Apple Adds New 'Guided Tours' Page to Apple Watch Site

[Piggie]

Those are beautiful looking screens you can buy for 99 cents. Why hasn't this watch been a big seller? I know I don't like the size but that's just me. There is just no way I can get my dress shirts over the watch and the Apple one might just barely make it.

I personally have no doubt that Apple and maybe 3rd Party App Builders will have 100's of additional watch faces after the watch comes out. Just my opinion, but that will be a huge market even if Apple hogs it for themselves. Some people don't believe this, but there is no doubt in my mind that the available faces will be closer to 100 or more this year. Too much money making potential.

I agree with you.

Whilst we can all speculate on things, and we often get it wrong, like assuming due to the GIANT PROFIT on the edition watch, there would be free Apple care, then we find out it's a Thousand Dollars for Apple care (don't think anyone saw that one coming!)

What I Think will be the case is, at some point in time Apple will release to the devs what they need to build custom watch faces.

These, Apple will treat like Apps. No actually I think Apple will be VASTLY more controlling on watch faces than Apps.
A lot of junk apps are on the App store, and Apple lets them through as they don't break any rules.
I can see Apple being a LOT more strict on the design and/or quality of watch faces.
Only approving those they feel are of sufficient quality, and also their general look/design is pleasing to Apple, and finally they do not break any copyright issues with real life watches and clocks.

I honestly can never ever see Apple letting through anything like Rolex, Breitling , etc etc watch faces as they will be too scared they will face legal action.

The only way to have watch faces of real watches would be to go with an Android wear watch in the future.

So there will still be, I'm sure, as you say many many faces in the future (if not right away) but only Apple approved ones.

 

[V.K.]

The one thing that keeps striking me is the complexity of the interface. Two levels of touch, the button, turning the crown, pushing the crown. This all seems half-baked from a company that spent so long resisting more than one button on a mouse.

yes, this was the first thing I thought after viewing these videos. I remember getting my first ios device (ipod touch 4) - I could use it right away without looking at any instructions. with this watch I would not be able to. but I don't know about half backed. on such a small device with so much functionality UI complexity is probably inevitable. I'm curious to see how buyers will react to what looks to be a steep learning curve. And Apple should have released these videos after the keynote last month. they finally show in detail what this thing really is and what it's good for.

 

[amirite]

Those are beautiful looking screens you can buy for 99 cents. Why hasn't this watch been a big seller? I know I don't like the size but that's just me. There is just no way I can get my dress shirts over the watch and the Apple one might just barely make it.

I personally have no doubt that Apple and maybe 3rd Party App Builders will have 100's of additional watch faces after the watch comes out. Just my opinion, but that will be a huge market even if Apple hogs it for themselves. Some people don't believe this, but there is no doubt in my mind that the available faces will be closer to 100 or more this year. Too much money making potential.

I may also be in the minority with battery life but just like smartphones, I don't need more than a day of life. I wear watches every day and I wear them for roughly 14 hours each day. Each night, I take them off and set them on my nightstand. Same with my phone - each night I plug it in so it's no big deal for me to charge daily - it's just a routine for me. But, like I said, I might be in the minority. I also think that patch/revision upgrades will extend battery life, but that is also just an educated guess. I have an Up24 that I got for $49 and it has a battery life of 7 days. A code revision upgrade changed that to 14 days so I wouldn't be surprised if Apple/Moto360 and others can add battery life with code changes and low power Bluetooth upgrades among other things.

I think Apple will monopolize the watch face market for a while, selling them for high prices (on par with bands). Paying $100+ for "just" a moving image is unprecedented, but if anyone can pull it off it's Apple.

I wouldn't be surprised to see designs by select third-parties, which would also give the concept credibility. There's going to be so much money in Apple Watch customization from bands to faces it's ridiculous.

 

[Rogifan]

yes, this was the first thing I thought after viewing these videos. I remember getting my first ios device (ipod touch 4) - I could use it right away without looking at any instructions. with this watch I would not be able too. but I don't know about half backed. on such a small device with so much functionality UI complexity is probably inevitable. I'm curious to see how buyers will react to what looks to be a steep learning curve. And Apple should have released these videos after the keynote last month. they finally show in detail what this thing really is and what it's good for.

When you tap on the new message icon in mail on an iOS device this is what you see:

If someone had never used an iOS device before how would they know how to insert a photo or video? There are no visual clues. Same with copy/paste. When my mom got her first iPad I walked her through basic things like copy/paste, attaching a photo to an email message, how you double tap to bring up the app switcher and how your flick up on an app to 'close' it. I showed her how to create folders and move apps into folders. She picked it up easily and I get very few questions from her now but she wouldn't have intuitively known how to do these things if I hadn't shown her.

I think there will be a bit of a learning curve with Watch. That's why I think it's smart to do these guided tours. Perhaps Apple should have released them earlier but I've found when I go through training if I'm not able to use what I learned right away I forget some of it. Put these videos out too early and people won't remember what the saw. What's also cool though is Apple will have virtual demo stations (with the Watch and an iPad mini) in store so as people are waiting for their try-on appointment or whatever they can play around on the watch with these demo stations.

 

[BlueMoon63]

I agree with you.

Whilst we can all speculate on things, and we often get it wrong, like assuming due to the GIANT PROFIT on the edition watch, there would be free Apple care, then we find out it's a Thousand Dollars for Apple care (don't think anyone saw that one coming!)

What I Think will be the case is, at some point in time Apple will release to the devs what they need to build custom watch faces.

These, Apple will treat like Apps. No actually I think Apple will be VASTLY more controlling on watch faces than Apps.
A lot of junk apps are on the App store, and Apple lets them through as they don't break any rules.
I can see Apple being a LOT more strict on the design and/or quality of watch faces.
Only approving those they feel are of sufficient quality, and also their general look/design is pleasing to Apple, and finally they do not break any copyright issues with real life watches and clocks.

I honestly can never ever see Apple letting through anything like Rolex, Breitling , etc etc watch faces as they will be too scared they will face legal action.

The only way to have watch faces of real watches would be to go with an Android wear watch in the future.

So there will still be, I'm sure, as you say many many faces in the future (if not right away) but only Apple approved ones.

And to be fair, the post that Android Wear has more watch faces can be a misleading statement. In a head to head of Android Wear versus Apple Watch on TechRadar.com they pronounced Apple the clear winner saying...

"Winner: Apple Watch. Motorola does a decent job of letting you alert existing faces, but you have to rely on third-party watch faces for truly custom designs." Adding that it was their biggest beef with Android Wear and their limited watch faces and customization while the Apple watch has 11 default watch faces and more customization. It's the third party watch faces that are so beautiful and to say Apple won't do this is a definitely guess. It will probably be the biggest profit for apple and developers as people will always want more watch faces.

 

[MacDarcy]

Im sorry, but I still don't see the apple watch catching on like the iPod or iPhone.

 

[BlueMoon63]

Im sorry, but I still don't see the apple watch catching on like the iPod or iPhone.

No need to be sorry - there is no way in my mind that this will sell as well as the iPhone or iPad or iPod. Depending on which poll you read, which analyst you read, they expect somewhere in the range of 8-20 million in the first year simply from the fact that you need an iPhone 6 and then roughly 20-40% of iPhone 6 users expressing interest in buying. Saying this will be a flop or wild predictions that it will fade out in a year is the thing that probably won't happen. People buy Apple products and then say "I don't know why I bought it, I just wanted it".

The Apple Care Support for the Edition watch is a joke - it should be free. But that product will probably really be a limited edition and disappear in a few years unless by some miracle it sells a lot. I don't see it. I would say 70%/29.9%/.1% from lowest to highest model.

 

[Keirasplace]

As much as I want an Apple Watch I think I will wait until generation 2. Battery life is going to be an issue and I would not be surprised if next year's version is thinner. Right now I am happy with a fitbit and my iPhone but once the Apple Watch gets more health features like an oxygen sensor I will buy one. It is going to need time to mature like the first iPhone better off waiting if you can. This all may change once I try it in store though.

If battery life is an issue, next year will not be thinner. You won't get thinner and better battery life together in the next few years. You and Apple will have to pick one. I'm guessing next year the SOC will be more efficient, so you'll get maybe 2h more from the smaller watch 3h more from the big one, but that's it.

In 3 years, with improving SOC and battery life, they have the option to add cell/GPS or go thinner. What they do depends on what the competition is doing.

BTW, its as thin as any current men's watched on the market, so not just why you think it actually needs to be thinner. women's watches are slightly thinner though and could go to 8mm once battery life is better or components use less power.

 

[Rogifan]

If battery life is an issue, next year will not be thinner. You won't get thinner and better battery life together in the next few years. You and Apple will have to pick one. I'm guessing next year the SOC will be more efficient, so you'll get maybe 3h more from the smaller watch, but that's it for next year.

BTW, its as thin as any current men's watched on the market, so not just why you think it actually needs to be thinner. women's watches are slightly thinner though.

People seem to be looking at this like an iPhone or iPad where every year Apple comes out with a new one that's thinner. But how many traditional watches boast about getting thinner?

 

[Cory Bauer]

Im sorry, but I still don't see the apple watch catching on like the iPod or iPhone.

No need to be sorry - there is no way in my mind that this will sell as well as the iPhone or iPad or iPod. Depending on which poll you read, which analyst you read, they expect somewhere in the range of 8-20 million in the first year simply from the fact that you need an iPhone 6 and then roughly 20-40% of iPhone 6 users expressing interest in buying. Saying this will be a flop or wild predictions that it will fade out in a year is the thing that probably won't happen. People buy Apple products and then say "I don't know why I bought it, I just wanted it".

People easily forget: the iPod took 3 years to sell it's first 3 million units, only eventually going on to sell 350 million units after countless iterations, versions, price points and expansion of potential customer base. It wasn't the first-generation iPod that sold 350M units, nor would it ever have.

I believe the Watch is a strong product even today, but I also believe that advancements in health sensors alone over, say, the next decade, could end up making the Watch a product that goes from, "why do I need that?" to, "why don't you have that?".

(Side note: Apple Watch works with iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus)

 

[jctevere]

While watching the first video my iPhone's Siri was activated by him saying "Hey Siri" and I now have a reminder to email Bob... Hah

 

[Ihatefall]

I'm pretty sure you can still pinch and such. The crown is a novelty that will wear off. It will be used for settings only in the end. People will not get into the habit of going back and forth from screen to crown. They will just stay on the screen if they can.

I am pretty sure I will end up using my middle finger on the crown to keep my index finger at the ready to tap/ pinch to zoom.

 

[BlueMoon63]

People easily forget: the iPod took 3 years to sell it's first 3 million units, only eventually going on to sell 350 million units after countless iterations, versions, price points and expansion of potential customer base. It wasn't the first-generation iPod that sold 350M units, nor would it ever have.

I believe the Watch is a strong product even today, but I also believe that advancements in health sensors alone over, say, the next decade, could end up making the Watch a product that goes from, "why do I need that?" to, "why don't you have that?".

(Side note: Apple Watch works with iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus)

Thank you for catching my mistake. I was mixing it up with Apple trying to sell you a new phone knowing they would push the 6.

Smartwatches are not going away. When I saw the Moto 360, I wanted one and the price was pretty good and when I first saw the square Apple Watch, I thought it wasn't as good. Now, I absolutely love the Apple Watch and what it does - and definitely not a huge learning curve. Even though I may not buy one since I want one that costs $1100.

I just realized another great reason for buying the watch - especially where I live. It is very difficult to get a signal in my house unless you are upstairs and by a window. I can leave my phone charging getting a strong signal and use the watch wherever I am and always have a strong signal - even when working out in the basement workout room when there is never a signal.

 

[Ihatefall]

No need to be sorry - there is no way in my mind that this will sell as well as the iPhone or iPad or ipod.

The Apple Care Support for the Edition watch is a joke - it should be free. But that product will probably really be a limited edition and disappear in a few years unless by some miracle it sells a lot. I don't see it. I would say 70%/29.9%/.1% from lowest to highest model.

I agree with the first part because it doesn't really work on its own so owning the iphone is a prerequisite.

Don't be so quick to discount the edition. The Gap out sells LV or Prada or MJ, 3,000:1 in terms of units, but don't under estimate the power of those luxury brands. Look at shots from any 2015's fashion weeks and you'll see mostly iphones taking snaps and in editors hands. They own that part of the market, these are customers who drop $5K USD on a dress, $15k USD on an ostrich bag. Think how much the Hermes jelly and birken are, yet you see them all over cities any were in the world.
The edition might be a hit, just not with that sport band!

 

[Keirasplace]

No need to be sorry - there is no way in my mind that this will sell as well as the iPhone or iPad or iPod. Depending on which poll you read, which analyst you read, they expect somewhere in the range of 8-20 million in the first year simply from the fact that you need an iPhone 6 and then roughly 20-40% of iPhone 6 users expressing interest in buying. Saying this will be a flop or wild predictions that it will fade out in a year is the thing that probably won't happen. People buy Apple products and then say "I don't know why I bought it, I just wanted it".

The Apple Care Support for the Edition watch is a joke - it should be free. But that product will probably really be a limited edition and disappear in a few years unless by some miracle it sells a lot. I don't see it. I would say 70%/29.9%/.1% from lowest to highest model.

You don't need an Iphone 6, you need an Iphone 5 and up. There will be more than 425M compatible phones by the end of 2015. About half of them being Iphone 6 and the 6s (or whatever its called) . If only 5% buy the Apple watch in the first year, you get 21M. My own estimate is around 12-15M.

 

[gorkt]

I was pretty impressed with the message video for one reason, the audio message. I was/am concerned with the necessity of relying on Siri with the watch, and the ability to respond to an incoming message with an audio message takes the frustration factor a notch. If Siri bungles my dictation response, I don't look like an idiot screaming at my wrist, I just send the audio message.

 

[extricated]

Very nice!
A bit of marketing, keeping the hype factor going AND getting me prepared to jump right in and start using this with a smaller learning curve.
Love it!

 

[BlueMoon63]

You don't need an Iphone 6, you need an Iphone 5 and up. There will be more than 425M compatible phones by the end of 2015. About half of them being Iphone 6 and the 6s (or whatever its called) . If only 5% buy the Apple watch in the first year, you get 21M. My own estimate is around 12-15M.

You are correct. I was already corrected by someone else

I previously posted that I think Apple will sell 20mm in the first 12 months and I am sticking to that. Most analysts are somewhere less than that number and now are saying 1mm in the first weekend. With pre-orders for two weeks, that seems low but who knows for sure and I think Apple has already said they won't report on Apple Watch Sales. I know I want one and the marketing is pushing me...

----------

I agree with the first part because it doesn't really work on its own so owning the iphone is a prerequisite.

Don't be so quick to discount the edition. The Gap out sells LV or Prada or MJ, 3,000:1 in terms of units, but don't under estimate the power of those luxury brands. Look at shots from any 2015's fashion weeks and you'll see mostly iphones taking snaps and in editors hands. They own that part of the market, these are customers who drop $5K USD on a dress, $15k USD on an ostrich bag. Think how much the Hermes jelly and birken are, yet you see them all over cities any were in the world.
The edition might be a hit, just not with that sport band!

Would love to be wrong and you make a very valid point. We are talking millions sold in the first year with the vast majority being the $349/$399 model. So in the end, they may sell 10,000 Editions (for example) but millions of the other models and that ends up being a fraction of a percentage point. Who knows...

 

[teejaysyke]

Wait...what?

An up and coming rapper is featured on the watch.

 

[Starship77]

I thought Apple products didn't require a user manual to operate because they were so intuitive and easy to pickup. Now we have whole webpages to guide us through operating the Apple Watch? :smh:

Yeah, I was wondering if people would find it very complicated. I think this is the first Apple product (macs aside) that has a big learning curve. You have to memorize what each of these gestures and buttons and combinations do, it's not easy...

Maybe when I finally use one myself, I'll find out it's easier than it looks.

But it looks crazy difficult for me now, and I'm a geek...

 

[LordQ]

Looks like Apple is kicking their marketing into full gear. Next up: reviews. Can't wait.

This. As much as I'm trying to convince myself to want one, I wouldn't buy it until I see DetroitBORG's review and I can install apps and download music directly from the watch itself. No way I'm upgrading my phone just because of it.

 

[MacDarcy]

No need to be sorry - there is no way in my mind that this will sell as well as the iPhone or iPad or iPod. Depending on which poll you read, which analyst you read, they expect somewhere in the range of 8-20 million in the first year simply from the fact that you need an iPhone 6 and then roughly 20-40% of iPhone 6 users expressing interest in buying. Saying this will be a flop or wild predictions that it will fade out in a year is the thing that probably won't happen. People buy Apple products and then say "I don't know why I bought it, I just wanted it".

The Apple Care Support for the Edition watch is a joke - it should be free. But that product will probably really be a limited edition and disappear in a few years unless by some miracle it sells a lot. I don't see it. I would say 70%/29.9%/.1% from lowest to highest model.

I agree. Apple has a knack for creating products people didn't even think they needed. But in this case, I just get the feeling that the apple watch won't catch on. Will it sell? Sure. But I think it will be a lot less than Apple hopes. Don't get me wrong, I love apple. I've been an apple fan before it was cool to be an apple fan. I just don't think the apple watch will be a hit.

 

[Keirasplace]

This. As much as I'm trying to convince myself to want one, I wouldn't buy it until I see DetroitBORG's review and I can install apps and download music directly from the watch itself. No way I'm upgrading my phone just because of it.

You only need to upgrade if you've got a 4S,4 or 3GS. If that's the case, your probably pretty close to upgrading anyway as you phone would be at least 4 years old in September (You could wait till then off course). After October I'd guess less than 10% of all phones out there won't be 5 and above.

 

[MarkyMarc43]

Prices

Am I the only one who thinks $1,300 (CAD) is an awful lot for the stainless steel with stainless steel strap? The strap alone lists for $600

And no, I'm not trolling. I had really hoped to get get one but just can't justify the expense. Probably going to wait for V2.0 and see what happens then.

 

[rowspaxe]

Those animated emoji are really tacky. I keep wondering how these passed muster.

Have you looked Osx lately?