Apple Watch OS designed to be round?

[JPLC]

Looks like they made a round OS but couldn't get the hardware working. Most buttons fit the square screen but it looks like an OS that fits a round display better. Am I right?

I'm sure the second generation will be round. This first generation looks like a half product with a solid and revolutionary OS. Not that I hate square faces. I like them but the size of the black bezel is huge. Looks like an iPod nano on your wrist. Whatever strap they design, it still looks like a chunky case with an even smaller display.

What do you guys think? I would love to see something like the Motorola 360 with the Apple Watch OS. That would be a real watch. People kick Motorola for cutting off the bottom of the circular display but Apple cut's it from the bottom, top, left and right. Not what I suspected.

 

[cloroxbleach4]

Looks like they made a round OS but couldn't get the hardware working. Most buttons fit the square screen but it looks like an OS that fits a round display better. Am I right?

I'm sure the second generation will be round. This first generation looks like a half product with a solid and revolutionary OS. Not that I hate square faces. I like them but the size of the black bezel is huge. Looks like an iPod nano on your wrist. Whatever strap they design, it still looks like a chunky case with an even smaller display.

What do you guys think? I would love to see something like the Motorola 360 with the Apple Watch OS. That would be a real watch. People kick Motorola for cutting off the bottom of the circular display but Apple cut's it from the bottom, top, left and right. Not what I suspected.

I was hoping for a round face watch as well. A bit more classic and subtle in my opinion.

Thinking about it now, the home screen would look fine on a round face.. not sure why they didn't go that way.

 

[DavidTheExpert]

Wow, now that you mention it, I think you may be right. The round app icons, especially. Why wouldn't they use rectangular app icons for a rectangular screen? And all of the apps seem to have a circular main section, but then again they mostly had extra things in the corners that wouldn't fit on a round screen.

 

[Loge]

The round app icons, especially. Why wouldn't they use rectangular app icons for a rectangular screen?

Well the current iPod nano has round app icons, for instance, so there's no reason why that should suggest that a circular screen was intended.

 

[kmj2318]

Wow, now that you mention it, I think you may be right. The round app icons, especially.

I don't think the round icons have anything to do with the screen shape. It's pretty clear that circles were used because of the universe idea. It's also clear to see Apple's inspiration for that. They said they worked with horologists to understand time keeping at a fundamental level, leading me to believe that they first started with the solar system; that's what our timing is based on. From there, they were inspired by space to make a universe home screen. A choice that is much better than swiping pages. With that idea, it's obvious that circle icons are the right choice; square icons would make sense for a grid.

 

[Julien]

Looks like they made a round OS but couldn't get the hardware working....

Probably not.

Question: Why were watch faces round? Answer: This shape fits the dials of an analog moment.

Question: Which is more efficient use of data space a circle or a rectangle? Answer: rectangle.

 

[JPLC]

Probably not.

Question: Why were watch faces round? Answer: This shape fits the dials of an analog moment.

Question: Which is more efficient use of data space a circle or a rectangle? Answer: rectangle.

Sure, you're right about that. But clocks have been round forever. It's something iconic Apple would love to preserve. Remember the quote from Jobs about the perfect shape? Not that I'm sure about this but I can imagine that the watch OS is "pre designed" for the real thing, circular display.

Not to forget that all we know from now are rectangle displays. Getting something different would be a fresh breath of air. That's the effect the Moto 360 got on me.

 

[douglasf13]

Sure, you're right about that. But clocks have been round forever. It's something iconic Apple would love to preserve. Remember the quote from Jobs about the perfect shape? Not that I'm sure about this but I can imagine that the watch OS is "pre designed" for the real thing, circular display.

Not to forget that all we know from now are rectangle displays. Getting something different would be a fresh breath of air. That's the effect the Moto 360 got on me.

There are plenty of iconic or notable square analogue watches. It just makes more sense to use square for a digital screen. That Moto 360 has to be massive in order to cover the same real estate. It looks ridiculous on wrist.

 

[firewood]

But clocks have been round forever.

Sundials were round. But water clocks and hourglasses were vertical. Round escapement clocks weren't made until the 14th century. Unless you count the Greek Antikythera Mechanism as a clock.

 

[cmaier]

Looks like they made a round OS but couldn't get the hardware working. Most buttons fit the square screen but it looks like an OS that fits a round display better. Am I right?

I was thinking the same thing. If you look at the many screen shots, circles are definitely a theme.