MULTIMEDIA

Apple’s Next Big Thing - Wearable Computing (Part 1)

7/5/2013 9:24:59 AM

What can we expect from the wearable technology revolution in this post-pc age?

We’re at one of those moments in time where technology that just a few years ago was considered the realm of science fiction seems set to become reality. We could soon be making video calls via our wristwatch just like Dick Tracy, and the embarrassment of forgetting someone’s name will become a thing of the past when you can pull up information about the person you are speaking to, Terminator-style, thanks to facial recognition technology built into your glasses. It sounds far-fetched, but in a year or two you might be surprised at how far technology has become integrated into your life, and just how wearable technology is.

In fact, the revolution has already started. Only a few years ago, the idea that you could fit the power of a computer in your pocket would have astounded many, but in 2007 Apple launched the iPhone with many of the features of a computer.

We’re at one of those moments in time where technology that just a few years ago was considered the realm of science fiction seems set to become reality.

We’re at one of those moments in time where technology that just a few years ago was considered the realm of science fiction seems set to become reality.

Even now that we have come to take the power of our smartphones for granted, we should take a minute to recognize the immense amount of technology we can already fit into such a small device. On it we can run apps that let us do everything from composing music or playing a guitar, to translating languages or ‘blowing’ a dog whistle.

But what can we expect from the wearable technology revolution? Google has already announced plans to build a head-mounted wearable computer, and while Apple hasn’t announced anything, the rumor mill is bursting with claims it’s working on an iWatch, with patent filings backing up this idea.

You don’t even have to wait to join the revolution. There are already wearable items with computational power built in, although it doesn’t look like any of these devices will be turning us into cyborgs quite yet.

State Of Play

The machines are waking up. We already have gizmos that can track how many calories we burn during a workout, smart fridges that order food before we run out, and intelligent home control systems such as the Nest thermostat ($249.99, www.nest.com), which learns the temperatures you like and turns itself down when you’re away from home.

The iPod Nano spawned an industry of straps designed to turn the tiny music player into something you wore, such as eMonsters’ Nanox ($61, bit.ly/WM9pM1) shown here.

If you define wearable technology as being anything with some form of processor, we’re already using it: the Nike + FuelBand ($199, www.nike. com) or Pebble’s iPhone-friendly watch ($149 getpebble.com). People even turned the iPod Nano into a watch by attaching it to watch straps. Apple embraced this by incorporating a variety of watch face options, though the current Nano no longer fits the watch template.

Simple objects are also gaining sensors and computational powers. It’s only in the past few years we’ve had access to the electronic components that put processors on your wrist, in your pocket or in your wallet. Indeed, until recently, those developing wearable technologies faced major technical challenges. Pioneers weren’t just attempting to invent something new, but also grappling with hardware limitations, connectivity issues, and display, processor and motherboard miniaturization challenges, while attempting to ensure good battery life.

the iPod Nano

the iPod Nano

The debut of smart devices from the likes of Apple, and earlier Palm, changed this environment. They emerged at a time when ARM, Intel and others began to develop low-energy processors for mobile devices. Today, intense competition within the smartphone sector means rapid advances are being made in processor, connectivity, component, display and associated technologies.

Cloud Cover

In addition, improvements to Wi-Fi technologies and faster mobile networks means the IP-enabled infrastructure for these connected devices is available. There’s also the cloud. We can already access complex software via our mobiles without ever installing it, which means a device doesn’t even need to have a large amount of storage if it can access everything it needs in the cloud.

The issue of integrating processors inside these devices is currently being sidestepped by manufacturers, who are using the smartphone as the connected processor ‘brain’ for their wearable devices. Coupled with cloud-based systems, it could be possible to access data that helps your smart devices be responsive to your needs. They could learn what you want, and get it for you. For example, when you walk into a hotel room, your device could set it to your preferred temperature.

“The stars of tomorrow are going to be the ones that carry computers into better understanding of humans. Eventually these machines are going to be like human friends. It’s absolutely going to happen,” enthused Apple co-founder.

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