In last week's column, I predicted that, by creatively integrating its iOS architecture and Siri's voice UI and speech comprehension technology, Apple can disrupt the television and auto industries in the coming years. However, I believe that there are at least two more industries that Apple could shake with this technology and that these industries are on Apple's radar for future development.
So thirdly, Apple could turn the watch industry upside down. For centuries, watches have been, for a lack of a better term, dumb watches. Only in the last 30 years have they gotten smarter with the introduction of things like calculators and, more recently, chronographs and satellites tied to the atomic clock.
Now, Apple has stumbled upon an interesting observation about the iPod nano; many people have started to use it as a watch. A whole side industry has popped up that creates watchbands for iPod nanos. Maybe Apple never dreamed of the device as a watch, but it has become a happy new application for its smallest iPod.
Interestingly, Microsoft took a crack at this idea a few years back with a product called the SPOT watch. Its data link, which delivered news blurbs, weather, and sports bulletins, was tied to an FM radio link. Microsoft even partnered with Sunto and Swatch in an attempt to bring these watches to high-end and low-end watch buyers. Unfortunately, the SPOT watch never really took off and in 2008 Microsoft killed the product.
With a few simple tweaks, however, Apple could do very interesting things with the nano. What if it put a Bluetooth radio inside and allowed it to become a mirrored display to the iPhone? I normally carry my iPhone in my pocket so when an alert comes up, I have to fish it out to see it. But what if that alert showed up on my nano watch? Or what if it added a Siri interface and tied the nano display to the iPhone? I could ask my watch to show me the last message or email I received through iMessage and it would pop up on the nano screen.
Apple could perhaps tie voice feedback to the iPhone's GPS and direct you to "turn right here" or "head north" to get to that coffee shop you just asked Siri about. Of course, Apple could incorporate Wi-Fi radio as well and let it get a direct link to data when connected. More logically, it could use a Bluetooth connection to tie the nano to the iPhone's 3G radio, so that it would be connected all the time. As long as it mirrors my iPhone, especially when receiving news, weather, sports updates, and messages, the nano could become one of those hot items to which iPhone buyers flock, or even a halo product that could drive iPhone sales.
The fourth industry Apple could potentially impact is the appliance industry. In 1997, I spoke at the Agenda conference about a refrigerator of the future that would have a screen tied to the Internet. I suggested that it would have a barcode scanner and that, as I put items in the fridge, it would automatically take inventory. In turn, as I took items out and didn't return them, the fridge would automatically add them to a shopping list on the screen. I went as far as to suggest that, after calling up an online recipe, the appliance would add the necessary ingredients to a shopping list. If programmed properly, it could even dial Safeway.com and all of my groceries could be delivered to my doorstep.
Of course, today we have a couple of refrigerators with Internet-enabled screens, but they are merely Internet terminals. If Apple applied its iOS operating system and married it to the iCloud, it could turn pretty much any appliance-integrated screen into an application specific smart screen. They could all access the Internet and iOS apps, which could be tailored for their integrated locations.
For example, say I had an iOS screen embedded into the mirror in my bathroom. As I am preparing for work, it could fetch weather reports, updated news items, and traffic reports. It could read out my daily appointment schedule and search my iCloud account for music, podcasts, or YouTube videos. You get the idea.
I have no doubt that screens will multiply in our homes and digital lifestyles. If Apple can make them all smart and unify them behind iOS, its apps, and iCloud eco-system, it could have quite an impact on the future of the appliance industry. And believe me, the appliance industry is interested. Besides embedding a screen on a refrigerator, some have also added internet connections to ovens, microwaves, lighting, and air conditioning and heating systems to try and make them smart devices, though most of them act merely as terminals.
For the embedded screens to reach their potential, they need to have an OS that is tied to a broader eco-system that could deliver even greater functionality through connectivity. iOS, apps, and the iCloud could play in important role in helping this industry deliver smart homes and smart appliances.
But keep in mind, all of this could happen because Apple has created a fundamental unified platform that is consistent across screens but can be customized depending on the screen placement. It's hardly a stretch to see how a TV, automobile, watch, or appliance, could benefit from digital intelligence.
I suppose if we think hard enough, we could probably brainstorm other industries Apple could impact, but I believe that the TV, auto, watch, and appliance industries will be next on Apple's "disruption" agenda.
For more from Tim Bajarin, follow him on Twitter @bajarin.
Tim Bajarin is one of the leading analysts working in the technology industry today. He is president of Creative Strategies (www.creativestrategies.com), a research company that produces strategy research reports for 50 to 60 companies annually—a roster that includes semiconductor and PC companies, as well as those in telecommunications, consumer electronics, and media. Customers have included AMD, Apple, Dell, HP, Intel, and Microsoft, among many others. You can e-mail him directly at tim@creativestrategies.com.
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