> Do you think an open source group could build an Apple watch?
Apple Watch? Depends on what you mean by that but they 100% could build a smartwatch, such as the open source $27 Pinetime watch:
Apple Watch? Depends on what you mean by that but they 100% could build a smartwatch, such as the open source $27 Pinetime watch:
It's a common pattern. Linux GUIs only came about once other commercially successful GUIs existed. The Linux Desktop was a reaction to the commercial success of Windows and Apple desktops. FOSS often ends up cloning existing successful products. Of course there's nothing wrong with creating open alternatives after the fact, but to pretend that FOSS is driving product vision is disconnected idealism at its finest.
FWIW I own a PineTime and enjoy hacking on it quite a bit but a commercial smartwatch it is not. For me that's fine as I don't use a smartwatch as a daily driver, but if I did a PineWatch would be a nonstarter. I do hope that the PineTime can drive an ecosystem of open smart watches that occupy different points in the cost, functionality, customizability, and reusability space than commercial smartwatches do, especially those that may not be profitable to tape out large runs for, but I'm also thankful for commercial product development to drive new innovative products into our hands.
X Windows predates Microsoft Windows by a year, if you count Windows 1.0 as “commercially successful”.
It’s the perfect “smart” watch for children who are too young to have a “real” smart device. It shows the time, the date, a basic step counter, and not a heck of a lot more.
I have an Apple Watch too. There is no comparison. It’s like the iPhone vs an old Motorola flip phone.
But we can guess. Software and Hardware are separate problems to solve here.
Having cheap hardware means more people can afford the devices and work on the software side.
PineCube too, for that matter.
Try to replace the OS on Apple Watch with FLOSS. Or on any other watch.