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Analyst Suggests Third-Generation Apple Watch Will Include Cellular Connectivity

Analog Kid said:
If they can get cellular in there and keep a full day battery life with limited data use and half an hour of talk time then I could pretty much give up on my phone and go with the watch and an iPad. The iPad has a usable interface, and the watch/airpods are nice and portable. I'm not someone who uses my phone all day, so I don't need those radios on very much during the day.
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I would imagine that would be a lot to ask out of the first cellular model. But I guarantee that Apple will set it up so that when your watch is in range of the iPhone, it will turn off the cellular radio, and back on again when you separate yourself from it. I would also expect the user to have the option to set what conditions that the radio be used, just as you can on the iPhone when roaming, etc.
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dominiongamma said:
See no point of this, I will have my phone with me all the time. I can't imagine people not leaving their iPhones behind for any reason.
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Enjoy that reality. I'll be living untethered to my phone as needed.
 
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Analog Kid said:
Kind of makes me wonder what issues have been resolved...
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Alternate physics, or really, really tiny hamsters?

Mac 128 said:
For those of us who get it, it is a god-send. For those who don't, turn it off, or buy the non-cellular model. Simple.
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Oh, it's absolutely a great idea, and it would finally make the Apple Watch something useful. I'm just not quite getting the physics behind it.... and the Apple Watch needs to get way smaller already, not bigger.
 
Mac 128 said:
I would imagine that would be a lot to ask out of the first cellular model. But I guarantee that Apple will set it up so that when your watch is in range of the iPhone, it will turn off the cellular radio, and back on again when you separate yourself from it. I would also expect the user to have the option to set what conditions that the radio be used, just as you can on the iPhone when roaming, etc.
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Yeah, I don't expect it in the first cellular version-- just looking down the road to when I'd find it really compelling.

That said, your idea of tethering or not as needed would be really nice if it could pair with a cellular iPad instead of iPhone.
 
I still don't understand the purpose of smartwatches. Other than being a fitness tracker, I don't see any reason you can't just do everything you can do on them on a phone.
 
It converts body heat and pendulum motion to a trickle charge.

Or they have solved flexible batteries in the watch bands.
 
ziggie216 said:
BS news unless there is a sudden jump in battery development.
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Doesn't sound like BS to me, it's just going to have worse battery life. They'll advertise it as x hours of battery life (worst numbers from AW 1 or 2), and then when you are actively using cell it'll drain like hell, just like GPS on the AW2. It'll be worth it for some though. Bare bones model is definitely going to have the best battery life.
 
I'm not expecting miracles, but Apple is so good at making electronics smaller that 'thinner and lighter' is brushed off as 'to be expected' with new iPhones and iPads. Yet the Watch didn't get any thinner between Sept 2014 and Sept 2016, almost like there had been no progress. Very 'un-Apple'. I'm assuming there was progress that went on behind the scenes, but Apple chose not to release a much thinner Series 2 watch, so they will eventually add cellular and keep the current thickness + battery life?

Also, it presumably wouldn't be a battery drain if the cellular radio was only powered on during those times when you're not connected to the iPhone. If my iPhone was on airplane mode whenever I was on wifi, it would only need cellular for my commutes. The Watch even less so, as it could piggyback from the iPhone.
 
For one reason alone I don't see this happening as a good thing. Cellular signals fluctuate too much. Have you ever noticed your iPhones burn more battery on certain or in certain locations? Imagine this happening in the Apple Watch. People would lose their damn minds complaining about horrible battery life and say it's Apple's fault.
 
Brookzy said:
SIM card in an Apple Watch? Total BS rumour.
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Exactly. It will be a virtual SIM, so as far as the cellular network is concerned your Watch and your iPhone are the same thing. Otherwise what happens? Are you going to have a different phone number?
 
The Game 161 said:
nice in theory but had it on my gear S watch and never used it
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That's because Tizen is only useful for one thing: battery life. Having a phone on your wrist is useful for long runs. That's about the only use case I found, but it's a big one IMO.

Source: me, ex Android guy and S/S2 wearer.
 
Mac 128 said:
I would imagine that would be a lot to ask out of the first cellular model. But I guarantee that Apple will set it up so that when your watch is in range of the iPhone, it will turn off the cellular radio, and back on again when you separate yourself from it. I would also expect the user to have the option to set what conditions that the radio be used, just as you can on the iPhone when roaming, etc.
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Enjoy that reality. I'll be living untethered to my phone as needed.
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The watch will never replace the iPhone, I'm not going to talk to my wrist in public, can't FaceTime, iMessage on iPhone easier. I can do the tasks faster on the iPhone then the Apple Watch.
 
ateslik said:
It converts body heat and pendulum motion to a trickle charge.

Or they have solved flexible batteries in the watch bands.
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This would be an alternative; except it'll be a while until they shrink it down to be able to be fit into a smartwatch or phone. Would be sweet if that eventually becomes able to fit into a smartwatch, since your wrists usually produce a lot of motion throughout the day, and the battery needing to be charged is very small! Also, the device is as big as it is right now because it needs to fix a sizable battery, so I'm sure this general concept would be shrinkable to some degree, especially if it can route directly to the charge receiving device's existing battery.
 
I don't believe this at all. WiFi uses less power than 3G and certainly 4G, particularly as signal strength varies and the radio needs to increase power to ensure enough stability for packet transmission. People who don't love the current AW thickness would be dismayed at the one which accommodates a SIM card, a cellular radio, and the battery to power them. The smallest cell phone is already bigger than an AW (and needs a fold out antenna) and that's without all the sensors and other tech an AW contains.

I call total BS, but a slimmer AW would be nice.
 
This would push me over the edge. Really close on AW2 right now but trying to hold off for cellular. AW3 w/cellular, a legit watch podcast app, and AirPods? That's my dream running kit.
 
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SteveW928 said:
Alternate physics, or really, really tiny hamsters?



Oh, it's absolutely a great idea, and it would finally make the Apple Watch something useful. I'm just not quite getting the physics behind it.... and the Apple Watch needs to get way smaller already, not bigger.
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The cellular radio and antenna will offset some battery likely. The taptic engine will likely get smaller too. I doubt it will get bigger. I also don't think that the 38mm will get it the first year out, only the 42mm. Using the cellular radio will reduce the battery life, just like having a conversation on the watch right now will reduce the battery life to around 3 hours, yet Apple still lets you do it. This will be no different.

jonnysods said:
Good luck keeping a sim tray watertight.
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SIM will be embedded like on the 9.7" iPP.

dominiongamma said:
The watch will never replace the iPhone, I'm not going to talk to my wrist in public, can't FaceTime, iMessage on iPhone easier. I can do the tasks faster on the iPhone then the Apple Watch.
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Never is a long time, and I respectfully disagree. The watch is destined to replace the iPhone for some. I couldn't care less what you aren't willing to do in public -- I have no problem doing it and neither will many others. Some people don't wear BT headsets and talk into mid-air for that same reason, but many have no problems doing it. As for FaceTime, there's no reason they won't eventually add a camera, and FaceTime is not used by everyone -- I'd bet even a majority of iPhone users don't use FaceTime on a daily basis, and even rarely. As for iMessage, it doesn't really matter if it's easier -- it's easier on my Mac, but I'm not going to carry around my Mac strictly to make typing iMessages easier. It's all give and take, and in the end, some people are going to accept compromises for convenience and complete autonomy.
 
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Kabeyun said:
I don't believe this at all. WiFi uses less power than 3G and certainly 4G, particularly as signal strength varies and the radio needs to increase power to ensure enough stability for packet transmission. People who don't love the current AW thickness would be dismayed at the one which accommodates a SIM card, a cellular radio, and the battery to power them. The smallest cell phone is already bigger than an AW (and needs a fold out antenna) and that's without all the sensors and other tech an AW contains.

I call total BS, but a slimmer AW would be nice.
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Apple is OK with making the watch thicker, they did so with the AW2 to fit GPS it. I expect they'll definitely do it. I didn't think it would be this generation (maybe next), but it's possible. Most certainly one model with, and one model without, though.
 
Kabeyun said:
I don't believe this at all. WiFi uses less power than 3G and certainly 4G, particularly as signal strength varies and the radio needs to increase power to ensure enough stability for packet transmission. People who don't love the current AW thickness would be dismayed at the one which accommodates a SIM card, a cellular radio, and the battery to power them. The smallest cell phone is already bigger than an AW (and needs a fold out antenna) and that's without all the sensors and other tech an AW contains.

I call total BS, but a slimmer AW would be nice.
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My dog has a cellular radio in her dog collar, as well as and antenna, GPS, cpu, software SIM, and a battery. It's about the same size as the 42mm watch, but a little thicker. It accurately reports her location anywhere she goes. And it lasts a week or more on a single charge. This is not insurmountable.
 
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