Apple Watch Tidbits: Charging Retail Box, Water Resistance, Calls, Offline and More

[mdelvecchio]

Available next year? Then they should have announced it next year. A watch with one day battery life? You have to be kidding me.

the fcc radiation requirements require that pre-application. iphone was pre-announced in a similar fashion.

it's a watch in the same way that an iphone is a phone -- it does way more, at the cost of shortened battery, just like smartphones over old nokias.

 

[douglasf13]

It's more like a $300 visit every 5 to 7 years.

Not for Rolex. $600 is actually pretty low for their 5 year service, these days, because they usually recommend that you replace some parts. I had a standard service where they replaced the crown, and it was over $700 last year.

For Omega, maybe $300 at a 3rd party service place with few parts replaced.

 

[flux73]

It has to be paired via Bluetooth with the iPhone and pre-authorized. As soon as the watch gets out of range of the iPhone it loses connection and you can't pay anymore.

But the way they demoed Pay, it looked like you have to authorize the payment with your fingerprint after being charged. If you can pre-authorize, I would think this would present some degree of security risk. Plus, it kinda lessens the convenience of having the Watch.

 

[Haifisch]

I'm surprised no one has brought up the potential use while driving. In many provinces and presumably states in the US, using a cellphone while driving is illegal. It would be nice to be able to put the phone away, and still receive txt msg and or notifications. And be able to do some quick replies.

 

[Fortimir]

It's more like a $300 visit every 5 to 7 years.

Yeah, my Seamaster Co-Axial is rated for service every 10 years @ $500 a pop. But it is still suggested to do so every 5 years.

It is pretty amazing to see so many people complaining about $350 for a top-level engineered, high-tech watch. I guess it's all perspective. I'm a photographer and I pretty much don't own a single piece of equipment under $1000. When I see people nickel-and-diming over $10 on a $200 lens I'm just totally blown-away.

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Not for Rolex. $600 is actually pretty low for their 5 year service, these days, because they usually recommend that you replace some parts. I had a standard service where they replaced the crown, and it was over $700 last year.

For Omega, maybe $300 at a 3rd party service place with few parts replaced.

Omega's 5-year (up to 10 in theory for Co-Axial) automatic service comes out to about $500 these days. But that does include replacement of the standard wearable parts. And every third-party jeweler around here no longer handles Omega. It has to be sent out.

 

[psac]

It looks a bit thick in the profile view.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

This is funny. http://www.newyorker.com/cartoons/d...social&utm_medium=twitter&mbid=social_twitter

 

[Milese3]

I'm not saying it's copied, but it's copied.
Image

There's figuratively to similarity at all.

 

[PocketSand11]

Yeah? And where are you going to put the pendulum that winds self-winding watches? Make the watch a 1/2" deep? There's a lot of processing going on that would quickly burn a battery down. I don't see much downside to charging it overnight. However, to make this idea work, I think it needs a battery life of 24 hours between charges.

The Apple Watch looks about as thick as my self-winding Seiko. I don't know which uses more energy, this or a mechanical watch, but it seems like it would work since mechanical watches waste lots of energy.

 

[afsnyder]

so where does the power come from ? it must come from an A/C outlet yes?

Besides, it doesn't matter if it plugs in or sap in like the Megasafe,, its must still be psychically attached to something when charging, basically which means while its charging its not "wearable" since u cannot move away from one location.

Today's non-smart watches you do not plug/snap them in.. u don't need to....

I wouldn't mind if u could go on a full change with a Apple smart watch for longer than a week without a single charge... but i expect it will be far less.

I thought you meant plug it into the device. You plug it into the wall, but you HAVE to plug it into the wall, unless you want a battery in which you have to still go out and buy and/or plug in and charge.

Non-smartwatches don't have displays, and the ones that do require you to change out the battery have 6-months to a year. But they don't do a lot.

Regular phones don't require charge sometimes over a week but we are perfectly happy to charge our phone every night or two.

 

[sentiblue]

Yet another new product.... changing how it has been

We've seen traditional watches, then we have seen smart watches from other vendors like Samsung... but nothing like this.... I was very pleased with the features introduced in the show.

But I have say the minimum price tag of $350 for the device is quite pricey....
Fortunately I have until 2015 to save up.... I'm an Apple fan boy and I'm definitely gonna buy this!

 

[macidiot]

Special box

The charging box might be nice on your nightstand. But it sounds awful if you travel. Who wants to lug around the box your watch came in?

 

[69Mustang]

Of course, but gadgets specified with IP68 are called waterproof by people and companies, and it is ok for companies to market their products "waterproof" if it has passed an IP68 test. I must admit I didn't know there is an exception in this case for watches in the US (I live in Sweden), but I don't see any problem with Sony marketing their smartwatch outside the US as waterproof, or people using that word for IP68-certified products.

You might not see a problem with Sony marketing their watch as waterproof but somebody in 7ft or more of water might. I don't understand why a company would set themselves up for potential customer dissatisfaction.

Hey it's their company and if they think going with waterproof is a good idea who am I to say it's not. I'm just some rando on the internet.

 

[PittAir]

I think they nailed it, but the water resistance (for me at least) is a biggie.

They are going to have to get me to box up my stainless steel oyster perpetual Rolex (I have a 29 year old one that works just fine with tune ups every 4-5 years) which I take off only to shower.

It's going to be a toughie.

I want it for the functionality (not necessarily the style), but taking it off when swimming? When going to the beach? Oy...

Why can't they follow the guys from Switzerland et al and make a water-resistant case? Is it an issue with the haptic screen?

 

[Akuratyde]

Dude... It's made of gold!!! Have u priced gold lately???? R/D alone is expensive!!!! Geeeezzzz u guys are relentless?!?!?!?!? Have u ever seen/priced an expensive time piece?? A Tag Heuer? A ROLEX!!!???? And they only tell time???? And that's all about a name!!! It's just like cars bro!! Ppl expect to pay 100$K -200$K for a Benz, Beamer?! And Huyndai makes a 90$k flagship model!!!!! U gotta start somewhere!!!!!!

Apple makes high-end computers, tablets, and phones. What they don't make is luxury fashion accessories. They don't offer gold plated iPods or Macbook Pro's with diamonds embedded in them. A smart watch isn't a fashion accessory, it's a functional device mean to extend the features of a smart phone.

 

[Keirasplace]

I've tried the Samsung smart watch and the build quality is excellent. As for design they don't look all that different. My main concern is that the Apple Watch looks very thick and heavy. I'm not sure how comfortable it will be to wear all day. I also have a concern about the battery life. They should have included an option to put the device into some form of watch only power saving mode so you can extend the battery life if you need to.

ITs not thicker than the other watches; probably about 11-12mm. Battery is the same as all other watches except the moto 360 which has the worse battery life. People that have actually handle them said they are quite different. No other watches are done in two sizes, many colors, different bands, different materials, etc.

 

[techwhiz]

My guess is somewhere around $1499 - $1999. They should have called it the "a$$hole edition". A product that exists simply for people to brag about how much money they blew on something that literally does nothing the standard edition can't do.

It's plated not solid. Probably a $50-$100 premium.
I'm a watch guy...

I own Apple stock and products.
As a watch person, this isn't interesting.
To thick for what it does. Back is not curved to fit the wrist.
Kind of bulbous. Sits up off the wrist.

Don't really like it.

It's still a gadget.
The Swiss make Jewelry.

 

[Kendo]

It's plated not solid. Probably a $50-$100 premium.
I'm a watch guy...

I own Apple stock and products.
As a watch person, this isn't interesting.
To thick for what it does. Back is not curved to fit the wrist.
Kind of bulbous. Sits up off the wrist.

Don't really like it.

It's still a gadget.
The Swiss make Jewelry.

I'm surprised that as a watch guy you find it too thick. And the back is not curved. I've owned a ton of watches and they are just as thick as the Apple Watch. More importantnly, NONE of them have a curved back. Our wrists are not curved, they are flat, at least the part the watch rests on.

 

[chiefsilverback]

I'm surprised no one has brought up the potential use while driving. In many provinces and presumably states in the US, using a cellphone while driving is illegal. It would be nice to be able to put the phone away, and still receive txt msg and or notifications. And be able to do some quick replies.

That's what CarPlay is for isn't it?

 

[kingtj]

re: needs the iPhone at all times?

See, THIS is what I'd like more clarification on, really.

I know Apple said the iPhone was needed for the watch to function, and I generally understand that. (It isn't going to let you make or take a phone call without the phone nearby that it must link to, in order to use it. Same as any bluetooth headset in that respect.)

But what does the display actually do when no iPhone is in range? Is it just a dumb device with a display screen saying "Connect Phone" or something like that? Or did Apple at least design it so it keeps working as a wristwatch, displaying the time using the last "face" you selected for it? That would make FAR more sense.

And now the details are coming on saying apps actually get downloaded from the phone into the watch?! That implies the watch could be somewhat self-sufficient.... So what's the REAL deal here?

I'd be kind of upset if I forgot my phone or purposely left it behind, while wearing this watch, and then realized there was absolutely NO point to wearing it like that.

I like the concept of the watch but the two things are making me hold off for now are:

it's not waterproof

It needs the damn iPhone at all times.

These two are deal killers. Until they fix these, I will wait. My Omega thanks Apple for now.

 

[Gasu E.]

I like the concept of the watch but the two things are making me hold off for now are:

it's not waterproof

It needs the damn iPhone at all times.

These two are deal killers. Until they fix these, I will wait. My Omega thanks Apple for now.

It plays music and tracks movement/heartrate, among other functions, without the phone.

http://recode.net/2014/09/09/apple-unveils-watch-iphone-6-mobile-payments-liveblog/ paragraph 8.

 

[christian_k]

Do you know of any smartphones you can take for swimming? I never heard. iWatch is not a watch; its a tiny tiny smartphone, a computer. Similarly, did you hear about any notebooks which work underwater? I didn't it.

Some sports watches can be used for swimming or they are actually designed for swimming. These are not sold as "smartwatch", but they are comparable in technology. For example the Polar V800 includes built-in GPS, accerlerometer, altimeter, bluetooth smart and a touch screen. While the water proofing is only 30m, it is actually designed to be used while swimming (has a swimming mode and can even record heart rate in the water). Of cours it is focused on sports and sold as a triathlon watch. But it can connect to a smartphone and polar thinks about adding message notifications with a firmware upgrade.

There are similar products from others. It can be done.

Christian

 

[Haifisch]

That's what CarPlay is for isn't it?

I don't have experience with that. But I am very much interested in car integration. In fact, I'd love to have head up display on my next car, that displays more than just speed and turn signals.

 

[Gasu E.]

I'm surprised no one has brought up the potential use while driving. In many provinces and presumably states in the US, using a cellphone while driving is illegal. It would be nice to be able to put the phone away, and still receive txt msg and or notifications. And be able to do some quick replies.

I'm sure some MacRumors respondents have no problem with taking their phones out their pockets while driving... as several have made clear time and again.

 

[tattooedyuppie]

Was honestly thinking the watch would look a lot nicer... The moto 360 looks way better. Now we just have to wait for further details.

Moto 360 is awesome looking. I don't have a use for an Android product, but man that thing looks sharp. Reminds me of Uniform Wares.