Google is buying Fossil’s smartwatch tech for $40M
UX discussion here. Is there any UX&#x2F;design&#x2F;functional reason to have a round watch face on a smartwatch? Analog watches were round to fit the display technology available at the time, the watch dial, which is inherently round. RGB pixel displays are naturally rectangular.<p>My wife thinks that even the smallest latest Apple Watch is way too large for a watch. I wonder if there&#x27;s some matter of comfort in a relatively flat backed round form factor for a watch? A relatively thick rectangle with a rounder back is going to have a center of mass that is further away from the wrist. It comprises a very small cantilever, which is still quite large on the scales of the traditional watch. (By something like a factor of 3 or so.) The slightly taller rectangular shape will also tend to funnel the motion such a cantilever experiences in an arc parallel to the forearm. None of this was at all an issue for most traditional watches, simply because they were much flatter.<p>Something has always bothered me about Apple Watches when trying them out in the store, and I think it&#x27;s this. They&#x27;re not bulky, but there&#x27;s something about them which seems to keep them from disappearing from my awareness. Even my dad&#x27;s old Rolex, which isn&#x27;t huge, but isn&#x27;t small for a watch, seems to sit on my wrist more comfortably. Even the Tag Heuer, which I think is a bit too big, seems to sit more comfortably on my wrist. Even the big old school watches just didn&#x27;t have this stick-out-y character.