Technology has changed a lot since the Star of Mysore was first printed in 1978. New technology has graced the pages (and recently, website) of the Star throughout the years as we keep the people of Mysuru up to date on the latest developments.

Smartwatches might seem like they have leaped from the pages of a 1950s science fiction novel, but, in 2020, the technology has matured enough to fit into and enhance the lives of consumers. Here are some surprising facts about smartwatches that might have passed you by.

They Took Inspiration from Science Fiction

Life, as they say, often imitates art. Such is the case with smartwatches, which owe their conception to science fiction. From Dan Dare to Captain Kirk, science fiction characters often sported watches that did much more than tell the time. The designers of real smartwatches owe much to fiction writers keen on capturing the essence of a futuristic world in which technology aided our lives in stranger and stranger ways. 

They Have Been Around for a While

Smartwatches might be futuristic, but the idea of reinventing the watch to serve multiple functions has been around for a while. The first ‘modern’ smartwatch was released in 1984: the RC-1000 wrist terminal. These watches were glamorous but had limited success. It was the release of the Apple Watch three decades later that really cemented smartwatches as being genuinely useful and desirable. 

They Can Read Your Body

A quick comparison of Apple Watches reveals that the gradual development of this flagship piece of wearable technology has led to a refined and ultimately useful device. The most recent Apple Watch comes with a dizzying array of sensors, mostly for reading the human body’s movements and signs:

• Blood oxygen
• ECG
• Exercise tracking
• Heart rate
• Menstrual tracking
• Microphone
• Motion
• Oxygen
• Sleep tracking

These features allow the Apple Watch to function as a personal health computer – one of the most popular uses of the device. 

They are High Fashion

As luxury products, watches have always been integrated into the fashion world. Smartwatches are no different, and technology companies have collaborated with fashion houses to produce some incredibly beautiful limited edition examples. Perhaps the most striking is the HERMESxApple watch. Form and function are perfectly combined on this luxurious piece of wearable technology. It isn’t exactly cheap, but it is the next step for the high-end watch market. 

They are Coming Back from the Dead

Smartwatches certainly went through a bad patch. In 2016, Business Insider famously declared that “Wearables (were) Dead”. The wearable technology market lacked a clear direction or identity, and sales had stagnated. Since then, however, companies like Apple and Fitbit have ensured that their products serve clear purposes and provide utility as part of an ‘internet of things.’ As a result, sales are steadily rising across the world. Apple alone shipped 7.6 million smartwatches in the first quarter of 2020, and so it wouldn’t be surprising to see this number steadily rising as time goes on.