Apple is about to release a smartwatch and as we all know, most Apple products have a flair for offering fashion over function, not to mention a hefty price tag. The Apple watch will not be as fully functional as rumors originally suggested, so it better be fashionable to warrant the swipe of a credit card. Well, scratch that. According to fashion experts, the Apple watch is gaudy, too big, and speaks of total geekdom.
But, what if fashion didn't matter at all? What if wearables could be disguised to blend in with surroundings so that they weren't noticeable at all?
To me, that’s sort of creepy. Imagine standing, talking to someone and them streaming the entire conversation directly to their Facebook feed.
A new report from Juniper Research suggests that next fad in wearables will be invisible, constantly connected devices. The report covers a wide variety of modern topics including biometrics, drones, wireless charging and self-driving cars, but a new category, Invisible Wearables, has been dog-eared to watch in the coming years.
The idea behind Invisible Wearables is to supply the same features and functions that are provided today, such as biometrics, fitness, locational services, and others, but further integrate the devices into clothing, jewelry, and even temporary skin stamps.
Invisible Wearables will give companies the opportunity to develop highly evolved smart devices without having to make them aesthetically pleasing. Companies detailed in the report as potential early leaders are Biostamp, Google, Intel, LG, New Deal Design, Omate, and Withings. So, of course, if it's even the least bit creepy, you can expect Google to be included in the pack.
Invisible Wearables essentially make common consumers covert spies. These types of technologies have been written about and shown in Sci-Fi movies and TV for decades, but always with a hint of moral intelligence to profess the potential dangers. To see this stuff now start to become mainstream visions is a little exciting but also (to me) a bit scary. Maybe we should all take a step back to figure out if it's something we really want. Services like Facebook have dulled our senses to the point where we're just fine sharing anything and everything with the world. Our sense of personal privacy has been calculatingly whittled to near nothing because if we don't share, they don't make money.
We'll be talking a lot more about connected devices (IoT) here on SuperSite and this seems like a good jumping point.
What's your take? Do Invisible Wearables represent an exciting leap for mankind? Or, are we on the cusp of dooming ourselves to technology slavery?
