Column: Is Apple wasting its time with the iWatch?

There’s no doubt tech companies believe wearable devices are a big part of the future of personal computing. Just ask Google, who spent untold research and development dollars on Glass, or Intel with its big investment in rival Recon Instruments, the Canadian outfit that brought the world’s first Heads-Up Display to market.

Motorola just patented a gaze-tracking and mood-detecting armband, and Nikon is rumored to be mulling over a head-mounted camera.

Then, of course, there’s the smartwatch. The clever gizmo that plainclothes detective Dick Tracy first showed off in the newspaper comics section nearly 70 years ago has now become a reality. Aside from Kickstarter success story Pebble, Sony’s SmartWatch also made its debut (with a second-generation version coming down the pike), and Samsung’s Galaxy Gear watch is currently in critics’ hands.