Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Anyone upgrading to new apple watch?
- Thread starter chiefs1968
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I’m going to hold off, possibly pick up an outgoing steel model as a pal to my sport ed (2). I still have my wife and I's series 0s cause we’re too nostalgic to sell em and typically hand down
I bought is a pair of series 2s a couple months back w/a savings of $80/1 or 100 per of you bought two. I picked her and I up a pair, as I did w/the first ones a few months in when sales hit and I love mine.
Controlling my Apple TV, seeing emails, responding to comms, it’s an amazing device for everything dragging the iPhone from the pocket or finding it in the house (my wife lol) - the Apple watch allows you to 'ping' (read: find) your phone. Use it weekly (on hers). Monthly, on mine
That said. I’m not at all intrigued by the LTE chip or, really any form of its own 'ability to communicate without the iPhone'. I’ve owned the above as mentioned and the ½ dzn times I’ve taken a call on the watch were mandatory and I was away from the phone. My AirPods weren’t in and the call(s) were paramount at the time.
A) I can already do same with no chip in watch with the phone in vicinity. It always is. Apple Watch is an accessory, I have my iPhone everywhere. And while I love, adore and will continue supporting the Apple Watch development, I’ll skip every other - as it’s cool but honestly that’s a battery suck that’s completely unnecessary (LTE radios are expensive w/their appetite) when the owner has an iPhone. I se it being an option for those that choose Android and don’t have the iOS backup system on their phone ...mandating comms take place using the engine in the watch.
I dunno but I like S2 and I can see these processors becoming very fast, very quickly. Like we’ve seen in all small SoC devices over the last 15-20 years, fact there’s a processor in the AirPods, and the 'knack' for crafting the Ferrari of mobile silicon - Apple, it’s 'A', 'M', 'I' and the others I’ve forgotten processors are phenomenal in their own right. Last years models w/A9 processing continues to dominate many performance tasks of the latest Qualcomm 835. The A10X, it’s predecessor, A10 are two Beasts, that destroy the performance competing SoCs, the OS more seamlessly than ever's continued integration, aggregation and as Such, it’s continuity between devices, whether iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro or your Apple Watch... the latest pic, edit to the email, document you are working on and tasks unfinished on one being able to immediately be pulled up and finished on the other is absolutely game changing. Handoff has been a GodSend.
I’m gonna shut up but ultimately, I’ve found Apple Watch to literally bring it all together for myself, my family and ultimately, my businesses. The Apple Watch is able to help me work between a
Mac Pro Studio, MacBook Pro on the go, iPads in the field and iPhones everywhere
The Apple watch is capable of bringing all of that powerful equipment together and snipe the snippets of schtuff peeps need to know. From notifications to emails and the current (as well as my series zero) are capable of all. Just slower and dimmer.
I bought is a pair of series 2s a couple months back w/a savings of $80/1 or 100 per of you bought two. I picked her and I up a pair, as I did w/the first ones a few months in when sales hit and I love mine.
Controlling my Apple TV, seeing emails, responding to comms, it’s an amazing device for everything dragging the iPhone from the pocket or finding it in the house (my wife lol) - the Apple watch allows you to 'ping' (read: find) your phone. Use it weekly (on hers). Monthly, on mine
That said. I’m not at all intrigued by the LTE chip or, really any form of its own 'ability to communicate without the iPhone'. I’ve owned the above as mentioned and the ½ dzn times I’ve taken a call on the watch were mandatory and I was away from the phone. My AirPods weren’t in and the call(s) were paramount at the time.
A) I can already do same with no chip in watch with the phone in vicinity. It always is. Apple Watch is an accessory, I have my iPhone everywhere. And while I love, adore and will continue supporting the Apple Watch development, I’ll skip every other - as it’s cool but honestly that’s a battery suck that’s completely unnecessary (LTE radios are expensive w/their appetite) when the owner has an iPhone. I se it being an option for those that choose Android and don’t have the iOS backup system on their phone ...mandating comms take place using the engine in the watch.
I dunno but I like S2 and I can see these processors becoming very fast, very quickly. Like we’ve seen in all small SoC devices over the last 15-20 years, fact there’s a processor in the AirPods, and the 'knack' for crafting the Ferrari of mobile silicon - Apple, it’s 'A', 'M', 'I' and the others I’ve forgotten processors are phenomenal in their own right. Last years models w/A9 processing continues to dominate many performance tasks of the latest Qualcomm 835. The A10X, it’s predecessor, A10 are two Beasts, that destroy the performance competing SoCs, the OS more seamlessly than ever's continued integration, aggregation and as Such, it’s continuity between devices, whether iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro or your Apple Watch... the latest pic, edit to the email, document you are working on and tasks unfinished on one being able to immediately be pulled up and finished on the other is absolutely game changing. Handoff has been a GodSend.
I’m gonna shut up but ultimately, I’ve found Apple Watch to literally bring it all together for myself, my family and ultimately, my businesses. The Apple Watch is able to help me work between a
Mac Pro Studio, MacBook Pro on the go, iPads in the field and iPhones everywhere
The Apple watch is capable of bringing all of that powerful equipment together and snipe the snippets of schtuff peeps need to know. From notifications to emails and the current (as well as my series zero) are capable of all. Just slower and dimmer.
Last edited:
I'm not buying LTE connectivity. Yes, series 2 gets quite a nice battery life compared series 0, but LTE radio chipset draws a lot of power in such tiny device (and worse in countries where LTE signals are spotty at best). And for what? Apple already address the main issue with runners by putting GPS on series 2. Look at Android wear watches with LTE and how many of them were a success? Yeah, thought so.
Imo Apple should aim for even longer battery life first. Making the AW to last a week or 10 days will make it a lot more usable, especially when you're travelling. That would be a better focus than putting an LTE radio in it.
Imo Apple should aim for even longer battery life first. Making the AW to last a week or 10 days will make it a lot more usable, especially when you're travelling. That would be a better focus than putting an LTE radio in it.
I presume with the built in LTE you will have to pay for a separate data plan? So it will be one for your watch and one for your iPhone?
I don't know that it will be a separate plan, as it will be added to your monthly invoice of X amount of dollars for the added service. Apple will likely explain more about this in the Keynote.
Do you think it would be like the Samsung smart watches? It would have a number assigned and a data plan? I guess you're right, we'd need to see exactly how functional Apple will make it on its own without an iPhone.
Good questions. I don't know exactly this will all configure. I imagine in the least the data plan will be separate, but rolled into one bill versus a separate charge. I wonder how much data one would need for the LTE Watch or would it be unlimited. I just can't justify LTE for my needs, when Bluetooth has been more than enough for my current range.
Series 0 here, maybe? I have a stainless steel one and may get the sport if the upgrades are anything good.
I love my S2 and use it every single day - so if S3 gives enough reason to upgrade I’ll be doing it first thing - as a device I really love using every day it’s a no brainer but let’s see what they have in store for us (Last time GPS and speed was the thing)
I expect Apple will have had to do some hefty negotiating with the service providers, if they do offer an LTE version in the UK as currently I don't think that any uk providers offer esim cards
All I was getting at was the fact that it would be extra money per month on top of the data plan you have to pay for your iPhone?
There is no way the carriers won't slap on a device charge to your plan for the watch. They have to give it a telco number in order for their cellular system to work so the watch will have a number and a charge for that just like your ipad.
that said I think LTE will only be an option on the series3 which will have some nice other upgrades.
that said I think LTE will only be an option on the series3 which will have some nice other upgrades.
The first generation Apple Watch is still performs very well. Even though it's still a bit slower with the processor, it still has a lot of same functionality as the series 2 with the exception of the major differences with the GPS, processor and brighter screen.