App Interoperability: Smartwatches

There are few tasks that a iPhone can not do better than a Apple Watch. Thus, for Apple Watch to succeed, its functionality must be much more focused and streamlined. John Gruber wrote, "... Apple never needed to reverse course with Apple Watch. They just needed to identify and focus on what Apple Watch was best for: notifications and fitness/health tracking." The list should go beyond notifications and fitness.

Apple Watch shines whenever iPhone is not immediately available, like riding a motorcycle or during emergencies. There are many tasks that can arise. Suppose a person is on his/her way to a gathering and late. He/She can use the Apple Watch to compose a message on the road to tell others about it and possibly how much time before arrival. The information may involve apps like Calendar to specify the gathering, Contacts to look up people, Maps to estimate time before arrival, and Messages to send out the word, etc. It's a complex process.

As the post App Interoperability elucidated, the complex process can be much more streamlined for user experience. Apple Watch may use simple GUI or sophisticated AI to chain Calendar, Contacts, Maps, and Messages together. Perhaps better app interoperability may find novel and essential uses for smartwatches that their existence can be solidified against traditional watches.

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