Patience is the Weapon of the Watch..

Take it easy, Watch. Your time is coming.
(I can come up with millions of these puns)

This weekend my cousin was showing me some cool new shit coming out in the software industry. Always on the lookout for something slick and cool and conspicuous, I was interested in the new VAIO P series from Sony. This thing is tiny, but can't run CS3/4 nor Virtual DJ so it's pretty much just a tease for me, but things are changing.

What got me, though, was how small it was. Anyone could carry that thing around. It's almost small enough to fit in a pocket - and it can certainly fit in a purse..

And so it got me thinking: a professor of mine was commenting on how 'cellphone' replaced 'watch' because watch was too busy worrying about 'other watch' as competition, and failing to realize that 'other watch' was not its only competition, but that 'cellphone' was essentially going to wipe 'watch' out. It's a classic example of myopia.

However, watch may be on its way back (and this will thrill all of the product lifecycle advocates). If this Sony Vaio is just the latest in the growth market catergory that is "mini computers", then maybe someday soon, your mini computer will replace your cellphone. 'Cellphone''s (awkward use of quotations) competition might just be computer.

You're all saying "yes, but I'm not going to hold up some 8-inch computer to the side of my face".. (I know, those days are gone, thankfully) .. but with governments the world over making cellphone use while driving illegal, I can see a day when everyone has a blue-tooth ear-piece. Yes, like this douchebag. They may get cooler. Please, let them get cooler.

Anyway, if you didn't have to dial (voice activation, my friends), you could just carry around your bluetooth headset and your computer in your purse, briefcase, or murse. There, you'll have all of your contacts, the ability to send/receive emails, surf the net, listen to music, and check your schedule..

but what you won't be able to do is...

...

...check the time!

Ha. While you're walking around on your bluetooth headset, talking on your computer, you won't be able to accurately tell your co-conversationalist what time it is! So, you'll need to suck it up and buy a swatch, or a timex, or a whatever..

and so, the product lifecycle (or maybe category lifecycle) comes back in to play, and the watch finds itself out of the sock-drawer, and back on the wrist..

The watch is dead, long live the watch.

(insert joke here about calculator watches, too)