Meh it really isn't but at THAT price? No thanks.
Apple announces Apple Watch
- Thread starter Volotaire
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You also said "It's just not a thing".
Sidewinder
Member
There's nothing like paying 350$ so you don't waste 2s to take out your 1'000$ Smartphone, live a little dude!!1
Edit: oh and don't forget to buy the new version next year, because that thing will be obsolete before you can say Apple Watch.
Two uses that I can think of as being very useful
- gps navigation when walking. In unfamiliar locations I rely on my phone a lot, but I'm always looking down at the screen to see where my dot is compared to where I'm going. I don't use voice navigation because that is really jarring unless I'm wearing headphones, and I'm often with my family. So I'm constantly distracted and have my ohone I view like a dumb tourist ready to be snatched. Watch based navigation using the haptics lets me concentrate on where I am and who I'm with, and the watch gently nudging me in the right direction.
- missing notifications. I don't think this is just me. I miss a ton of notifications when I'm outdoors. My phone is in my pocket, it's noisy and and sometimes just miss an incoming text/message. Having haptics on the wrist sounds like it'd be like someone tapping you in the shoulder to get your attention and could be really effective.
When it boils down to it, I still think I prefer a more passive experience than lots of apps (especially as you still need your phone with you), but that simple buzz of the haptic feedback could make a big difference.
- gps navigation when walking. In unfamiliar locations I rely on my phone a lot, but I'm always looking down at the screen to see where my dot is compared to where I'm going. I don't use voice navigation because that is really jarring unless I'm wearing headphones, and I'm often with my family. So I'm constantly distracted and have my ohone I view like a dumb tourist ready to be snatched. Watch based navigation using the haptics lets me concentrate on where I am and who I'm with, and the watch gently nudging me in the right direction.
- missing notifications. I don't think this is just me. I miss a ton of notifications when I'm outdoors. My phone is in my pocket, it's noisy and and sometimes just miss an incoming text/message. Having haptics on the wrist sounds like it'd be like someone tapping you in the shoulder to get your attention and could be really effective.
When it boils down to it, I still think I prefer a more passive experience than lots of apps (especially as you still need your phone with you), but that simple buzz of the haptic feedback could make a big difference.
These are my four biggest concerns as well. Well, the three other than the iPhone one because I'll have one of those.
neogaffer1
Banned
Do you mean the stitched leather band like you would find on a real watch? It looks natural. Plus, more importantly, the actual timepiece part of it looks like a real watch, just with a screen instead of a window over timepiece hands. With the Apple Watch you have this thick chunk of metal with a pretty massive black screen leaking over the sides of the device and a big black circle that sticks out on the back.
jakonovski
Member
As far as aesthetics go, Apple has a long way to go. This is what I'm rocking currently, and it's miles beyond anything coming out of California.
Stiflers Mom
Banned
So this is basically like a 350$ Wii U pad that you strap on your arm, that goes dumb when your phone/console is too far away?
Sorry, I don't see this becoming a trend.
And even then, the Moto 360 looks a gazillion times more classy.
Sorry, I don't see this becoming a trend.
And even then, the Moto 360 looks a gazillion times more classy.
By calling it "a chunk of steel" I was implying that it was equally as chunky as the apple watch when some people are making it sound like it isn't. Motorola didn't avoid anything by making theirs round other than making a circular watch for people who don't like square watches... it's just a square screen with the corners cut off reducing real estate and making it so you can't use the full horizontal resolution to read a line of text anywhere but the middle 1/5th.
As for the crown? It's a practical tool for improving usability that the Moto doesn't have.
But considering more people own android devices than iPhones, and android smart watches seem to do pretty much the same thing, why have they not been so positively received? They've been in some kind of tech ghetto just waiting to see what apple does, and apple does not much different.
IM - Instant Massaging
Whitechocolatekrispies
Banned
Hey guys I found another image of the watch.
Oh wait ... that's Samsung's terribad smartwatch ... that is ugly as fuck ...
Incoming Apple lawsuit to sue Samsung for copying its design!
Oh wait ... that's Samsung's terribad smartwatch ... that is ugly as fuck ...
Incoming Apple lawsuit to sue Samsung for copying its design!
Napoleonthechimp
Member
Are these watches (not just Apple) square because it's easier to manufacture the screen?
Earthanoid
Member
For square watches, Google "Cartier tank watch." These are considered classic designs, and they're pretty nice, so its certainly possible to make a good looking square watch. I don't like the rounded edges though, its like Apple is trying to hide that it is square. It just looks a bit odd IMO.
These two uses are what make the Gear Live useful for me and why I wear it even though it is butt ugly. I'm not sure how the Apple Watch will feel but navigating on the Gear Live on foot is much better than walking around with the phone in my face. Also for some reason voice recognition on the Gear Live is 10x better than on my phone so its very useful for quick voice commands.
These two uses are what make the Gear Live useful for me and why I wear it even though it is butt ugly. I'm not sure how the Apple Watch will feel but navigating on the Gear Live on foot is much better than walking around with the phone in my face. Also for some reason voice recognition on the Gear Live is 10x better than on my phone so its very useful for quick voice commands.
Even limiting the selection to square watches this both looks better and more like a watch than the Apple Watch:
I really feel like Apple dropped the ball here.
This looks nice, what is it?
jakonovski
Member
Cartier Roadster is where it's at IMO.
People on here really unable to differentiate beyond "square/circle" is pretty hilarious.
In any case, techies have no clue what is or isn't useful tech for the mainstream because techies treat tech like a list of features and nothing else.
Literally failed to anticipate success on every Apple Product launch of the last 15 years because they were focused on feature comparisons to competitors instead of potential uses. (I remember when every techie I knew talked about the Zen Micro as the better MP3 Player years ago, and sadly I bought one. It was useless in 2 years, so was my friend's)
The iPad was useful because it made PC's and Laptops replaceable for 80% of everyday computing tasks for the average consumer. I haven't had a laptop at home for 4 years, and while I miss it at times, I've gotten just by with an iPad.
When 75% of what you normally do in a social setting on an iphone can be done on a watch (while also allowing you to be more engaged in the real world) becomes a reality, it has value.
It's not there yet, but that's nothing a 2nd/3rd gen model and some 3rd party apps won't solve.
In any case, techies have no clue what is or isn't useful tech for the mainstream because techies treat tech like a list of features and nothing else.
Literally failed to anticipate success on every Apple Product launch of the last 15 years because they were focused on feature comparisons to competitors instead of potential uses. (I remember when every techie I knew talked about the Zen Micro as the better MP3 Player years ago, and sadly I bought one. It was useless in 2 years, so was my friend's)
The iPad was useful because it made PC's and Laptops replaceable for 80% of everyday computing tasks for the average consumer. I haven't had a laptop at home for 4 years, and while I miss it at times, I've gotten just by with an iPad.
When 75% of what you normally do in a social setting on an iphone can be done on a watch (while also allowing you to be more engaged in the real world) becomes a reality, it has value.
It's not there yet, but that's nothing a 2nd/3rd gen model and some 3rd party apps won't solve.
neogaffer1
Banned
Limited functionality.
As far as aesthetics go, Apple has a long way to go. This is what I'm rocking currently, and it's miles beyond anything coming out of California.
Yes, looks very nice. Aesthetically round would be better, but for usability square is a more logical choice. I like the Moto round look but I know its problem is fitting text on the screen when its round. Most usable are is the center for it.
I am not going to buy that Apple watch or others anytime soon as I have no idea how well or badly they work. Time will tell.
Like what? I tried to do a search, but there are thousands of articles about yesterday's conference. And the "hands-on" articles were done on a canned demo it seems.
I like to put my phone on silent when I'm with important people. I like to engage with them without constant notifications and sounds going off. This is especially true with my gf. However, I have clients that have access to my cell #, so I repeatedly have to check my phone every 15-20 min to make sure I don't let missed client calls/messages linger too long.
From now on, at home in the evenings I can put my phone on silent, sit it wherever, and be completely engaged in whatever I'm doing and deal with the light tapping on the wrist which Apple insists no one else will hear or notice. That's a pretty remarkable and useful way to unplug and relax while also not missing important stuff.
And if I do need to take a long phone call or engage in an in depth text/email convo, I can pick the phone right up.
Edit: In fact, shit, my iphone can be on silent 24/7 and I can give my phone push notifications for absolutely everything. So when I do look at the phone, I'll see everything in every app I care about. Whereas now I restrict this feature to avoid a phone constantly bugging me with crap like Twitter, Snapchat, FB and a multitude of other alerts.
From now on, at home in the evenings I can put my phone on silent, sit it wherever, and be completely engaged in whatever I'm doing and deal with the light tapping on the wrist which Apple insists no one else will hear or notice. That's a pretty remarkable and useful way to unplug and relax while also not missing important stuff.
And if I do need to take a long phone call or engage in an in depth text/email convo, I can pick the phone right up.
Edit: In fact, shit, my iphone can be on silent 24/7 and I can give my phone push notifications for absolutely everything. So when I do look at the phone, I'll see everything in every app I care about. Whereas now I restrict this feature to avoid a phone constantly bugging me with crap like Twitter, Snapchat, FB and a multitude of other alerts.
According to a tweet from a Re/code reporter, "ApplePay, music via Bluetooth, activity tracking and some apps".
"Music. Control the music on your iPhone without taking it out of your pocket. And when you leave iPhone at home to go for a jog, listen to music directly on Apple Watch."
How does this work? Bluetooth headphones and streaming from iTunes Match or something?
The Samsung one with a sim card was announced at 300.
How does this work? Bluetooth headphones and streaming from iTunes Match or something?
The Samsung one with a sim card was announced at 300.
SwiftDeath
Member
If I have to own a product to understand why it would be compelling to own the product, the product has already failed or rather the communication/marketing has failed
mario_O
Member
Well, over here it's got nothing to do with how well-dressed you are. Watches are just a fashion accessory nowadays and most people just use their phones to check the time. As simple as that really.
It surprises me how many people didn't know you needed a smartphone for a smartwatch to function (or think it's weird). I mean, pretty much all of its functions are simply an extension of your phone. I hope Apple manages to communicate this well to even less-informed customers or they are gonna get a few complaints.
The fact Apple dares to price this at $350 is the only thing ridiculous here when you take the above in consideration. I'm pretty sure it's just Beats-style pricing in that you pay them because of the brand and the way they look (which Apple has always done, but this is extremely overpriced even for them). Let's be honest, even the people in this thread who think it looks nice should agree it doesn't look $350 nice.
I'm pretty sure it will sell very well though. While current smartwatches are more of a niche geek thing this will be cool and a luxury item instead of a nerdy toy. That's all that matters to the general customer. And unlike what many people think, smartwatches are actually really handy (this remembers me of the 'lol why do I need a big iPhone' talk from before the iPad released).
Apple might not make the best products anymore, but they are masters at making them appealing and selling shittons of them. It has happened before and it will happen again (and I say all this as a bit of an Android-fanboy).
The fact Apple dares to price this at $350 is the only thing ridiculous here when you take the above in consideration. I'm pretty sure it's just Beats-style pricing in that you pay them because of the brand and the way they look (which Apple has always done, but this is extremely overpriced even for them). Let's be honest, even the people in this thread who think it looks nice should agree it doesn't look $350 nice.
I'm pretty sure it will sell very well though. While current smartwatches are more of a niche geek thing this will be cool and a luxury item instead of a nerdy toy. That's all that matters to the general customer. And unlike what many people think, smartwatches are actually really handy (this remembers me of the 'lol why do I need a big iPhone' talk from before the iPad released).
Apple might not make the best products anymore, but they are masters at making them appealing and selling shittons of them. It has happened before and it will happen again (and I say all this as a bit of an Android-fanboy).
Zeyphersan
Banned
Decided not to buy this one, but I'll probably hop on the G2 when it irons out all the small things
I can't imagine why the clock wouldn't work.
As for the price, $350 is the starting point, and I guarantee you that's for an aluminum model with a very basic strap. These are not cheaply-made; Apple has invested in very expensive and precision machining and manufacturing processes for these. And 18-karat rose gold doesn't come cheap. Apple doesn't want these to be marketed as a computer on your wrist. They want these to be finely-made watches that happen to have computers in them, and they will be priced accordingly.
As much as people like the round smartwatches, I feel like UI wise they are an absolute nightmare and laying out text and information seems like it would be infinitely more difficult. I imagine that squaring the face was a concession Apple was forced to make in order to have a smartwatch that's actually compelling to use.
Yup, the base model doesn't even have any sapphire and its $350. These things are going to be expensive, and are definitely trying to fall into the realm of other luxury watches and items.
Yup, the base model doesn't even have any sapphire and its $350. These things are going to be expensive, and are definitely trying to fall into the realm of other luxury watches and items.
The sport model is probably more expensive, even though it's aluminum. An article I read stated it's 30% lighter and actually better protected against wear and water damage. Considering a gram of 18 karat gold is roughly a $31.00 - those watches are going to get pricey. Samsung watches are roughly 60 grams and several reviewers said the gold watch felt heavy.
Even if the tech itself is worth 300.00 the Gold portion is easily another 600 at 20 grams.
Edit: If they can keep the top of the line models under a grand and the most expensive bands under $59.00 each I think they have a winner on their hands in terms of mass appeal.
I'm still trying to figure out why they made such a big deal out of the digital crown and then proceeded to spend most of their time interacting with the touchscreen of the watch.
The second generation model is probably going to be a lot more refined than this one. $350 is really a lot to spend for what amounts to be a cell phone accessory.
The second generation model is probably going to be a lot more refined than this one. $350 is really a lot to spend for what amounts to be a cell phone accessory.
has a 1970's californian design aesthetic, giving a strong "retro-futurism" feel to it. i like it.
the only problem i have with its physical design is how high it sits up from your wrist. they're going to need to reduce that height profile on future iterations to make it feel less clunky and hit critical mass appeal.
would also be nice to see them tackle a round face design in future versions.
a fairly strong start from apple in wearable products. very interested to see where the market goes from here.
the only problem i have with its physical design is how high it sits up from your wrist. they're going to need to reduce that height profile on future iterations to make it feel less clunky and hit critical mass appeal.
would also be nice to see them tackle a round face design in future versions.
a fairly strong start from apple in wearable products. very interested to see where the market goes from here.
jakonovski
Member
The gold version will be over $5k. Mark my words.
Paying more money for a watch than you would for a fully supped up absolutely amazing iMac seems crazy. And 18 karats isn't 24. The kind of people who could spend 5 grand on a watch wouldn't do it for a smart watch, other than young hip celebrities.
I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying that's a stupid thing for them to do. Apple makes money by keeping people in the Apple ecosystem, one more watch customer is one more dedicated iphone customer and one more potential Apple Pay customer.
Knowing that Samsung will release the Galaxy S6 and that it will have more features than the iphone, Apple needs to sell as many watches as possible to prevent people switching when Samsung releases it's new phone.
I sport a lot, if the watch can do the following i will be all over it as standalone:
- can call people
- play music
- i can add notes into it + agenda
- is water proof
- gets a mount for a bike
- has a internal heart pulse meter
- has a gps that can track where i walk, how far i walk, what pace i have with decent software build in with it.
- can have something like google earth on it or other gps data that can show me where i'm at any given time.
- can at least with gps have a 8 hour battery life time.
Then i will be all over it no matter if it cost me 1000 euro's, atm i need to carry a phone with me and a sport watch to do this and a normal day watch. It would be a massive step up if i can move this towards 1 device.
The looks really don't bother me as i have absolute no taste in fashion anyway. The functionality is what interests me.
- can call people
- play music
- i can add notes into it + agenda
- is water proof
- gets a mount for a bike
- has a internal heart pulse meter
- has a gps that can track where i walk, how far i walk, what pace i have with decent software build in with it.
- can have something like google earth on it or other gps data that can show me where i'm at any given time.
- can at least with gps have a 8 hour battery life time.
Then i will be all over it no matter if it cost me 1000 euro's, atm i need to carry a phone with me and a sport watch to do this and a normal day watch. It would be a massive step up if i can move this towards 1 device.
The looks really don't bother me as i have absolute no taste in fashion anyway. The functionality is what interests me.
jakonovski
Member
18k is standard in watches, and the Veblen Goods effect is running rampant there. An 18k gold Rolex costs $25-40k these days, so a $5k Apple Watch is a bargain. The 1% is crazily skewing prices of high end luxury items.
It's water resistant, not water proof. Sweat, rain, washing your hands, etc... are fine. Just don't submerge it in water.
Only one of those watches would make a nice heirloom or have any real value in 10 years from now though.
Noisepurge
Member
but you need to have your iPhone in your pocket at all times for it to work. Which kind of negates music playing, calling, bike mounting, etc.?
yeah that is a bit of a stumble. I tote my phone around everywhere anyway, but this should be stand alone.
The more I think about the more I get a smart watches ultimate use. Keeping your phone out of your hands for longer periods of time.
- when you're in a loud setting and need your phone at eyesight not to miss calls/texts. Solves it.
- when you're in a meeting thinking about checking your phone if you've gotten a response back. Solves it.
- when you're cooking or cleaning or doing any activity that requires your hands and need to stay connected. Solves it.
- when you're driving. Solves it.
- missing calls or texts because your phone was unknowingly on silent. Solves it
- annoying conversations by having someone's phone constantly going off. Solves it
It's going to make users far less dependent on phones, which is going to keep phones in pockets and purses longer (which ironically means they would be more useful if they were smaller instead of bigger).
I think this device will be a success if I won't need to take my phone out of my pocket except when I absolutely choose to.
- when you're in a loud setting and need your phone at eyesight not to miss calls/texts. Solves it.
- when you're in a meeting thinking about checking your phone if you've gotten a response back. Solves it.
- when you're cooking or cleaning or doing any activity that requires your hands and need to stay connected. Solves it.
- when you're driving. Solves it.
- missing calls or texts because your phone was unknowingly on silent. Solves it
- annoying conversations by having someone's phone constantly going off. Solves it
It's going to make users far less dependent on phones, which is going to keep phones in pockets and purses longer (which ironically means they would be more useful if they were smaller instead of bigger).
I think this device will be a success if I won't need to take my phone out of my pocket except when I absolutely choose to.
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