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Will it look exactly the same as Series 1 and 2, because if you don't like the current design then nothing new here...just another mild refresh as usual for Apple where all products have been in a design rut for many years now because I don't think Jony Ives actually does anything at Apple anymore.
 
There have been two releases, one in April and one in September. :|

Both were announced in September.

I use my Apple Watch to look at notifications and track activity. I use my Fitbit to look at notifications and track activity. It's the same device for most people; the issue is whether you choose to pay more for stuff you won't use.

For this reason, I hope Series 3 allows us to disable features in exchange for battery life. They already do it with low power mode. Let's extend that to disabling Siri, background apps, interactive notifications, and whatever other bloat runs on the Watch that makes it suck the battery down in a day.

Can turn off notifications on your watch and do it by app if you choose already. You can also turn off Siri and numerous other features.
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If history is any indication, gen 4 will be the redesign and the one to wait for.

What history are you referring to?
 
They might try microdot LED display. The watch is Apple's testing grounds for a lot of new things ( OLED, 3d touch, new UI styles, waterproofing, wireless charging, motion-activated wake, probably ceramic casing, miniaturization in general ).

Getting a tiny run of micro-led displays out there would help get the tech out of R&D and into production in small quantities.

Micro LED seems very likely for for the next Apple Watch. I still think it's in developmental phase and we won't see this technology until at least a few more years. But if it's proven accurate, it would be three times as bright as OLED, draw less battery power, which could increase the overall battery usage, has a wider color gamut and overall is just more efficient. Apple acquired a company (Luxe View) back in 2014 that develops Micro-Led, which seems likely they experimenting with it currently.
 
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Left Side or Top or Bottom of Watch case for inclusion of a SIM card tray? Or, something completely different?

I'd like to see what Apple will do with such limited space if they go with cellular connectivity. If they were to proceed with this idea, I can see it being an extra boost for air pod sales through Bluetooth connectivity possibly attracting undecided potential customers of the air pods.

That said, I can see the need for a separate Data Plan for the Watch in such circumstances not being that attractive. It's really interesting to see this product develop which I believe is still very much a "work in progress".
I imagine it would just be sim free.
 
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Disagree. Also, Have you personally Tested the Series 2 say this? Because this is where the S2 processor made a significant difference with application load times and helps with fluidity of the application when in progress. Further more, the S2 Processor is certainly noticeable in opening applications, powering the Watch on is faster, WatchOS updates appear to be fader when compared to my first Generation Watch.

The Series 1/2 significantly made a difference in speed over the first Generation Apple Watch, which is what it needed in some area's with the help of WatchOS updates making the Watch more efficient.
When I tested it, third party apps still took quite a while to load sometimes.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple launched an additional model in the form of a fitness tracker. Maybe it doesn't run apps, no notifications, but just has Apple's built in fitness ones. It could still have GPS (similar to the Garmin VivoActive), be much thinner and cost much less.

I'm surprised we haven't seen this yet. I think there is definitely a market for a Apple Band or something of the sort which is a step down from the Apple Watch for those not concerned with all the bells and whistles but just the basics that still want to be in the Apple ecosystem.
 
When I tested it, third party apps still took quite a while to load sometimes.
It's possible that has to do with app optimization as well.

Side to side comparison, the series two blows gen one away with damn near everything.

Of course, I'm not saying you're wrong ornyou didn't experience what you did. I use maybe three third party apps (none with too much frequency) and they all load very fast. I won't call it instant, but fast.
 
I'm surprised we haven't seen this yet. I think there is definitely a market for a Apple Band or something of the sort which is a step down from the Apple Watch for those not concerned with all the bells and whistles but just the basics that still want to be in the Apple ecosystem.

Yeah, sort of the iPad Nano of Apple watches. :)
 
I'm quite happy with my Apple Watch 2 and more excited about a new Apple Watch than an updated iPhone (I've got an SE as I hate big screens).
Things I'd like to see would be an improved HRM, thinner case and an option to force all notifications to ping on my wrist. However, the resale price for Apple watches is good so I'll probably just update for a change of look and whatever Apple does.
 
In general I have high hopes for this iteration and having said that I think the iterations are going to be modest on the hardware side and big on the watch os 4:

Modest on the hardware because 1) they are going to continue with the design language until they can get 4+ days )general use) out of the battery and then try to iterate and 2) Ive's ego knows no bounds the profile of the watch now and the first iPhone are very similar 3) Although if they are trying to make the watch more independent an altimeter to measure the inclines would be very welcome as would a larger screen - the existing screen when there is a full screen image displayed looks a slightly different aspect ratio to the body of the watch and therefore the bezels don't look great and deprecates the screen experience IMO

Think the LTE is a non-runner for battery reasons and likewise FaceTime (the average FaceTime call would be longer than the voice calling and holding your arm for an amount of time would be poor UX)

I expect big things on the OS front basically because the few things that was shown in WWDC was paltry to say the least, who really ****ing cares about a kaleidoscope or toy story watch face never mind making a song and dance about it onstage. The improvements as seen in the beta a VO2 Max, but in sleep tracker brought along with 3-4 day battery, and a more efficient/live BPM when doing interval training
 
It's possible that has to do with app optimization as well.

Side to side comparison, the series two blows gen one away with damn near everything.

Of course, I'm not saying you're wrong ornyou didn't experience what you did. I use maybe three third party apps (none with too much frequency) and they all load very fast. I won't call it instant, but fast.
Yeah, I've noticed some of my apps speed up over the past year on my Series 0. Maybe developers are finally sorting out the issues and getting a feel for developing on the Watch. They were really slow, then got faster but still weren't what I would consider good enough, but I think they're working out the kinks and memory management.
 
Battery life on the Series 2 is impressive, I typically go to bed with ~70% left. Speed of performance? Ok, the processing power could stand to be ratcheted up a bit; but the biggest bang I would like to see is the speaker being louder. Being able to answer or make a phone call with my watch, is very handy - but when I answer it when I'm driving; the volume just doesn't get much above the background noise. What's the point of having a "hands free" phone capability, if one can barely hear it?

I've always assumed that you needed a phone/watch/bluetooth headset combo for optimum performance.

I hope the rumors are correct and there will be a series 3 this fall, even if it is just an incremental update.
 
I wrote that I use my Apple Watch for notifications and activity tracking, which is the norm.

But I also use Siri all the time to set reminders to go off - "hey Siri, remind me to get bread tomorrow at 5pm". This works great, and is fast, and reliable. And, AirPods control; volume, play pause. I also read headlines on the NYTimes app when I'm waiting in line for a short amount of time. That's surprisingly useful. If the wait is more than a minute though, might as well pull out the iPhone.
 
Pretty sure you can do the home automation part, but I doubt car manufacturers will jump on having them be able to START the car specifically. The button is really not the hard to find in the car.

It's not the pushing the start button it's more so I don't have to carry car keys.

Once I can do that and carry my passport and drivers licence digitally I can pretty much do away with carrying anything except an iPhone/Apple Watch.
 
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May I ask why?
I have never looked at my Apple Watch and the screen hasn't been on. I feel like the screen being on when I'm not looking at it is just a waste of power.
I think you mean you've never raised or turned your wrist without the screen turning on. That's different than glancing at your watch without turning your wrist.

Gruber dings Apple on the Raise to Wake kludge in his initial Apple Watch review. One of several examples:
I was in New York last week, and stopped to have coffee with a friend in the afternoon. He had a meeting to get to, and I wanted to catch a 4:00 train home to Philadelphia. I was sitting on a low bench, leaning forward, elbows on my knees. It got to 3:00 or so, and I started glancing at my watch every few minutes. But it was always off, because my wrist was already positioned with the watch face up. The only way I could check the time was to artificially flick my wrist or to use my right hand to tap the screen — in either case, a far heavier gesture than the mere glance I’d have needed with my regular watch.

I've always worn watches, and I'm used to being able to see the time when the face is angled away from me—anything short of 90°. It's something you take for granted with an analog or always-on digital watch, and if you're used to it, having to arc your arm to wake the screen is a palpable annoyance.
 
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Same form factor? Ugh. I have an AW but although I like functionally and integration with the iPhone, it's ugly IMO. It has no elegance and is as thick as an 80s casio watch. Of all things Apple tries to make thin, the Apple watch needs thinning the most.

With the corresponding reduction in battery life.
 
I know it will be the same design, but mass production should happen at some point, but we didn't see any Apple watch casing or "blueprints" yet

Another anecdotal claim. Please enlighten us and confirm how you know it will be the same design? What about the rumored Touch display possibly changing? Granted, it's likely to remain the same , but since you claim you know this, I would like to read where you are certain.

Furthermore, if a Series 3 Apple Watch is launched in September, don't you think it would make sense that it's already in production versus should happen at some point?. That's literally less than 7 weeks from launch. I would assume a company that will sell millions of a smart Watch would have production already in progress. Make sense?

And just because we didn't see any blueprints or casing weeks, doesn't mean an Apple Watch couldn't happen. Before the Series 1/Series 2 launch, there were hardly any physical leaks whatsoever, if any.
 
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May I ask why?
I have never looked at my Apple Watch and the screen hasn't been on. I feel like the screen being on when I'm not looking at it is just a waste of power.
Apple could make this an option in settings, so people could opt for always-on vs. longer battery. Sometimes the wrist detection isn't as reliable as would be desirable and sometimes you'd like to take a quick glance without moving the wrist, so an always-on screen would be interesting for quite some people (even though not necessarily for all).
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Yeah, sort of the iPad Nano of Apple watches. :)
I'd really like to have the Tube watch face from the iPod nano on the Apple watch (example).
 
I'm more interested in features, speed, reliability, and thinness than in cellular. No way I'm paying AT&T an extra $10 a month. As long as the watch works as well with iPhone pairing as it does with built-in cellular, I'm fine. Hope its just an option, as with the iPad.

I bet it will be an option, so they will ask more money for the cellular version.
I think my AW is fast enough, battery life is good, the only day I went completely out of battery life I recorded a workout for more than 4 hours and the AW died when I was about to go to bed.
It would be great if they managed to improve battery life so much you could be to charge it every other day, so you could leave for the weekend and forget about the charging cable, but I'm afraid they would make it thinner and keep current battery life instead of doubling it.
 
If you have to have an additional sim/data plan and pay an extra $150 for it like iPads I don't see the point of cellular on a watch.

What would be the use cases of cellular on a watch? I can think of a time where I have had my Apple watch without my phone being nearby (pool, shower, beach).
 
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Think its time for me to get one.
I got the original one, and I'm glad I did. I just hope that this generation is compelling enough to make me upgrade, and give my current one to my 12 year old daughter.
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Needing an always-on screen to consider this upgrade.
The reliability of the lift to see the screen is at 98-99% for me. I have the original (Series 0?) watch, and it just works. It's not a "move the universe" item, but a "move the needle" one, and that's what I like about it. It
  • Lets me see who is calling quickly before I answer with my Bluetooth headset
  • Let's me pay quickly with Apple Pay with two clicks and a swipe (if I want to not use the default card)
  • Never lose the remote to my Apple TV (that one needs some work, but at least I have a remote)
  • See what time it is in my local time zone, and UTC (I'm learning to be a pilot, so UTC is important)
  • See what my blood sugar is (I'm also a Type 1 diabetic with a Deacon CGM)
  • See what the weather is by quickly glancing at my wrist
  • See if I need to exercise a bit more (I have lost 20 lbs since getting it - still need to lose more)
All on my wrist. Before it came out, I thought that the raise to see was critical, and it may be losing its criticality, but I still like it for battery life. Mine is getting old (over 2 years old, daily use) and the battery is now getting where it needs to be charged at the end of the day.
 
Micro LED seems very likely for for the next Apple Watch. I still think it's in developmental phase and we won't see this technology until at least a few more years. But if it's proven accurate, it would be three times as bright as OLED, draw less battery power, which could increase the overall battery usage, has a wider color gamut and overall is just more efficient. Apple acquired a company (Luxe View) back in 2014 that develops Micro-Led, which seems likely they experimenting with it currently.

From what I gather, the brightness and power advantages were true several years ago, but OLED has continued to improve and the differences are much less now.

Plus OLED has a huge headstart on being far more economical to mass produce.

All on my wrist. Before it came out, I thought that the raise to see was critical, and it may be losing its criticality, but I still like it for battery life.

Android Wear watches were able to keep their display on (often in a dimmer display mode) all the time and still last all day.

In some ways, the Apple Watch was a low tech throwback to the previous century, with its rectangular screen, big hidden bezels, and lift to wake.

As for your daughter, don't be surprised if she ends up not wearing it. I gave two daughters Apple Watches, but since they both kept their iPhone in hand all the time anyway, it turns out that they had zero need for a wrist notification device! D'oh! :p
 
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