Tony Fadell and Benoît Mintiens Discuss That Crazy Ressence Type 2 Watch 'e-Crown' Concept

Tony Fadell, former Apple executive and the father of the iPod, recently did an interview with Benoît Mintiens, a watch guy and the founder of Watch company Ressence. You might have seen the totally crazy looking Ressence Type 2 watch. Gorgeous and very, very different looking, the Ressence Type 2 is a mechanical watch married to your smartphone through what they call an “e-Crown.” Bloomberg published a piece with Hodinkee on the Type 2, and it included the video interview below. In it, Messrs. Fadell and Mintiens talk about working together and the early development of the Type 2, but they also talk about the e-Crown. You also get to see the Type 2 in action. It’s interesting, but note at the end where Mr. Mintiens notes that the watch crown has been around for 176 years. “So it’s about time to think about something else.” That sure sounds like a pot shot at Apple, whose Digital Crown is effectively rooted in that same 176 year history. It’s an interesting watch, an interesting article, and an interesting video.

Former Apple Execs Discuss the Origins of the iPhone

As part of the iPhone’s 10th Anniversary this month, The Wall Street Journal has published a short video which looks at how this revolutionary device came to be. How the iPhone Was Born: Inside Stories of Missteps and Triumphs features interviews with three Apple employees key to the device’s development: Tony Fadell, Greg Christie, and Scott Forstall. Topics include how Apple originally envisioned the iPhone, the range of initial prototype designs, and what it was like to work under pressure from Steve Jobs.