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I was really hoping for a design like this thats more futuristic than just a normal looking watch from the ages.

I was too. I was really hoping for a "authentically digital" watch, or a classic looking watch - you know, the kind that's round....

But the last thing I expected was a Samsung looking smartwatch with Apple software stuck on it.
 
Here's the problem I have in the near-term with the watch. I'm sure Apple is aware also, but there's likely not much they can do about it at this point:

You include a gold option watch to meet the fashion requirements, and I'm going to guess it will cost north of $700, close to $1000. Apple also hired Bunch of really smart individuals this year, whose contributions need to be rolled into version two as soon as possible. They release the device in February, let's say.

When does version 2 come out? Do we keep the fall schedule and take advantage of the holiday shopping season? You obviously can't release a new device every year in the couple months after Christmas and not profit on the shopping season. I'm also assuming they don't let close to two years pass before the second iteration comes out, considering the momentum they want to build in the space. So, Apple are left with releasing a better, thinner, lighter, more advanced version 6 to 8 months down the road.

Who wants to spend $1000 on a gold device that becomes obsolete in nine months at most??
 
Moto 360 vs Apple watch

Glass cover!
Apple Watch: Sapphire glass
Moto 360: Gorilla glass

Display!
Apple Watch: Retina
Moto 360: 320x290, no retina

Protection:
Apple watch: ceramic cover, sensors protected by Sapphire glass
Moto 360: stainless cover, sensors not protected

Variations:
Apple Watch: two sizes, various materials like "aluminum", "stainless steel" and Gold,
the watch wristbands can be changed !
Moto 360: one size, two colors ! 

Battery life:
Moto 360: One da
Apple Watch ???

Operating system!
Apple Watch: iOS
Moto 360: Android Wear

Image
Image

The Sport does NOT have Sapphire glass
 
Wrist vibrating better than in pocket

One use I thought that these smart watches are SO much better for are the use-case where I'm somewhere in public (a football game, a fair, a carnival, even walking around, or driving in my car) where I can't tell that my phone is vibrating in my pocket and miss people contacting me.

It seems a wrist watch vibration would be a lot more noticeable. This would be for all smart watches, not just the Apple one. That's a great use case.
 
On the plus side, the tiny onboard  Watch battery likely only takes an hour or so to fully charge - so you can charge it while you're sitting eating dinner and then carry on wearing it all night to monitor your sleep patterns.
 
About a day is very vague right now (and for good reason considering we still have until "early" 2015). Do they mean 24 hours? Do they mean just about a 12 hour day (8AM-8PM)?

If they mean a full 24 hour day then I'd accept that. Considering that a lot of really good fitness watches have about a "20" hour battery life.
 
Huh?

What's wrong with charging the watch every time you sleep?

The watch doesn't need to work overnight, does it?
 
Who do you know that keeps their watch on more than the day? I take mine off when I go to sleep and put in on after my morning workout. Works in my plans.


The "issue" is that Apple advertised it so much as a fitness watch also at the keynote. Most people who I know who use fitness watches, like Apple was advertising it, wear their watches pretty much all the time except when they sleep (let it charge). I sometimes wear mine when I sleep if I know I have an off day the next day and don't need it to be fully charged for workouts.
 
No kidding. I saw a comment in another thread saying "what happened to the flexible screen?!?!" People have their expectations and dreams sky high and then are disappointed when Apple doesn't invent a flying pony or something.

I don't know why people are so set on it lasting more than a day. I go to bed, I charge my iPhone, if I was going to buy an iWatch I'd do the same thing. o_O Not so difficult. Now, the worries about just what 'a day' actually means in RL, I understand.

I just wanted a nice design, thats not unreasonable. Its hideous.
 
Not unreasonable expectations, but reasonable needs.

Apple isn't just competing against other smart-watches - that's still a very small market - but also against the traditional watch. And people are accustomed to watches that last for months without charging/replacement or are self-charging (i.e. kinetic), it's a big step backwards to a watch that'll switch off if you don't charge it every single night. There was a similar effect when moving to smart-phones, but less extreme (moving from maybe 1 week of typical battery life to 1-2 days).

I'll still end up buying one, and about 3-4 straps (guess where Apple will make their money!), as I'm a sucker for a well designed device.

I understand the point. I am actually surprised and disappointed by Apple using the watch name, because it draws the obvious comparisons to other smart watches, all of which kind of suck, and traditional watches that serve primarily if not solely as timepieces. Apple could have emphasized functionality by using a different product name. I think it would then be viewed more like a technology product, and the expectations of battery capacity would be far more realistic. Instead the merits are being debated as if was little more than a high-tech timepiece. So I see the mistake being in product positioning more than with the product itself. Apple opened itself up to this criticism by calling the product a watch, so now they are going to have to deal with it.
 
What's wrong with charging the watch every time you sleep?

The watch doesn't need to work overnight, does it?

I think people are worried about what "about a day means" (and really I think it's too early to worry about what that means) and some were wanting to use it as a silent alarm to avoid waking up their significant other or someone else.
 
That's better if you don't need to carry the iPhone for a run. My understanding the watch doesn't have GPS so how it will track your run?
Still the waterproof is a huge bummer. I swim most of the time and spend a lot of time on water. I would love to have these activities being tracked. Well, maybe will come up at some point down the road.

Oh, I see what you mean. Nope, no GPS in a Smart Watch, not until battery tech improves or an external battery pack is added to the watch. Maybe a battery backpack with a wire running to your wrist - that wouldn't bother you on a run, right? :p
 
One day? If you look at the wording in the article, it says, "about one day." This means 1/2 day of normal use. This is a totaly unusable POS that will never be as good as a smart phone. My opinion on this watch is this, I think Apple is starting to run out of ideas. Again, my opinion is that apple has lost the top position on the dog pile and is struggling to get back on top. I will not buy. This is a total useless product. Besides, whi has not owned a watch that has not been scratched, banged up, or dropped while wearing on the wrist? I have had many watches over the years and all have been destroyed.
 
Is there any technology available which would provide 2-3 days usage in a (smart)watch, I don’t think there is? If its lithium-ion then this is the best it gets.

What else would there be? Chemical energy? Gas?

Couldn't tell you...but I think I you're on the right track with lithium-ion.

I'd speculate just from how well the gamut of manufacturers have done so far we've hit a wall as far as battery performance goes for watch sector just due to size:capacity of Li-ion. The only reason why the pebble does that well is because the display uses next to no power and the battery takes about 2/3 of the internal space. During the Kickstarter project it got BT LE because backers pushed for it - not because it was part of the original design. I wonder how much juice they saved just by going that route.
 
That's better if you don't need to carry the iPhone for a run. My understanding the watch doesn't have GPS so how it will track your run?
Still the waterproof is a huge bummer. I swim most of the time and spend a lot of time on water. I would love to have these activities being tracked. Well, maybe will come up at some point down the road.

If I remember correctly, it has sensors that detect when you stand/walk/etc. So it detects how far you go based on speed (anything at or faster than a brisk walk). So it'll tell you how far you ran, just not where
 
Here's the problem I have in the near-term with the watch. I'm sure Apple is aware also, but there's likely not much they can do about it at this point:

You include a gold option watch to meet the fashion requirements, and I'm going to guess it will cost north of $700, close to $1000. Apple also hired Bunch of really smart individuals this year, whose contributions need to be rolled into version two as soon as possible. They release the device in February, let's say.

When does version 2 come out? Do we keep the fall schedule and take advantage of the holiday shopping season? You obviously can't release a new device every year in the couple months after Christmas and not profit on the shopping season. I'm also assuming they don't let close to two years pass before the second iteration comes out, considering the momentum they want to build in the space. So, Apple are left with releasing a better, thinner, lighter, more advanced version 6 to 8 months down the road.

Who wants to spend $1000 on a gold device that becomes obsolete in nine months at most??

Can't upvote this enough. Even if you're blind to the newer models around you Apple will push an OS update that makes it unusable in three years at most. But I bet they'll recycle your gold for free!
 
One day? If you look at the wording in the article, it says, "about one day." This means 1/2 day of normal use. This is a totaly unusable POS that will never be as good as a smart phone. My opinion on this watch is this, I think Apple is starting to run out of ideas. Again, my opinion is that apple has lost the top position on the dog pile and is struggling to get back on top. I will not buy. This is a total useless product. Besides, whi has not owned a watch that has not been scratched, banged up, or dropped while wearing on the wrist? I have had many watches over the years and all have been destroyed.

I just think of what all my phones are rated for and how they've never lived up to those expectations (not even standby hours) within a reasonable margin in my estimation. I expect the same for the watch. If I hear "about a day" I am definitely not expecting a day.

I'll agree a watch is likely going to be more predictable than a phone since there are less "moving parts" that can cause battery drain but I'm inclined to reign in my optimism nonetheless.
 
If it can be charged quickly, i.e 3 minutes, I coud live with it.

Especially if there is a smart alarm that can remind me. If it learns that I have a charger at home, that I'm usually away during weekdays and the battery will not last until I come back, vibrate 30 minutes before I leave the building.
 
my gear 2 lasts about day and a half, depends on how many notifications. sometimes a day is about right.
 
I think they should start to train microbes or bacteria to pedal little stationary bikes and activate little generators.

Or, make the crown rechargeable fuel cells. Take a few with you on the road while others are charging at home.
Battery empty , pop in another fuel cell.

Thinking differently.

And where would the bacteria get their energy?
 
The limits of battery technology, itself, is what holds back watches and phones from having longer lives. This is something that Apple and other device manufacturers can do little about since they do not research and design batteries, themselves.

What we really need is the development of a high energy density but stable compact battery. That would allow watches and mobile devices to finally have a battery life beyond the day or so that we currently have. Battery technology lags far beyond the energy needs of ever advancing mobile devices.
 
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