A Round Apple Watch: Gorgeous Concept Shows Us ‘What If’

When Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) unveiled its first wearable on Tuesday with a rectangular face, devotees of the classic look of a round timepiece were disappointed. Rather than just wish the Apple Watch was round, South Korean student Oh NamKyung used Photoshop to make it so. And your eyes might tear up at what could have been. NamKyung posted images of her mockup on her Tumblr, asking “What if Apple Watch was round?”

Many of NamKyung’s fellow industrial design students at Seoul Women’s University expected a round face for the Apple Watch, she said. “I really hoped it would come out with [a] round face in the first place. But when they first introduced the Apple Watch, I kind of liked the square shape,” KamKyung said.

Her designs were posted by The Verge as well as a number of her friends, and slowly began to go viral. She said she understands the benefits of a square screen from a user interface (UI) perspective, but wished the Apple Watch was circular since the shape is better suited to a wristwatch. “I believe there are pros and cons for both shapes, especially for a smart watch. But personally, I like the round one better,” NamKyung said.

Analysts claimed earlier this year that the “iWatch,” as it was then called, would have a round face like Motorola Mobility’s Moto 360. That turned out false, and after all, aren’t Apple’s “rounded corners” a key aspect of the company’s design language these days? “Well, maybe. But I believe the core of Apple’s design is their product quality itself,” she said. “I don’t think the shape or the outline really matters.”