Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Watch Battery Life Currently 'About a Day', but May Improve for 2015 Launch

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
68,196
38,988



Apple on Tuesday unveiled its new Apple Watch, providing a number of details on the highly anticipated device but declining to address one critical issue: battery life. According to information obtained by Re/code, Apple's new Watch will require daily charging, keeping the device in line with similar smart watches from Samsung and Motorola.

applewatch41.jpg
"There's a lot of new technology packed into Apple Watch and we think people will love using it throughout the day," Kerris said. "We anticipate that people will charge nightly which is why we designed an innovative charging solution that combines our MagSafe technology and inductive charging."
Click to expand...
Sources tell Re/code that Apple is working to improve battery life before the product's 2015 debut, but the company still expects people will charge the device once a day.

The Apple Watch will go on sale in early 2015 with a starting price of $349. The smart watch will be available in two sizes with a variety of colors, materials and watch bands for personal customization.

Article Link: Apple Watch Battery Life Currently 'About a Day', but May Improve for 2015 Launch
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/09/10/watch-battery-life/
I guess that also rules out the use of the Apple Watch like a Fitbit, Jawbone UP, or Pebble Watch as a vibrating but silent alarm unless the charge time is a couple hours and you could charge it at 8pm and have it ready to wear again before bed.
 
It's a cool tech device, looks nice. Bravo to the engineering and design teams and everyone involved that brought this to life.

But it's still not my cup of tea, I may purchase one in the far future but I probably won't be wearing one in the coming years.
 
Battery life is not the biggest problem with the Apple Watch.

The biggest issue I see is that, for most functions, it must be tethered to your iPhone to work. Whats the point of being able to use Maps, Messages, etc when you could just pull your phone out of your pocket and get a better experience on a bigger screen? It has no GPS chip so you can't even use it to track your hiking/running route like most GPS watches.

Clearly, it's been designed with untethered use in mind. But current GPS chips and cellular radios couldn't fit in to the Watch without unacceptable battery drain.

Buying this version of the Apple Watch will be a bit like buying the first generation iPad: There's some cool technology there, and a lot of potential - but you know that in a year or so there'll be a second generation that's thinner, has better battery life, and has built-in cellular data and GPS.
 
Last edited:
I was GREATLY looking forward the this being my alarm clock for me and/or my wife. A silent pulse that didn't wake the other one up.

Big bummer.
 
You should be able to get a "battery wrist strap" which would give you a week of charge.
 
The problem with a watch is that it has to be a day or 2 days or so on. No point having a day and a half battery life as who wants a watch dying on them half way thought the day? Its alright with a smart phone but with a watch you don't want to take it off to charge it as it be easier to lose - so if its a day as the rumor predicts, it needs to be 2 days for it to make a different from other watches - which could be quite hard to do!
 
I'm sure as the device gets older, we will see watches that get 18 hours a day.

No thanks.
 
1 day is too short. I bet the screen and flashing lenses that take your heart rate kills the battery.
 
If you think about it, the whole idea of a wristwatch that needs to be recharged daily is complete and utter madness. Fortunately for Apple, we won't think. Take my money please!
 
I see a lot of potential to the watch once it get some things done like waterproof, better battery, life without the iPhone next to it and a a bit thinner and more elegant.

I was really looking for a band sort of device more than a watch. I don't really want to ditch my Omega.
 
Bet you it gets thinner before they increase the battery life on it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back