Great point. I wonder if the Ultra screen is actually smaller due to more curved corners?
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Apple Watch Ultra: 10 New and Noteworthy Features
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This. Been waiting since series 3. For my purposes, there’s been zero substantial improvements since series 3, only marketing bulletpoints.
Until it’s standalone, it’s just cumbersome expensive fluff. I’m a highly active, healthy person in better condition than 98% of the people in this country. I do in fact climb mountains. A stupid watch hanging off an appendage has zero to do with my health and fitness state. “Health” benefits of a watch are marketing to stupid people who actually are stupid enough to believe that giving Apple $800 will make them magic mountain climbers while they sit on the couch munching Cheetos and watching Apple TV 🤣
Want a clue? Go to a real gym. How many of the humans in maximum top shape are wearing a fitness watch? Gee, zero. What does that mean? Then take a look at the ones wearing a "fitness" watch. Yup. It's almost as though wearing a fitness watch is the *cause* of being unhealthy, fat, and out of shape.
Temperature spec is actually -20 to 55 deg Celsius so it is either freeze or burn you wrist
In sensible units -20 to 55 Celsius it is going to freeze or burn your wrist however it will still work if it is not on your wrist over this temperature range.
Thanks for that. Looks like with some customization a red face is possible
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
I find that thing ugly, but clearly I’m not the target market.
It’s for those folks that spend their lives “living like Larry”.
It’s for those folks that spend their lives “living like Larry”.
To me this thing looks massive. I can't imagine wearing it on my wrist.
I want to see one in person to compare to the 8 size.
I want to see one in person to compare to the 8 size.
Thank you! This comment opened my eyes. I already ordered Ultra but this might cause me to cancel the order, even though the Ultra could still be better of the two for me. Maybe next year?
The bezel is way too wide on Ultra. The display area on Ultra, according to Apple specs is 1164 sq mm vs 1143 sq mm on a regular Watch 8: basically the same size just ultra has bigger bezels. Shame
The new compass app looks good. Waypoint marking and backtrack is also nice to have.
You dont have to guess why it has a massive black border around the screen! They chop the screen bezel up the next 2 years with the Ultra 2 and 3 while they already could have done it with the Ultra 1
Nice and all but my 3 years old Garmin has 130 hours of battery life - this has 36. - I switched away from Apple after having 4 different versions of watches ( top model each year) simply because the battery sucks ( ohh yes and also that it do not automatically track bicycle as Garmin do.
Apple on Wednesday unveiled the new Apple Watch Ultra, a larger, more advanced smartwatch aimed at athletes, explorers, and swimmers. The Apple Watch Ultra shares the same features as the new Apple Watch Series 8, but there is a whole lot more to the watch than meets the eye. Here are just some of the more notable differences that are worth highlighting.
Operating Temperatures Are Extreme
iPhones can get so hot or so cold that they can become non-functional, but the Apple Watch Ultra is very unlikely to, even in the harshest of climes. Apple says the watch has been designed to accommodate the most extreme environments in outdoor exploration, with an on-wrist operating temperature from –4° to 131° F (–20° to 55° C).
Larger Display, More Complications
Apple has created a new Wayfinder watch face that's been designed especially for the larger Apple Watch Ultra display. It includes a compass built into the dial, and has space for up to eight complications on screen at the same time. The Wayfinder watch face can also be customized for mountain, ocean, or trail expeditions.
Customizable Action Button
Where previous Apple Watch models have had just two physical controls, Apple Watch Ultra has a third on the left side of the screen called the Action button, which is colored in "international orange" and can serve a range of functions.
As it's customizable, what the Action button does is up to the user, so one push can let you track race segments during a workout, find a way out when using Backtrack, drop a Compass Waypoint, or start up a dive computer, depending on your needs.
Brighter Screen
Under the flat sapphire front crystal is a Retina display that is not only the biggest yet on an Apple Watch, but it can also output contents at up to 2,000 nits, which is two times brighter than any other Apple Watch display.
Night Mode
To optimize for evening conditions when using the Wayfinder watch face, a turn of the Digital Crown engages Night Mode, which turns the interface red and removes retina-altering blue light from the display to ease strain on your eyes in the dark.
Emergency Siren
If you ever become lost, injured, or have some other emergency situation and want to draw attention to your location, Apple Watch Ultra includes an 86-decibel siren that can be enabled by holding the Action button.
Apple says the siren uses a unique sound signature that incorporates two distinct alternating patterns, which can repeat for several hours. The first pattern suggests distress, while the second mimics the universally recognized SOS pattern, and the siren can be heard up to 600 feet or 180 meters away.
Best-in-Class GPS Positioning
Apple Watch Ultra uses a precision dual-frequency GPS that integrates both L1 and the latest frequency, L5. Apple says that in combination with new custom positioning algorithms, this provides users with the most accurate GPS of any smartwatch on the market, and should help trail runners and other athletes who often find themselves in amongst dense trees or high buildings.
Redesigned Compass App
In watchOS 9, the Compass has been redesigned for Apple Watch Ultra and now has three different views. The app displays a new hybrid view that simultaneously shows both an analog compass dial and a digital view, while turning the Digital Crown reveals an additional view that includes latitude, longitude, elevation, and incline, as well as an orienteering view showing Compass Waypoints and Backtrack.
Waypoint Marking and Backtrack
In the Compass app, you can press the Action button or tap the Compass Waypoint icon to drop a waypoint and mark the location you are in. Waypoints can be edited by tapping the icon, and the Compass Waypoint complication updates automatically in real time showing both the direction of the waypoint as well as its approximate distance.
Meanwhile, with the help of GPS, a new Backtrack function creates a path showing you where you've been, like a breadcrumb trail, which you can use if you get lost or disoriented and want to retrace your steps.
Water Temperature Sensor and Depth Gauge
Apple Watch Ultra is certified to EN 13319, which is an internationally recognized standard for dive accessories, including depth gauges. The Apple Watch Ultra even incorporates a depth gauge into a new Depth app, which can display time, current depth down to 40 meters, water temperature, duration under water, and max depth reached.
When underwater, the Apple Watch Ultra automatically opens the Depth app, making it quick and easy to get critical information without needing to open it manually. Alternatively, you can assign the Depth app to the Action button to launch it when needed.
Availability
The Apple Watch Ultra costs $799 and was made available for pre-order after Wednesday's "Far out" event. It comes in a silver titanium casing and is available with three different bands: Trail, Alpine, and Ocean. The Apple Watch Ultra will begin shipping to customers on Friday, September 23.
Article Link: Apple Watch Ultra: 10 New and Noteworthy Features
And it took way to many clicks to get to start recording activity.
And health app vs Garmin app is a joke.
TBH I would love to get Apple Watch again since I loved the things I miss now, like Siri and answering sms or calls. But that vs battery life - not a hard choice for me.
I think yes and no.
In a sense yes, because the product is leaning into the category of what looks like a sports technical product. But on the other hand, that IS what it is trying to both bill itself as and become. It fits into those categories of extreme sports watches made by Garmin and others.
I'm not that into swimming, diving, mountain climbing or other sports but I would like to start hiking sometime (I often go for 4 miles walks along Brighton Seafront, but dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail one day!)
I love the look of this watch and the flat screen so I've pre-ordered and can't wait to replace my S6, the only thing that confused me is the straps... I wound up going for the orange Alpine one, I just hope that clasp doesn't slip out easily.
I love the look of this watch and the flat screen so I've pre-ordered and can't wait to replace my S6, the only thing that confused me is the straps... I wound up going for the orange Alpine one, I just hope that clasp doesn't slip out easily.
I think I’m actually going to KEEP my S6 going and allow myself to swap between watches depending on use case. I might put on the S6 at night, for sleep tracking and then Ultra when workout or activity or interest dicTate’s. At this point a solid S6 is only worth about 110$ on the secondary market and mine lasts 2 days on a charge still.
I really like the “track back” feature for hiking on the ultra, but wonder why they wouldn’t just offer it on the regular watches. It seems like for outdoors hiking sometimes off trail this would be a great feature. Even for ON trail, the ability to put WAYPOINTS and track back mapping is pretty cool.
I sold my S6 for £150 as I needed to pay the upfront cost for the Ultra... I thought about doing a trade-in with EE when I ordered the Ultra but they only offered me £20 for my S6 (perfect condition) 🤣
You need not activate a cellular plan; you just lose the ability to get mail/messages/etc. away from wifi.
Rolex is not adding features to that watch after you buy it; the Apple Watch gets five years of new features.
And afterwards it's taken outside and unceremoniously killed. Probably most watches would prefer to live longer with less features.
That's not just "the temperature outside", that's temperature on your wrist. How much time do you spend walking around in -4°F temperatures while wearing a short sleeved t-shirt? If you're wearing, say, a jacket that's keeping your wrist covered and thus above -4°F, then there won't be a problem.
Apple-Watches don't die just because they don't get new features. replace the battery every few years and they last a long time.