They might be collectors items one day, but I doubt Apple would give you much if you wanted to trade it in for a Series 4 based on what they were giving for the stainless watches!
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Apple Watch Life Expectancy
- Thread starter Bl0ckHe1d
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They might be collectors items one day, but I doubt Apple would give you much if you wanted to trade it in for a Series 4 based on what they were giving for the stainless watches!
Do you think a solid 3.5 years is realistic from the 4 ? I’m considering the SBSS - depreciation as you know is fairly shocking on the SS model, so viewing it even more as a long term purchase.
With the Apple Watch now being 64 Bit, with the dual core S4 Processor, 3.5 years is more than feasible to be supported for the Watch.
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As a series 0 owner, I’d like to state that WatchOS 2 was the best for this watch. Best battery life, best performance, best features. Watch OS 3 and 4 just made things worse. WatchOS 3 nearly killed my watch’s usability until 3.1.1 or something like that. It became an unreliable piece of junk. WatchOS4 just slowed it down.
“Give me a moment”
“Hold on a sec...”
“Please stand by...”
Siri, I never had to wait before watchos2, so what’s the problem? Is it iOS 11 or 12 that’s causing the problems?
I never should have sprung for the SBSS model. They don’t hold their value at all. It’s all just for looks (maybe the sapphire screen).
At least my screen isn’t scratched and I have had no mechanical issues (no apple care). I’m just waiting for a sale on Watch 4s before I upgrade.
I don’t use apps. Just notifications and workouts.
“Give me a moment”
“Hold on a sec...”
“Please stand by...”
Siri, I never had to wait before watchos2, so what’s the problem? Is it iOS 11 or 12 that’s causing the problems?
I never should have sprung for the SBSS model. They don’t hold their value at all. It’s all just for looks (maybe the sapphire screen).
At least my screen isn’t scratched and I have had no mechanical issues (no apple care). I’m just waiting for a sale on Watch 4s before I upgrade.
I don’t use apps. Just notifications and workouts.
Going from Series 1 to Series 4 was a big performance increase for me. I was having some of the same delays you mention, and they aren't an issue for me any more. I can only imagine how much more of a difference there is from the first gen watch to Series 4.
Towards the end of the life of my S0, I actually use it as a watch and notif display only due to unbearable slowness. I had to tinker for 2 minutes just to start a playlist and start a workout on the watch. Now it's a glorified sleep tracker. ~30 months in and battery life is about the same.
S4 changed how I interacted with my watch. The app launch time and touch response is improved. My theory is this is the iPhone 5s of the Apple Watch.
S4 changed how I interacted with my watch. The app launch time and touch response is improved. My theory is this is the iPhone 5s of the Apple Watch.
I had a strong indication WatchOS 4 would be the last watch support for the first Gen watch, long before Apple even announced it. The S1 Chip was underpowered and it was the one major downfall to the Apple Watch. Albeit, I only used the first Gen watch for notifications primarily, which is interesting, because that how was Apple marketed the watch at the time, compared to how it’s all about fitness now, which has changed the way the we now have the expectation for the watch to be more responsive and enjoyable to navigate without the ‘Waiting’ lag. That said, with the dual core procesosr from the Series 3/4, it’s far less taxing on the battery with a processor that can help manage the battery life.
Thats the main reason I haven't jumped in the Apple Watch. I like some of the features but battery is a huge concern given that my Air Pods can hardly keep up with a one hour meeting, or a 45 minute run in the winter after just over a year of use.
I decided to go with the Nokia/Withings HR Steel, even after two years I'm still getting about two weeks of battery life with 30-60 minute exercise daily. It doesn't have many fancy features but it measures heart rate, steps, gives me basic notifications, and the app is pretty good with tracking runs.
I decided to go with the Nokia/Withings HR Steel, even after two years I'm still getting about two weeks of battery life with 30-60 minute exercise daily. It doesn't have many fancy features but it measures heart rate, steps, gives me basic notifications, and the app is pretty good with tracking runs.
I was worried about this as well. The AW3 GPS I have has done a good job of holding its charge. There is no way for me to measure it officially like coconutBattery to really see how the watch is doing but it seems to be holding up fairly well after a year and three months.
Apple does offer watch battery replacement for $80. That's about inline with what it costs to replace the battery on my Tag Huer, which tends to last about 2-3 years also. So I really don't think it's the battery that limits the life of the AppleWatch.
I agree that 3+ years should be achievable for the Series 4, especially if you are willing to pay to have the battery replaced. I replaced my Series 0 with the 4, and it was just barely able to get through the day. WatchOS 4 really was murder on that hardware though, and it was because of the poor performance, not the battery, that I decided to replace it entirely. And because of the new health features in the Series 4. At the same time, I expected that to be the case since it was first generation hardware. Now that we're on the 4th generation, with faster, more power efficient, multi-core silicon and software built to take advantage of that, I'm expecting at least 4 years for my SBSS. I'd like to experiment going longer, but we'll see how well I can resist whatever the new shiny is then.
I classify them as somewhat disposable. If it needs a new battery or if your break the screen out of warranty, it is not worth getting them fixed. I would expect them to last a good three years before the battery becomes a problem.
As far as Apple support, They are still supporting the very first model.
I am still using the original AW and other than a bit of loss of battery life it is still going strong. I don’t use apps much and have not noticed any slowdown.
Apple makes a substandard, underperforming watch in terms of longevity. My fourth watch just conked out. My first watch lasted 9 months. Because it was under warranty and not repairable they replaced it. (They did not tell me what broke down but the watch was obviously faulty and on them.) My new replacement watch with a warranty of 3 months broke down within 4 months. Again, it was faulty manufacturing on their part but because the 3 month warranty on the new replacement expired Apple would do nothing about it. It was not repairable. If I wanted a watch, I had to buy a new one. When the series 4 came out, the series 3 price plumeted to almost less than half the original price (for a new one) so I bought another series 3 (my 3rd within 2 years). Again, it broke down before warranty expiration (at 9 months). It was again faulty manufacturing, not repairable, and it was on them. They replaced it with a new watch. I was expecting the 2nd replacement (4th watch) to break down the month after the 3 month replacement warranty. This last watch did last one year and three months. In short my first two apple watches, including the new warranty replacement, lasted 13 months, and my second two watches, including a new warranty replacement, lasted 24 months. This means I've had 4 watches within an 'in use' timespan of 37 months. Someone stated in MacRumors forum that apple watches are meant to last ± 5 years. I've had 4 apple watches in 3 yrs 1 month.
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