Apple Executives Discuss Optimizations for Larger Apple Watch Series 7 Display, Lack of Third-Party Watch Faces

[Arsenikdote]

A custom face on an Apple Watch wouldn't tarnish the brand any more than a crappy iPhone app tarnishes the brand of an iPhone.

I can make an iPhone app look any way I want, why should watch faces be any different? I am truly saddened at this stance by Apple. They have missed a tremendous opportunity in my view.

Couple things. First, just because YOU don' think that a custom face would tarnish Apple's brand doesn't mean they don't. In fact they directly said they do think it would. Doesn't make them right, but it does make it how they think.

Also your comparison is not a good one. An app being designed however they want is also true for the Watch. You can design an app for the watch however you want, that is not the limitation. The limitation is on how the base operating system presents itself. If you want to compare it to something you can compare it to the Home Screen on the iPhone vs the watch face of an Apple Watch. One could then argue widgets on iOS now let you change the way it looks, which you may or may not correlate to complications on the Apple Watch. Really Apple is quite consistent in what they do and don't let developers modify.

Again not saying something is right or wrong or should or should not be. Just saying that they are clearly stating the boundaries and why THEY think the boundaries are there.

 

[dontreadtoolate]

A custom face on an Apple Watch wouldn't tarnish the brand any more than a crappy iPhone app tarnishes the brand of an iPhone.

I can make an iPhone app look any way I want, why should watch faces be any different? I am truly saddened at this stance by Apple. They have missed a tremendous opportunity in my view.

Watches aren't phones. Form may be more important than function in some instances.
Apple can't make their product officially adorned by a luxury brand such as Hermes Paris, where they target a specific wealthy audience, while at the same time allowing their product to be able to display weird-a$$ third party watch faces. Two opposite directions. The only way I could see them allow third party watch faces is if these watch faces were designed by reputable brands or fashion designers.

 

[flur]

Watches aren't phones. Form may be more important than function in some instances.
Apple can't make their product officially adorned by a luxury brand such as Hermes Paris, where they target a specific wealthy audience, while at the same time allowing their product to be able to display weird-a$$ third party watch faces. Two opposite directions. The only way I could see them allow third party watch faces is if these watch faces were designed by reputable brands or fashion designers.

I don’t know enough about fancy watch brands to know - would they have to tie the faces to the watch like they do with Hermès? Or would Hermès be cool with their band on an AW with a Rolex branded face?

 

[dontreadtoolate]

I don’t know enough about fancy watch brands to know - would they have to tie the faces to the watch like they do with Hermès? Or would Hermès be cool with their band on an AW with a Rolex branded face?

I’m sure that this was discussed at some point. I don’t think that you can use the existing Nike Apple watch face on a Hermès Apple Watch and vice versa.
The only thing that they seem to accept is branded watches as a whole, ie band, case and Watch face. They could expand on that front. I could see them expand more on the Nike approach, where you can buy branded bands and those unlock corresponding branded Watch faces. Just ideating