FocusMotion breaks down the Apple Watch's mass market viability

Most people think of smartwatches as wrist-mounted cell phones or small GPS systems, but FocusMotion, a LA-based smartwatch developer, argues people should think differently when considering the Apple Watch.

 

FocusMotion has developed a smartwatch app, and has a smartwatch motion recognition platform for the Samsung Galaxy Gear, the Sony Smartwatch and the Pebble. It has plans to develop for the Apple Watch too. According to FocusMotion’s co-founder and COO Grant Hughes, Apple Watch represents the beginning of a viable mass-market wearable.

 

For starters, consider that the Apple Watch comes in different sizes. “That they have two different sizes shows that they are really considering a female audience,” said Hughes. “Frankly, there aren’t really devices right now that look good on a women’s wrist, besides the Pebble.”

 

That Apple manufactures two sizes “shows they are trying to create a lifestyle device you’ll want to wear all the time,” said Hughes.

 

As obvious as it sounds, wearing a wearable all the time will be key to the success of the smartwatch category. Consumers haven't quickly adopted smartwatches because, besides telling time and providing a small second screen, most people can’t find a reason to use a wearable continuously. “Just having a notification on your wrist is cool, but it doesn’t really enable unique use cases.” 

 

One of the best ways to create a unique use case in a smartwatch is to have a reliable heart rate sensor. Heart rate is one of the most basic health indicators and a watch that could monitor pulse continuously would give a lot of insight into a user's health and activity. “There are very few devices that can do continuous heart rate,” said Hughes. The Apple Watch, however, can.

 

Combined with an accelerometer to measure movement, the Apple Watch should be capable of measuring “what you're doing, how well you're doing, but also how it is effecting you,” said Hughes. “You take all of those biometric inputs and you start to create holistic views of the user.”

 

Of course, Apple’s signature infusion of humanity into technology makes heart rate monitoring a fun feature as well. The Apple Watch can visualize a user’s pulse and can even transmit images of one user’s heart beat to another. 

 

“That blend of technology and intimacy is pretty fascinating. Think of incorporating something like that into speed dating or Match.com,” said Hughes.

 

Right now, the Apple Watch is somewhat light on sensors compared to its competitors, like the Samsung Galaxy Gear. With only a heart rate monitor and an accelerometer, Apple’s decision to offer the Apple Watch in a smaller size may have limited the number of sensors it could fit. Apple has also historically had a practice of sacrificing advanced features in order to perfect functionality for the everyday user. For wearables, size is a functionality consideration.

 

Rumors say the next generation Apple Watch will come with additional sensors.

 

“These sensor sizes are going to shrink and power consumption is going to get lower and that means there is going to be more of them,” said Hughes. “Going forward absolutely there is going to be sensors proliferating on our bodies.”

 

An abundance of sensor input will change everyday life drastically.

 

“Think about everything the GPS sensor has enabled in your life,” said Hughes. “It essentially opened up an entirely new ecosystem of geo-location. What makes it really cool is a vast number of developers get to release their creative energy on these sensors.”

 

Because the Apple Watch won’t be out until early 2015, developers have a few months to ramp up. That is something Hughes sees as not only important for app development, but also for device adoption.

 

“If you look at Google search trends around fitness, weight loss, exercise, it’s steady until the New Year,” said Hughes, referencing the spike New Years resolutions create in the fitness industry. “I think there will be quite a explosion of adoption of these devices. In early 2015, I think we will see this space will be validated.”