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Wearables will be the hot thing for the foreseeable future. Companies that are associated with them could be good stock picks. Another boost for tech funds.
@John Chisum; If you let me know where you live, I'd send you the best timepiece in the world, a sun dial. Regards, Ted P.S. When you get on a subject, you sure beat it to death. If I didn't know better I might think your pumping and dumping APPL.
Explain to me why a smartwatch is anything besides paying $350 to not have to pull my phone out of my pocket (and I'm not directing that towards JohnChisum, I'm simply saying it in general.)
Given the fact that the watch basically apparently cannot work (or at least cannot do much) without the phone, that's effectively telling me that the watch is primarily a "compliment" to the phone and therefore, a very expensive status symbol and means to not have to go through the very simple step of getting my phone out of my pocket.
There was a good discussion on CNBC yesterday that it's starting to get ridiculous. Of course (OF COURSE) you need another charger for your watch. So, now people have to drag a phone charger, watch charger and if you have your laptop, a laptop charger. It becomes a mess of wires and ultimately, unnecessary. While it's not been confirmed, some discussion over the last week or so that the Watch battery is ultimately not that great and may need a recharge or two throughout a day if it's used actively.
I love my phone, but the watch is an attempt to fix an issue that isn't there - I have no need to have notifications or other things beamed from my phone to a watch.
I definitely get the health implications of it and that's compelling, but again, nothing that I think can't be done via the phone OR an increasing amount of cheaper alternatives (fitbit and that sort of thing.)
I like Apple and I think there's the feeling for the first time in a while that there are more things on the horizon.
That said, I think the watch takes the idea of "smart devices" one step too far and it just doesn't really address a need that the phone doesn't already cover. Again, the health implications are interesting, but I just see the watch as a status symbol more than anything else. The fact that the watch is effectively "tethered" to the phone really makes me uninterested in paying $350 for it or even less than half of that.
Hey, maybe I'm wrong, but I have yet to see a demonstration of the usefulness of the smartwatch as a category.
Well, Batman certainly liked his special watch. Maybe we need a BatWatch?
My thought process:
Basically, I use the heck out of my phone. I read on it constantly, look for stock news, get alerts, play the occasional game, watch Youtube, beam things to the TV via Chromecast and a lot more.
Apple may sell a TON of watches.
However, I look at it and go:
For $350, I can:
1. Get notifications that I would otherwise get on my phone.
I don't know what else I would do on it. I am not going to read longer articles on a tiny screen, I'm not going to play games or watch videos on a tiny screen.
For $350, someone could get a very nice new LG G3 phone for $100 more or a refurb Nexus 5 for less or a refurb Nexus 4 for WAY less.
So for around the same price, someone could get a feature-rich phone.
Maybe I'm being too practical, but that's just how I see it.
WSJ & NYT both had interesting takes yesterday. Mostly positive. Starwood has an app that lets you wave your watch at room lock to enter, etc. Apparently it's already loaded and ready to go when you arrive at the hotel.
Has a heart rate sensor built in (ostensibly for athletes) but which raises all kinds of interesting possibilities when you couple it with the built in GPS function.
No. Don't want one. I generally don't wear a watch and also tend to either break or lose anything smaller than an iPad.
It will be interesting to see how the iWatch does in China. The Chinese love status symbols and Apple is certainly looking more and more at China for growth.
@scott I truly laughed out loud when I read your post, especially the third paragraph.
I think what would solve this whole issue is to create a device like the "tricorder" in Star Trek. It seemed to do everything except make coffee. One scan, and everything wrong with you would appear on its screen. On second thought, maybe we don't want that much information I think Apple will be having a good laugh over people buying yet another product that people think they must have just to be cool. I have a smart phone, tablet, laptop and desktop. I think I will pass on the phone (don't have any apple products anyway).
@scott I think Apple will be having a good laugh over people buying yet another product that people think they must have just to be cool.
You know, when the latest iphone came out and people reported issues with the phones getting bent in their pocket, I wondered how that could be if they have a case because, everyone has a case for their phone, right? I mean, I don't have an iPhone and I have a tremendous case (the Ballistic cases, which are available on Amazon and are two parts that are put together) on my phone. Then I pondered the idea that if people are buying an iPhone with any sort of view of it as a "status symbol" then no, they're not going to have a case, because if they have a case, then how would other people know it's an iPhone?
I suppose the problem that I have is that I'm too practical. There are a lot of great Android phones that are very nice phones and similarly powerful for a $200-300+ less, including the Nexus 5, LG G3 and HTC One M8, all of which have come down in price due to new models either out or are coming out.
I like Apple as an investment from the standpoint of, my practicality is not shared with many other people and that's okay. Apple makes a quality product and if you go to an Apple store, you find people wall-to-wall. Malls are practically paying Apple to open stores - there was an article on that the other day.
However, it's not a major holding and I'd rather emphasize something like Gilead (GILD), which trades at a 9.6 forward p/e and starts paying a dividend this year.
Ted is just jealous that I posted a thread on wearables, ( not specifically Apple as he is mistaken) and it garnered more comments than any of his 30-40 threads he posted today, most of which are headed to the bullpen.
@JohnChisum; You'll never be a good scoreboard operator. I'm an important cog in the MFO Discussion Board wheel, while you are nothing more than a broker spoke. 3/11/15: 23 Fund Discussion Posts=191 Views 2 Off-Topic= 2 Views 3/10/15 "How To Survive A Bear Market=236 Views
All well and good but how many comments were made on those threads?
You have been quite insulting as of late. In order to not stretch this out any further, I will stop here. However, I will continue to post topics that garner discussions from fellow MFOers. My handful of posts a day should not be a problem to your mass linking.
Comments
Regards,
Ted
P.S. When you get on a subject, you sure beat it to death. If I didn't know better I might think your pumping and dumping APPL.
Explain to me why a smartwatch is anything besides paying $350 to not have to pull my phone out of my pocket (and I'm not directing that towards JohnChisum, I'm simply saying it in general.)
Given the fact that the watch basically apparently cannot work (or at least cannot do much) without the phone, that's effectively telling me that the watch is primarily a "compliment" to the phone and therefore, a very expensive status symbol and means to not have to go through the very simple step of getting my phone out of my pocket.
There was a good discussion on CNBC yesterday that it's starting to get ridiculous. Of course (OF COURSE) you need another charger for your watch. So, now people have to drag a phone charger, watch charger and if you have your laptop, a laptop charger. It becomes a mess of wires and ultimately, unnecessary. While it's not been confirmed, some discussion over the last week or so that the Watch battery is ultimately not that great and may need a recharge or two throughout a day if it's used actively.
I love my phone, but the watch is an attempt to fix an issue that isn't there - I have no need to have notifications or other things beamed from my phone to a watch.
I definitely get the health implications of it and that's compelling, but again, nothing that I think can't be done via the phone OR an increasing amount of cheaper alternatives (fitbit and that sort of thing.)
I like Apple and I think there's the feeling for the first time in a while that there are more things on the horizon.
That said, I think the watch takes the idea of "smart devices" one step too far and it just doesn't really address a need that the phone doesn't already cover. Again, the health implications are interesting, but I just see the watch as a status symbol more than anything else. The fact that the watch is effectively "tethered" to the phone really makes me uninterested in paying $350 for it or even less than half of that.
Hey, maybe I'm wrong, but I have yet to see a demonstration of the usefulness of the smartwatch as a category.
Basically, I use the heck out of my phone. I read on it constantly, look for stock news, get alerts, play the occasional game, watch Youtube, beam things to the TV via Chromecast and a lot more.
Apple may sell a TON of watches.
However, I look at it and go:
For $350, I can:
1. Get notifications that I would otherwise get on my phone.
I don't know what else I would do on it. I am not going to read longer articles on a tiny screen, I'm not going to play games or watch videos on a tiny screen.
For $350, someone could get a very nice new LG G3 phone for $100 more or a refurb Nexus 5 for less or a refurb Nexus 4 for WAY less.
So for around the same price, someone could get a feature-rich phone.
Maybe I'm being too practical, but that's just how I see it.
Has a heart rate sensor built in (ostensibly for athletes) but which raises all kinds of interesting possibilities when you couple it with the built in GPS function.
No. Don't want one. I generally don't wear a watch and also tend to either break or lose anything smaller than an iPad.
I truly laughed out loud when I read your post, especially the third paragraph.
I think what would solve this whole issue is to create a device like the "tricorder" in Star Trek. It seemed to do everything except make coffee. One scan, and everything wrong with you would appear on its screen. On second thought, maybe we don't want that much information
I suppose the problem that I have is that I'm too practical. There are a lot of great Android phones that are very nice phones and similarly powerful for a $200-300+ less, including the Nexus 5, LG G3 and HTC One M8, all of which have come down in price due to new models either out or are coming out.
I like Apple as an investment from the standpoint of, my practicality is not shared with many other people and that's okay. Apple makes a quality product and if you go to an Apple store, you find people wall-to-wall. Malls are practically paying Apple to open stores - there was an article on that the other day.
However, it's not a major holding and I'd rather emphasize something like Gilead (GILD), which trades at a 9.6 forward p/e and starts paying a dividend this year.
3/11/15:
23 Fund Discussion Posts=191 Views
2 Off-Topic= 2 Views
3/10/15
"How To Survive A Bear Market=236 Views
You have been quite insulting as of late. In order to not stretch this out any further, I will stop here. However, I will continue to post topics that garner discussions from fellow MFOers. My handful of posts a day should not be a problem to your mass linking.
Good day.
Rolling that thing in and out of hotel rooms when you travel must be tough.
(John, ignore the static.)