Apple's AirDrop is a great way to share files easily and immediately between devices, but the feature doesn't extend very well to the Apple Watch.

It seems that Apple has several tricks up its sleeve to remedy this. The company recently filed a patent that details gestures with other people – including handshakes and fist bumps – to initiate a file exchange. These gestures will require little intervention from the user.

While smartwatches have touchscreens, they aren't ideal for touch control because of their small size. They're nevertheless great for gesture-based control, seeing as they're worn on the wrist. Most smartwatches include a number of sensors that can be used to detect gestures — but most gestures, to date, only involve one person.

Using two-person gestures as a way of exchanging data is really a very smart idea. With things like NFC and Wi-Fi, the Apple Watch can detect proximity to another device — and different gestures, like handshakes and fist bumps, could potentially be used for different types of file exchanges.

The patent itself emphasizes context as a way to determine which files are transferred and when. For example, if a user is in a business meeting, the device could know to transfer business details and virtual business cards. Data could also be sent directly in that moment — or a key to the data could be sent instead, giving access to the data at a later date. Transfers could occur even without explicit action from the user — which could, of course, raise privacy concerns.

While the patent describes interesting information about gesture control, the details it provides about future Apple devices are equally interesting. Judging by the content, it seems that the next version of the Apple Watch will have a camera. Not only that, but strangely enough, it could also have a headphone jack. Apple also appears to be making plans for other smart wearable devices, including smart glasses and even textiles.

Of course, this is all just a patent — and Apple is no stranger to filing patents without using them in a timely fashion, or even using them at all.

The Apple Watch has been growing in popularity ever since it was first released. Nevertheless, some are a little disappointed with the device and suggest that the Apple Watch 2 will come closer to what they wanted from the first Apple Watch. 

Via: SlashGear