42mm Apple Watch 2 May Have 35% Larger Battery

[tillsbury]

So your saying there's absolutely nothing that's happened and I can use the Watch in the pool? The speaker still works? Digital crown?

Officially, no. But I have a pool and a spa and wear my AW with impunity in both. Never had a problem. Except that the touchscreen is near-useless while wet, of course. Still tells the time and shows me alerts, and works perfectly once it's dry.

I agree that more battery wouldn't be much use to me (except if I were to be travelling the odd day, I suppose). It always lasts a full day and to place it automatically on the bedside table on its charger is no effort at all. Having to remember to do it every few days could easily be more difficult.

And I agree with those asking to make it thinner too. It could be half the thickness and I would be very happy. I hate huge lumpy watches and it's the one thing I don't like about my AW.

 

[Laserducky]

What are you expecting (or wanting) in gen 3?

Probably Gen 6 will be the best of the lot but hey, its only a six year wait from the first one so patience needs to be a virtue I guess

Cheers !

 

[0098386]

A larger battery is welcomed but I've never had a problem with my Apple Watch's battery. I use mine to take some calls, check messages, send the occasional text message, use the workout recorder for an hour a day and it's at 50-70% charge when I put it on the dock. Perhaps the bigger battery is to power the additional new features in the new device, rather than extending the battery life, as it were.

 

[racingbull]

My wife and I have swam (pools, salt water pools, the intracoastal), showered repeatedly, worn in hot-tubs/spas, both of our Apple Watches, and we've been owners since day 1 (her's literally a first delivery from a pre-order, mine 3 weeks later). No issues.

You used the watch in spa as in Finnish sauna and/or steam baths? I wondered just the other day whether that would be possible to do, especially considering the thermal shock after the Finnish sauna (ice cold shower after 15 mins >90°)...

 

[profets]

So your saying there's absolutely nothing that's happened and I can use the Watch in the pool? The speaker still works? Digital crown?

I've done A LOT of swimming with my  Watch as well, for over a year now. 2-3 times per week for 20-30 minutes at a time (lane swimming) as well as recreational swimming in pools, lakes, oceans, etc. At first I was worried about the speaker or mic holes getting damaged, but then realized the main worry is the adhesive holding the glass/sapphire to the body slowly breaking down. Mine is 16 months old and has been fine though.

Having said that, I still think there's some risk in doing this (mainly if you're out of warranty) - I don't think they recommend repeated exposure to water or swimming.

 

[Glideslope]

I think Gen 1 was for Guinea Pigs, Gen 2 might be useful for some, but Gen 3 might be just right. At least for me anyway.

Not Guinea Pigs. Lemmings.

 

[groovyd]

seriously i mean who cares about gps for a fitness tracker? you run the same loop around your neighborhood every day.

 

[ethanwa79]

I may have to wait a decade or so, but I will NOT buy an Apple Watch of any kind unless it's thinner, can be completely independent (meaning GPS+Cell+WiFi+Bluetooth+NFC), and have week-long battery life.

Until then, it's simply not a practical enough item for me to buy.

 

[Glideslope]

This isn't going to happen. However, if the upgraded 1st gen rumors are true,
it would be pretty cool if they offered a subsidized "upgrade" price for original owners.

Are you serious, or being sarcastic? If they ever even thought about such a scheme, the same would be required for the 6 and 6+.

 

[jezbd1997]

I don't agree. For a (men's) watch it has the perfect height. Not too much and not too little.

It's not a men's watch........

 

[lordofthereef]

Are they always active? I thought they now had the ability to refresh data in the background (akin to iOS).
[doublepost=1472422948][/doublepost]

That's interesting, I would have thought that even if you knocked off 3 hours from Apple's predicted 18 hours you get 15, enough to take you from putting the watch on at 6am and taking it off at 9pm.
[doublepost=1472423101][/doublepost]

That's not the case with the current Watch.

I can only go by the experiences we have had. She did have a charging issue which we brought the Watch and charged in for and Apple opted to swap the charger. The issue has since been resolved (some nights it just wouldn't charge).

I've always found manufacturer battery life estimates to be incredibly conservative. I've never gotten the life on my phones, but I'd also consider myself s heavy user; generally there's 1-3 hours of streamed video in my daily routine depending on the commute and whether in stuck running in a treadmill.

Anyway, posted about this before and had some recommendations, none of which really changed anything unfortunately. Here's to hoping Watch OS 3 is an improvement for her.
[doublepost=1472427645][/doublepost]

Cellular!

I can see that. I'm not sure I'd want to spend more in yet another mobile plan (everything indicates that would be $5 a month) though, or at least not forced to.

I'd like to take just a watch with me on runs. Theoretically this could work without a plan so long as in still able to dial out to 911 if need be; shouldn't need a paid plan for that.
[doublepost=1472427746][/doublepost]

seriously i mean who cares about gps for a fitness tracker? you run the same loop around your neighborhood every day.

Can't tell if serious...
[doublepost=1472427846][/doublepost]

It's not a men's watch........

I think all that was implied is comparison TO a men's Watch. Not that the Apple watch is specifically a men's watch.
[doublepost=1472427977][/doublepost]

Interesting reading the comments from people who work out a fair amount - I haven't ha any issues with the battery life but I do not work out like others. Initially when reading the article I was like others who didnt want increased battery and did want a thinner watch. On reflection I am happy with the size of the watch so would take the extra battery if the GPS is going to be a drain.

I am just wondering about the value of the GPS though. Although tracking with the GPS will be useful - it wont integrate with any maps if you aren't connected to your phone. So yes useful to tell you where you were but not useful to tell you where you are. I am really not seeing the value of the GPS.

The value would be strictly in sports tracking, specifically running and biking, assuming we don't get a cellular version.

 

[Mac 128]

Officially, no. But I have a pool and a spa and wear my AW with impunity in both. Never had a problem. Except that the touchscreen is near-useless while wet, of course. Still tells the time and shows me alerts, and works perfectly once it's dry.

I agree that more battery wouldn't be much use to me (except if I were to be travelling the odd day, I suppose). It always lasts a full day and to place it automatically on the bedside table on its charger is no effort at all. Having to remember to do it every few days could easily be more difficult.

And I agree with those asking to make it thinner too. It could be half the thickness and I would be very happy. I hate huge lumpy watches and it's the one thing I don't like about my AW.

I would argue that the watch is not too thick, but rather needs to be redesigned so that it tapers into the wrist, rather than floats on top like a giant Chiclet. It's the rounded sides that put me off the design, not the thickness.

You used the watch in spa as in Finnish sauna and/or steam baths? I wondered just the other day whether that would be possible to do, especially considering the thermal shock after the Finnish sauna (ice cold shower after 15 mins >90°)...

I would not recommend this. The adhesive would be my main concern, but I'd also be concerned about the seals. The watch simply wasn't manufactured to be that resilient. Apple notes on its website that the watch cannot be checked for water resistance, so there's no method to maintenance the gaskets and seals the way you would for a IPX8 rated watch. Extreme changes in temperature and humidity are going to stress the desperate materials in ways Apple did not manufacture them to be stressed.

 

[lordofthereef]

As a traveler, it feels like I'm setting up a command center every time I want to charge my devices. I just love searching for 3 different chargers for my MacBook, Watch, and iPhone and spending 10 minutes wiring everything up.

Either up the battery - so it's actually 'okay' to forget to charge it, or maybe unify the charging on all devices.


Huge Apple fan, just being critical here.

this is why I call for standards so much. We have not only proprietary cables, but many different proprietary cables between devices. In this way, going USB c was a great move IMO, albeit a strange one coming from Apple.

 

[wigby]

Charging it everyday isn't impressive. It's a chour. But if I can do two full days with active use - then that's worth considering.

Charging every 2 days is no different. You still have to charge it regularly. Until it lasts 5-7 days, it's no different than the iPhone you have to charge every 1-2 days anyway. I'll take thinness.

 

[thewitt]

Faster processor and added GPS chip are likely to need that new battery, so daily charging is still most likely.

 

[44267547]

This is huge. If the battery life is sufficient with the increase and coupled with GPS, a lot of customers who skipped Gen 1, may be on board with version 2. I'm very excited.

 

[JosephAW]

Whatever happened to watch bands with batteries. Nows the time to release that for the older models and give them a sales boost.

 

[Soccertess]

I think Gen 1 was for Guinea Pigs, Gen 2 might be useful for some, but Gen 3 might be just right. At least for me anyway.

well, does a spec update count as Gen 2? Because it really seems like a minor spec would still be Guinea pig stage.

For me, this product is like the first iphone when it didn't come with an App store. Just basic functionality. But it's like they tried to make up utility for style. They created an entire ecosystem with different models and bands, but forgot about the utility part. I think if it would have been worth to create a gold iphone for in it's first iphone model line it....people would have thought they were mad!

anyways back on topic... I don't know if a minor spec update should be considered gen 2... We will see what happens in sept!

 

[JosephAW]

I'd like to buy a "lite" $99 version of the watch. I don't need heart and step and fitness. Just notifications and watch. Let my phone do the work. Like the pebble. No?

 

[Pilgrim1099]

I'd like to buy a "lite" $99 version of the watch. I don't need heart and step and fitness. Just notifications and watch. Let my phone do the work. Like the pebble. No?

That's EXACTLY what they should've done in the first place!

 

[Traverse]

Are they always active? I thought they now had the ability to refresh data in the background (akin to iOS).

I thought they were kept in RAM and always running. Maybe they just update on the fly when you click the button, but that still means that there will be more apps using up resources throughout the day.

 

[Shirasaki]

1. One week battery would be absolute welcome. This is a "watch", right? Don't forget those mechanical watches can last months with a far smaller battery than Apple Watch. Other functions should serve this purpose first. Sleep tracking, yeah.
2. Apple chooses the wrong product to increase battery life. iPhone should be 1-2 mm thicker and have 40% more battery life. Current iPhone 6s Plus battery can only last 5 hrs in average with decent use.
Thinness? Bottom of the priority list if I design Apple products. (And wait for "lucky you are not that designer" comments. )

 

[thekeyring]

I thought they were kept in RAM and always running. Maybe they just update on the fly when you click the button, but that still means that there will be more apps using up resources throughout the day.

Of course, but I think the Watch can handle it. I feel like Apple have been over cautious - fearing battery life - which is why only now they're allowing this.

 

[unobtainium]

Cellular would be a deal breaker for me. I don't want cellular radiation next to my skin all day every day. Carrying around a cellphone is enough already.

 

[arkmannj]

seriously i mean who cares about gps for a fitness tracker? you run the same loop around your neighborhood every day.

for normal case I agree with you to an extent, but as an example, around where I live most people run trails, up/down/around mountains, very common for people to like the paths/routes they take because scenery, weather, etc.. can all change the routes people take. and people like to share the routes with their friends/family.