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Swatch CEO: Apple Watch Is ‘Interesting Toy’ That Can't Last More Than 24 Hours

Swatch CEO: Apple Watch Is ‘Interesting Toy’ That Can't Last More Than 24 Hours

August 24, 2015

Samuel Gibbs writing for the Guardian:

In an interview with Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, Hayek Jr said: “The Apple watch is an interesting toy, but not a revolution.”

“These devices, which all eat so much power that they last no longer than 24 hours without needing to be plugged in. In addition, the user immediately loses control of their data. I personally don’t want my blood pressure and blood sugar values stored in the cloud, or on servers in Silicon Valley.”

This reminds me so much of the reaction from John Markoff, former CEO of PALM, to the reaction of the iPhone:

We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone,” he said. “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.

Hayak continues:

We will bring a watch to market this year that acts as an alternative to the credit card, using near field communication. The technology works, we’re just finalising details with our partners from the credit card industry. The watch can be used for access control.

This is the best part though:

As a watch producer, I cannot accept the responsibility of whether my device warns a customer in time before a heart attack.

First off, the Apple Watch doesn’t tell you anything about a heart attack coming. Not yet. And if it does, you can bet your ass that Apple will have worked with the FDA to get approval for this sort of thing.

Secondly, if that day comes, you may want to buy it because a shit storm is coming your way and you can’t even see it.