The Apple Watch is set to go up for pre-order on Friday, April 10, and then launch to the masses a couple of weeks later. It’s a big product for Apple, even if it’s billed as one of the company’s most personal, too. The Cupertino-based Apple is betting big on wearable technology, just as the rest of the mobile market has in one way or another, and as usual it’s going to be interesting to see how the consumer market reacts to the device.
Right now, there are a lot of people looking forward to the Watch as a whole, in whatever variation they’re planning on buying. There’s a lot to be excited about, after all. The Watch handles notifications really well, it looks great, and there are plenty of (expensive) options to customize it to your liking.
Yeah, the battery life could be better, and that will eventually happen with subsequent models, but right now we’re talking about a first generation product. This is a device for the early adopters. The people that want a smartwatch for their iPhone, but haven’t been happy with the selection so far.
As my fellow editor, Anna, pointed out, the success of the Apple Watch is very much up in the air, but I honestly have no doubts that it’s going to crush records. I expect that every other manufacturer out there that has built a smartwatch or other wearable expects the same thing, too.
And yet, I’m just sitting here hoping that Android Wear is getting iOS support soon.
Don’t get me wrong, I think I’ve landed on the side of the fence that’s going to see me buy an Apple Watch at launch, but that’s more about me just wanting to try it out than expecting to actually keep it. (If I do keep it, that will be amazing all by itself.) But, in truth, after trying out Android Wear on devices like the Moto 360, I think I’d be perfectly content with Android Wear connected to my iPhone 6.
Android Wear has a lot of room to grow, and there’s a possibility that the communication between the iPhone and Android Wear isn’t all that fantastic (at least when compared to the connectivity between Wear and Android as a whole), but I also believe it will be more than manageable, too. Android Wear has already seen plenty of updates to make the platform better, and that’s obviously going to continue well into the future.
Plus, I think the successor to the Moto 360, or any other first-gen Android Wear-based smartwatch for that matter, are going to be great in all the right ways.
More than that, though, it’s about selection and options. While I think the Apple Watch has its strengths, there are some Android Wear smartwatches that I think look better, aesthetically. (I’m a fan of round watches, what can I say?) I’m sure the Watch is built to Apple’s standards, which probably makes it stand out within the smartwatch crowd, but I also have to take into account just looking at the accessory, too.
And the options part comes from the fact that while I’m using an iPhone right now, I might not be two weeks or a month from now, so using something like Android Wear to switch between iOS and Android would be pretty awesome. Obviously the Apple Watch isn’t going to get that kind of support, but if Android Wear does, that’s a leg up on the competition as far as I’m concerned. Locking down a platform is one thing, but an accessory? That’s just not cool, companies.
In any event, are you hoping that Google announces iOS support for Android Wear at this year’s Google I/O conference? Or are you perfectly content waiting for the Apple Watch? Let me know!
