Apple Testing Induction, Solar, and Motion Charging for Curved-Glass iWatch

[goobot]

OTA, sync over wifi

You can't restore over wifi and removing the lighting port and replacing it with wifi components will do you no good.

 

[carjakester]

I still don't see why anyone would want what is undoubtedly an expensive underpowered nano iPod. People are moving away from watches. The convergence of services into fewer devices is what people want. Unless this watch can make phone calls, check email, run games, etc., what is the point?

have access to your phone without having to take it out and well... tell time.

 

[HiRez]

how cool would it be to have a charging system like some normal watches where it can wind up.

I think manual windup would be perfectly fine, at least as an alternate/extended power method. Assuming the mechanism is possible, I wonder how much usage you could get per 1 minute of winding (or whatever).

And, as on many watches, the winding peg could also serve double or triple duty as another button/dial (maybe home button?). Granted, a manual winding mechanism seems very un-Apple-like, but I wouldn't be opposed to it. That way you would never find yourself without power when you need it.

 

[macs4nw]

Great battery life is always good, but I'm not sure why a five-day battery life is that all-important? After all, most of us go to bed once every 24hrs, and place watches, jewelry, etc. on the night stand, where the 'iWatch' could then presumably charge. This question will no doubt be answered sooner or later.

Perhaps it has to do with health monitoring apps, that would need to be in contact with the skin, even while or especially when, sleeping?

The fact that Apple is taking their time with this project, have put in place a 'dream team' and additionally hired several people with fitness and/or health expertise, makes me very curious about what will eventually emerge.
I suspect it will be great, and before you know it, we'll wonder how we previously got by without it.

 

[nazaar]

if they're just in the testing phase of charging methods then this seems far off.

 

[APlotdevice]

You can't restore over wifi and removing the lighting port and replacing it with wifi components will do you no good.

Well, to be clear, you technically can restore over iCloud; There is an option to in the settings menu. However if the OS gets borked to the point where it won't start up, then yeah, you need the lightning connector.

 

[JoEw]

What we need is wireless charging or incredibly fast under 10 minute charging, if people will be using this for near 24/7 usage to monitor their health with apps, it will surely need to be able to stay on the wrist without needing charge all the time (even during sleep) and without someone needing to think about the battery of their watch (we already worry about our phones battery enough)

 

[Robert.Walter]

Don't care about charging so much (would think that it will be inductive, though), but I want to be able to swim with it...

 

[Millah]

I still don't see why anyone would want what is undoubtedly an expensive underpowered nano iPod. People are moving away from watches. The convergence of services into fewer devices is what people want. Unless this watch can make phone calls, check email, run games, etc., what is the point?

It will do things that a smartphone CANT do. That's the point. Things that are enabled by having a tiny computer loaded with sensors attached to your body. Why have it emulate things that a smartphone can do better? Like Steve Jobs said at his iPad introduction, "in order to make a new category of device, it has to be far better at doing key tasks, otherwise it has no reason for being."

 

[Serban]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta-01_iMmSI go at 20min
so its clear will and must be something above everything we have on the market today

so that was in 2013 so i think in 2015 we will see it comming to the market.

this year probably the tv will be the surprise

 

[Analog Kid]

In other words, you won't see the "iWatch" until at least 2015.

Two big stories in a three-day period for the iWatch. Where there's enough smoke, there's fire. Here we go

Where there's smoke, there is someone rubbing two sticks together desperately trying to make a fire. I'm with HiRez on this one. Either this report is way out of date, or Apple is still in relatively early stages of development not this. All the new hires suggest the same.

 

[doelcm82]

What I want the iWatch to be:

View attachment 459389

Be careful what you wish for:

 

[dragje]

I still don't see why anyone would want what is undoubtedly an expensive underpowered nano iPod. People are moving away from watches. The convergence of services into fewer devices is what people want. Unless this watch can make phone calls, check email, run games, etc., what is the point?

Meh, checking e-mails and playing games on an iWatch would be waste of time and for me not something to take seriously. When I write an e-mail I need serious options and the ability to write fast and not wasting precious time due the disadvantage using one finger when typing on such tiny device. Same as for games where I can't play online RPG games on a small device.

I also will not be intrested in 'just an electonic watch with e-mail options' because:

- those devises allready exist
- those devices so far proven to be more hazzle instead of being handy
- devices with almost all the options a smartphone has consumes to much power and need to be recharged to often

No, I rather see Apple coming up with an iWatch in 2016 that does makes a difference the with an iWatch that simply is not outstanding in any category but it's up for sale due populair demand aming Apple fans.

 

[BvizioN]

The lightning port serves more of a purpose other than charging, what happens when you need to update/restore? What happens when you want to sync it?

All that could possibly be done wirelessly!

 

[APlotdevice]

All that could possibly be done wirelessly!

If the operating system gets borked, it won't be able to connect to a wireless network to be restored.

 

[TC03]

Two big stories in a three-day period for the iWatch. Where there's enough smoke, there's fire. Here we go

In other news, the iOS 8 checklist is:
Healthbook
Fix photo management
Maps with transit
Mobile payments
Multi-user support with Touch ID

Photo management is top priority imo.

Photostream/iCloud photos is so clumpsy and unintuitive that I really can't believe Apple actually released this without any fix for the past 2,5 years.

Just look at how Google has solved this with Google Photos. That's how it should be. No distiction between 'photo stream' and 'camera roll'. You just have photos, and the user should not be bothered by how those photos got there. Photos is photos.

 

[Smartass]

have access to your phone without having to take it out and well... tell time.

Yes because taking out the phone out of your pocket is really the hardest thing in life and you need a 250$+ to do that...

 

[gnasher729]

Great battery life is always good, but I'm not sure why a five-day battery life is that all-important?

Five days is about 0.1% of what my current watch does (first battery lasted about 13 years).

 

[dragje]

Photo management is top priority imo.

Photostream/iCloud photos is so clumpsy and unintuitive that I really can't believe Apple actually released this without any fix for the past 2,5 years.

Just look at how Google has solved this with Google Photos. That's how it should be. No distiction between 'photo stream' and 'camera roll'. You just have photos, and the user should not be bothered by how those photos got there. Photos is photos.

So true!

 

[Gudi]

It will do things that a smartphone CANT do. That's the point. Things that are enabled by having a tiny computer loaded with sensors attached to your body. Why have it emulate things that a smartphone can do better? Like Steve Jobs said at his iPad introduction, "in order to make a new category of device, it has to be far better at doing key tasks, otherwise it has no reason for being."

How about this, the thing will have an M7 coprocessor monitoring all the sensors and no power-hungry A7 to compute the data. So it basically is an external sensor platform to your smartphone. It might not even have its own screen, because the smartphone can do that better. Also no wifi only bluetooth.

 

[filmantopia]

As long as it leaves the Galaxy Gear in the dust... but then, Apple could make something like that by accident.

I don't think you need to worry about Apple unwittingly producing something like Galaxy Gear on accident. There are very, very smart people in positions of power at Apple. They know the difference between a useful product and a useless one.

Nothing goes out the door that isn't making jaws drop.

At least this is the theory. They're aware everyone's eyes are on the first post-Jobs Apple 'invention', and that a flop could be a devastating loss of mind share.

 

[elvisimprsntr]

I think one solution will be inductive, but the kicker is it will charge from a few feet away.

Let me know how it works out, because the physics indicate otherwise.

 

[filmantopia]

Yes because taking out the phone out of your pocket is really the hardest thing in life and you need a 250$+ to do that...

You don't get it. It's not going to be a smart phone on your wrist. Nobody wants that.

It's going to be a new class of product that has unique features which only something connected to your wrist at all times can do.

The biggest thing that I think you're not seeing is the fact that in 10 years time, the idea of holding a box in your hand to access all of this information will seem *absurd*. You will look like a cave man. Imagine someone today using a flip phone, or a portable CD player.

It's not about holding an object, and how 'hard' it is to do that. It's about being able to carry out tasks, like playing a guitar, eating, running, holding bags, etc., and still having access to information as it pertains to what you're doing. Sometimes I need to look up directions but my hands are occupied.

A free hand is a bigger deal than you think.

 

[Pegamush]

You don't get it. It's not going to be a smart phone on your wrist. Nobody wants that.

It's going to be a new class of product that has unique features which only something connected to your wrist at all times can do.

The biggest thing that I think you're not seeing is the fact that in 10 years time, the idea of holding a box in your hand to access all of this information will seem *absurd*. You will look like a cave man. Imagine someone today using a flip phone, or a portable CD player.

It's not about holding an object, and how 'hard' it is to do that. It's about being able to carry out tasks, like playing a guitar, eating, running, holding bags, etc., and still having access to information as it pertains to what you're doing. Sometimes I need to look up directions but my hands are occupied.

A free hand is a bigger deal than you think.

are you by any chance talking about google glasses?

 

[Arran]

...I'm not sure why a five-day battery life is that all-important?

Many people travel for work. Traveling every week, Mon-Thurs or Tues-Fri is common. Who wants to pack another charger?

Perhaps it has to do with health monitoring apps, that would need to be in contact with the skin, even while or especially when, sleeping?

Good point. I had a 1st gen UP band for a while. It had a great sleep quality monitor and silent (vibration) wake-up alarm.