The Future of Wearable Devices from iPhone 5S (Part 1)

Interpreting the new technology of iPhone 5S: Laying the foundation for wearable electronic computing devices

　　The iPhone 5S's fingerprint sensor opens up new opportunities for smartphones to be used as shopping tools. Apple's new high-end iPhone, the iPhone 5S, offers a glimpse into the range of products that the world's most valuable company will bring to market in the future.

　　Technology industry analysts who study Apple say the new sensor chip in the iPhone 5S lays the foundation for future wearable computing devices, while the fingerprint sensor opens up more opportunities for smartphones to be used as shopping tools. In addition, the new processor in the iPhone 5S may provide an opportunity for the company's future Mac computers to break away from its reliance on Intel.

　　Apple launched two iPhones last week. The high-end iPhone 5S is priced at $199 in the US with a mobile operator agreement, while the iPhone 5C starts at $99. The iPhone 5C has been available for pre-order since September 13, but does not include the sensor chip, fingerprint recognition chip, and 64-bit processor in the iPhone 5S.

　　Wearable Devices

　　Before Apple launched the new iPhone, the company was already developing wearable devices. Apple is currently seeking to obtain the trademark rights for "iWatch" in countries such as Japan. Sources familiar with the company's plans previously revealed that Apple has established a team of about 100 designers and technicians to develop watch-like computing devices. As of now, Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr has not commented on this.

　　Apple's foray into new markets could disrupt the still-nascent mobile payments and wearable computing markets. Nike, Fitbit and Jawbone have all launched wrist-based fitness trackers, while Square and eBay's PayPal have been developing payment networks for mobile phones.

　　When Apple unveiled the iPhone 5S, the company also showed off health and fitness apps for the M7 chip. Apple Senior Vice President Phil Schiller also mentioned at last week's event that the M7 chip, which tracks user movements through the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass, consumes less power than other major chips in the iPhone 5S.

　　Sarah Rotman Epps, an analyst at Forrester Research, a market research firm that has been researching wearable computing devices, said that Apple initially intended to use the M7 chip to improve the iPhone's health applications, and the chip may be integrated into Apple's new devices such as the iWatch in the future. The chip can easily process the data generated by wearable devices. The analyst said, "Whether Apple releases the iWatch or other types of wearable devices, the M7 chip will make such devices more powerful and make the user experience more seamless."

M7 coprocessor: A Trojan Horse for Apple's Wearable Computing Plan?

　　Apple's event last week was about as uneventful as expected, with no hints about the iWatch or other wearable technology. However, during Phil Schiller's presentation, he did tout an interesting new feature of the iPhone 5S - the introduction of a new coprocessor, the M7.

　　The purpose of the new iPhone 5S coprocessor is to continuously measure movement through the accelerometer, compass or gyroscope when the user is walking, running or driving. Such a chip has a wide range of uses, mainly to provide data for health and fitness applications, but it can also save battery life when traveling, for example, detecting that you are driving and preventing the iPhone from constantly searching for Wi-Fi networks.

　　Phil Schiller used the example of Nike's upcoming Nike+ Move app using the coprocessor when introducing the M7, and Apple is no doubt hoping that Nike will serve as a role model, encouraging other developers to take advantage of the new coprocessor's capabilities in a similar way.

　　Will the introduction of a chip specifically designed for motion tracking provide us with a clue about Apple's future product plans? Quite possibly.

　　We already know that Apple CEO Cook is very interested in the emerging field of wearable technology. He himself is a user of Nike FuelBand. At the D11 conference in May this year, Cook believed that the time for development in this field is ripe. (But some people think that Cook is deliberately throwing smoke bombs to confuse opponents)

　　In addition to Cook's own views and observations, several Apple patents also provide us with deeper evidence of Apple's thinking about wearables. The M7 chip may just be the beginning, leading the trend for a whole set of new applications that take advantage of its uninterrupted motion measurement.

　　Eventually the chip will trickle down to the rest of the iOS line, supporting a growing number of apps, and then perhaps in time a companion device (something you wear on your wrist, for example) that supports some of those apps will emerge.

　　This companion device doesn't have to be a watch, but imagine that with an Apple-designed wristband device like the FuelBand or FitBit (with an M7 chip built in), users can track their exercise at any time without having to carry a phone with them.

　　In this way, the M7 coprocessor plays the role of a Trojan horse - first getting many people hooked on the applications that can be supported by its future corresponding devices, and then with enough user support, it can easily launch wearable products.