Don Lyle made this observation in the 26 March 2001 issue of the Rapidly Changing Face of Computing:
The instruction book that comes with a watch doesn't contain a single paragraph about how to tell time — just instructions on how to figure out all of the ancillary bells and whistles that "designers" have crammed into the shell…
Well, that got Mick O'Malley thinking in the 23 April 2001 issue:
I think it's an incredibly clear example of how technology disappears. Here we have an instance where the primary function of a device is so intuitive, so expected, so assumed-as-a-self-evident-truth, that it is completely ignored in the entire sale, packaging and distribution process. Amazing! The primary function is simply built in as a foundation on which to build other functionality.
You can just picture the marketing execs sitting around a whiteboard saying "ok, so we need to tell the time, good, now where do we go from there …. we've got the basic reason for having this type of device, now let