You would have had to have been living on an unexplored island for the last few months not to have heard the rumours and speculation about Apple possibly producing an iWatch. Of course the rumours have been around for much longer than that but they were never really taken seriously, well, with the exception of a number of rival tech manufacturers who may have caught wind of the idea and rushed a number of products to market just in case Apple did suddenly reveal a new product line. This is very similar to what happened before Apple introduced the iPad, many other companies rushed out various pads or tablets but, initially, very few made it to market once Apple showed off what it had been working on, not that the iPad was the first of it's kind, but it certainly was an approachable and desirable device if initially a little restricted.

This time rival manufacturers and even some start-ups have had a far greater jump on Apple. Whist the various tech blogs have been awash with rumours and conjecture Apple has made very little noise regarding what it's intentions were in the wearable space. However, they have made some very interesting personnel hires related to sensors, fitness devices, bio-technicians and watch stylists. These employees alone surely point to the fact that Apple is preparing something, possibily watch related, behind it's walls at Infinity Loop.

Some have shouted, rather noisily, that any form of iWatch is a product in search of a solution. It is an un-needed device from a company that has run out of ideas. I am always amazed at how folks can pontificate about a 'something' they have never seen or experienced with such unabashed certainty. Of course I think they do this because we are such a fickle bunch of readers that they are rarely held to account if or when they are proven wrong. That's not to say that Apple's iWatch would be an automatic massive hit like the iPhone, I'm not sure it would be. The iPhone was a device launched at just the right time that found a massive following. It replaced so many things in our lives, our phones, music players, sat-navs, notebooks, calendars, planners, pocket cameras, alarm clocks and ironically, wristwatches, plus it granted us so many more advantages with a multitude of applications created by developers. It's very hard to see any kind of watch sized object doing something similar.

However, what could a watch bring? Well as Google showed off recently at it's I/O conference, the watch can act as a very interesting symbiotic device to our beloved smartphones. Just the simple act of not having to have a Pavlovian rummage in your pocket or handbag when you hear the little device chime is an instant and obviously example. How important is that latest notification? With a flick of your wrist you can make that judgement call and then get on with your day.

The other natural application is the monitoring of your body. In the age where we are constantly being told to look after ourselves like we can somehow hold off the cold clutches of death with the simple application of eating more vegetables or drinking more water (have you seen what they put in our vegetables and water these days?) it would be incredibly convenient to constantly have our biometrics measured and monitored for irregularities.

Maybe if we could receive instant feedback of what happens to our bodies after a night of boozing or that trip to the hamburger chain we might be more compelled to find a healthier option in the future? Of course this is all conjecture but it is a possibility because more often than not once we are consistently provided with better information it allows many of us to make better choices and the option for others to ignore it if they so wish.

However until Apple decides to share with the world what they have been working on we will have to continue to sate our appetite with mere rumours and conjecture. Ironically only time will tell what may be in store regarding a possible iWatch.

Musings on an iWatch