Smartwatches Are For Rich People, And You Don't Need One

If you're worried about whether or not you're going to need a smartwatch in the near future, turn that frown upside-down. It's time to understand what this smartwatch craze is all about. It's not about picking up on the next trend before it replaces the smartphone. It's not about jumping on the bandwagon before it leaves without you. It's about cashing in on the wants and desires of those with cash to burn. For now. At the present. Things may change, but for now, you do not need a smartwatch to continue living your life.

I've worn watches before. I don't wear one while I'm working because it interferes with my typing, but otherwise I can get by fairly soundly with any sort of watch on my wrist. But do I need a watch? Not so much.

Do I need a smartwatch?

I supposed if I'm going to wear a watch, it may as well be smart.

That's the sentiment I'm hearing from most of the people purchasing the first wave of smartwatches like the Apple Watch.

For Android Wear watches, it's more about playing around with functionality.

See also: Five reasons why you shouldn't buy a smartwatch yet.

You may have witnessed several celebrities sporting the Apple Watch over the past several weeks, if not months. People like J.J. Abrams, Beyonce, and Newt Gingrich (as pictured above) all have Apple Watches around their wrists.

These same celebrities did not have iPhones when they first launched. They didn't sport Android devices back in the day. They rolled with BlackBerries, if they had smartphones at all. Kate Beckinsale still doesn't use a smartphone.

We spoke with Beckinsale back when Total Recall (2012) was released.

That movie has the only smartwatch I'll ever consider paying large amounts of cash for. That smartwatch is embedded in your hand.

Here's what you're better off waiting for:

Speak to the hand, no worries about batteries, and any window or other transparent pane of material is your display. That's something that's truly futuristic and smartphone-destroying.

As of now, though, the smartwatch isn't something that you should expect would replace your smartphone.

For those that have a smartphone but are wondering what the smartwatch does that the smartphone doesn't, here's a list:

1. Your phone already does that.2. That too.3. It's smaller and attached to your wrist.

If you can afford a smartphone, you're set. If you have a cash you want to spend on extending the functionality of the smartphone to your wrist, then by all means, go for it.

I'll just be playing with the 5-inch display in my hand while you keep a 1.5-inch display on your wrist, and another 5-inch display in your pocket.

Until the smartwatch can do something – anything – that the smartphone can't, there'll be no need to own one other than for fashion and extravagant kicks.