Dr. Mo: Smartwatches need to be more useful

Are you ready to buy a smartwatch? You may need to wait a while because they are not mature yet. Walt Mossberg, executive editor of The Verge and a well-known American technology critic, recently published a column in which he believed that smartwatches are still not necessary digital tools and there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Smartwatches are still not a necessity

Dr. Mo said that smartphones, laptops and even iPads are essential digital tools in his life because they are important tools for communication, information acquisition and productivity. But what about the $700 Apple Watch? It seems to be just optional. So why can't smart watches become a necessity for users?

Dr. Mo believes that smart watches have not yet found their true position and are currently just a supplement to mobile phones. Most of the time, they provide a similar experience to mobile phones, such as notifications, but this is just a repetition, even if the notification viewing experience of smart watches is more convenient than that of mobile phones in some occasions. Taking Apple Watch as an example, Dr. Mo used "2 and a half" (applying the American TV series "Two and a Half Men") to describe its user experience. Sports tracking and notifications are the main functions, and the other half is mobile payment and code identity verification services. The reason for half is that many users will use their mobile phones to complete them, rather than having to twist their wrists to scan QR codes.

In addition, Dr. Mo said that he rarely uses third-party watch apps, even though Apple has been using this as a major selling point to promote the value of Apple Watch. In fact, the number of Apple Watch apps has rapidly increased from 4,000 in the early days to more than 13,000, but the core experience is nothing more than exercise monitoring, notifications, mobile payments and verification, and there are still problems with slow response speed and poor interface design.

Apple's market effect

Of course, it is undeniable that the smartwatch market has begun to expand rapidly, and Apple is the biggest contributor. Although Apple has been secretive about the specific sales of Apple Watch, according to data from British market research company Juniper last week, Apple Watch sales last year exceeded half of the total smartwatch sales, about 8 to 9 million units, which is obviously a huge success. In contrast, Apple's biggest competitor, Google's Android Wear, only occupies less than 10% of the market.

In addition, Dr. Mo mentioned the "Apple effect", which refers to Apple's continued influence. For example, the first generation of iPod and iPhone did not really lead the market, and usually showed great market power after the second and third generations. Apple Watch will undoubtedly have subsequent products, and its value is immeasurable.

What's next for smartwatches?

Dr. Mok believes that smart watches may not need a "killer feature", but they must find an irreplaceable position. They need to handle some things completely independently, quickly and easily, which may be the next direction of development.

For example, smartphones are usually faster and easier to use, such as map navigation, while smart watches can take on the responsibility of communicating with cars and smart homes because they are always worn on the user's wrist. So, if the user wishes, the smart watch can become an authentication tool, open the door or remotely start the car; in stores that are frequently visited, users can add the watch as the default payment tool, without having to make payment operations again and again.

Of course, realizing the above experience requires iOS and Android to make further progress in the Internet of Things, which may take some time. Smart watches may not need to become smarter, but they need to be more useful and become a complementary device.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.