{"id":3280,"date":"2015-01-13T15:41:54","date_gmt":"2015-01-13T15:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/?p=3280"},"modified":"2015-01-13T15:44:30","modified_gmt":"2015-01-13T15:44:30","slug":"do-you-need-a-smartwatch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/01\/13\/do-you-need-a-smartwatch\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you need a smartwatch?"},"content":{"rendered":"

2015 is apparently going to be the year of the smartwatch<\/a>. Just like 2014 was<\/a>, and 2013 before it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For some reason, smartwatches just haven\u2019t caught the public\u2019s imagination in the same way smartphones and tablets did. A recent study into smartwatch ownership in the UK, US China and Brazil found that just 3% of respondents owned one<\/a>, even though 75% had heard of them.<\/p>\n

But are we all missing out? We decided to take a look…<\/p>\n

\n

Reasons to buy a smartwatch right now!<\/h4>\n

#1: They look pretty cool<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best smartwatches, such as the Pebble Steel pictured below, combine the sophistication of classic timepieces with a futuristic edge with undoubtedly cool results.<\/p>\n

\"pebble-steel-feat-img\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t just take our word for it though: Apple\u2019s upcoming Watch recently appeared on the cover of Vogue China<\/a>. If they think it\u2019s cool, who are we to argue?<\/p>\n

#2: You won\u2019t have to whip your phone out in public anymore<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smartwatches let you view notifications from your phone without having to take your phone out of your pocket, meaning you can indulge your insatiable desire to find out who has texted you without getting in trouble at a meeting\/annoying your other half at dinner\/getting your phone robbed in the dodgy part of town*.<\/p>\n

*wearing an expensive smartwatch on your wrist in the dodgy part of town isn\u2019t recommended either…<\/em><\/p>\n

#3: It\u2019ll keep you trim<\/strong><\/p>\n

A lot of smartwatches, such as the LG G and the Moto 360, have heart-rate monitors and pedometers as standard, as well as ensuring you don\u2019t miss out on notifications while you\u2019re out jogging.<\/p>\n

Apple may take this concept even further, with their Health app monitoring major aspects of a person\u2019s health and (in the future) reporting back to their doctor.<\/p>\n

#4: You won\u2019t get lost<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, you could just use the Maps app on your phone. But isn\u2019t it much cooler to get directions from a device on your wrist? That leads us onto…<\/p>\n

#5: You\u2019ll feel like you\u2019re in a sci-fi film<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seriously, you\u2019ll feel really, really cool. Especially if you get one with voice control.<\/p>\n

\n

Wait, don’t buy a smartwatch just yet!<\/h4>\n

#1: Some of them are really ugly<\/strong><\/p>\n

Remember when we said some smartwatches look good? Well, some will make you look like a particularly unfashionable extra from Tron. Choose wisely!<\/p>\n

#2: They don\u2019t serve an essential purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smartphones became popular because they rolled numerous devices into one handy package and added a healthy dollop of internet access. Tablets thrived because people realised it\u2019s more fun to watch films and play games on a bigger screen.<\/p>\n

Smartwatches, though? We can\u2019t think of any essential reason to own one…yet.<\/p>\n

#3: They\u2019re expensive! <\/strong><\/p>\n

A decent smartwatch will set you back \u00a3100 at the least. If you own an iPhone and want to wait for the Apple Watch, it\u2019ll be \u00a3300 for the standard model (according to early speculation<\/a>). You may need to sell your iPad<\/a> first!<\/p>\n

In short, smartwatches are a luxury most people can survive without at the moment. That may change soon though!<\/p>\n

On the whole, smartwatches are more of a luxury than an essential at the moment. That said, all it takes is one manufacturer to come up with a life-changing innovation and we could all be sporting them. Maybe 2015 will be the year of the smartwatch after all…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2015 is apparently going to be the year of the smartwatch. Just like 2014 was, and 2013 before it. For some reason, smartwatches just haven\u2019t caught the public\u2019s imagination in the same way smartphones and tablets did. A recent study into smartwatch ownership in the UK, US China and Brazil …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3280"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3280"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3284,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3280\/revisions\/3284"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}