PROGRAMMING FOR WEARABLES
(Pssst… it’s really about the Apple Watch)
@ToTheVictor, RJI Fellow

Academic fellow Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute
Media partnerships, Product, Education, Evangelize
Director Media Innovation — Banjo
CNN veteran: editorial + technology
Digital news ‘nerd’

WHO AMONG US?

HANDS-
FREE
ALWAYS-ON
DEVELOPMENT
PLATFORM
ATTENTION
-GETTING
ENVIRONMENT
-AWARE
CONNECTED
• Voice / gesture
control
• Low-power
consumption
• Instant wake
• Background
working /
sensing
• GPS
• Accelerometer
• Compass
• Camera
• Microphone
• Other sensors
• Wi-Fi
• 3G / 4G / LTE
• Bluetooth
• NFC
• Less-distracting
when receiving
alerts / reminders /
messages
• 3rd party apps
• API partners
• Accessories
KEY ATTRIBUTES OF WEARABLE TECH PRODUCTS
SOURCE: KPCB - Internet Trends Report

Smart wearables projected to generate $37B by 2020
Smartwatches | Smart wristbands | Smart glasses | Smart garments | Smart jewelry
Global market not yet mature | major traction: North America & Europe
Source: TechSci Research Report “Global Smart Wearable Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2020”
Smartwatch expected to be leading wearables category
Apple Watch will account for 68% of 2015 smartwatch shipments
Business Insider “Wearables Report” Tractica market intelligence report Aug. 2015

Source: Forbes Tech | May 2015
But, within five years, this ratio is set to drop to around
20 to 1; with an estimated 101 million smartwatch
shipments taking place by 2020.
The ratio of smartphone shipments, compared to
smartwatch ones, currently sits at around 500 to 1.
Small-fry indeed.

Future of News: Timeline of the Connected Generation
BBC News Labs, January 2015
BBC News Labs predicts by 2018,
wearable tech will become part of standard
equipment issued to its reporters

GLANCEJOURNALISM
“IT WILL BECOME VERY ADDICTIVE”
Smartphone users now glance at their mobile devices more than 100
times a day, and with the smartwatch that could become 300 or 500
times.
Currently there is only limited experience with news on smartwatches —
but now smart news orgs and apps are preparing for the possible
widespread adoption of Apple Watch.
http://meta.watch/blogs/news/15725509-the-power-of-glance-and-ambient-info
THERISEOF

The average user now picks up their mobile phone more than 1,500 times/week
•Average user first reaches for their phone at 7:31 a.m.
•Daily average time spent using: 3 hours 16 mins.
•221 tasks each day (compared to 140 via desktop/laptops)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2783677/How-YOU-look-phone-The-average-user-picks-device-1-500-times-day.html

FROM NOVELTY TO NECESSITY
FORM
FACTOR
SET UP
BATTERY
LIFE BUGS
UI/
SCREEN
SIZE
NEWS
GATHERING
APP
ECOSYSTEM
SIRI
BEYOND
NOTIFICATIONS
STORY
STRUCTURE
MEDIA
INTEGRATION
11 areas that must be addressed before the AW can be considered core essential for newsrooms

SMARTPHONES FOR
REPORTING
*Research topics, sources
*Communicate/collab
*Camera | video + photo
*Audio gathering/edit
*Publish to CMS
*Produce multimedia
*Transmit content
*Translation tool
*Live streaming
*Post social media
*Curate web content
*Gather/share notes
*Mapping
*Sensory data

WHY THE WATCH IS LESS ABOUT TODAY,
AND MORE ABOUT TOMORROW
iPHONE VERSION 1
January 2007
No third party support
(App store)
Poor camera (2MP)
No front facing camera
No copy & paste
No Office support
No Outlook Exchange email
Limited memory (8GB)
Small screen size (3.5 inches)
Limited talk time
Limited phone carriers

Programming Challenges
The obvious: tiny screen
Rethinking story structure
Going beyond notifications
Seamless experiences not native
Push/pulling from legacy mediums
Audience interactivity limited

NY TIMES
FLIPBOARD
BBC NEWS
WASHINGTON POST
The Times has developed a new form of storytelling to help readers catch up in seconds. Through its one-sentence stories, crafted especially for the
small screen of Apple Watch, users are able to get the news at a glance across many sections from the Times along with photography and short,
bulleted summaries.
Flipboard algorithmically chooses the top 10 stories based on the top 10 topics a user follows on Flipboard, and then present these
dynamically on the Apple Watch.
The latest version brings optional compact layout that allows users to view more stories per screen, summaries of stories, headlines and
breaking news alerts. Users can personalize the app menu to suit specific interests.
“Big Story, Small Screen” design allows users to quickly browse the day’s big story via a customized format highlighting the top story
through bold images and brief text, giving readers a way to catch up on the news in six scrolls.

Source: WatchAware.com

Dark Sky for iOS
$3.99

WHAT WE ARE DOING @
articles, blogs, workshops
ANALYSIS
COLLABORATION
INNOVATION
RJI capstone students competition, playbook, reports

Introducing: Chris, Samantha and Lauren

Millennial survey of more than 500 college students
Majority of wearable tech owners rarely consume news on devices
Wearable experiences most interested in: texting, music
97% respondents exposed to Apple Watch advertising, most have never used
Source: RJI Fall 2015 capstone student project on wearables/smartwatches
Follow upcoming survey releases: RJIonline.org

PUTTING THE APPLE WATCH TO THE TEST
RJI student journalist team is covering real world news events: iPhone vs. Watch

‘ESSENTIAL TECH’ TEST
Can I survive my day without? No smartphone:

A FEW SMALL PREDICTIONS
Prices come down, avail goes up: explosive growth
Apple Watch 2 next fall: new features, applications
News/media outlets begin to create unique wearable apps
Most effective user experiences will be ones integrating with broader media ecosystems

@tothevictor
tinyurl.com/mobileme-wearables
AllTheNewsThatFitsYourWrist.Tumblr.com