Apple Watch Battery Designed to Last 1000 Complete Charge Cycles

[IbisDoc]

The jeweler does not adjust my Rolex for free. Not sure why this would be any different. It still cost, way more than $79, every time.

I'm not talking about Rolex. I'm referring to nice models which people use as jewelry pieces. This is the target audience of Apple Watch Edition.

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...What?

Someone that spent 10K is "royally screwed" by having to shell out less than a hundred bucks?

You realize they'll more likely be buying the new one anyway right?

You realize that people who buy watches as jewelry pieces (the target audience of the Apple Watch Edition) don't subscribe to your planned obsolescence theory.......right?

 

[unplugme71]

i see i was too slow. sigh.

no. you can keep it at 80% if you wish, like many people do w/ old iPhones. or if you're unhappy w/ the actual world in which we live, where batteries wear out, then you can bring it in for servicing every few years. just like, you know, mechanical watches.

i bet you dont even have a mechanical watch.

My watch lasted 10 years and costed roughly $1300

Too bad the $1300 Watch can't last 10 years on the original battery.

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The jeweler does not adjust my Rolex for free. Not sure why this would be any different. It still cost, way more than $79, every time.

Where do you go. The place I purchased it from gives lifetime free adjustments.

 

[NT1440]

You realize that people who buy watches as jewelry pieces (the target audience of the Apple Watch Edition) don't subscribe to your planned obsolescence theory.......right?

MY planned obsolescence theory?

If you're spending 10K on a shiny object, well frankly I really don't care what you think of it, you're in no hurting position to replace it IF you feel you want to.

 

[jettredmont]

Number of complete charge cycles isn't a fair comparison to make. Those other devices typically last longer than a day between charges.

First, it is the only possible comparison to make. Second, the iPhone tends to be on about a daily recharge cycle, which is the same as the Apple Watch. If I don't charge my iPhone through a day of use then by the time I hit the bed it is at 20% max, which is about where the average user of an Apple Watch will have that at the end of the day as well.

Quick math: if 80% recharge only uses up 80% of a full-recharge cycle with regards to the life of the battery, 1000 full recharges will last 3.42 years for someone who starts each day at 100% and ends each day at 20%. At that point, you'll be at 80% capacity and on average need to recharge more often than once per day so will probably opt to replace the battery.

As others have pointed out, mechanical watches need to be serviced at least once every two years, and the cost of servicing is likely to far exceed that of swapping out a battery on an Apple Watch; getting upwards of three years without servicing a mechanical watch is quite exceptional. No, $25 Timex quartz watches don't need servicing that often, and while the battery will die it is something like $5 for a three-pack and any monkey with a small screwdriver can swap it out. If you are comparing the Apple Watch to that Timex instead of, say, a Rolex or Tag Hauer or mid-to-upper-range Seiko or Stuhrling, you are thinking of the Apple Watch all wrong.

 

[mdelvecchio]

My watch lasted 10 years and costed roughly $1300

Too bad the $1300 Watch can't last 10 years on the original battery.

too bad you can't make wireless payments with your watch. or send messages. or unlock doors. or turn on lights, or...well, Nything other than tell the time. yawn.

also, and back on topic - your $1300 watch should have been taken in for occasional servicing, to adjust the mechanisms, etc. $79 for that is a fair price.

 

[Little Endian]

Based on my experience with lithium batteries, once they get to that 80% capacity they quickly go downhill very fast. All the cells are very close to dying at that point.

This is very true. I have dealt with several battery replacements in macbooks and iPhones. Once you reach 80% capacity there may be only a few dozen charge cycles and a few months before your down to 70% capacity. In less than a year and 100 or so charge cycles later you can be down to 50-60% capacity. After a certain period the battery no longer deteriorates in a linear fashion and goes down hill rapidly.

For those of you who are curious monitor and chart the battery life of your iOS device or macbook with coconut battery.

 

[jettredmont]

My Mechanical watch is exactly that, mechanical. It cost £180 and requires no batteries whatsoever. In fact, even though I could manually wind it up every day, just wearing it powers the watch through simple but clever mechanical design. After 3 years it has retained 100% of it's original power capacity.

It does one thing and one thing only, but really, really well. Exactly how products should be.

Sigh. I doubt you actually have a mechanical watch. If you do, I'm very sure you're not taking care of it well.

A mechanical watch (you are describing an "automatic" mechanism by the way, which isn't exactly new) will require maintenance to relubricate internals, demagnetize various gears that naturally magnetize over time, and replace rubber gaskets which degrade over time. For a Rolex, this needs to happen at least every five years and costs $1000 in servicing alone. Most manufacturers suggest more frequent (every two years is common) but slightly-less-pricey maintenance schedules.

If you are not maintaining your mechanical watch then it will not keep accurate time. Typically watches start losing several minutes per day as they approach servicing time.

I do think the Apple Watch sort of looks ok, but feel that as a piece of technology, is pretty pointless considering the other infrastructure required in order to get the most out of it.

I am also puzzled at why the other products are getting bigger screens such as the iPhone 6, now comparable to a late 80's brick phone (or slate tile due to it's thickness) and yet the Apple Watch has gone the other way. Perhaps a full on armband is what should have been designed….. maybe iWatch 2 ?

Why would you want a larger screen on your wrist?

The iPhone got larger at least in part with the Apple Watch in mind. The larger screen of the iPhone can stay in your pocket/purse/bag/whatever far more often when the majority of interactions are taken care of on your wrist; then, when you want a large screen, you take your large-screen phone out and enjoy. The limiting size factor shifts from "how large can it be before it is annoying to haul it out when someone texts me" to "how large can it be before it is annoying to find space in my pocket/purse/bag for it", which is a larger answer. I don't see the same dynamic at play with the watch.

 

[kdarling]

This sounds reasonable. I am actually more interested in finding out what apple will do when they come up with new internals. Will we have to buy a whole new watch or just upgrade the internals?

Judging from the recent teardown, it's extremely unlikely that they'll upgrade the internals in the same watch.

I don't see it as being any different than, say, an iPod or iPhone. Apple never upgraded the internals of those. They just contracted third parties to fix them up to be sold as refurbs.

When Apple says it's a personal device, I don't think they mean they expect us to hang onto the same case forever

Can we buy just the watch or will they force us to buy new bands as well.

Now that's a good question. Seems pretty likely that the included synthetic rubber band costs them very little though, so they won't see much profit reason to leave it out and charge too much less.

 

[BiscottiGelato]

An Omega new runs about $5k (I bought mine used, around 2k). A service costs about $500. People have a service every 3 to 5 years if they want it to keep time top shape (+/- 4 seconds a day).

An Apple watch runs from about $500 to $1k. A new battery every 3 years probably costs less than $30 on eBay by the 3rd year. A full service with the battery replaced for you is probably less than $70 by then. The Apple watch keeps time perfectly (network synced).

I don't know what people are complaining about. I'd be more complaining about the lack of a killer App for the Apple Watch (over the iPhone). But even on keeping time, it's better than my Seamaster. Service cost is also much less than my Seamaster. If anything, time keeping and service cost are not the primary reasons why one'd wear a mechanical watch over the Apple Watch.

My watch lasted 10 years and costed roughly $1300

Too bad the $1300 Watch can't last 10 years on the original battery.

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Where do you go. The place I purchased it from gives lifetime free adjustments.

 

[PJL500]

What the hell? I have to pay 1/4 of my watch every two years so I can use it?

In two years those batteries will be available on eBay for $2.50 incl ship - and you can replace easily (I paid $3.80 total for a iPhone 4S battery a couple of years ago.)

 

[Anonymous Freak]

sounds great. and before anyone complains, after a few years you bring it in to have the battery replaced -- very similar to the occasional servicing of mechanical watches.

Except replacing the battery of my mechanical watch only costs $10 at any jeweler. (My local watch repair shop does it for $5.)

 

[Sonmi451]

What the hell? I have to pay 1/4 of my watch every two years so I can use it?

Wow you got owned. That's why you read before you comment.

 

[2457282]

Judging from the recent teardown, it's extremely unlikely that they'll upgrade the internals in the same watch.

I don't see it as being any different than, say, an iPod or iPhone. Apple never upgraded the internals of those. They just contracted third parties to fix them up to be sold as refurbs.

When Apple says it's a personal device, I don't think they mean they expect us to hang onto the same case forever



Now that's a good question. Seems pretty likely that the included synthetic rubber band costs them very little though, so they won't see much profit reason to leave it out and charge too much less.

On your first point about the case, I get it. But for those that dropped $10k or more, I think they may have issues. For most people who are into watches, buying a rolex or other such watch that runs several thousand dollars, it is a long term investment, so I do hope Apple finds a way to honor that. For those of us that bought the SS version, your point stands I guess.

As for your point on the band, As long as they don't change the form factor, you are correct that I could by the watch with a cheap band and then put my links band back on the new watch (the band is almost as expensive as the watch ).

 

[mdelvecchio]

Except replacing the battery of my mechanical watch only costs $10 at any jeweler. (My local watch repair shop does it for $5.)

wrong. mechanical watches don't run on batteries...that's why they're called mechanical.

you're referring to a Quartz watch, like a timex. and if that's what you're comparing the Apple watch to, then it's not for you.

 

[NT1440]

On your first point about the case, I get it. But for those that dropped $10k or more, I think they may have issues. For most people who are into watches, buying a rolex or other such watch that runs several thousand dollars, it is a long term investment, so I do hope Apple finds a way to honor that.

Well, there is your first mistake.

If it's anything other than stock, "investing" in technology is a fools errand.

These watch guys need to stop thinking like Apple has just jumped into the watch market, they haven't. They've jumped into the wearable technology market using the watch form factor. Two different things. Anyone that has this notion that their watch is going to be a family heirloom is nuts, no ones going to pass down their iPad 2 from generation to generation.

 

[darcyf]

I'm sure in 3 years (probably more like 3 months) you'll be able to get a new battery on eBay for $10. And according to iFixIt, a battery swap wouldn't be that difficult.

Just so long as you're ok with doing all your repairs on your own afterward since apple won't service a device that's been tampered with.

 

[Tubamajuba]

I love how some people are feigning shock and irritation at the news of the Apple Watch battery lasting 1000 cycles.

As if anybody expected the Apple Watch battery to magically play by different rules than any other similar battery in existence.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Well, there is your first mistake.

If it's anything other than stock, "investing" in technology is a fools errand.

These watch guys need to stop thinking like Apple has just jumped into the watch market, they haven't. They've jumped into the wearable technology market using the watch form factor. Two different things. Anyone that has this notion that their watch is going to be a family heirloom is nuts, no ones going to pass down their iPad 2 from generation to generation.

More that they've jumped in to the technology wearable style fashion accessory market. Yeah, the aluminum and steel Apple Watches are in the "wearable technology" market - but look at where they're advertising and selling the gold versions - in high-end-fashion magazines and stores. The expensive Apple Watch is not about conventional watch collecting (as you also state,) nor is it about the wearable technology market; it is purely about the fashion accessory market.

Just look at the custom one-off versions they have given to fashion-conscious celebrities, including an all-gold-band version to a fashion icon - an all-gold band that is not available elsewhere.

 

[Mindcrime]

For notebooks and such, there are generally two types of batteries - 3-cell and 6-cell (or 300 cycles and 1000 cycles respectively).

In my company (which is not Apple but is one of the top PC makers in the worlds), we offer the 3-cell on most of our consumer notebooks, and they come with 1 year warranties for both unit and battery. That means your battery is liable to start losing effectiveness after 1 year but if you get in before the 1 year mark we'll replace it (assuming no abnormal CID). We don't do this to screw the customer, we do it to keep commodity costs low so ppl can buy $299 notebooks.

Our commercial notebooks get the 1,000 cycle batteries and come with 3 year warranties. Commercial clients have more rigorous standards. A company that purchases 4,000 of our units has a big IT department, and they don't want to be replacing employee batteries every 12 months; and after 3 years, they are very likely to just upgrade all their units to the latest and greatest anyway.

So, long story short (too late!), the battery in the apple watch is pretty amazing given its size and that it's a consumer-oriented item, not a commercial-oriented one.

Your typical 1,000 cycle notebook battery is the size of a shoe. This is the size of quarter (or half dollar?). Amazing.

(Oh, and of course the Apple Watch is a Watch not a notebook, but it is very much a computer...)

 

[groovyd]

I'm not talking about Rolex. I'm referring to nice models which people use as jewelry pieces. This is the target audience of Apple Watch Edition.

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You realize that people who buy watches as jewelry pieces (the target audience of the Apple Watch Edition) don't subscribe to your planned obsolescence theory.......right?

... and they are all fools because they bought one anyways and we all know a fool and his money are soon parted... wonder how they got so rich being so dumb lol

 

[bluespark]

Is that another way of saying the Apple Watch was designed to die within 3 years ?

No. Batteries are replaceable. People replace conventional watch batteries all the time.

 

[Bigsk8r]

Wow, this guy...Either you don't own a mechanical watch or know what a mechanical watch is. Mechanical watches don't need batteries. If your battery runs on batteries its a quartz movement.

Okay then, thank you for that insight.

And yes, just poking fun...

 

[JoeHemi]

You can always wait till the Apple Watch-S comes out with 16GB of memory & 85% life over 1000 cycles. Available in 39mm & 43mm.

 

[carambo]

The new Rolex caliber 3255 is designed to last 12 years minimum without any service. Now on the Datejust but soon on all Rolex models, some gold Rolex will be cheaper that the Apple Watch Gold Edition, designed for 3 years...

 

[Surreal]

The new Rolex caliber 3255 is designed to last 12 years minimum without any service. Now on the Datejust but soon on all Rolex models, some gold Rolex will be cheaper that the Apple Watch Gold Edition, designed for 3 years...

Fair enough. Will any of them track my heart rate and distance run?

They certainly both tell time–and are worn on wrists–but the they are made with different goals. If any of the Rolex watches address all of someone's needs at a lower price point–then yes–choose from that line.

I was and, to some extent am, uninterested in a watch as a time piece. I preordered an Apple Watch because of everything else it can do.