Apple Targeting March for Apple Watch Launch, Retail Training Begins Next Month

[DotComCTO]

I know at least one person that has to have one. My teenage daughter. She's mad because I emphatically told her no. 2nd gen maybe, but definitely not 1st gen. I am a horrible parent because I won't allow her to use Apple Pay (she has no job and wants to use one of my credit cards. Too damn funny) and I won't buy her a Gen 1 watch. 1st world, amirite?

How dare you teach your daughter about the value of money and the importance of saving? You should be teaching her about deficit spending and instilling a strong sense of entitlement and instant gratification in her!!

I'm calling Child Services right now. Expect a visit soon!!



--DotComCTO

 

[Wando64]

I am really curious about this watch and how it performs.
As far as I know there is still no real indication about battery duration other than a vague "one day".
As you all know, that doesn't really mean anything at all.
Besides is it a day with or without the Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) switched on? (it could make a huge difference)
Also in relation to the HRM (the only function I am remotely interested in), I wander if anybody realise that wrist HRMs need to be worn in a very specific way (quite tight and no less than 1 inch above the wrist bone) otherwise the readings are completely incorrect. So unless Apple has done something quite miracolous with their HRM, expect a lot of complains from early adopters about heart rates being totally off.
Finally, it's complete dependance from an iPhone is an odd decision IMO.
I really am curious, but I will not be buying one in its current format.
To me the only attraction would be as a sport watch and frankly I already have one that does the job perfectly including GPS and wrist HRM.

 

[bbeagle]

I know at least one person that has to have one. My teenage daughter. She's mad because I emphatically told her no. 2nd gen maybe, but definitely not 1st gen. I am a horrible parent because I won't allow her to use Apple Pay (she has no job and wants to use one of my credit cards. Too damn funny) and I won't buy her a Gen 1 watch. 1st world, amirite?

Sure sounds like my brother's teen-age daughters. The 15-year old with no job was going on a 3-day road trip to play a soccer game near New York City.... her hotel and trip was paid for. Her father was giving her $100 in spending money. Breakfast was free at the hotel. She would just have to pay for 3 days of lunch and dinner. She whined and whined that that wasn't enough. She eventually got her dad to relent and give her $150.

 

[i5pro]

I keep seeing this argument in the scope of comparing Apple's product to common wristwatches that have far less functionality. The reality is that very few, if any, of the current crop of wearables are fully waterproof.

I suspect that in time this will be remedied, but I don't think it is realistic to expect for a first generation product from any company.

I hate to say it, the Pebble watch is 50m water resistant...and they didn't have the backing of almighty apple

 

[tshrimp]

Is the styling of this watch firm? Or might there be other versions that look a little different? Not a fan of the current look, but then again you can only tell so much by pictures.

 

[iPadCary]

If I get 100% AppleWatch usability with an iPhone,
what percent AppleWatch usability will I have without one?

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Sure sounds like my brother's teen-age daughters. The 15-year old with no job was going on a 3-day road trip to play a soccer game near New York City.... her hotel and trip was paid for. Her father was giving her $100 in spending money. Breakfast was free at the hotel. She would just have to pay for 3 days of lunch and dinner. She whined and whined that that wasn't enough. She eventually got her dad to relent and give her $150.

... so at $100 that's $15 a meal. Really?!?
What kind of a lunch & dinner do you expect to get with just $15?
McDonald's & Wendy's?
How about a nice sitdown chain restaurant like an Applebee's or whatever?
Plus, is all she gonna do is eat? There's 3 days worth of pocket money to consider, too,

He should of upped it to $350, not $150. Poor girl ....

 

[IJ Reilly]

The people that have actually handled it said it looked good and had a much better build than all other smart watch. Even photos taken by amateurs in displays (taken in Paris) makes the watch look good. If you want to question photo and reality, question the Moto360 press photos compared to how it really looks... Even worse for the Samsung watch.

Maybe so, but I'm going to stick by my rule and defer judgement. I'd don't recall anyone crowing about how the first iPhone was beautiful simply as an object. The beauty of the thing was in the marriage of form and function. About the form of the Apple Watch we mostly have just pictures, which are deceiving. About the function we know very little.

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Also esp true for internet dating.

I'm just going to have to take your word for that.

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Yep, quite a drop in that Apple stock price. I wonder why. Everything I keep reading is that the 6 is selling like hotcakes. If Apple blows out its earnings again and then its P/E drops below 16, how could the stock market allow that to happen? I don't get it.

The markets are doing their usual early January thing. Stocks that have done well in the previous calendar year are the most vulnerable to tax selling in January. Beyond that, I don't try to figure out market behavior.

 

[MrXiro]

iPad 1 has Bluetooth. Just double-checked on mine, which is still used daily by my son. Yes, I do mean the one released in 2010.

I got rid of mine in 2011 and my memory was hazy on the bluetooth. But it still lacked sufficient RAM for the time. Did it have a camera? I think that was the stripped feature then. I did like it for the year and a half that I owned it. Was great to use in bed and on set but 2nd gen was vastly superior which is the point of my post.

 

[AgentElliot007]

I didn't touch the iPhone until it went off AT&T, at which point I had one at 7 AM the day it was released on Verizon. Those were the "BlackBerry supplemented by an iPod Touch" days. But I'm generally an early adopter and looking forward to getting an  Watch as soon as they're released.

I had an iPad the day it was released and I never regretted that decision. I still have an original iPad, and it still works fine and does many things well. It's obviously got nothing on my Air 2, but it's nice to have sitting out on a coffee table.

But anyways, I don't have the fear some have about purchasing a generation 1 product. I have no doubt in my mind that the next generation will have a myriad of improvements, some more dramatic than others, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be a longer refresh timeline for the Apple Watch. I could see it being in the 2 year range if not longer. I think it stands to be a very exciting period of time that I will enjoy being a part of.

That said, if I had to pick a category that wouldn't catch on of the newer products Apple has released in the last 10-15 years, iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and  Watch, I'd most certainly pick  Watch. But I do think it will be an exciting experiment, and I can absolutely envision a world where this category explodes. There's a ton of potential.

 

[iSee]

If i was not working with UX and software development i would also have waited. I think the lack of GPS is a bummer. But I need to try it asap for inspiration etc.

I think it pretty-much requires an iPhone... which will have GPS. So no GPS on-board but it will have GPS functionality.

 

[bbeagle]

If I get 100% AppleWatch usability with an iPhone,
what percent AppleWatch usability will I have without one?

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... so at $100 that's $15 a meal. Really?!?
What kind of a lunch & dinner do you expect to get with just $15?
McDonald's & Wendy's?
How about a nice sitdown chain restaurant like an Applebee's or whatever?
Plus, is all she gonna do is eat? There's 3 days worth of pocket money to consider, too,

He should of upped it to $350, not $150. Poor girl ....

What type of entitled rich life do you live?

$150 is $50/day - $10 for lunch and $40 for dinner is EXTREMELY generous. She can eat Lobster and Steak for dinner for $40. She's 15! And you want to give her more?

I would have given her $20/day. I thought $100 was generous. McDonalds is fine for a 15 year old.

Most companies don't give you $50 per diem per day when you're traveling!

Why should she have 'pocket money'? If she can get a job or EARN money by doing snow shoveling, lawn mowing, etc. then she might have some pocket money. But to give her like $100/day to spend on junk when she's playing in a soccer tournament all day (hundreds of dollars - PAID for by the way) and barely has any free time?

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I don't understand people who opt for a second generation, saying it would be a better one. I mean why not wait for the third or forth right? Surely they would be better then the second generation, if waiting for something is not a biggie for you?

Exactly. I don't get it either.

The first generation of anything is new and sexy. If you're a techno-geek or a tinker, this is where you want to be. You're one of the first to be able to actually USE the new technology, imagine what it can do, develop ideas, and have fun with a new technology.

The 2nd generation is for the non-tinkerers and non-geeks, more for the general consumers whose priorities are more for saving money than tinkering.

 

[miniyou64]

The only people who will buy these are people who either aren't aware that they're being spied on, or just don't care...

 

[Supermule]

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[/COLOR]

It will be water resistant. That's enough AFAIC. I don't swim or bathe with my watches. As long as it can withstand a rainstorm its fine with me. Also, since Apple refers to the watch as an iPhone accessory and the iPhone isn't waterproof, what would really be the point?

Other than diving or swimming how is it not being waterproof limiting functionality? Not all sport watches are swim or diving watches.

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No, just "late adopters," unable to enjoy what exists because it doesn't perfectly match their own fantasy.

Its not enough for me. A new gadget, like this watch, needs a reason to be in the market (especially for someone like me to buy it). Two things are a big miss here: 1) Needs to work with an Iphone (/smartphone) 2) Not waterproof

Ad 1) Why would I need a smartwatch one my wrist, when I have a "bigger" and better interface in my pocket? Doesn't make any sense, and that why the keynote showed a bunch of gimmicks on the watch - no real helpfull features.

Ad 2) If you could have a waterproof "smartphone" one the wrist while swimming (open water), surfing, windsurfing, sailing, running/cycling in the rain it would make a lot of sense. But you cant.

So. To me this watch offers no new or better features compared to what I can get from my smartphone or waterproof gps watch. And therefore I have no reason to buy it - and I cant see why this should sell to others besides being a funny gimmick for a short periode.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

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[/COLOR]

Its not enough for me. A new gadget, like this watch, needs a reason to be in the market (especially for someone like me to buy it). Two things are a big miss here: 1) Needs to work with an Iphone (/smartphone) 2) Not waterproof

Ad 1) Why would I need a smartwatch one my wrist, when I have a "bigger" and better interface in my pocket? Doesn't make any sense, and that why the keynote showed a bunch of gimmicks on the watch - no real helpfull features.

Ad 2) If you could have a waterproof "smartphone" one the wrist while swimming (open water), surfing, windsurfing, sailing, running/cycling in the rain it would make a lot of sense. But you cant.

So. To me this watch offers no new or better features compared to what I can get from my smartphone or waterproof gps watch. And therefore I have no reason to buy it - and I cant see why this should sell to others besides being a funny gimmick for a short periode.

Most people don't windsurf, sail, or surf. Runners (I'm one) and cyclers don't need a waterproof watch -- something that can withstand pressure of being submerged. (My running watch is water proof to 50m, but I'll never use that feature since I don't run underwater). Water resistant is good enough. So while, waterproof is a must for you, its a gimmick for everyone else. I consider a feature a gimmick if it doesn't enhance functionality and it's just there to be a marketing line.

OTOH, I like the idea of having a mirror and remote to my iPhone on my wrist, just as I like not having to dig for my car keys to open the door or trunk when my hands are full. It's about efficiency and convenience. I and others paid $500 for that feature, and that's just one feature, unlike the multitude of tasks a smart watch can do.

If I can glance at my wrist to read a text while in the middle of something else rather than having to stop and dig out my phone -- yes, please. If I can skip a song while running, or stop the music completely without having to fish out my phone, genius I say. And if I can wear the same watch at a meeting as I do while running -- gathering up fitness data the whole time, that's perfect. Then there are all the other apps coming like Apple Pay being even more convenient.

So while it may not be the watch for you, to say the entire watch a gimmick is a bridge too far. It offers functionality and efficiency to those who understand the value of increased productivity. If the watch is everything Apple is saying it is -- and we only know part of the story now, it will sell just fine and for a long time. The smart watch era is upon us. Apple will be a player.

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The only people who will buy these are people who either aren't aware that they're being spied on, or just don't care...

You mean like the people who use the Internet, WWW, and web mail services like Gmail, etc.? Those "only people"?

 

[TheAppleFairy]

The only people who will buy these are people who either aren't aware that they're being spied on, or just don't care...

I plan on buying it. I fall into the realm of I don't really care as long as I am aware of the potential espionage.

That is one of the reason I don't have naked selfies on my phone or online (anymore).

 

[ratigator]

I know personal opinions are unwelcome and all, but these are just terrible looking. I still can't believe that this is actually an Apple product.

 

[IJ Reilly]

It's amusing to hear the number of comments from people who are already completely sure the Apple Watch is ugly, of no use to them or anybody else, when they've never actually seen one, or held one in their hands, let alone, used one. These opinions sound an awful lot like what we heard about the iPad, starting with the announcement event, continuing right through to its shipping date, and even well beyond. You know, it's just a big iPod. It doesn't multitask. No USB port. Not enough RAM. Fail, fail, fail. Given how silly those critics looked in the end, it would seem wise to reserve judgement on the Apple Watch, or at least not to underestimate Apple's ability to create appealing products.

 

[filmantopia]

The only people who will buy these are people who either aren't aware that they're being spied on, or just don't care...

I'm buying one but I also have my tinfoil hat ready so I'm secure.

 

[Tech198]

I like the days, in this digital age, where employees must be now trained ahead of time regarding a wearable, being the only difference is now, "Its' smart"

 

[iPadCary]

What type of entitled rich life do you live?

This is 2015, not 1915.
If you consider $350 for a 3 day trip "entitled",
then it's not that I'm "rich", but moreso you're a tad skinflinty.

$150 is $50/day - $10 for lunch and $40 for dinner is EXTREMELY generous.

You're convienently leaving out the walking around money.
And if she wants steak & lobster, so what?
You only go,around once, and is there an age limit on steak or lobster?
When I was a kid, I LOVED cheesecake, but I was admonished
for that by being told I was "too young" to appreciate cheesecake.

I would have given her $20/day.
I thought $100 was generous.
McDonalds is fine for a 15 year old.

Here & there, McDonald's is fine for everyone.
Not for three lunch/dinners in a row, my friend.

Most companies don't give you $50 per diem per day when you're traveling!

As a parent myself, I'd like to think you'd have more care for
your daughter than a nameless, faceless corporate monolith.

Why should she have 'pocket money'?

And why shouldn't she?
She's 15, not 8. She'll be driving in less than a year.
You're telling me the driver of a car is the kinda
person that's expected to not have money in thier pocket?!?

If she can get a job or EARN money by doing snow shoveling,
lawn mowing, etc. then she might have some pocket money.

Oh, c'mon, man: those aren't girl jobs!

But to give her like $100/day to spend on junk ....

One person's junk is another person's treasure!
Plus, you know how it is with teen girls. They buy stuff! lol
You want her to be the only one in the group to be shortchanged
and subsequently whispered about, like:
"That's her! That's the girl with the poor dad!" ? People talk, you know.

 

[Tycho24]

I know at least one person that has to have one. My teenage daughter. She's mad because I emphatically told her no. 2nd gen maybe, but definitely not 1st gen. I am a horrible parent because I won't allow her to use Apple Pay (she has no job and wants to use one of my credit cards. Too damn funny) and I won't buy her a Gen 1 watch. 1st world, amirite?

Ballsy!
I don't think I could blatantly admit my failings as a parent to perfect strangers. Granted, as a single father... I've been blessed with a super well-behaved young man. He does enjoy his Apple gear, though his phones are always hand me down from pops, but his 4.0 GPA & 2100 SAT did earn him a tricked out Mac Mini this holiday.
However, if he EVER started exhibiting the embarrassing & despicable behavior you're describing... honestly, who could I blame but myself?? Children are a direct product of their environment. He sees me struggling to provide him with as much as I am able, and that he deserves... & has appropriate gratitude.
Good luck with yours in the future, though I suspect you'll receive better advice posting this sort of a thing on a parenting message board than here.

 

[bbeagle]

T
"That's her! That's the girl with the poor dad!" ? People talk, you know.

This is my BROTHER's daughter. All the better that they trash my brother. lol

Anyways.... Get married, and have 3 kids and live on a budget. You family earns, say, $1,000 a week. ($50,000 a year job). After all the expenses or food/clothing/shelter/taxes/car payments/insurance/etc, you have maybe $1,000 spending money for the entire MONTH for the entire FAMILY. $100 is a LOT for ONE kid for 3 days, after you're already spending $200 for the 3-day trip.

Why should the kid get Lobster & Steak when the family can't afford it? It's ridiculous. For a family earning $100,000 plus, which is the top 10% of families in America, then maybe.

Sounds like you're single with no clue what it's like to raise a family. I guess tell the other kids that they have to eat ramen noodles the rest of the month so the one daughter can live like a queen for 3 days.

 

[filmantopia]

And why shouldn't she?
She's 15, not 8. She'll be driving in less than a year.
You're telling me the driver of a car is the kinda
person that's expected to not have money in thier pocket?!?

You sound like a fine parent. Wtf is wrong with these people?

Btw the horse**** they serve at McD's will never be encouraged (but allowed if they insist) by myself as a parent (when that time comes around). Feed your kids healthy, clean food to develop healthy/active behaviors so they don't end up like your average fat American who dies of heart disease or cancer by age 65.

The Apple Watch is actually a great tool to encourage a healthy lifestyle for a kid. It gamifies exercise!

 

[x-evil-x]

It has been years since Apple released anything before June. Very impressive.

i product mostly designed for the fitness people i can see why they would want to launch it in a time people are mostly trying to be active.

 

[SvK]

offtopic,

so let's say you send someone a nudie pic, who is wearing the watch and they are not currently looking at it, have their messenger notifications set to off (so no alert)

They could be running around with a nudie pic on the watch face, for all too see without anyone knowing right?