Hackers' delight? New Apple wrist-puter gives securobods the FEAR Security pundits are already fretting over the security of the Apple Watch, just hours after the expensive gizmo was launched at a high profile US event. Ken Westin, security researcher at Tripwire, said that the security implications of the wearable device's Wi-Fi connection capabilities create a potential opportunity for …
For example, your watch can display you a message along the lines "how much more time are you going to spend at the coffee machine?", or "it's fifteen minutes you're in the bathroom, any health issue?", or "it looks you've been not typing on the keyboard for the last half an hour" - while ringing the alarm in case you're asleep. Also it could check if your wereable and someone else are a little too close...
But here in Italy the DIY chain OBI is already "buzzing" wristbands for employee, if a customer needs help the wristband starts to buzz and doesn't stop until you reach the customer...
"Given the fact that it is a high profile device which will have wide adoption, "
That's a pretty big claim to just take as a given. How many BYOD iPhone users could have spared the retail price for their current phone, up front? Only people with that disposable income are in the market for an iPhone accessory that costs the same as a high-end SIM-free phone.
(The claimed parallels with iPad are specious. iPad was and is a product that could exist independently of other Apple gear.. I know several people who own iPads and not one other Apple product)
That's a pretty big claim to just take as a given
You're absolutely right.
I have quite a bit of Apple gear, but it's stuff that happens to work for me, I'm not buying kit just because some guy in a roll neck gets a love-in group to say so (by way of illustration, I only just bought a Kindle Paperwhite because I now have a use for it).
I am willing to accept that there may be people out there that have a genuine need for it, but I personally struggle to come up with a single argument - I prefer the watches I already have, they do a year on a single battery, and they tend to be at most a single second off when I check them against atomic time.
Just buying something new because a supplier releases it instead of actually needing it is IMHO a waste of money. Although, Microsoft has been living off that for decades :).
+parallels with iPad are specious
Plus, ipads are demonstrably handy, even if they are not strictly required.
iwatch on the other hand... I'm still wondering what the use-case might be which isn't solved by a phone - the best I can come up with is that even a vibrating phone isn't always felt. I'm not sure that necessitates a several hundred dollar spend though. I almost suggested a bluetooth vibrating ring but that might be tricky to advertise.
I was going to compare the watch with Apple /// or Lisa, but they were demonstrably useful too and relatively powerful computers for their day. Newton perhaps?
This is all interesting to watch. I have backed the latest pebble on kickstarter. My 10 year old kinetic watch broken in December. I had a old spare battery watch, and replaced the battery, but it only has the time and I am missing the date (day of the week would be nice as well). So I am in the market for a new watch, my requirements are
Robust and maintenance free. Therefore waterproof, and metal strap (use to hate to process of changing the strap on the plastic ones) and not needing a battery change either (hence kinetic). accurate time, date display.
I take my watch off every night so it would not be that much of a hassle to charge it everynight, but I would like to go away fro the weekend without needing a charge. I have looked a lot, but the majority of the cheap kinetic/solar watches, I don't like the style of, and some of the nice features (radio time sync, day of week etc.) end up costing in the hundreds. As I see it the pebble is cheaper than a good kinetic and has all the features plus more, for the inconvenience of a slightly larger watch and needing to charge it regularly (hoping for a solar smart watch) and probably only a few years life.
So I am only really in the market for a pebble because my old watch has died, but having the weather forecast on my watch would be a plus, and knowing whether to answer my mobile without getting it out of my pocket would also be a bonus.
"There is a case for those who want to receive notifications from their phone, but felt that wearing google glass showed you were obviously a twat."
Whereas this makes it less obvious?
But considering Ebay is full of smart watches from China that will do that on pretty much any phone for under £30.. The price premium better allow something waaaay better than just notifications and a glorified fitbit.
What were they thinking, no other device has ever broken this cardinal rule of security and supported both. Any laptop or smartphone that ever tried was hacked into oblivion within an hour of release and quickly pulled from the market as it was designated impossible to secure.
Idiots.
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