A new article gives a detailed look at the behind-the-scenes story of the development of the Apple Watch. Published by The Verge, the article details the beginnings of the Watch, through its many iterations and refinements that led to the final version of the soon to be released wearable device.
The behind-the-scenes look comes courtesy of Wired interviews with Apple vice president of technology Kevin Lynch and head of human interface design Alan Dye.
Lynch, formerly with Adobe, was hired by Apple without knowing the project he’d be working on. Upon arrival for his first day, he was immediately put to work.
“Lynch had a lot to prove—and, apparently, a lot to do. When he showed up at 1 Infinite Loop on his first day, he was instructed to skip the usual new-employee orientation. His boss at the time, hardware czar Bob Mansfield, said to head straight to the design studio and get to work. He could learn about his 401(k) later.”
Walking into the design studio, he found the project he was hired to head was already behind schedule, with a design review due in two days. Lynch discovered the design team had no working prototypes, no software, just some sketches and ideas, including a design with an iPod-like click-wheel.
Dye told Wired that the idea for the Watch grew out of design meetings for iOS 7. iOS needed to be reworked, to fit a smaller screen. The team came up with various prototypes, even an iPhone running a Watch simulator, attached to the wrist via a velcro strap.
“Along the way, the Apple team landed upon the Watch’s raison d’être. It came down to this: Your phone is ruining your life. Like the rest of us, Ive, Lynch, Dye, and everyone at Apple are subject to the tyranny of the buzz—the constant checking, the long list of nagging notifications.”
The intrusion of the phone into people’s daily lives became the impetus for the Apple Watch’s development. What if you didn’t need to look at your phone for hours at a time? What if the new device could filter all of the incoming notifications, separate the wheat from the chaff, and show only the information you really needed to see?
The Verge piece is highly recommended reading. The article goes into heavy detail about the Apple Watch, and each step of its development. “iPhone Killer: The Secret History of the Apple Watch” is available at Verge.com.
