The Next Wave of Mobile Communications?

Smart watches are coming. Just as Apple made the original iPhone a fashion accessory, they may create a new market for the next must-have possession.

Currently, four manufacturers are rumored to be creating smart watches: Apple, Samsung, LG, and Google. Whichever company introduces the first model may have a significant advantage. Samsung is currently stealing a lot of market share for coolness from Apple. If they create the first smart watch, they may dominate the new niche like Apple did with their first iPod.

Smart watches will pose fresh challenges for marketing teams:

• Entirely new genres of apps must be developed to take advantage of the possibilities. One example might be fitness-oriented apps. Swimmers would be much more likely to swim while wearing a watch than with a smart phone strapped to their backs. And every ounce matters for marathon runners.
• A 1.5″ screen is much smaller than a smart phone’s screen, so new web interfaces and advertising methods must be developed.
• Copywriters will be required to boil their messages down even shorter than before.
• Designers must find images that capture the visual information with even fewer pixels.
• Video must be crafted for an even smaller screen.
• If the videos have sound, audio engineers will need to tweak soundtracks for even smaller speakers.

Smart watch adoption levels will probably be smaller than smart phone adoption levels. But maybe with a cool version of the now-geeky bluetooth earpiece, smart watches could also become smart phones!

Footnotes:

• Google is unique with their forth-coming “Google Glass” smart glasses, but I predict those will not be as cool as smart watches. For one thing, the Google Glass is not compatible with prescription glasses. Another downside is that interacting with a part of your field of vision is potentially very hazardous, unless the wearer is just relaxing on a couch.
• Sony has a Smartwatch already, but its capabilities are much fewer than the other possible watches mentioned above. Another watch in that category is Pebble.

Image courtesy of Mashable.

-Paul Merrill