watch wrist man The wrist and the smartwatch

Think about a future where you’re authenticating, paying, locking and unlocking wirelessly without a physical key. Imagine the day when you can walk up to your house and open the door without having to take out a metal key and insert it into a tiny lock.

Imagine a day when you go to pay for an item and you no longer have to take out a piece of plastic or cash from your wallet or purse.

Imagine the day when you go to the gym and you no longer have to scan a membership card to enter.

Payments, doors, memberships are just a few of countless scenarios that require you to be near in order for you to authenticate.

NFC is the closest technology we have that essentially mimics having a key.

Wikipedia:

Near-field communication (NFC) is a set of standards for smartphones and other mobile devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity, usually no more than a few centimeters.

A few centimeters. Think about that for a second. Not a few inches or even a foot. A few centimeters. And that’s why NFC is going to become increasingly more used in the coming years.

Which brings me to the wrist and the smartwatch.

When you wear a watch it’s essentially never out of sight. And if you wear a smartwatch it will be instantly available for various types of authentication. This is very different from the smartphone. Sure, it’s available and it’s even close by, but it’s only marginally better than having your wallet or purse. Why? Because in both instances you need to either reach into your pocket or dig into your purse to get it. The watch requires no digging.

And that’s why the watch is so compelling. It’s not about looking at photos, it’s not about seeing the time. It’s about convenience from pockets and purses. Sure, some of you may think that’s stupid but is the TV remote stupid? Is keyless car entry stupid? No, it’s not. Once you use it, you can’t imagine your life without it.

That’s what the smartwatch will be.