Don’t wear “busyness” as a badge of honour, declared Arianna Huffington at a Business Chicks event in Sydney yesterday.
And yet it seems technology giant Apple wants you to do just that after unveiling its Apple Watch, yet another bit of hardware to add to your list of daily essentials you never knew you needed.
You see if you’re too busy to get your iPhone out of your bag, you can use it, on your wrist — at least for a limited amount of applications. And if you’d like to know just how your heart rate shifts up a gear while going about all that busyness, well you can monitor that too.
And best of all, everyone will be able see your busyness, right there on your left arm. An actual badge of honour!
It’s been a little difficult to ignore the mountain of mostly favourable PR the technology giant has received this week after unveiling the new look iPhone, the release of payment system ‘Apple Pay’, and this new watch (not being called an ‘iWatch’, it should be noted).
Apple Watch, like other ‘smart watches’ that are emerging, are obviously created with busy people in mind, or at least those who like to believe they are. Women, especially those who’re managing a career with kids and a household at the same time — are clearly one segment of the population which can benefit from products that aim to help with multi-tasking. Anyone who regularly finds themselves out of spare hands while dealing with little people should relate to the desire to have something permanently attached to you in order to keep you in contact with other communicable humans.
Although don’t expect to be talking to those other humans while you attempt to carry a toddler, nurse a newborn and run a business in your living room. You cant actually use the Apple Watch to speak on the phone. You’ll need to stick with your Bluetooth earpiece for that.
The watch appears to have a few obvious limitations. First and foremost that it doesn’t actually replace your phone. Second, it’ll be joining you phone, iPad, mac and whatever other tech products you’re currently a slave to on the power board for charging — yep, it’s a watch that needs a regular charge in order to keep ticking.
Apparently, however, the twitter app on the watch is great for scanning and simply retweeting from your feeds. And Apple virtual friend and servant Siri is on offer to keep you company. Facebook is also easily accessible — although flicking through photos and participating in any kind of meaningful conversation will be a slow and arduous process. One app that does look more useful than others on the watch is navigation.
Meanwhile, the Apple Watch is — according to many tech writers with self-appointed fashion expertise at least — stylish. Although we’re not entirely convinced. There are a number of different band options, and two different screen sizes on offer, but you’re still effectively walking around with a square screen on your wrist
So, do you need this iPhone/fitness band/fashion accessory? Perhaps you’ll have to wait until it’s actually available here at some point in 2015 to really find out. But when you think about how much you use your current phone, going the next step of wearing your technology may not be such a great idea.
This morning I read the paper, checked my emails, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts on my iPhone. I listened to a couple of tracks on Spotify and streamed Radio National. I also wrote this piece with my thumbs on its tiny keyboard — a habit that must be setting me up for some serious RSI later in life.
Attempting to do a good portion of that via an even smaller device on my wrist is likely to have me seeing even less of the world around me than I currently do. At least a phone can be put away — out of view while you take a stroll, or off the table while you’re enjoying the company of others.
Don’t wear your busyness on your wrist. Keep your phone in your bag and your technology detached.