Masakazu Honda talks about wearable devices / 4th "Issues of Apple Watch Series 3" | Luxury watch magazine Chronos Japan [webChronos]

Masakazu Honda is a well-known journalist in the field of technology. Mr. Honda talks about the "wearable device" that he wears on his arm. The fourth is about the issues that are necessary for the Apple Watch to develop further in the future.

The Apple Watch Series 3 is not perfect

　The Apple Watch Series 3, as I have mentioned in previous articles, is a smartwatch with an extremely high degree of perfection. It maximizes the functionality that smartphones have brought to us as a device worn on the arm. It functions as a companion to smartphones, and it also functions as a gateway for a variety of information on its own. It's not perfect, though.

　Fashionability? "Of course, there's that too." Let's start by looking at two fashion issues with the Apple Watch.

　One is its uniformity. A smartwatch, which requires interaction with the owner through an “app,” needs to fix the shape of the screen used for communication with humans, or the shape of the “face” of the watch. In addition, if you add basic manners such as touch operation, dial, button operation, etc., the overall form will be greatly restricted. For that reason, the Apple Watch makes it possible to use bands of various materials, mechanisms, and designs so casually that you want to replace them every day. However, it is not possible to seek the same sense of depth as analog watches that have a long history.

　Another hurdle to fashionability is the lifetime of the driving device. Of course, it is not a story that the Apple Watch is easily broken. Battery replacement will be necessary, but other than those parts, the problem with the life of the Apple Watch is not so big. But the typical "watch", whether mechanical, quartz analogue or digital, does not lose its functionality over time. However, smartwatches, which are also a kind of personal computer, have concerns over how long they can keep up with the times.

　In terms of the exterior, the wonderfully polished 18K gold case of the original Apple Watch Edition was made with admirable precision, while in terms of smartwatch usability, the aluminum case There is the fact that the Series 3 feels much better.

　If you define "fashionability" as something that is governed by your own values ​​or the values ​​of the community as a whole, including those around you, then in the future, you will not care about the material or finish of the case, and the functionality of the product itself. The time may come when we will be judged on our sexuality. However, from the current sense of fashionability of watches, it is difficult to complete "fashionability of smartwatches" as well as Apple Watch.