Apple has a goal for its eight-year-old smartwatch: for it to act as your “key to the world.” That’s according to Kevin Lynch, Apple’s vice president of technology, who recently sat down for a virtual interview with CNET.
This direction isn’t new; Apple has been gradually extending the Apple Watch’s functionality over the years, enabling it to work as a digital key for your car and home. In fact, that goal was part of the Apple Watch from the beginning through the original model’s support for Apple Pay.
But this theme feels more prevalent than ever in WatchOS 10, the upcoming software update launching in the fall and arriving in public beta next month. The new software introduces updated widgets to help the watch surface information as needed, perhaps a testament to just how much we’re doing on these tiny wrist-worn devices today. The goal is to provide a lot of data at a glance while maintaining the watch face aesthetic, Lynch said…
Lynch couldn’t say what’s next when asked about other ways the Apple Watch could become a so-called key to the world around you.
But the clue could be sitting in our pockets.
“What do you use a wallet for today, and do you still have things in your wallet?” he asked. “So that would be another area to think about in terms of maybe over time, how we can reduce the amount of stuff you have to carry around with you.”
MacDailyNews Note: Learn how to access your car, home, workplace, and hotel room with keys in Wallet today on Apple Watch running watchOS 9 here.
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[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
The post Apple VP Kevin Lynch: We want to make Apple Watch your ‘key to the world’ appeared first on MacDailyNews.
