{"id":2787,"date":"2013-02-12T14:52:26","date_gmt":"2013-02-12T20:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zepfhyr.com\/blog\/?p=2787"},"modified":"2019-01-12T17:27:44","modified_gmt":"2019-01-12T23:27:44","slug":"the-iband-and-the-future-of-wearable-computing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zepfhyr.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/the-iband-and-the-future-of-wearable-computing\/","title":{"rendered":"The iBand and the future of wearable computing"},"content":{"rendered":"

I recently signed up for App.net<\/a> (a paid Twitter alternative) and have quite enjoyed the conversations in which I’ve found myself involved. Two of the more interesting discussions have been about the future of the Apple TV (more on that later) and Apple’s rumored wearable iOS device that Michael Norton (@zenimpulse<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0– ADN<\/a>) recently dubbed the iBand.<\/p>\n

If you haven’t seen the hundreds of posts about it yet, let me fill you in. On Sunday, The New York Times<\/em> published a blog entry<\/a> about Apple’s rumored ‘iWatch’ and suddenly the Internet exploded with theories, rumors, and various people shouting that they know a guy that knows a guy, etc. Is it true? Only Apple knows for sure, but that hasn’t stopped speculation from clogging up the Interwebs.<\/p>\n

Today, a group of us on ADN<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0were discussing the possibilities of a wearable device that paired with our iPhones, iPads, and Macs and enabled us to do things that we currently can’t. It’s all wild speculation, of course, but it didn’t stop us from dreaming. As the discussion progressed, it became clear that what Apple might be building is much more than a watch, but an entirely new accessory to existing computing technology. It’s no surprise that most of us had already read Bruce Tognazzini’s thoughts<\/a> on the rumored device, so it directed much of our discussion.<\/p>\n

We were quickly divided into two reasonable (and polite<\/a>) camps: those that believe an iBand would be an amazing device capable of changing how we interact with the technology around us, and those that believe it would be unnecessary in a world where we’re already\u00c2\u00a0too connected<\/em>. One of the fundamental differences of opinion came from how each person views the rumored device: Do I need more from a watch? Can this even be considered\u00c2\u00a0a watch or is it something more<\/em>?
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Here are a list of items we discussed as potential features for the rumored iBand:<\/p>\n