Do smart watches have a place in business?
With Samsung launching the Galaxy Gear and Apple rumoured to announce the iWatch, will smart watches find a home in the boardroom?
"Something similar happened with the adoption of pagers, especially in the UK. In the US (pre-mobiles) they were often a tool for the busy exec, but in the UK it was more likely to be maintenance engineers and emergency responders again a task-oriented not general purpose use," Bamforth added.
Both Bamforth and Restivo think smart watches will never appeal to business users because as yet, smart watches haven't taken off anywhere else.
What purpose does it serve? And, if that purpose is already served by another device, what is the incentive to switch?
"There are relatively few offerings that have captured the imagination of the masses like a flagship phone," Restivo said. And Bamforth thinks they are just companion devices, designed to work with a smartphone or tablet. "It may turn out to be the same dead end as previous companion devices," he commented.
However, Bamforth thinks if a smart watch has a purpose of its own and is directly supported by cloud-based services, there maybe a future for such devices.
Manufacturers must answer two questions though: What purpose does it serve? And, if that purpose is already served by another device, what is the incentive to switch?
Restivo however, thinks the problem with bringing smart watches and other wearable electronics to the market is with IT policies essentially the same issue brought about when smartphones became personal and employees wanted to bring their own high-specced smartphones into the workplace.
"Wearable technology will supersede corporate policies in many instances making network administration more difficult for companies as computing is becoming ever more personal," he explained.
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Samsung wasn't the first company to announce a smart watch. Sony is on its second wrist accessory, LG's debut was an actual phone in a watch and the Pebble arrived with a twist in the form of an e-ink display. That said, it is Samsung's offering that has piqued interest of late. But surely, as has happened before, it's lilkely to be Apple who will make smart wearables a revolution.

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.
Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.
As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.
-
2026 in IoT attacks: the biggest threats so far and what businesses can doIn-depth Internet of Things devices are more useful than ever – but security is still playing catch-up
-
Anthropic is increasing Claude Code usage limits — here’s everything you need to knowNews The new deal will help Anthropic increase Claude Code usage limits, and API rate limits for Claude Opus models
-
A DevOps guide to the Salesforce platformWhitepaper Learn how to ship code faster, safer, and with agility.
-
FDA approves Apple Watch app that helps people with PTSD sleep betterNews The FDA designated NightWare a Breakthrough Device, expediting its development and review
-
Trainline's new API wants to take the pain out of your business tripNews API collects rail journey data across 24 countries to book all your tickets at once
-
Smartwatch security threats: The sky isn’t really fallingOpinion Wearables are too young to pose a real threat to data security, says Davey Winder
-
Apple appoints Jeff Williams as COONews Phil Schiller’s responsibilities expand to include management of App Store across platforms
-
Chinese vendors storm worldwide wearables marketNews However, Fitbit and Apple lead the charge with its wrist-mounted devices