Apple has already transformed two industries — music and computing. Now, as the company reportedly attempts the redefinition of the watch — one of man's oldest pieces of technology — the next phase of the techno revolution is moving into clear view: Welcome to the age of "wearable tech," with a gadget available to cater to your every need.
Wearable technology is hardly a new phenomenon. Conrad von Soest depicted an apostle in reading glasses in the Niederwildugen Altarpiece in 1403, and there are mentions of the use of eyeglasses dating back to antiquity. Wearable watches have been in circulation since the 16th century. And British inventor Alphonsus William Webster received what is believed to be the first patent for a hearing aid — a curved earpiece worn behind the ear — in 1836.
But thanks to the Internet and Moore's Law — the theory that the number of resistors on a chip will double every two years — a whole new world of possibilities is opening up, and with it comes a host of questions that look set to eclipse all previous debate over online privacy.