“The horseless buggy will never catch on,” said buggy whip manufacturers. “Television is a fad,” opined the movie studios. Now, is Swatch CEO Nick Hayek looking to join the historic ranks of these naysayers when he implies an iWatch would never catch on?
“Personally, I don’t believe it’s the next revolution,” the chief of the largest Swiss watchmaker said at a press conference on annual results in Grenchen, Switzerland. “Replacing an iPhone with an interactive terminal on your wrist is difficult. You can’t have an immense display.”
Hayek also expressed the belief that consumers purchase watches as a fashion item, and want versatility.
Perhaps Hayek is still smarting from Swatch’s failed foray selling it’s own smart watch through a partnership with Microsoft? The Swatch Paparazzi offered users news headlines, sports, weather, horoscopes, and stock quotes.
There are no firm reports on when an Apple “iWatch” might be available, or even what it might look like, but rumors continue to fly around the intertubes, as reports suggest the watch may be of a wraparound design, using a touchscreen and flexible glass, and that it will run a full version of iOS.
