Gallery: Three Big Ideas for Post-Smartphone Design, From the Mind Behind Beats by Dre
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At a recent design conference, Robert Brunner outlined his ideas for post-smartphone design. *Image: Ammunition*
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One key trend he sees is a return to simpler, single-purpose tools. This internet-connected tape measure is one example. It would work like the analog standby while quietly sending measurements back to your computer. *Image: Ammunition*
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Brunner's team at Ammunition, the design house behind products like Beats by Dre and Nook, also envisioned a smartband. *Image: Ammunition*
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It was devised as a bracelet, not as a replacement for the watch. *Image: Ammunition*
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It includes some novel (if a bit hypothetical) ideas for both input and output. Sensors on the inside of the band could read muscles in the wrist for simple controls. *Image: Ammunition*
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The outside is a screen in its entirety, with a laser-cut material laid over a light to create a sort of dot matrix display. *Image: Ammunition*
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“A watch is something you rotate, you glance at it, and you move on. You do that from 18 to 24 inches away," Brunner says. *Image: Ammunition*
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The lesson is simple: For a smartwatch to succeed, designers need to look at how we use watches just as much as how we use smartphones. *Image: Ammunition*
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*Image: Ammunition*
