Apple Watch Battery to Support Five Hours of Heavy Usage, Will Last All Day With Mixed Use

[macUser2007]

Maybe I just haven't seen it, but in the back and forth about battery life, no one has mentioned that Tim Cook, the one who stated the watch would have all day batter life, probably has a way more connected life than any one here....

Some people have a rather naive idea of the life of a CEO.

Cook has a whole army of people to take care of things, so he probably NEEDS to stay connected a lot less than the average traveling Joe.

A day of "mixed" use is sales speak for "it will not last through the day, unless you use it as a pricey Casio equivalent" meaning look at the time (but only from time to time) and go "wow! I've got mail!" which you then have to pull your phone out to read.

I still haven't heard why is this more compelling that the Android Wear competition, which has generally sold poorly. It's better designed than most, overall, but it also has what seems like an unusable battery life, can't track sleep and it's more expensive.

If it lasts only 5 hours, it's really the TENGU of 2015. It will end up in a drawer within a month after purchase.

Maybe I am missing something big here, but this thing sounds like a major fail, unless Apple pulls a killer feature we don't know about.

 

[randymac09]

Some people have a rather naive idea of the life of a CEO.

Cook has a whole army of people to take care of things, so he probably NEEDS to stay connected a lot less than the average traveling Joe.

A day of "mixed" use is sales speak for "it will not last through the day, unless you use it as a pricey Casio equivalent" meaning look at the time (but only from time to time) and go "wow! I've got mail!" which you then have to pull your phone out to read.

I still haven't heard why is this more compelling that the Android Wear competition, which has generally sold poorly. It's better designed than most, overall, but it also has what seems like an unusable battery life, can't track sleep and it's more expensive.

If it lasts only 5 hours, it's really the TENGU of 2015. It will end up in a drawer within a month after purchase.

Maybe I am missing something big here, but this thing sounds like a major fail, unless Apple pulls a killer feature we don't know about.

As someone who has daily contact with a CEO, I can assure you that they're more in touch than your statement makes it seem. Even thought he might have assistants and other aids, he still gets his fair share of notifications.

Maybe you should check out some of the recent reports coming from folks who have used the Apple Watch for some time now. They are stating it has no issue getting through the day and that's with usage that is normal to its purpose.

I don't think you're alone in not understanding what they mean by 5 hours of usage, but it's a sizable mistake that leads people to make inaccurate statements about its usefulness.

I think your last statement is correct, you're definitely missing something: a general understanding of the abilities, based on rumors, of the Apple Watch.

Last note. As I have previously stated in other comments, I think it will be tought for people to justify buying this product who have no respect for watches. If the Apple Watch sold for $350 and did nothing else but tell time, I would buy it because it's a beautifully designed watch.

 

[brinary001]

I'm not surprised. it took Apple until the iPhone 6 Plus to upgrade the battery to a decent 2,915 mAh which still is horrible compared to the 3,200mAh on the Galaxy Note 4 and 3,000mAh on LG G3...etc. Android wear smartwatches come with 300-400 mAh and last up to 2-3 days depending on usage. My ASUS Zenwatch lasts 3 days. My Michael Bastian Cronowing smartwatch lasts up a week and a half long of battery life. 5 hours of battery life on heavy usage is what 80% of users will using.

I'll address your initial claim first. While it is true that Android phones have had and continue to have bigger batteries, it is only because the OS has far more resources to allocate behind the scenes than iOS does, and therefore needs more power to handle the system.

Second, I'm not sure what it is you are doing on your smartwacthes, nor why it is you have multiple units, but if I ever found myself in a situation where I had five hours to kill I would not be doing so on my wrist. I would pull out the much more powerful and more entertaining device that was required to even own the watch in the first place. People seem to be forgetting that a smartwatch is intended for reference above all else and not to be a replacement for your phone. The #1 feature I'll use my smartwatch for is just to see notifications because that's what I care about most.

 

[Arcady]

In about 10 years, everyone will look at this watch like one of these:

And that thing had a battery that lasted longer than a day...

 

[Keirasplace]

In about 10 years, everyone will look at this watch like one of these:

Image

And that thing had a battery that lasted longer than a day...

These watches were 40 years ago (around 1972-1974), so you're saying we will advance 40 years in 10 years... That makes no sense unless we are on the cusp of a massive battery and process advance (If you had said 20 years it would have made more sense).

Battery tech at that time allowed them to last a long time for what they were doing. That's not the case for current smart watches.

 

[Mildredop]

My Michael Bastian Cronowing smartwatch

Why have I never heard of this watch before? Can you actually buy them (Google doesn't really come up with much)?

 

[itpromike]

5 hours of "heavy usage", seriously ?

You realize that 5 hours "heavy use" means 5 hours screen on time under load right? You realize most smartphones today (iPhone 6, galaxy s5, etc) only get 5 hours screen on time, on average and sometimes less right? Perspective is important here... This will at least last last as long if not longer than your phone...

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A day of "mixed" use is sales speak for "it will not last through the day, unless you use it as a pricey Casio equivalent" meaning look at the time (but only from time to time) and go "wow! I've got mail!" which you then have to pull your phone out to read.

If it lasts only 5 hours, it's really the TENGU of 2015. It will end up in a drawer within a month after purchase.

Maybe I am missing something big here, but this thing sounds like a major fail, unless Apple pulls a killer feature we don't know about.

Not last 5 hours... Last all day but 5 hours under CPU load... Are you interpreting things wrong on purpose with intent to mislead or are you really this dense with your reading comprehension?

 

[Piggie]

Personally I think 5 hours under full CPU/GPU loading would be excellent. And I would be the 1st to say how impressive this is.......

IF IT IS TRUE!

However, we need to understand none of us are going to be able to try or test out this claim for months. If not perhaps a year or more.

We need to first wait till revs have full access to the watch and all of its power in an unlimited way, in the same way programmers have to other apple computing devices, then right some software, and I'm thinking "Entertainment Software " as that is what generally pushes hardware as far as it can.

So, lets say its some future game, perhaps a year from now.
With that game being played constantly, running the watch flats out at top performance.

If you can run/play this for 5 hours solid before the battery dies, then this statement is true, and I shall be very very impressed.

Until then, we have no idea, and no way to test it. We shall just have to wait on this claim.

 

[Tech198]

so now we have option we can choose when or not to reserve battery power ?

How is that smart ? It should be auto-sensing across all versions..

Yes, it may be inconvenient, but what do u want ? better battery or always on display ?

Power Reserve mode seems good, but Apple is not using it effectively.

 

[Mike in Kansas]

I don't get it.

Understatement.

 

[thering1975]

For a company so tight on security seems to me to be a lot of leaks. Or should we call them controlled releases to prepare people for a device far from what was speculated at its initial introduction

This thing will sell well but it's puzzling as only a year ago android wear watches were criticised for costing 299 and having only a days battery life. Yet a year later the best apple can do is a possible days battery life and a base cost like to be 50 USD more and they are being praised

Seriously I think they have pressured them selves into thus spring launch AnD should of held back until it truely will be ready but I guess the shareholders come before you customers.

Version 2 may well be a killer but whilst this will sell well I forsee a version 2 aka the non beta product being releases in October with ipdas etc.

 

[ke-iron]

I think anyone who believes charging your watch daily is acceptable must be delusional. Get back to me when the Apple Watch lasts at least 3+ days with moderate use.

I laugh when I read posts like this implying that the watch is a device made to be in constant use by the wearer. It's also funny how you go from a current analog watch that can only tell the time and you probably look at it once an hour or maybe even less because that's all it can do. This watch is built to deliver quick information at a glance along with health tracking features that monitors your activity, and does countless calculations in the back ground all day long and you're complaining about the battery life not being a few days? Do you currently sleep with a watch on your hand? I doubt that most people do, so quit complaining and charge it everyday. When you take a shower and when you're asleep is plenty time to allow for charging. If you don't want to charge your watch every one or two days then get a traditional watch that tells time and last for years.

 

[Djentleman]

Exactly! Luckily, I don't have to charge my tin foil hat every night.

LMAO! So on point. Literally don't know why people are so paranoid and/or cynical these days.

 

[Ries]

You realize that 5 hours "heavy use" means 5 hours screen on time under load right? You realize most smartphones today (iPhone 6, galaxy s5, etc) only get 5 hours screen on time, on average and sometimes less right? Perspective is important here... This will at least last last as long if not longer than your phone...

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Not last 5 hours... Last all day but 5 hours under CPU load... Are you interpreting things wrong on purpose with intent to mislead or are you really this dense with your reading comprehension?

It is 5 hours of heavy usage OR 1 day with mixed usage.

And usage is not constantly on, it means using it a lot for what it was intended for (viewing notifications, taking phone calls, viewing information, barking at siri).

Currently you can't do much other than simple stuff using the API.
http://www.cultofmac.com/310733/apple-watchs-first-apps-might-disappoint/

"Even worse? Developers can’t actually use the touch screen. Developers do have access to Force Touch, which is used to display the shortcut menu, but that’s it."

 

[roadbloc]

Unimpressive if true. I expected better from Apple. Or hoped at least.

 

[Rogifan]

Unimpressive if true. I expected better from Apple. Or hoped at least.

Really? Battery life has been estimated at a day for a long while now. The earlier rumors were saying 2.5 hours of "active use", which has now been doubled if the current rumors are true. Your comment sounds like you're just hearing this for the first time. You expected better from Apple meaning what? a non retina display that only refreshes at 30fps? A display similar to Pebble Time? A really clunky watch band with batteries shoved in it?

 

[Loucifer]

Just a quick word from your typo fairy; the 'it's' below should of course be 'its', as you no doubt know.

Keep up the good work,
Lou x

Power Reserve Mode can be activated within the watch when the battery in the device becomes critically low, ensuring that it's primary function -- telling the time -- is always available.

 

[Keirasplace]

For a company so tight on security seems to me to be a lot of leaks. Or should we call them controlled releases to prepare people for a device far from what was speculated at its initial introduction

This thing will sell well but it's puzzling as only a year ago android wear watches were criticised for costing 299 and having only a days battery life. Yet a year later the best apple can do is a possible days battery life and a base cost like to be 50 USD more and they are being praised

Seriously I think they have pressured them selves into thus spring launch AnD should of held back until it truely will be ready but I guess the shareholders come before you customers.

Version 2 may well be a killer but whilst this will sell well I forsee a version 2 aka the non beta product being releases in October with ipdas etc.

They were criticized for having a clunky interface (Android Wear is plainly crap), being mostly geeky and butt ugly and big as houses. Search the threads. I never saw anyone criticized their battery time (except maybe for the Moto360 which originally had a bad battery time). You're memory is selective.

All the Android watches are bigger in volume than even the big Apple Watch let alone the smaller one.

Bitching about supposed battery life failure of the Apple watch though has been near constant DESPITE being no worse than the average Android Wear watch and being smaller.

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so now we have option we can choose when or not to reserve battery power ?

How is that smart ? It should be auto-sensing across all versions..

Yes, it may be inconvenient, but what do u want ? better battery or always on display ?

Power Reserve mode seems good, but Apple is not using it effectively.

Considering you, and no one, knows how it really works. This sentence makes no sense.

 

[iChrist]

5 hours of heavy use is alot guys. thats like sitting down fiddling with it for five hours straight. I don't think most of us are gonna even come close to that. Its always gonna be on our wrist, say we use it for a solid 10 minutes per hour of our waking day, thats a little over two hours of constant use, the rest of the time the display will be off, so i think this is great news!

And after 6 months of draining and recharging, it'll be 2.5 hours. Then 1-2hrs in a year.

The battery numbers Apple provides are optimistic and 'best case'. Expect a lot lower than that.

Most people will have a dead brick on their wrists in the afternoon.

 

[Max(IT)]

Is there someone watching a watch for more than five hours per day ?
Impressive.

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here your $10,000 gold watch...with 5 hours of battery life

Five hours of USAGE

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I hope the Apple Watch 2 will have a movement charging battery... And why not solar too ?

Maybe plutonium.... but we have to wait until Apple watch 3.
Ah, and it glows during the night.

 

[Max(IT)]

What happens after 1 year (~400 charge cycles), when the battery will no long hold a charge? There's been no mention of that.

I have Apple's devices with battery that lasted years

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Hey, Apple is the one telling us how awesome the device will be to use with all of the applications that will be available for it. They demonstrated a device with tons of apps.

So now you're saying Apple doesn't want us using the watch as intended?

Justify it all you want, 5 hours of heavy usage is not good. Especially with other options out there that will easily last the whole day with heavy usage.

Name one.
I'd bet you are referring to some Android gimmicks device....

 

[Max(IT)]

So now people that want to use their watch for more than 5 hours a day have no life?

Wow, the excuses people come up with here for substandard battery life is amazing. Anything for Apple.

Yes. 5 hours looking at a watch are just a silly reason to further bash Apple....
Who's is watching a watch more than five hours per day ???

 

[thekeyring]

Some people have a rather naive idea of the life of a CEO.

Cook has a whole army of people to take care of things, so he probably NEEDS to stay connected a lot less than the average traveling Joe.

A day of "mixed" use is sales speak for "it will not last through the day, unless you use it as a pricey Casio equivalent" meaning look at the time (but only from time to time) and go "wow! I've got mail!" which you then have to pull your phone out to read.

I still haven't heard why is this more compelling that the Android Wear competition, which has generally sold poorly. It's better designed than most, overall, but it also has what seems like an unusable battery life, can't track sleep and it's more expensive.

If it lasts only 5 hours, it's really the TENGU of 2015. It will end up in a drawer within a month after purchase.

Maybe I am missing something big here, but this thing sounds like a major fail, unless Apple pulls a killer feature we don't know about.

5 hours of direct use. Which means even if you stare at your wrist for 6 full minutes every time you interact with the watch, it will survive for 50 interactions. 50! That's >1 long interaction every half hour, all day (assuming you don't sleep).

This plus the much longer standby time and battery saving mode makes it sound like it will last all day. This is what they mean by mixed use. If you ignore your phone/iPad/laptop completely and try and say, compose 100% of your email on your watch, it won't last. But I don't think that's what it was designed to do.

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For anyone asking what you'd do with 5 hours on a watch. I plan to use an Apple Watch to track my bike rides, which sometimes can go up to about 4 hours. It would be nice if the watch didn't die on me in that time.

I would call that heavy usage. It would be checked pretty regularily throughout the bike ride and GPS would be used as well.

I'm hoping the Apple Watch can handle something like that, I would like to get one.

That's the thing: will the health and fitness watch app running in the background count as 'heavy use'.

I don't think it will, as I agree with you: a four hour bike ride (or other workout) means the watch is going to be seriously low on battery for the rest of the day, if only an hour of heavy usage remains. However, maybe this is why it relies on the gps in your iPhone?

 

[rowspaxe]

Last note. As I have previously stated in other comments, I think it will be tought for people to justify buying this product who have no respect for watches. If the Apple Watch sold for $350 and did nothing else but tell time, I would buy it because it's a beautifully designed watch.

an apple watch that only tells time--apparently close to the truth. oh, it will also show notifications and read your pulse. and thats about it, no matter how magical thinking goes on here

 

[thekeyring]

So now people that want to use their watch for more than 5 hours a day have no life?

Wow, the excuses people come up with here for substandard battery life is amazing. Anything for Apple.

Yes but it will last all day if you're only checking the time like a regular watch. You're comment makes it sound like it will only be able to display the time for 5 hours, which is obviously ridiculous.

The 5 hours seems to refer to sitting focused on your watch - like when you use Siri or compose a tweet.

A day of 'mixed use' ie time-checking, some notifications, messages, health tracking sounds fine. Some people will criticise Apple for anything.