Yeah… I know they call it that. But then my iPhone could also classify as a big pocket watch
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Apple needs to take a page out of Garmin’s playbook
- Thread starter DMG35
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Agree and I’m in similar situation. I may consider AW when they can be charged every 1-2 weeks.
They are both 'watches' because the basic principle of a watch is that it must be able to tell the time and both watches do that. The rest is just gimmicks to entice people to buy the watches.
I NEVER have to think about charging the AW. I always sleep with the previous years model and wear and train with the current model during the day . Switch them on the charger when I wake up.
And this is what it comes down to. For all Garmin is, if a user that even prefers some of the Garmin Watch features would still buy an Apple Watch, then Apple has just the right mix of features.
Yeah but it could keep me from buying another Apple Watch. I’ve worn the Garmin watch exclusively for a week and haven’t missed a thing off the Apple Watch. That’s the point, I could easily just use this GW because I like it so much. If the AW Pro offers something new they will keep me around. If not, it will be Garmin moving forward.
It a watch just as much as the iPhone is. It can show what time it is. But it’s so much more and it’s just as much a wearable micro iPhone with a lot of sensors. An extension to your iPhone so you don’t have to take it out of your pocket. And it’s groundbreaking in the category of so called watches because you have to charge it daily.
Doesn’t mean that it’s a bad product.
So you see no difference between putting the Apple Watch on your wrist and your iPhone on your wrist?
First, I want to say thanks for making your post and giving me something interesting to talk about.
I disagree for a number of reasons. You put on a metal band on the apple watch and the black rubber band on the garmin, and then asked which one looks better for formal or business events... Not a fair comparison but I will rectify it by showing a photo of my titanium band on my fenix 6 even though I fundamentally disagree with what you said about the garmin watch always looking like a workout device regardless of the band. What an ignorant thing to say, no disrespect intended.
Much more fundamental than that though, the basic idea for a wrist watch has been around since the 16th century. And to this day, modern watches still honour that design. Especially garmin watches; a company founded in the US but incorporated in Schaffhausen, Switzerland...whom everyone knows is the most popular country for 2 things....chocolate and, yup, watches... So for you to say "the garmin watch is always going to look like a workout device no matter what band you put on it" sounds ridiculous.
Apple has only been making watches since 2015. The reason they did it was to compliment their iPhones and other products. Apple watches help them sell more iPhones, period. They are primarily a computer and phone company, so watches are totally new territory for them. The apple watch is so extremely basic looking. Take an iPhone and shrink it and voila, now you have a "watch." Easy for them though. Apple has totally redesigned something that has been around since the 16th century. I love apple products and have plenty of them. Their watch is something I'm not interested in because I don't want a micro iPhone on my wrist. Already own 3 iPhones.
The garmin watch is a man's watch. It is what a watch should look like. All apple did was, basically, shrink the iPhone and add a wristband to it. It was a very easy market for them to enter and I think that explains why the apple watch looks so boring and simple. It's just a black square... That's it. The only way to make it look less boring is to add different wrist bands. The Fenix/Epix looks like a watch regardless of what wrist band is on it, and especially with a metal wrist band. If Apple made a watch that actually honoured the traditional design that's been around since the 16th century, believe me, it would not be as cheap as it is... Its design doesn't interest me. A watch should have plenty physical buttons and not just be a micro touch screen. But when you have a company like apple making a watch, yeah of course they're going to make it look exactly like their other products...why wouldn't they? Garmin is a GPS company who has been motivated by making watches since 2003, long before the digital revolution we are in became as huge as it is today. Apple only made a watch because it was incredibly easy for them. To me, it's way too small and I just hate the idea of having a mini iPhone on my wrist, tapping, scrolling, I truly don't want or need that. I have iPhones and other devices for that. Hell we all could use a break from too much screen time. Using an apple watch I'll never be distraction free unless in airplane mode. Sure, apple keeps releasing new watches, but it is still fundamentally still a little black square and that is so plain and boring. Should we celebrate the apple watch because it's a good watch or because they managed to make a micro iPhone? Rhetorical question. I don't consider it a "watch" though in the same way I consider the Garmin Fenix a watch.
Photo caption: Still look like a workout only device to you?
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Hah! Thank you! This is exactly what I'm writing in my comments here too that it's nothing but a "micro iPhone" so it really caught my attention when I saw someone else saying that too, hah!
I have had a Fenix '1' since 2014......😜
I keep looking at newer models, but then feel it still works great, so why waste money on something that does the same.
I don't really use the software or apps, just compass/tracks etc.
The current Apple ad REALLY makes me chuckle.....showing the AW7 getting battered.....no way can it withstand that.
I keep looking at newer models, but then feel it still works great, so why waste money on something that does the same.
I don't really use the software or apps, just compass/tracks etc.
The current Apple ad REALLY makes me chuckle.....showing the AW7 getting battered.....no way can it withstand that.
Very fair points. I actually didn’t know that Garmin made a metal band for the watch. Buying that asap.
The main thing I need is direct connectivity to bike computers - Wahoo and Garmin. Right now, I use a third party tool as middleware to report my heart rate from my watch to the bike computer. A clever device from North Pole Engineering called Heartbeatz - There is another product called WatchLink. Same design and battery, but one more thing to remember on a long ride. Seamless integration without buying the Wahoo or Garmin watch would be nice. This would be using the ANT+ protocol which many other devices use. I'm hoping the "Pro" watch has this.
The Apple Watch is a watch the same as my car is bigger heavier watch that I can use to carry groceries in. And my Grandfather clock is a taller louder watch. I think.
Actually, it could also be “watches are round” and the Apple Watch isn’t.
Precisely.
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I think these days most people will rock up with either or to business events (but I "only" work in IT!). I've certainly noticed the Garmin's can break the ice - "do you run/hike" etc. I'm still in both camps, I've got a Fenix 6s pro and a AW7. Swimming with physical buttons is a winner for me, the AW (when not on water lock) jumps around screens all over the place, being able to just have laps/lengths displaying in a large font is a (simple) win. Garmin coaching with their training plans I thought was great.
It just isn't as smart for those in the apple ecosystem. When in the house I often answer calls on my AW if I have head phones in, I use the swipe keyboard for quick text replies, etc. I think the "pro" moniker will be a bit of a gimmick but I'm interested given the battery life of the 7 would never stand up to an ultra (walking).
Yes, that’s the point. If you decide that you want the Garmin watch, then you’ll get the Garmin watch and be happy. Apple’s considerable problem, in that case, would be to try to find 1 person out of 6 point something billion that would take your place and buy the watch you didn’t. Or, even better for them, 5 to 10 people. We’ll see how their unit sales are trending.
If they CAN find that person/those people, then, again, it indicates that the current feature mix for the Apple Watch is just about right. If they can find those people with the new Apple Watch, then that would indicate the future feature mix is right.
It appears that my family is bereft of men where I’d thought there were at LEAST a couple…
I've been so tempted by one of these but can't justify the expense when I have an Apple Watch that does the job well enough, especially for a novice runner like myself. Your post is definitely making that temptation harder to ignore...at this point I'll at least wait and see what the next versions of the Apple Watch are and go from there.
That ad should be banned. It's simply ridiculous. When you look at some of the things it's supposed to be durable against - it can withstand cake! ketchup! mud! - it's ridiculous. But when they show a skateboarder dragging it, that's just false advertising, it would be scratched to bits. It's exposed and raised glass with no bezel, for goodness sake.
I've had the Series 3, 5, 6 and now 7 and they scratch at the slightest thing. I did have a SS/Sapphire S5 and the screen stayed pristine but the casing got chipped just putting a golf club back in a bag!
Same here. I currently have an AW S7 and Fenix 6X Pro. The AW simply cannot interface with my bike computer at all and I hate wearing chest straps. The Fenix is outstanding for this. I record the ride on the watch and have a cheap Coospo bike computer that displays all the ride info I need plus my heart rate from the Fenix via ANT+. If Apple really want a slice of this market, they really need to open up to things like this more, too.
I didn’t say that did I? I just said that with all the stuff the Apple Watch can do then it’s far more than a watch. And the iPhone can be just as much a watch- just of the old fashioned pocket watch style.So you see no difference between putting the Apple Watch on your wrist and your iPhone on your wrist?
I’ve read reviews like the OP before and I’m glad to read more of them. Always gonna have people with strong opinions favoring one or the other, but I’m grateful Garmin is an option, creating more competition which I feel is good for consumers and pushing companies to do better. And of course for avid athletes there are strong arguments that AW can’t compete with Garmin. Being just a casual or “light” exerciser myself I’m content with my AW from <1 year ago, but next time I’m in the market I’ll certainly consider the Garmin options. Enjoy the watch OP !
The Apple Watch is a watch the same as my car is bigger heavier watch that I can use to carry groceries in. And my Grandfather clock is a taller louder watch. I think.
Actually, it could also be “watches are round” and the Apple Watch isn’t.
Precisely.
Not a watch:
No, I was just highlighting your apparent reluctance to call it a watch. I agree, it does more than a regular watch.