Apple Watch Reviving iOS Vs Android Device War

Reviews like the collection that were posted earlier today, the first wave of Apple Watch reviews, remind us that there's still some confusion about how iOS compares to Android. While neither the Apple Watch nor Android Wear devices run a smartphone or tablet version of their makers' software, the treatment of these devices is similar to that of their smartphone and tablet companions. Should the smartwatch be treated with the same expectations as its larger, pocket or purse-carried companions? Absolutely not.

Do you have to wear a watch on a regular basis to want to own a smartwatch like the Apple Watch or Moto 360? Of course not. We're in a zone right now with smart wearable devices that's not unlike the dawn of the smartphone.

It was years between the launching of pocket-friendly smart devices and the release of the first wave of smartphones. It was years between the launch of the smartphone and the near full-replacement of feature phones in carrier shops in the United States.

But what happens when you try to replace a device that's been around for 200 years?

It was around 25 years between the first mobile phone and the emergence of the smartphone. It's been two HUNDRED years since the dawn of the wristwatch.

What's the difference?

Several generations of wristwatch wearers.

Like this guy.

Does this mean that it's going to be more difficult to break in to this space than it was to break in to the mobile phone space?

Yes.

Does it mean it's impossible?

No.

Is it less likely that the smartwatch will succeed? Less likely, that is, than the smartphone? I think so.

Is the question whether you use an Android Wear watch, an Apple Watch, or some other sort of smartwatch? Of course not.

The question remains whether or not you need a smartwatch in the first place – just like the question was, at the start of the smartphone market, whether or not you needed a smartphone.

Have a peek at our Apple Watch review roundup – v1 and stay tuned for our full review of the Apple Watch coming soon.

Also dive in to our Android Wear tag portal for reviews of many different wearables from many different manufacturers.