Smartwatch Technology

Mar 14, 2021

One of the first ever watches created was being shown in the 16th century that demonstrated the motion of two needles referred to as spring-driven clocks. These clocks operated using a spring leveler system designated to the turning motion of the spring that changes every-time a full 360 clockwise rotation is accomplished on a circular object. Over time, as more resources become available for use in developing a smarter device, the mechanical clock came to play. This is, to this day, one of the oldest functioning watches which include pocket watches, and wristwatches. Mechanical clocks apply the usage of winding a mainspring that turns gears by moving each hand from a rotating balanced wheel. Then came along the electric or digital watch face, where small micro-led lights dilapidated onto a screen that showed the current time, adjusted using a small knob on the side of the main watch head. Over time, more notably, several smartwatch prototypes appeared that included a compact calculator, a heart rate monitor with GPS capabilities, and more. One of the earliest smartwatch designs came with a small led screen powered by solar energy, that was able to display messages when a user syncs their watch with their mobile devices in 1997. In the mid 2000’s, as technology became widely adopted, developers started writing code for smartwatch applications with the adaptation of Android WearOS and Apple OS. Popular applications including calendar, stopwatch, gallery, messages, and more started to appear on many smartwatches. Even popular watch companies including Rolex and Seiko have started working on their own smartwatch prototype. Seiko, the once popular watch company that launched in Japan, integrated a small TV onto their watch faces to attract customers by attaching a small adapter that is able to display information onto a screen. That unfortunately was not the best user experience people looked into as its technology was being developed by applying quartz chronograph. Even Samsung popularized their own version of the Android WearOS within their galaxy gear devices. Most noticeably, Apple has taken the smartwatch industry onto another level. They made their watches perform much better and more battery efficient compared to its predecessors. Owning an Apple Watch is like owning a current day Tesla. Each user that owns an Apple Watch is able to sync their personal profile between their other Apple owned devices providing seamless connectivity under the Apple ecosystem. No other company on the market so far has tried to provide a better user interface and user experience than that of Apple. What makes it more appealing than other popular smartwatch manufacturers. First and foremost, the brand is symbolic and appealing to customers, everyone expects it to give a form of recognition to the table. Second, most tech consumers would point out the apple ecosystem and how strong it is getting each year in attracting more customers. Their applications are flawless, interface is clean and the battery performance is superior when it comes to owning a smartwatch. Apple’s lineup accounts for 23.4% of the total smartphone sales across the globe, making it a true champion when paired with its predecessor the Apple Watch. Apple is currently in the lead for best smartwatch price and performance, most importantly it offers a sleek and clean user interface and watch design. One of the few reasons Android users have noted their smartwatch lacks app compatibility and frequent sync issues compared to Apple. There have been moments when the watch would lose connectivity when it is a few inches away from its source, and pairing a pair of headphones is a hassle. Android WearOS applications don’t have great benchmark scores. Over time, Android smartwatches might be able to finally fix major bug issues in their software as more developers aim at producing cleaner and efficient product applications offered on hundreds of Android WearOS devices. Only time will tell what the next smartwatch prototype will be, and whether or not a company unlike Apple or Samsung will become more noticeable in the smartwatch industry.