*Cover photo: Google’s new Glass project.
When we interviewed Rafael Fernández –Oitenta Studio’s designer– he said there is something all designers have in common: they’ve all created a chair at some point of their career. Well, there is something quite similar to all who write articles, we’ve all created a Google vs. Apple kind of text. And whether it is because all the “fanboyism” revolving around the two or because you just have to decide which side to choose in order to have a normal, uncomplicated life technology-wise, the truth is they keep being interesting. This time, we wanted to talk about the new “hype-doers” of both companies, as they differ in each and every one of their aesthetical and functional assets, but still stay the same in their inner, deepest reason of being. They both are thought to become that super device that will do everything, pretty much as our smartphones are doing today, but steps forward. Mobility is the key.
The first device to look at is Google’s new Google Glass. The world’s entire hype-o-meter went all the way up to “insane” when the video of this new gadget came to light. If you haven’t seen it yet, maybe it’s time you finish your spiritual retirement at the top of that waterfall and take a look at it here. Things look pretty simple with the Google Glass, you just have to say “take a picture” for the device to take one, or “record a video” to do the proper thing. And so on. The video is truly inspiring and it isn’t that complicated to understand why the response to this new creation has been overwhelming. At the moment, the only way to become one of the lucky owners of one of these devices are going to be the winners of a contest the brand made through twitter, so the vast majority of us will still have to just bare the hype and see where this leads to. If you’re willing to create applications for it though, the programmer’s kit is already available for around 1.150 € (1.500 dollars).
On the other hand, there’s Apple’s rumoured response to the Glass project, which is, until we have something like an official name, the iWatch. According to the information “Bloomberg” gave, the gadget may even be ready this year. As we all know, Apple is really into secrets and keeping everything on a low profile so that everything is under control so what we know about this little boy comes, mostly, out of imagination and strange encounters on dark alleys between journalists. It is pretty much accepted that it will include features like letting users make calls, see the identity of incoming callers and check map coordinates, house a pedometer for counting steps and sensors for monitoring health-related data, such as heart rates.
Aesthetically, we can already say that a watch will look far more appealing to users than a device you’ve got to wear on your head, but there are lots of concerns regarding how will the iWatch charge its batteries, and how much will they last as it is a device thought to stay with you all day long. In fact, the iWatch will surely wind up becoming a fashion accessory, just as the iPhone has turned out to be for lots of people. This may prove to be the key that will turn the odds in favour of Apple’s wrist device and, in turn, make the brand recover the glory it has enjoyed since the advent of the iPod, because the slowing growth in their sales is now a fact. Apple’s stock has slumped by more than a third since peaking in September on signs of accelerating competition led by Samsung.
The battle for the all-powerful wearable device is now on, and we can easily say it’s going to be one that’ll change everything. Time to get the popcorn, and the bucks, ready. Lots of them.
An idea of how the Apple iWatch could look like
