Apple would really, really like you to own more than one Apple Watch. And the tech giant has been granted a patent (number 9,912,799) for “switching between watches or other accessories” that would make it easy to juggle (not literally) multiple smartwatches.
The patent involves systems and methods for allowing a user to switch between watches that have been paired with a device such as an iPhone. In one embodiment, the watches automatically detect a removal of a first watch from a user’s wrist and an attachment of a second watch to the user’s wrist.
Messages from the watches are transmitted to the device to allow the device to switch the active watch from the first watch to the second watch. The switch can occur while the device is in a locked state, and the device can synchronize the second watch with data received from the first watch.
The advantage of this system is that could, for example, have an Apple Nike watch to track your running and exercise activities and a second for non-fitness activities. It’s doubtful many folks are going to purchase multiple Apple Watches, but, hey, you never know.
Of course, Apple files for — and is granted — lots of patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Many are for inventions that never see the light of day. However, you never can tell which ones will materialize in a real product.
