An interesting article on 9To5Mac outlines how many of the new features in iOS 8 are well suited to the small display of an iWatch or other wearable device that Apple is expected to announce in October. The article says that the small app-associated widgets that developers will be able to create for the new Notification Center are just the sort of applets that would work well on an iWatch. The app could push the same content to both the Notification Center widget and to the wearable. In addition, the quick interactive notifications in iOS 8, without your having to go to the respective app, is just the sort of feature you'd expect in an iWatch. When a text message arrives, you'd like to be able to respond right from your wrist. And features such as QuickType and audio and voice messaging will make quick responses easy.
Also, the new search feature of Spotlight, which pops up relevant and local information as you type in a search term, would be useful on a small screen. The device is intelligently using context to give you what you need rather than going out to the web to search. Of course, the new HealthKit platform and Health app seem clearly intended for Apple's wearable device. Why would they devote so many resources to making this platform if they weren't also intending to sell you a device that would feed information into it?
And now that 9To5Mac mentions it, Apple's new Handoff technology is exactly what they need in order for the iPhone in your pocket to hand off calls and text messages to your iWatch or other wearable. This sort of intelligent sensing of proximity is necessary for a wearable.
The new iCloud Photo Library is also suited to an iWatch, which will likely have limited memory. The cloud becomes the receptacle for all your files, and your device is a window into the cloud. It's more efficient, and just what's needed for wearable devices. There was a time when all our data lived on our personal computer, but increasingly it all lives in the cloud, and we interact with it via our devices.
The 9To5Mac article has even more detail, so take a look. Meanwhile, AppleInsider is reporting that a market analyst is projecting that 10 percent of iPhone owners will purchase an iWatch when it launches. That would mean sales of at least 33.5 million units.
And speaking of wearables, The Daily Show offers up this funny video about discrimination against people who wear Google Glass: