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Also Apple doesn't break out numbers, I see more people around me have fitbits. (I'm in Australia)
Not sure where the title came from without showing a split of the numbers.
I do see quite a lot of fitbits but more apple watches. They are quite prevalent here in the UK.
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The key thing imo is Apple figured out what they want to focus on the watch, health. Thus their improvements are focused and improved the watch tremendously with every iteration.

We can see on the first Apple Watch, Apple was still figuring things out. But by the S2, Apple already knows their target, so they focus on improvements for that purpose on every iteration. Eg. water proofing for swimmers, the adjustment for wheelchair users, partnering with Nike, GPS+cellular for outdoor runners, EKG for further health uses, etc. There’s a clear vision for the AW.

In contrast look at Android wear. Google cannot even figure out the proper UI for the device, changing things around with every update. Now there a lot of fashion brands using Android wear on their catalogue, but the OS itself has no idea where it should be going.

So it’s not a surprise Apple is leading here.
Agreed!
 
Care to elaborate ?
If Apple a trillion dollar company can work with the FDA to get it approved then surely it can work with other governments in tandem ?

Unless is just a new startup concentrating on certain countries ONE at a time ?

But for the IPhone Apple bent over backwards in Indonesia and India to get their iPhones to be sold there .remeber the 30% rule

It is just a matter of importance, Apple is saying to us , we are second class paying a first class product ..

If that’s how you feel, then don’t buy it. thank u, next
 
I am sorry but I still don't see the point of owning and wearing Apple Watch. For me it is more like a smartphone you wear on your wrist - a feat of technology no doubt, hence the price, so while I am at it I won't complain about aluminum and plastic bracelet models costing more than simpler Swiss watch models that are supposed to last for years and years.

My main complaint is that it's still lacking in the watch functionality department: I'd have to charge it every few days and it doesn't even have an always on display (yet), meaning I cannot just put it in front of me and use to mark time without tapping on the screen every time. And what about maintenance cost - $79 to replace the battery. Come on, I just got a battery replaced in my Tissot and it cost me $20 at an authorized watchmaker's.
 
Great product for US citizen and those handful of countries that support ECG .

FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD ,we will be paying full price for a technology that will never see the light of day .

Apple is treating the world as second class.....

Fragmentation...

not really when it comes to ECG. ECG is a feature available in the watch regardless of the country. Its the countries health law/regulations that prohibits from it being activated. that's the case here in UK.
 
Great product for US citizen and those handful of countries that support ECG .

FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD ,we will be paying full price for a technology that will never see the light of day .

Apple is treating the world as second class.....

Fragmentation...

The Watch has many other features, the article even clearly states the critical feature for most people is LTE and not ECG. Nobody is treating the world as "second class", different countries have very different laws and approval processes for health related devices and features, it's certainly not something for which one can expect a world wide rollout. USA is definitely more svelte and elastic from this perspective than Europe for example. Should Apple wait 4 years before realising the feature to do a global rollout? To what end? The end of wasting 4 years where they can test it and refine it and advance so that some self-entitled whiner feel more catered for?
 
Care to elaborate ?
If Apple a trillion dollar company can work with the FDA to get it approved then surely it can work with other governments in tandem ?

Unless is just a new startup concentrating on certain countries ONE at a time ?

But for the IPhone Apple bent over backwards in Indonesia and India to get their iPhones to be sold there .remeber the 30% rule

It is just a matter of importance, Apple is saying to us , we are second class paying a first class product ..

Do you honestly think they aren't trying? I am not privy to that info but I would find it very hard to believe they aren't trying in all of the countries it is being sold in. But if you are that pissed at apple buy an Android.
 
Wait, the most popular watch ever is also the most popular smartwatch?

By Apple's counting method.

Casio has sold over 100 million G-Shocks.
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Care to elaborate ?
If Apple a trillion dollar company can work with the FDA to get it approved then surely it can work with other governments in tandem ?

Unless is just a new startup concentrating on certain countries ONE at a time ?

But for the IPhone Apple bent over backwards in Indonesia and India to get their iPhones to be sold there .remeber the 30% rule

It is just a matter of importance, Apple is saying to us , we are second class paying a first class product ..

FDA approval is very quick. Apple knew they could leave it to the last minute.

Apple basically put keeping the ECG feature a surprise as more important than being able to deliver it to non-US customers.

Apple considers your product experience worth less than a few extra seconds of applause during their keynote.
 
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And I remember people saying the watch would fail


Series 3 watches can be found for $250-280 on sale which makes these accessible to the masses. That's a big part of the growth.

The concept when these dropped was pretty ridiculous, being Angela Ahrendts' wet dream of an exclusive fashion accessory. Pricing was insulting for a product with a 2-3 year shelf life. It was going to fail. Someone at some point changed course and decided Apple should market these as utility and health devices.

What's available now boggles my mind. The economy of scale that gets advanced health sensors to the masses is an outstanding achievement.

Selling $20,000 watches and $500 watch bands is not an achievement.
 
Series 3 watches can be found for $250-280 on sale which makes these accessible to the masses. That's a big part of the growth.

The concept when these dropped was pretty ridiculous, being Angela Ahrendts' wet dream of an exclusive fashion accessory. Pricing was insulting for a product with a 2-3 year shelf life. It was going to fail. Someone at some point changed course and decided Apple should market these as utility and health devices.

What's available now boggles my mind. The economy of scale that gets advanced health sensors to the masses is an outstanding achievement.

Selling $20,000 watches and $500 watch bands is not an achievement.

Leaked internal memo: "Less Rolex, more Fitbit."
 
Ever since gen1 i’ve been waiting for a ”stand alone” apple watch that function without my iphone. When gen 4 came along I was thrilled, atleast for a second. It took a couple of month before it was released in my country and when it finally did it was launched by the wrong service provider...

So still waiting for my service provider to launch esim and then I’ll get on the wagon for sure!!
 
I have an series 4 and love it! And to those blaming Apple that the ECG feature is not yet available outside the US...it's not all on Apple. The local gov't needs to approve first. I can't believe I'm still seeing people having to explain this to the complainers!
 
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You have to start somewhere and that was always going to be the US. An ECG is not just some cool feature, it is a regulated measurement in most countries. I suspect the entire process in the US to get it accepted via the FDA took a couple of years at least.

For the UK, Apple would need to apply to the MHRA and I can guarantee they will want new clinical trials, that will all take years as well. There is a slim chance they won't want the trials but I doubt it, the stress on the National Health Service if it causes too many people heading to a hospital as their watch told them to will mean it will go through the full process to ensure it meets the required standards.

And that is only two countries, repeat all that over and over for every other country given the different regulations and it is going to take a long time before ECG is available in many countries.

And if you are in a country that does not sell enough watches, don't hold your breath at all...

partially agree with you, regulatory approval in each country is needed.
I don't think clinical trial are needed for approval.
I am not really clear but Apple Watch didn't get FDA approval for ECG itself (Hardware) but I think they got approval for software & the methodology used for calculation, since Apple Watch will not be treated same as ECG devices used in hospital.
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Lol. Relax. Dont buy one if you are offended that much because you dont get a gimmicky feature.
I don't think ECG is gimmick.
It is gimmick till other manufacturers incorporate this technology into their watch.
I remember people saying Touch ID was a gimmick when it was initially launched in iPhone 5s by Apple, almost every phone has Touch ID.
 
Also Apple doesn't break out numbers, I see more people around me have fitbits. (I'm in Australia)
Not sure where the title came from without showing a split of the numbers.

I'm also in Australia and I see Apple Watch's 2:1 on Fitbits. Guess it just depends where you are.
 
Members on here are way overly critical on Apple because a lot of people on here don’t want to support Apple because of how they changed since Steve Jobs departure and over the years

Nah man. Correct me if I am wrong but from what I have read, people here have been that way since Steve Jobs era. They have been critical for products introduced in Steves area, claiming failure when they have clearly become a success. It is just the way people are, particularly on line. Some people seem to get more joy by spreading negativity.
 
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Care to elaborate ?
If Apple a trillion dollar company can work with the FDA to get it approved then surely it can work with other governments in tandem ?

Unless is just a new startup concentrating on certain countries ONE at a time ?

But for the IPhone Apple bent over backwards in Indonesia and India to get their iPhones to be sold there .remeber the 30% rule

It is just a matter of importance, Apple is saying to us , we are second class paying a first class product ..
But for the IPhone Apple bent over backwards in Indonesia and India to get their iPhones to be sold there .remeber the 30% rule
I don't know about Indonesia, in India Apple doesn't still have retail stores, Apple can sell iPhones in India even though they don't meet 30% rule, they cant open retail store.
So Apple didn't bend over backwards to sell iPhones in India.
 
Series 3 watches can be found for $250-280 on sale which makes these accessible to the masses. That's a big part of the growth.

Even less — I just got my wife and l our first Watches. $200 and $230, respectively, for Series 3 (I got the larger size). Excited to be finally be on the train.
 
Well it has failed ...
I use it very seldom, ...
Apple Watch didn't fail in general, it failed you.
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Series 3 watches can be found for $250-280 on sale which makes these accessible to the masses. That's a big part of the growth.

The concept when these dropped was pretty ridiculous, being Angela Ahrendts' wet dream of an exclusive fashion accessory. Pricing was insulting for a product with a 2-3 year shelf life. It was going to fail. Someone at some point changed course and decided Apple should market these as utility and health devices.

What's available now boggles my mind. The economy of scale that gets advanced health sensors to the masses is an outstanding achievement.

Selling $20,000 watches and $500 watch bands is not an achievement.
This was just a marketing trick they played, I am sure Apple never thought they would sell 20K watch in large quantities.
 
I don't think clinical trial are needed for approval.

It was required in the US to get approval, although I believe it comes under the guise of a 'Clinical Investigation'. The EU will be Apple's target first to get into many countries at once, it will be more difficult though, EU officials are already making noises about trials. The EU has such a distrust for the US and especially Apple, it won't be easy.
 
The Apple watch 4 is the first one that doesnt run like a dog, that runs smoothly, and is actually fast enough to do stuff on without reaching for your phone.
I thought it ran at 3,600 seconds per hour with no need to run any faster.
 
Do you honestly think they aren't trying? I am not privy to that info but I would find it very hard to believe they aren't trying in all of the countries it is being sold in. But if you are that pissed at apple buy an Android.

Are they trying ?
When Apple releases new product ,it will appear on their page with the words “Pending regulatory approval “

For the ECG , do we have any such note or even a date ?
If they are trying they would have given a date or such right ?
Everything has a timeline ...a due date even.


I am pissed cause this technology might save my loved ones and it is not available because of .....??????
I want to buy this product but Apple is making me feel like a second class consumer !
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By Apple's counting method.

Casio has sold over 100 million G-Shocks.
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FDA approval is very quick. Apple knew they could leave it to the last minute.

Apple basically put keeping the ECG feature a surprise as more important than being able to deliver it to non-US customers.

Apple considers your product experience worth less than a few extra seconds of applause during their keynote.
FDA approval I quick ?

Really ? You do realize prior to approval there are loads of tests / negotiating going on the background.
It is much like Apple can “ hide” the release date of any product by requesting the entire world gov bodies to approve on a certain date to prevent leaks .

And YOU might consider the ECG as a gimmick , it might be a lifesaver for an aged loved one.
 
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