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The port's going to be removed for the Apple Watch 2.

And then those who bought a battery bracelet will be :mad:

It's also entirely possible that Apple will completely disable that port with a firmware update. Or modify the case or plug to make it harder to access, or simply remove it.
 
And only a 5% difference in speed of charge? Who'd thought inductive charging can be that efficient? Good job Apple!
 
Good, I hope this feature can be used soon because I still haven't figured out how to charge my watch with the inductive charger that comes with it. My battery died the day after I received mine and it's been dead ever since, because MacRumors hasn't written a good how-to article on how to charge the watch.
 
It's also entirely possible that Apple will completely disable that port with a firmware update. Or modify the case or plug to make it harder to access, or simply remove it.

While I DO think Apple will disable it with a firmware update to the general public, I don't see them removing it because that creates two problems.

1. Apple NEEDS a hard-wired way into the device should anything happen for diagnostic purposes. Unless they find a way to transfer data while being fast enough through the MagSafe, this port is gonna stay.

2. It limits the future of potential smart bands from Apple and third parties. This can be a huge market that Apple can, and I'm sure will tap into.
 
Good, I hope this feature can be used soon because I still haven't figured out how to charge my watch with the inductive charger that comes with it. My battery died the day after I received mine and it's been dead ever since, because MacRumors hasn't written a good how-to article on how to charge the watch.

You're the lucky one; at least you got a day's use out of it.

Think of all those who haven't even managed to take it out of the box due to MR's refusal to write an unboxing guide.
 
Speed of charging seems irrelevant.

I like the idea of a battery strap though (this particular design needs work).
 
I guess they didnt mention how much longer the "normal" charging method takes in minutes because its not a real difference. 10 minutes for the last 5% maybe? I dont know, I'm guessing but it sure doesnt look like much
 
And then how you gonna charge the band without taking the watch off?

I know maybe I am jumping to the question too fast, but what I really need for charging should be either solar or kinetic.
 
Speed of charging seems irrelevant.

Exactly. It's just an interesting side note. Being able to charge while wearing the Watch is the real point.

I can wear my Apple Watch all day, lay it on the charger at night and have it ready the next day without ever running into battery issues. I can't see this strap taking off.

People buy lots of battery packs for their devices, so they can go longer. Hikers, campers, climbers, first responders, travelers, military, late night partiers, etc.

With this, Apple Watch users can swap in a charged band and continue with their life, instead of having to take off the watch and wait while it recharges from a battery pack and the long wired Apple inductive puck.

And only a 5% difference in speed of charge? Who'd thought inductive charging can be that efficient? Good job Apple!

Even standard Qi chargers are about 85% efficient. Finer tuned chargers with higher wattages can get into the high 90s.

Is it still a sealed system if the port cover is removed?

I would think so. The port itself is backed by a circuit film that's held in place inside by a screwed in bar.
 
I remember how much trouble iFixit had opening up this port. Does anybody know how they've found out how to easily open it from the outside now?
 
It's nothing like the SIM card slot; it's fastened by two screws accessible only from the inside.

The outer-facing connection pins are secured from the inside. The port cover itself, is not.

I remember how much trouble iFixit had opening up this port. Does anybody know how they've found out how to easily open it from the outside now?

Yes, as noted by nutmac in a previous post:

 
To be honest, that wasn't much difference and certainly not worth $250(!!!).

I can wear my Apple Watch all day, lay it on the charger at night and have it ready the next day without ever running into battery issues. I can't see this strap taking off.

Unless you forgot to put it on the iCharger (Inductive charger) or power from wall not working for whatever reason, or maybe a child was having fun base?

Then you have options with this band
 
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And then how you gonna charge the band without taking the watch off?

I know maybe I am jumping to the question too fast, but what I really need for charging should be either solar or kinetic.

The face area of watch is too small for solar, and being a display too.
I am estimating but in full sun all day it would about 30 min run time.

Kinetic more viable.
 
To be honest, that wasn't much difference and certainly not worth $250(!!!).

I can wear my Apple Watch all day, lay it on the charger at night and have it ready the next day without ever running into battery issues. I can't see this strap taking off.

I said the same thing today when I saw the video. There is no way this band is worth $250, more like $75-100 tops.
 
Was anyone else expecting this thing to be leaps and bounds faster than the normal method of charging?

I was. I think it is impressive that that Apple was able to have the inductive charging system be just 5% (ish) slower than conductive charging.

I was expecting a 1.5-2x charging rate.

The reasoning was:
Conductive charging is pretty simple. Just a power source (DC) and wires for the basic charging. The batteries naturally know who to charge, and there you go.
Inductive charging relies on AC to transmit the power from the charging coil to the inductive pickup coil, turn it to DC, then charge the batteries. It's not that much more complex, but there is more power lost in the transfer, so Apple set it up well.
 
I was. I think it is impressive that that Apple was able to have the inductive charging system be just 5% (ish) slower than conductive charging.

We all should bear in mind that this example is conductive charging from a rather small battery strap, not from a 1 Amp (5 Watt) mains-powered electrical supply like the inductive method normally uses.

So I'd say the opposite: it was impressive how quickly the battery strap charged the watch.

For direct comparisons of conductive with inductive, it would make more sense to use the same power supply for both methods.

As for inductive charging speed in general, the Apple Watch takes longer to charge inductively than the Moto 360 (2.5 hours vs 1.5 hours), even though the Moto has a larger battery (205/246 mAh on Apple vs. 320 mAh on the Moto).
 
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