Disclaimer: I scrolled through the first few pages of this forum to make sure this hadn't already been suggested, although I know this isn't an original idea and maybe it's been talked about in some other sub-forum, so apologies if that is the case.
Basically I think Microsoft needs to rip off the Neptune Suite, because they are already in a position to make it and to make it better. For those who haven't heard of it, the Neptune Suite is a smartwatch concept that has been crowdfunded (to a tune of over $1 million so far) and is expected to ship early 2016. So far there haven't been any videos of working models, it's all been simulated screens or non-functional physical mock-ups, but the concept is really interesting in my opinion.
What's different about Neptune is that they make the smartwatch the hub, packing it with all the guts you'd normally have in your phone like the processor, RAM, storage and antennae. It's not just a single device though, it's a suite of products as their name suggests, and also comes with a phone, tablet and HDMI dongle which simply connect wirelessly to act as displays and input devices. They have no computational power of their own, they're not much more than screens with batteries.
The Neptune is going to be running Android, but think about how much better this platform is suited for Windows 10. If Microsoft were to develop a "Band Pro", with a larger screen and a "Watch Mode", they could basically then take a Lumia & Surface and remove all their computational guts to put larger batteries in them, as well as the tech for wireless communication with the Band. Now you can utilize the power of Continuum to have apps and menus automatically adjust based on the device you're currently connected to, something Android can't (yet) do. This would truly make you the hub as Microsoft has been saying lately, as this means you have one device that is (almost) always attached to your body and then a variety of peripherals you connect to and use when you need them, each with their own purpose.
We'll have to see whether the start-up behind Neptune can even accomplish what they set out to do, but the success behind their crowdfunding campaign suggests that people are interested in this unique shift in device form and functionality, and I think Microsoft could outperform them in every way.
Thoughts?
Basically I think Microsoft needs to rip off the Neptune Suite, because they are already in a position to make it and to make it better. For those who haven't heard of it, the Neptune Suite is a smartwatch concept that has been crowdfunded (to a tune of over $1 million so far) and is expected to ship early 2016. So far there haven't been any videos of working models, it's all been simulated screens or non-functional physical mock-ups, but the concept is really interesting in my opinion.
What's different about Neptune is that they make the smartwatch the hub, packing it with all the guts you'd normally have in your phone like the processor, RAM, storage and antennae. It's not just a single device though, it's a suite of products as their name suggests, and also comes with a phone, tablet and HDMI dongle which simply connect wirelessly to act as displays and input devices. They have no computational power of their own, they're not much more than screens with batteries.
The Neptune is going to be running Android, but think about how much better this platform is suited for Windows 10. If Microsoft were to develop a "Band Pro", with a larger screen and a "Watch Mode", they could basically then take a Lumia & Surface and remove all their computational guts to put larger batteries in them, as well as the tech for wireless communication with the Band. Now you can utilize the power of Continuum to have apps and menus automatically adjust based on the device you're currently connected to, something Android can't (yet) do. This would truly make you the hub as Microsoft has been saying lately, as this means you have one device that is (almost) always attached to your body and then a variety of peripherals you connect to and use when you need them, each with their own purpose.
We'll have to see whether the start-up behind Neptune can even accomplish what they set out to do, but the success behind their crowdfunding campaign suggests that people are interested in this unique shift in device form and functionality, and I think Microsoft could outperform them in every way.
Thoughts?
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