Apple Watch Has 8GB of Storage, Limited to 2GB for Music and 75MB for Photos

[MacRumors]

Apple confirmed that all three editions of the Apple Watch will ship with 8GB of internal storage, according to 9to5Mac. Apple Watch users will be limited to up to 2GB of songs and up to 75MB of photos that are locally stored on the device and can be listened to or viewed without a paired iPhone. Songs can be synced using the Apple Watch companion app on compatible iPhones running iOS 8.2 or later.

2GB of music works out to anywhere from 200 to 500 songs depending on the audio quality, while the report claims that 75MB of photos will equal to over 100 photos that are automatically compressed for reduced file size on the Apple Watch. A portion of the remaining storage capacity is likely allocated to the Apple Watch's operating system, and will store application binaries and resources when a native SDK is released.

Article Link: Apple Watch Has 8GB of Storage, Limited to 2GB for Music and 75MB for Photos

 

[DDaddyx2]

So this thing has no audio jack. Is the idea I pair it with my bluetooth headphones, and can then listen to much through the watch rather than the phone? I wonder if/when there will be support for the Podcasts app or Spotify.

 

[surfingarbo]

That sounds pretty good – A lot more than I had expected it to hold.

I can’t imagine the need for 16GB, but I suspect companies/blogs who compare smartwatches on a like-for-like basis will still use this as a comparison.

 

[Tankmaze]

8 GB internal with 6 GB free space... yeah right, since this watch tethered with the iphone, might as well use the iphone for music.

 

[winston1236]

I'm thinking that maybe this will be a product with upgrade pricing, like it you owned a Gen 1 and then you can you can upgrade to Gen 2 for less than full retail. It seems so modular with the band/face design.

 

[macduke]

The stainless steel Watch model should have at least 16GB and the gold Edition model should have at least 512GB because money.

 

[JMP]

8 GB internal with 6 GB free space... yeah right, since this watch tethered with the iphone, might as well use the iphone for music.

Exactly. Useless, pricey gadget.

 

[ominx]

So this thing has no audio jack. Is the idea I pair it with my bluetooth headphones, and can then listen to much through the watch rather than the phone? I wonder if/when there will be support for the Podcasts app or Spotify.

This would be awesome. I wouldn't load music but having podcasts on the watch would be great for me... even if I have to play them through the internal speaker.

 

[Attonine]

Need more info. As DDaddy mentioned above, no audio jack, how do we get the audio to our ears? If you go for a run or to the gym do you still need to carry your iPhone with you?

 

[underkuerbis]

Ummm, wouldn't it be more feasible to pair some BT headphones with your iPhone and use the watch as a remote control?
Sure, that doesn't work independently of the phone, but since almost everything else doesn't either...

 

[hlfway2anywhere]

Need more info. As DDaddy mentioned above, no audio jack, how do we get the audio to our ears? If you go for a run or to the gym do you still need to carry your iPhone with you?

Bluetooth headphones are the answer to this question.

 

[roland.g]

I personally would not want to listen to music from the watch speaker. So the only reason I can see wanting music on the watch is if it can play music to a paired bluetooth headset, which would then allow you to use just your watch and BT headphones at the gym, on a run, or in other situations without the phone present.

 

[I4u]

Cmon Beta users...get on this already so I can buy this in about 2 years...lol

 

[gonzoguy24]

Question

Can this play the songs over Bluetooth while I run without my phone paired and will it use GPS to track my run?

 

[the8thark]

What's the point of 2GB music with no headphone socket port?
Bluetooth is not the answer here unless you consider having the watch require bluetooth headphones just like it requires an iPhone.

And I wonder how the memory (NOT the same thing as storage) is handled on the Apple Watch. Is part of the 8GB just used as memory or does the Apple Watch have some amount of dedicated memory? If so I cam't see more than 512MB of memory in it. But I could be wrong.

 

[Hattig]

8 GB internal with 6 GB free space... yeah right, since this watch tethered with the iphone, might as well use the iphone for music.

Why would someone take an iPhone on their run?

(pretty much the only use-case I can think of for this feature)

I guess some people work in places that don't allow devices with cameras, they'd benefit from this.

 

[Attonine]

Bluetooth headphones are the answer to this question.

Yeah, not good. Not really any decent bluetooth headphones around yet.

 

[swarmster]

It's a shame that they're artificially limiting music storage, as my only interest in the watch is as an iPod replacement. But, depending on randomization options in the companion app, it could still be manageable. Will need to hear more. (You'd think it would have come up in the first two press conferences, but maybe third time's the charm?)

 

[b166er]

It blows my mind that the $350 version and the $17K version have the exact same tech specs. I realize the price is directly related to the fashion factor. It's just weird to see a gadget that does the same exact job across the board regardless of price, aside from the screen size which is a surprisingly modest price increase.

 

[Trik]

Definitely looks like you'll be able to use bluetooth headphones. It would be nice to go to the gym / for a run without my phone. The problem is, I've now grown accustomed to having a detailed GPS map of my run, which I don't believe this watch can do without a phone. So we'll be stuck bringing the phone along anyway if that's something you find value in.

 

[bbeagle]

8 GB internal with 6 GB free space... yeah right, since this watch tethered with the iphone, might as well use the iphone for music.

The watch doesn't need to be tethered to the phone to play music. So the 2GB actually matters.

 

[JMP]

Why would someone take an iPhone on their run

To answer important or emergency calls maybe?

 

[Southern Dad]

What would Bluetooth headphones do to the battery life of this watch?

 

[Attonine]

Why would someone take an iPhone on their run?

(pretty much the only use-case I can think of for this feature)

I guess some people work in places that don't allow devices with cameras, they'd benefit from this.

In the promo clip with the model running the marathon, she had her iPhone in an arm band whilst running. I think it's pretty popular! I would like to be able to leave the phone behind though.

 

[Trik]

It blows my mind that the $350 version and the $17K version have the exact same tech specs. I realize the price is directly related to the fashion factor. It's just weird to see a gadget that does the same exact job across the board regardless of price, aside from the screen size which is a surprisingly modest price increase.

I agree, but that is fashion exactly right? Form over function? It's not like a Prada bag holds things better than Jansport.