Google came out with Android Wear first, but Apple is still planning to come out with its own watch. So the question is: What features will it have and how does the Android side stack up?
If we look at Apple's recent focus, we have: Siri, Health, Home Automation.
I doubt they can match Google Now but better Home Automation and better syncing between content on various devices and the watch should certainly be possible.
Apple has the advantage of having a single eco-system whereas even now, the Android stuff is often fragmented (which Google is trying to resolve). People aren't quite as into being Samsung homes, as being Apple homes... So more consistency of experience is needed on the Android side, even when manufacturers are different.
Preferably TV and internet ads showing Android home automation need to be on before the Apple stuff starts with their new watch... The tech is already there - whether consumers are being educated is a separate question (That was apparently one of Steve Jobs' views on marketing: Not selling, but rather educating your customer on what you offer - so they can see the value themselves)
I'd just find it lame to have Apple come out with some new presentation that makes them look like they invented the idea of controlling the home with a phone or watch - when the stuff is already out there.
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The other main angle no doubt, is the aesthetics issue.
Its funny, in Japan, when the iPhone came out, there were phones you could use for payments and where you could get full TV coverage on better screens than the iPhone had, with better batteries... And the local phone companies thought that the iPhone would die like a dog.
Surprisingly, it was a huge hit with Japanese women and gained 15% of the overall market - because of customization - and not because the UI was customizable like Android's, but because you could get a huge number of pretty looking cases for the phone... Customizing an Android phone's experience takes some thought and research - picking a pretty case takes almost no thought.
Some variation of that might still be a factor in the success of Android Wear devices vs. the iWatch... Whether you can make it look prettier, more easily or not. I'm sure the iWatch will look decent out of the box, but it might also be suited to enhancements that aren't much unlike phone covers... It really shouldn't be hard to design a watch with easily replaced or enhanced straps and other features that let you make it your own (maybe even have it automatically enhance the UI based on whatever you did to the strap - so its simple).
If we look at Apple's recent focus, we have: Siri, Health, Home Automation.
I doubt they can match Google Now but better Home Automation and better syncing between content on various devices and the watch should certainly be possible.
Apple has the advantage of having a single eco-system whereas even now, the Android stuff is often fragmented (which Google is trying to resolve). People aren't quite as into being Samsung homes, as being Apple homes... So more consistency of experience is needed on the Android side, even when manufacturers are different.
Preferably TV and internet ads showing Android home automation need to be on before the Apple stuff starts with their new watch... The tech is already there - whether consumers are being educated is a separate question (That was apparently one of Steve Jobs' views on marketing: Not selling, but rather educating your customer on what you offer - so they can see the value themselves)
I'd just find it lame to have Apple come out with some new presentation that makes them look like they invented the idea of controlling the home with a phone or watch - when the stuff is already out there.
-
The other main angle no doubt, is the aesthetics issue.
Its funny, in Japan, when the iPhone came out, there were phones you could use for payments and where you could get full TV coverage on better screens than the iPhone had, with better batteries... And the local phone companies thought that the iPhone would die like a dog.
Surprisingly, it was a huge hit with Japanese women and gained 15% of the overall market - because of customization - and not because the UI was customizable like Android's, but because you could get a huge number of pretty looking cases for the phone... Customizing an Android phone's experience takes some thought and research - picking a pretty case takes almost no thought.
Some variation of that might still be a factor in the success of Android Wear devices vs. the iWatch... Whether you can make it look prettier, more easily or not. I'm sure the iWatch will look decent out of the box, but it might also be suited to enhancements that aren't much unlike phone covers... It really shouldn't be hard to design a watch with easily replaced or enhanced straps and other features that let you make it your own (maybe even have it automatically enhance the UI based on whatever you did to the strap - so its simple).
