Apple's iWatch Is Cleared For Takeoff

APApple designer Jony Ive.Before Apple announced the iPad, Microsoft and HP rushed to announce a tablet at the annual technology trade show, CES.

That tablet, the HP Slate, was (unsurprisingly) DOA. The night it was announced, we wrote that "the Apple tablet has a clear runway for takeoff."

Samsung just announced the Galaxy Gear, its smart watch, and we're getting a bit of deja vu. Apple's iWatch appears to be cleared for takeoff.

Samsung said, "welcome to the future" during the announcement of the Gear, but it actually looks like a blast from the past. The Gear reminds us of Apple's iPod Nano with a watch band, which gained a little traction at the end of 2010.

Essentially, the Gear appears to be a shrunk down smartphone slapped on a wrist band. We see nothing revolutionary or innovative in the Gear.

This gives Apple room to come in with the iWatch and actually deliver something great.

We don't know what it's going to be, but we don't expect it to look, or act anything like what Samsung just revealed.

KickstarterThe iPod Nano with watch band.