John Simons: Sony To Focus More On Design Than Technology With E-Paper Watch

Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE: SNE) is expected to launch a watch made entirely out of e-paper, However the company is not much interested in the functionalities of the watch, but rather in its design.

John Simons, business editor at International Business Times, was recently on CNBC to discuss Sony’s rumored watch and its specifications.

“Well, this is something that comes out of Sony’s new lab that is trying to develop innovative devices that kind of push markets forward, create markets. Like kind of in the tradition of the Sony Walkman,” Simons said.

“What’s a little troubling about this Bloomberg report is that, there is one sentence there that says Sony isn’t interested in pushing the technological innovations of this watch, they're more interested in innovating on design. And while this is sort of a watch that’s made of e-paper, I think the company needs to remember that they're trying to appeal to a generation of people who have just pretty much done away with watches.”

When asked about how consumers will react to a wearable device that is stylish apart from being technologically superior, Simons said, “I think these wearable devices in general need to be stylish, they need to be something that people want to wear on their faces, or their arms or their bodies […] So, it’s very possible that there's a generation of people out there who want to wear an e-paper watch.”

Shares of Sony recently traded at $21.63, down 1.37 percent.