What it is: The Apple Watch is one of many wearable computers, but what could give it extra features won’t just be a new operating system but a smart band that gives it new sensors.
It’s easy to update a desktop computer. Just open up the case and add new parts. It’s much harder to upgrade a laptop and nearly impossible to upgrade a smartphone or tablet. When you look at a wearable computer like the Apple Watch, you realize there’s almost no room to add anything new.
That’s what makes smart bands so intriguing. The back of the Apple Watch comes with different types of sensors, but there’s only so much room back there for a limited number of sensors. To add more sensors, you either have to buy a newer model of the Apple Watch or use a smart band.
The idea behind smart bands is that the band contains new sensors that can plug into the Apple Watch. By swapping different bands, you can easily add new types of sensors to your Apple Watch. Such smart bands could keep your current Apple Watch up to date until it’s time to buy a more powerful Apple Watch model. Until then, use a smart band instead.
Now instead of cramming the Apple Watch with so many sensors, smart bands could let you customize your Apple Watch to monitor only those body features you care about. Smart bands are a rumored feature of the Apple Watch that may never appear, but the idea makes sense. Ordinary bands just hold the Apple Watch to your wrist but a smart band could detect and monitor different body functions at the same time. Given the choice between a smart band or an ordinary band, smart bands are likely to appear for the Apple Watch in the near future. Just wait for it and you’ll be able to expand your Apple Watch in ways that truly customize it just for you.
To read more about possible smart bands for the Apple Watch, click here.