In a world where we all stare at our iPhone screens while walking around in public, Apple is working on the next-generation of mobile computing: wearable technology. The latest iPod nano can be worn as a watch, but that’s only the beginning of what Apple has in development.
The New York Times has revealed some of Apple’s internal plans for wearable computing. The company is working on a Siri-controlled experience that interfaces with the iPhone. Apple employees have reportedly already started testing such devices.
Apple has also experimented with prototype products that could relay information back to the iPhone. These conceptual products could also display information on other Apple devices, like an iPod, which Apple is already encouraging us to wear on our wrists by selling Nanos with watch faces.
An example of such technology:
One idea being discussed is a curved-glass iPod that would wrap around the wrist; people could communicate with the device using Siri, the company’s artificial intelligence software.
According to the report, Google is also working on a similar kind of wearable technology for its Android phones.
For Apple. Bluetooth 4.0 could be used to connect an iPhone with a wearable iPod or similar device. The iPhone 4S is the first Bluetooth 4.0 Smarty Ready consumer phone, meaning that it can interact with complex tools, like medical equipment, over long distances while consuming little battery life.
The New York Times also reported that Apple was working on a Siri-controlled TV, and it seems that Apple is working to unify its products under one common technology, Siri.