I'm starting to get intrigued by the idea of an iWatch that has payment and identification capabilities authenticated by a TouchID sensor on the strap. It makes more sense than fumbling around for a phone at the point of sale. The watch could have other functions when tethered to a phone, but certain functions, like payment and ID (and step tracking/ heart rate monitoring), could be independent. I'm with ya on the potential of payment and other authentication functions for a watch, but still differ in that I think that for Apple or anyone else to succeed in the category, they'll have to make a watch that follows the lead of Samsung Gear S with standalone data capabilities. The Gear S will flounder because it is 3G instead of 4G and because it went with Tizen instead of the broadly compatible Android Wear, but I don't think it will be long before someone hits the LTE/Wear mark. Apple could also do it with LTE/iOS. For $10/month, you could add the device to your existing shared data plan on Verizon, for example, and have access to Google Now or Siri without needing to carry a second device (your phone). You could secure authorizations (including but not limited to payments), use GPS-enabled geolocation applications, monitor biometrics, and receive/transmit data (including short voice bursts) when needed, retaining a useful battery life. No one would use such a watch for extensive web browsing or composing work documents, but it would free you up from your phone during times you need to be connected but don't need a huge screen nor do a lot of talking. And thinking further ahead, it would be easy to make the watch sync with not only your phone, but your tablet, laptop, desktop, TV, etc so that it could share the same accounts and data when you have access to the larger screens and hardware. But I dream, I dream... |
