Megumi Fujikawa, for WSJ (below). Bold emphasis is mine.
The maker of the G-Shock series is betting its expertise as a watchmaker will help it outmaneuver the technological wizardry of the Apple Watch with a smartwatch that keeps an eye on the mass market’s need for comfort and durability. Casio says its product will be a watch that tries to be smart, rather than a smart device that is also a watch. […]
Now, [said Casio founder, Kazuhiro Kashio,] “we are trying to bring our smartwatch to a level of watch perfection: a device that won’t break easily, is simple to put on and feels good to wear.”
It seems Casio will essentially add very basic connectivity and information features to a watch. I honestly don’t know if that’s the right approach for Casio. Maybe it’s a good fit with their technology capability; I don’t profess to know.
But what I would say is this: If you don’t think of a smartwatch as a general computing device, you risk making the equivalent of a “feature watch”. Your product will definitely appeal to some users, but you’ll miss the transition to a new class of device, a new way of helping people every day.
I do, at one level, agree with Mr. Kashio’s remark about “feels good to wear”. I like my Apple Watch, for example, but the thing I miss most about my old “diving” watch is its rugged-but-classy face. Over time, however – with custom watch faces and new industrial designs – I expect the concern will fade. And it’s almost a moot point, since the issue won’t keep me (and many watch wearers, I think) from leaving their old watches behind.
