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Apple Watch |OT| Apple invents the watch!

L

LCfiner

Member
Not too surprised by the reviews. from the first reveal, it seemed like the UI would take some getting used to, that 3rd party apps would have minimal functionality, and that the need to flick or raise a wrist to see the watch face would not be 100% accurate.

It is worrying to hear about how slow and stuttery things are. wondering if that promised patch will actually do anything noticeable or if it's just Apple deflecting criticism.

I obviously still want to see one in person but I think, as a watch guy, I'll be sticking with my automatics for a while yet.
 
K

Kung Fu Jedi

Member
DECK'ARD said:
I dunno, sluggishness on something whose main selling-point is making things more convenient is a bit of a breaking-point. Could get really irritating and just push you back to the phone.

I'd be sceptical about any performance updates till they hit, as I think that's all about maximising battery-life. I don't think Apple would have overlooked it otherwise.
Click to expand...

I'm not buying on launch day since I'll be out of the country anyway, so I'll be able to hold off to see if the improvements to the responsiveness arrives as promised. But we've seen these kinds of performance updates in the past, and they can make a significant difference. Ask any Moto 360 owner for instance.

LyleLanley said:
In 3-5 years I imagine smart watches will be doing what they do now except they'll be faster and have better battery life.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Everyone who keeps saying the second generation Apple Watch is going to be miles better should explain what they expect in the second version. Granted, it'll probably be thinner and lighter, have a faster processor, and possibly improve battery life. But considering Apple is more likely to forego battery life improvements in favor of slimmer design, I wouldn't hold my breath on the last option. Especially since the reviews say that the battery life is very good on the current model, provided you buy into the "need to charge every night" approach.

The biggest changes in terms of performance are probably going to come through software, and this version of the Watch will get those updates as well. Just like the iPhone, much of the functionality will be updated with improvements to the OS.
 
I

infiniteloop

Member
Some watches might not see delivery on Friday 24th:

On the German version of Apple's official website, every model in the Sport lineup features a 4/24-5/8 shipping estimate, essentially a two week time frame after the Watch's April 24 launch. For the middle-tier Apple Watch collection, the Sport Band, Milanese Loop, and Black Classic Buckle all feature the same 4/24-5/8 estimate. Everything else in the 20-Watch collection, including the Leather Loop and Link Bracelet options, denote a 4-6 week shipping estimate.

Complete shipping estimates:

- Aluminum Case with Sport Band: "Delivers 4/24 to 5/8"
- Stainless Steel Case with Sport Band: "Delivers 4/24 to 5/8"
- Stainless Steel Case with Milanese Loop: "Delivers 4/24 to 5/8"
- Stainless Steel Case with Black Classic Buckle: "Delivers 4/24 to 5/8"
- Stainless Steel Case with Modern Buckle: "Dispatched in 4 to 6 weeks"
- Stainless Steel Case with Leather Loop: "Dispatched in 4 to 6 weeks"
- Stainless Steel Case with Link Bracelet: "Dispatched in 4 to 6 weeks"
- All Edition Models Dispatching in May
Click to expand...

http://www.macrumors.com/2015/04/08/apple-watch-models-april-24-delivery/
 
Chittagong

Chittagong

Gold Member
It's truly incredible that Apple invented the startup animation with a static PNG of the app's first view that gives the sense of instanteneous app launch, and buys some time to load the app, only to forget it and replace it with a crude spinning disc on Apple Watch.
 
S

sometimes i game

Member
Chittagong said:
It's truly incredible that Apple invented the startup animation with a static PNG of the app's first view that gives the sense of instanteneous app launch, and buys some time to load the app, only to forget it and replace it with a crude spinning disc on Apple Watch.
Click to expand...

I loved the Palm Pre/webOS for this, it would shoot the card up and start pulsing in a way that seemed pretty interesting to watch and exciting every time, despite the fact that it was basically a loading bar.
 
D

DECK'ARD

The Amiga Brotherhood
Greyface said:
Gruber:
http://daringfireball.net/2015/04/the_apple_watch
Click to expand...

This:

You’re 16. You’re in school. You’re sitting in class. You have a crush on another student — you’ve fallen hard. You can’t stop thinking about them. You suspect the feelings are mutual — but you don’t know. You’re afraid to just come right out and ask, verbally — afraid of the crushing weight of rejection. But you both wear an Apple Watch. So you take a flyer and send a few taps. And you wait. Nothing in response. Dammit. Why are you so stupid? Whoa — a few taps are sent in return, along with a hand-drawn smiley face. You send more taps. You receive more taps back. This is it. You send your heartbeat. It is racing, thumping. Your crush sends their heartbeat back.

You’re flirting. Not through words. Not through speech. Physically flirting, by touch. And you’re not even in the same classroom. Maybe you don’t even go to the same school.
Click to expand...

... is a future GAF thread in the making.
 
B

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
Maninthemirror said:
I see no solution to make it very fast for offline apps. The only solution is native apps built
Click to expand...

Impossible to say either way on this until release. Again, availability of actual watches for these third party developers has been incredibly limited. I'm going to assume that the slowness wont' be fixed, so if slowness issues are fixed through firmware and/or app updates I can be pleasantly surprised :D
 
D

DataStream

Member
It doesn't seem to have that special "touch" that makes their products unique. Its major differentiator from other items is "fashion" and people who care about that would likely prefer to stay with a better watch.

I think the market is still wide open and nobody has really gotten it right. I'm most curious to see what MS comes out with in the next revision of the Band. If they could substantially reduce the bulk and make Cortana cross platform I'm sold immediately.
 
D

Dreamwriter

Member
If you are thinking of waiting for second-gen to deal with the speed issue, note that the speed issue will (for the most part) be solved before then. It's mostly caused right now by the fact that most apps run on the phone, not the watch, and basically use the watch as an input/output device. Press a button in an app, the watch sends a message to the phone that the button was pressed, the phone app then sends a message back to the watch with how to update its display to deal with that button press.

Apple has announced that later this year they are going to release a native SDK, so that apps can run natively on the watch without needing any communication with the phone, except to pull data from the phone if need-be.
 
jts

jts

...hate me...
I'll be the only person I know with an Apple Watch, since I'm importing and all that.

Please add me for some hot digital touch action.
 
C

Cloudy

Banned
Dreamwriter said:
If you are thinking of waiting for second-gen to deal with the speed issue, note that the speed issue will (for the most part) be solved before then. It's mostly caused right now by the fact that most apps run on the phone, not the watch, and basically use the watch as an input/output device. Press a button in an app, the watch sends a message to the phone that the button was pressed, the phone app then sends a message back to the watch with how to update its display to deal with that button press.

Apple has announced that later this year they are going to release a native SDK, so that apps can run natively on the watch without needing any communication with the phone, except to pull data from the phone if need-be.
Click to expand...

How much memory does the watch have?
 
A

Appleman

Member
Maninthemirror said:
I read that and I can't decide if he is ok with it likes it or loves it and I hate those kinds of reviews
Click to expand...

He mentions in the notes that a full review of the interface and interactions are coming soon, I have a feeling they might be less than positive just based on his earlier comments that a confusing UI would be worrisome.

After reading the Verge review I was a little disappointed, and my purchase might now drop down to the all black Sport watch instead of going all out on a Steel one this time around... Native apps might fix some of the sluggishness, but I think the delay on updating the Glances is genuinely troubling, as they should be the front-and-centre marquee feature other than telling the time.

Other reviews aren't so bad though, and even the Verge says it's hands-down the best smartwatch (despite rating it lower than the Moto 360....)

Still going to make an appointment for next week to check it out in person

Side note: is app loading any faster with an iPhone 6 versus an iPhone 5?

EDIT: Also, how in the world can I still not watch the Verge video review without switching to Chrome for its Flash support...
 
S

sometimes i game

Member
The Verge review layout gave me a headache so I gave up.

I'm surprised by how chunky, sloowwwwww and generally directionless the watch seems from the reviews I've seen. That's stuff that needs to be nailed, and that Apple typically does.

It took Uber 30 seconds to load. Just...pull out your phone.
 
O

Ovid

Member
F

Futureman

Member
If I was planning on getting one I'd be very disappointed from these reviews. While there are lots of positives, the negatives sound like dealbreakers.

I guess the stability and performance update could fix things.

you have to start somewhere though and it seems like waiting another year probably wasn't viable.
 
R

Raistlin

Post Count: 9999
LeleSocho said:
You take that back immediately, the G4 Cube was a thing of beauty... the frigging thing had no fans!
Click to expand...
And because of that lack of fans, it would heat up so much that chips would literally pop off the MoBo due to the solder becoming too viscous and / or the casing would physically crack due to the differing thermal signatures between materials :p


It was absolutely gorgeous, no doubt ... but was also one of the all-time poster boys of 'form over function'.
 
D

Dreamwriter

Member
Raistlin said:
Actually it isn't, due to a lack of granularity in controlling notifications. Seems to be pretty close to all or nothing.

Apple will have to update that.
Click to expand...
All or nothing "per app". So you can choose which apps to send notifications, but not which notifications in that app to send.
 
E

Epix

Member
Raistlin said:
With some apps that may be sufficient, but obviously for things like email, facebook, etc ... it's a problem.
Click to expand...

Don't those apps themselves have more granular control over the amount and types of notifications?

Seems like combining the ON/OFF notification switch with finer controls provided by each application should get you pretty close to ideal.
 
W

Wereroku

Member
Dreamwriter said:
If you are thinking of waiting for second-gen to deal with the speed issue, note that the speed issue will (for the most part) be solved before then. It's mostly caused right now by the fact that most apps run on the phone, not the watch, and basically use the watch as an input/output device. Press a button in an app, the watch sends a message to the phone that the button was pressed, the phone app then sends a message back to the watch with how to update its display to deal with that button press.

Apple has announced that later this year they are going to release a native SDK, so that apps can run natively on the watch without needing any communication with the phone, except to pull data from the phone if need-be.
Click to expand...

Even native apps are going to be slowed down by the phone though. Without a network connection of it's own it has to go through the phone for data even on faster native apps like glance. Will be interesting to see how fast they can get it or if they manage to make it seem faster at the least.
 
D

dallow_bg

nods at old men
Epix said:
Don't those apps themselves have more granular control over the amount and types of notifications?

Seems like combining the ON/OFF notification switch with finer controls provided by each application should get you pretty close to ideal.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm thinking.
 
B

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
Dreamwriter said:
All or nothing "per app". So you can choose which apps to send notifications, but not which notifications in that app to send.
Click to expand...

this is not entirely true. at the OS level it is all or nothing per app. But within each app it is definitely possible for the app to provide control over what notifications are sent. Twitter does an excellent job with this, Facebook decent though not as good as Twitter, etc.

That was why people were pissy about Periscope.. because it has no notification options. so it either sends ALL followed broadcasts as notifications, or you have to turn them all off. this despite Twitter giving awesome notification controls for their stock app.

edit - and all or nothing isn't entirely true at the OS level either. You can control how it notifies you as well.. not sure how that plays into the phone.. for example I have App Store notifications go ONLY to Notification Center. I also don't have phone notifications (missed calls, voicemails, etc) go to notification center at all (why do they need to show up there AND as a badge?) etc

So the question is, will I get notifications that I don't send to banners (i.e. only notification center)
 
E

Epix

Member
Say they do follow a yearly refresh cycle....I wonder what the resale market will look like or if Apple will offer trade-ins akin to what they've been doing with iPhones the last few years. Certainly makes taking the plunge now easier knowing I get trade up for roughly half price if next years model is significantly improved.
 
L

LyleLanley

Banned
Kung Fu Jedi said:
Agreed. Everyone who keeps saying the second generation Apple Watch is going to be miles better should explain what they expect in the second version. Granted, it'll probably be thinner and lighter, have a faster processor, and possibly improve battery life. But considering Apple is more likely to forego battery life improvements in favor of slimmer design, I wouldn't hold my breath on the last option. Especially since the reviews say that the battery life is very good on the current model, provided you buy into the "need to charge every night" approach.

The biggest changes in terms of performance are probably going to come through software, and this version of the Watch will get those updates as well. Just like the iPhone, much of the functionality will be updated with improvements to the OS.
Click to expand...

Eventually we'll get more sensors on the Apple Watch and other smart watches but I think that's probably more than 3-5 years away.
 
R

Raistlin

Post Count: 9999
Epix said:
Don't those apps themselves have more granular control over the amount and types of notifications?

Seems like combining the ON/OFF notification switch with finer controls provided by each application should get you pretty close to ideal.
Click to expand...
In some cases yes, but that scenario is problematic.

It's not hard to picture many scenarios where you'd want a toast notification on your phone, but wouldn't want a watch tap. So in situations where you're not using your watch or using your phone more ... you'd have to go into the app and switch the settings. Picture how annoying having to do that regularly would be? You have to keep changing and saving settings on the fly depending on what you're doing.

The question becomes what's possible with iOS's notifications system. Would they be able to offer filtering on the watch to pair down what sends a tap? If not, hopefully they can address that on the app side of things. Basically have phone notification and watch notifications individually configurable per app.


Of course this brings up the argument some reviewers made about simplicity, but there may be no other way around it.
 
B

Blackhead

Redarse
Greyface said:
Who covers their watch with a blank face and only takes it off when they use it? It's a watch ffs, an always on display should be standard. Notice how Apple always advertises the watch with the display on instead of the blank slab it usually is
Click to expand...

PANTHEON said:
You won't see a blank screen when you look at it. And no, always on won't be a standard. It's your preference, it is not the type of interface consumers have demanded more so far.
Click to expand...

cakefoo said:
Who covers their phone with a blank face and only takes it off when they use it?
Click to expand...

SuperPac said:
Yeah, and how dare apple advertise iPhones with the screen on instead of the blank slab it usually is.

Seriously? Aside from the Pebble and maybe a few android wear outliers if you want a smartwatch it's going to have that "limitation." Yeah it's different but even as batteries get better I doubt that will change much. I use my phone to tell the time now and I have to press a button to do that.

Also, it's called the Apple Watch not the iWatch.
Click to expand...

iMax said:
Well, nobody, because the technology hasn't been implemented before. If you can't see it, there's no point in having it on and wasting power is there?
Click to expand...

Obviously nobody here listens to me but here are two reviewers:
Joshua Topolsky said:
what about the watch as a timepiece? I’ve found the experience somewhat inferior to that with a conventional wristwatch, due to one small issue. The Apple Watch activates its screen only when it thinks you’re looking at it. Sometimes a subtle twist of your wrist will do, but sometimes it takes … more. Many times while using the watch, I had to swing my wrist in an exaggerated upward motion to bring the display to life. Think about the way people normally look at their watches, then make it twice as aggressive. As a normal watch-wearer, the idea that I might look down at my wrist and not see the time was annoying.

Sometimes, even if you do the arm-swing motion, the screen doesn’t turn on. Sometimes it turns on, then off. Sometimes you tap it and nothing happens.

For all the noise Apple has made about what a remarkable time-telling device its watch is, I found it lacking for this reason alone. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t keep excellent time—it just doesn’t offer the consistency of a traditional timepiece.
Click to expand...
John Gruber said:
What matters as a timepiece is what it’s like using Apple Watch to check the time. My big concern, from the get-go, is the fact that Apple Watch’s screen remains off until you tap the screen (or one of the buttons) or it detects, via its accelerometer and gyroscope (and perhaps other sensors?) that you’ve moved your wrist into a “tell the time” position. I’m generally wary of “magic” features, and a watch that detects when you’re looking at it is “magic”.

This feature, which Apple calls “Activate on Wrist Raise” works pretty damn well. It’s not perfect, alas, but it’s far more accurate than I feared it would be. The way it seems to work is that if the watch thinks you’re looking at the face, it turns the screen on for about 6 seconds, then turns it off again — even if you’re still holding your wrist in the looking-at-it position. If you turn the display on by tapping the screen or pressing the side button or digital crown, it stays on for about 17 seconds before turning off. I presume the difference is because it’s far more likely that you’ll trigger a false positive for a wrist raise than that you’ll accidentally tap the screen or press one of the buttons. So, the display only stays on for 6 seconds for a wrist raise to avoid wasting battery life for false positives.

In Settings: General: Activate on Wrist Raise, you can turn this feature off. (It’s on by default, and I think the overwhelming majority of users will keep it on.) When it’s on, you can also specify where you go when the screen activates: Clock Face (the default) or Last Used App. Let’s say you’re using the Messages app. When you’re done, you just lower your wrist, and the display will soon go to sleep. By default, the next time the display wakes up you’ll be back at the clock face. (Unless you wake it back up within a few seconds of it going to sleep — in that case it does the right thing and keeps you where you were, regardless of your settings.) If you change this to “Last Used App”, you’ll instead be right back where you were when the display went to sleep. “Last Used App” makes Apple Watch work more like an iOS device. But it’s not an iOS device, and I think Apple’s default here is correct.

I wish, though, for one more setting: I’d like an option for the display to stay on for a longer duration with Wrist Raise turned on. Battery life on Apple Watch has been fine (see below for details) — more than good enough that, for me at least, it would still get through the day with room to spare even if the display remained on for the same 17-second-or-so duration with Wrist Raise detection as it does for a button push or screen tap.

I’ve worn a watch every day since I was in 7th grade, almost 30 years ago. I’m used to being able to see the time with just a glance whenever there is sufficient light. Apple Watch is somewhat frustrating in this regard. Even when Wrist Raise detection works perfectly, it takes a moment for the watch face to appear. There’s an inherent tiny amount of lag that isn’t there with a regular watch.

Some other specific examples. I was in New York last week, and stopped to have coffee with a friend in the afternoon. He had a meeting to get to, and I wanted to catch a 4:00 train home to Philadelphia. I was sitting on a low bench, leaning forward, elbows on my knees. It got to 3:00 or so, and I started glancing at my watch every few minutes. But it was always off, because my wrist was already positioned with the watch face up. The only way I could check the time was to artificially flick my wrist or to use my right hand to tap the screen — in either case, a far heavier gesture than the mere glance I’d have needed with my regular watch.

Similarly, it turns out I regularly check the time on my watch while working at my desk, typing. I didn’t even know I had this habit until this week, when it stopped working for me because I was wearing an Apple Watch. Again, because in this position the watch face is already up, the display remains off. My wrist doesn’t move when I want to check the time with my fingers on the keyboard — only my head and eyes do. And yes, my Mac shows the time in the menu bar. I can’t help that I have this habit, and Apple Watch works against it.

Here’s one more scenario. I grind my coffee right before I brew it. I put a few scoops of coffee in my grinder, cap it, and press down with my right hand to engage the grinder. I then look at my left wrist to check that 20 or so seconds have expired. But with Apple Watch, the display keeps turning off every 6 seconds. There are ways around this — I could switch to the stopwatch, start it, and then start grinding my coffee. But my habit is not to even think about my watch or the time until after I’ve already started grinding the beans, at which point my right hand is already occupied pressing down on the lid to the grinder...

For non-watch wearers, Apple Watch’s functionality as a timepiece should be just fine. Flicking your wrist or tapping the screen is far more convenient than taking your iPhone out of your pocket or bag to check the time. But for regular watch wearers, it’s going to take some getting used to, and it’s always going to be a bit of an inconvenience compared to an always-glance-able watch. It’s a fundamental conflict: a regular watch never turns off, but a display like Apple Watch’s cannot always stay on.
Click to expand...
For other smartwatch wearers, and even some smartband wearers, switching over to the iWatch will also taking some getting used to.
I hope Apple makes an always-glance-able watch display a priority for Gen 2.
 
B

BlastProcessing

Member
SlowRevolution said:
The design for that review by The Verge is so far up its own ass.
Click to expand...

Yup. Someone said it felt like an ad. It felt like an ad for the Verge Family of websites. The page design is extremely overwrought and constantly drew my attention away from the actual content.

The whole thing felt like a crass attempt to capitalize on the most traffic they will get this year.
 
I

ito007

Member
These reviews feel incredibly similar to the 360s, which I own and can say I'm thoroughly enjoying. I feel like if you're someone who gets excited about this stuff like me and are willing to spend the money, then I would think the apple watch is well worth it. If not though then wait for second gen because I have a feeling these things will be infinitely better by then.
 
J

Juice

Member
BlastProcessing said:
Yup. Someone said it felt like an ad. It felt like an ad for the Verge Family of websites. The page design is extremely overwrought and constantly drew my attention away from the actual content.

The whole thing felt like a crass attempt to capitalize on the most traffic they will get this year.
Click to expand...

Heh I just use Safari's Reader button whenever I'm there.
 
K

Kung Fu Jedi

Member
LyleLanley said:
Eventually we'll get more sensors on the Apple Watch and other smart watches but I think that's probably more than 3-5 years away.
Click to expand...

Agreed. And I wouldn't expect onboard GPS to come before that timeframe either simply because it puts a hit on the battery.

When people have said that the iPhone or iPad made substantial leaps forward from first generation to second, it was because those products were missing some key technologies upon first release, like 3G networking or a camera. I don't feel that is the case with the Watch, which will probably mostly get a slimmer design and faster processor, while maintaining the same battery life. As I said in my previous post, most improvements are probably going to come via software and native apps.
 
P

Pops Maellard

Member
ryan299 said:
I think gen 2 will come out this fall.
Click to expand...

No company is going to expect people to pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a new product and then replace it literally three months later. Even Sport buyers would be furious if Gen 2 released this fall, let alone those who splurge on a Watch or Edition model.
 
B

Blackhead

Redarse
Pops Maellard said:
No company is going to expect people to pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a new product and then replace it literally three months later. Even Sport buyers would be furious if Gen 2 released this fall, let alone those who splurge on a Watch or Edition model.
Click to expand...

Apple's done it before though. And I wager that they sold more of the $500+ iPad 3 during those 6 months than they will sell of the $350+ iWatch before holiday season
 
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