SMARTWATCHES have been a part of pulp- and science-fiction tales since the thirties, and real-life versions were developed in the seventies and eighties before electronics companies shifted their attention to laptops and cell phones. By 2014, many top digital conglomerates had begun developing, and in some cases manufacturing, new smartwatches; Samsung and Sony released their own models; and Apple announced the Apple watch, to debut in early 2015. John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images