best looking of the smartwatches, imo)

Does this also come with Malware?

[Anonymous Coward]

that shows me unwanted ads when the watch detects the movement I make when tilting my watch towards me to check the display?

Re:Does this also come with Malware?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's to improve your customer experience by providing you with information that you might want in order to make informed purchasing decisions.

Round screens suck

[sectokia]

As someone who actually uses smart watches a lot for my work, the 360 is the worst I have used. It's the round screen. Great for a rotating analog clock, useless for everything else. Have a look at Moto 360 screens, most of them have at least 1/3 of the screen unused or displaying a pointless graphic, which is idiotic on such a small device. The only good thing about the shape of the watch seems to be that it doesn't look like a smart watch.

Wrong Direction

[SuperKendall]

most of the smartwatches have sidetracked by using smartphone operating systems and hardware which gets them unacceptable battery life

That's not at all the case. In fact I can't think of a single smart watch shipping in any volume that uses a smartphone operating system - not Android Wear, not the Apple Watch, not Pebble... also very few are using smartphone hardware - most have very tiny screens and a very small form factor.

That small form factor is the reason for the poor battery life. There is simply very little room to hold a battery, then of course the LCD itself even small adds a large drain. Pebble at least steps around the LCD, and gives you an idea of how significant that portion of battery consumption really is in relation to communications or processing on power consumption.

Smart watches should have focused on notifications and remote control of the smartphone

That I think the the absolute least interesting aspect of smart-watches. They are much more interesting in being a more immediate conduit to networking and sensor data from your phone or on-board sensors.

Pebble is doing it right, but doesn't have the weight to make mainstream.

How is a $20 million Kickstarter not mainstream? I would say Pebble is more mainstream than AndroidWare - I really doubt the combination of all AndroidWear device sales combined matches what Pebble has done.

I do like a lot of what Pebble is doing, the smart straps and related 1mm development time along with a really unique approach to the smart watch interface may with a lot of people over. The advantage Apple has is (probably) a much more polished project and (certainly) a vast array of developer support for the watch out of the gate, and increasing from there.

Tablets far from disposable

[SuperKendall]

Tablets, on the other hand, are disposable devices. You're lucky to get two years out of them. They break easily, and the software is hard (if not impossible) to update.

That's pretty much as wrong as you could get it.

Tablets being all solid state, and not even a hinged component are generally HARDER to break.

Updating an iPad is way easier than updating a PC.

Perhaps the original iPad was not as useful after a while but from the iPad2 onward, they have been pretty long lasting - my wife generally uses her iPad 2 for many hours per day, and has since launch. That's four years of use now - we've never replaced anything, it works fine for all the software we use, and there's no sign it will need replacing soon. I'd say six years out of it will be easy, and it does not feel slow the way a four year old computer would feel slow...

You just have no idea how good the iPad is and how easy it is to use.

Re:Tablets far from disposable

[Dog-Cow]

My wife still uses her first-gen iPad. The OS and software updates have passed her by, but she still uses what she has. My iPad 3 is still going strong as well, running iOS 8.

The fanboy is strong with this one.

[jordanjay29]

Really? Apple has never made any lackluster products ever?

Re:The fanboy is strong with this one.

[Pieroxy]

Really? Apple has never made any lackluster products ever?

Let's say their success ratio (#products successful vs flops) is way above the rest since 2000.

Re:The fanboy is strong with this one.

[gl4ss]

and they haven't had a genuine new product since iphone MEGA. or ipad. whatever.

nobody normal cares about the watch, that's the problem

Re:The fanboy is strong with this one.

[Pieroxy]

I thought the same about the iPad. I saw no need for myself and as I struggled to find needs for others, I couldn't. I was literally thinking "What the hell are they thinking".

It worked.

Since then I don't make no predictions anymore. And I try to warn occasional bystanders that make broad claims.

We'll see.

clickbait monger

[edittard]

somewhat familiar to traditional time pieces

So my kitchen clock will see it and say "Hmm, I've seen that before"?

Free Software

[edibobb]

Superfish, at no extra charge.

Another missing element - pockets

[SuperKendall]

So going by that metric, they also had no pockets. Are we to be soon without pockets? Will utility belt only carrying really catch on?

I don't think so.

Do you actually own a Smart Watch? Then you don't

[Anonymous Coward]

Silly comments by people saying how smart watches are not usefull. They don't own one, so they probablly don't even know what they do. Also a Moto 360 owner. Were do I start...Texting by voice from my wrist? Instant turn by turn navigation on my wrist(while walking)? Seeing who is calling with a quick glance and then sending a pre-canned message saying I will call back later? Taking notes with just voice? Getting apointment reminders? Setting a timer for 20 minutes hands free while I am cooking in the kitchen? I could go on and on....

Re:Do you actually own a Smart Watch? Then you don

[wiredlogic]

All while having to inanely repeat "Ok Google" to wake up the device. I wish their marketing department would be dragged out and shot so we could get a customizable activation phrase like the Moto X has.