Apple Watch pre-orders begin tomorrow, with its official launch just around the corner on April 24. Although Apple is far from the first to create a smartwatch, it seems that all eyes are on this latest attempt at a smartwatch based on Apple’s previous merits of success with mobile gadgets. After all, if they can make it work with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod, why not the smartwatch as well?
But there’s still speculation that, even with Apple throwing their hat into the ring, smartwatches might never become mainstream. At least not in their current form.
A recent article by Sammobile suggests that Samsung has recently patented a design that challenges the way we think of smartwatches right now. At this point in time, a smartwatch is a completely separate entity from a smartwatch. You have a smartphone, and you have a smartwatch; the smartwatch depends on the smartphone in most cases to reach its full potential, but they are two separate devices that require two separate charges.
Samsung’s latest patent suggests that Samsung wants to combine two into one with a device that can serve as both.
With a flexible screen and components that could make this device serve as a standard smartphone or as a form-fitting wrist device, this patent may be the answer to one of the problems that smartwatches face today, which is whether a person really needs or has a use for one. This device would just be able to change form whenever the user’s needs change; if you need a smartphone, use it as a smartphone. If you need a smartwatch, use it a smartwatch. You charge one device and you have a two-in-one solution.
Of course, it’s likely easier said than done. Still, I think that Samsung might actually be on to something here.
I am not a huge advocate of smartwatches right now. I don’t own one, and I’m on the fence about purchasing one. I see the value in being able to see notifications on my wrist, but between the cost of the device, the considerably weak battery life on most models, and the fact that most smartwatches just don’t make sense without being paired with a smartphone anyway, I haven’t been able to jump on that bandwagon just yet. However, if my smartphone could somehow just turn into a “smartwatch” of sorts whenever I needed it to, I would actually be inclined at this point to say that that would be a device I would be interested in purchasing.
Who knows where the popularity of the smartwatch as we know it will be in a couple of years. With Apple on the market now, I imagine the pace at which the smartwatch improves will be increased tenfold. Maybe all the smartwatch really needs is better battery life in order for people to really want the product, but I think that this patented concept could actually succeed fairly well.
Readers, what are your thoughts on this patent? Is this smartphone/smartwatch hybrid something you’d be interested in?
