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UK Universities banning wristwatches from exams

As it happened with the arrival of smartphones, some Universities in the United Kingdom are having a rethink when it comes to what devices should be allowed in the exam room. Now, the answer is: none at all. Smartwatches are fast becoming a concern and the publicity that the Apple Watch brought about has only made that more pressing. As such, all watches are being banned by certain universities – just in case the moderator won’t be able to tell the difference between a ‘smart’ and a ‘not-so-smart’ wristwatch.

A City University London spokesperson stated:

“Students are already asked to place mobile phones in a plastic wallet under their desk, so we adopted the same procedure for watches. Students either don’t wear them to an exam venue, or they remove the watch in the venue and place it in the plastic wallet.”

What’s interesting is how policy was only adapted after Apple loudly announced its plans to move into the wearable tech space. That’s just the kind of power the company commands.

And for early adopters of wearable tech, it’s going to feel like a real slap on the wrist.