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Apple Watch Ultra's Customizable Action Button Can Launch Shortcuts, Plus a Whole Lot More
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yes, supports offline and you can load .gpx routes to it. Maps are clear and pans easily. Also pairs with BLE sensors - it's a pretty legit app. But I've only used it for short trips in the woods. YMMV
Look... just because your tent doesn't have smart lighting, doesn't mean the feature isn't useful.
So basically it has a slightly longer battery life and a programable button. Not really that impressive IMO. For daily wear it's a bit big for my taste.
Exactly my thoughts. I did 1 Ironman (Madison) and it would not be a replacement for my Garmin.
Not all Garmins have 16-21 day battery life. My 6s pro can barely do 5 if I use it for my morning swim for approx an hour. Yes that’s still a lot more than any AW, but I still need to take the cable for a week away.
That said I’ve tried to semi retire it and the lack of buttons in the pool is a real pain (not to mention the fact I can’t customise the data page down to one single metric I can read!). I don’t think this watch is a garmin competitor yet but I suspect there will be a few sales slide apples way over the next few iterations.
Looking forward to DCRs review once the embargo is lifted. I’m looking to get one but suspect it’s going to look ludicrous on my wrist 😂
Looking forward this Friday to MR’s dedicated forum thread with this device as it gets unwrapped & experienced.
I have previously had two other Apple Watches and was about to go back to the analog route until the Ultra came out. I can't wait to get my watch on the 23rd. I just hope the battery life is what is promised.
But it is also not a great user experience. I would expect to be able have competitive maps in the Map app, be able to plan a route there and sync it to the watch. It is fine for edge cases to be handled by third parties.
I’m thinking the largest ever Apple Watch screen is going to be the biggest selling point. That, and its ability to annoy Garmin owners. 😉
If you listened to this forum you'd think half the world owned a Garmin watch.
My first thought upon hearing the action button could run shortcuts - start my car.
Recommending Garmin Explore over Komoot (I use both): Garmin works offline - you can plan routes while you are on hike and want to change your plans.
WorkOutDoors is the only app at the moment you can use to preload offline vector maps to watch, but it has serious limitations compared to Garmin built-in maps (on Fenix, ...): you can only pre-load a small area (compared to whole continents on Garmin) and it cannot route to a point (Garmin routes in watch fine).
The outcome is that with Garmin you can be assured to always have a map (and hiking navigation) on your wrist, while as you need remember to plan ahead with Ultra.
Also stating the obvious: With Ultra you need to take a battery back with you for anything but an overnight hike. With Garmin Fenix 6X I take a battery and charging cord for anything more than 2 nights just to be sure.
Overall, Ultra is inferior to Fenix for hiking. If that is an acceptable compromise for being "smarter" almost everywhere else remains to be seen.
My thoughts comparing Fenix and Ultra as a blog post here.
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You understand that you can do that already by squeezing and holding the stem of the AirPods right? That's actually better since it only requires one hand, and you can do it on either left or right.
This would easily be doable with Shortcuts. But I much prefer to have the watch change faces automatically based on context. iOS 16 made this easier via the updates to Focus Modes, though I was doing it via Shortcuts before. Still, I like having one face while I'm home, then having it switch automatically when I leave the house. And another one specifically for the office. All of that is based on GPS location and happens seamlessly.
Define "genuine" BT connectivity. I get that you want ANT+, and that's fair. But what outside of that would make BT on the Apple Watch "genuine"? The only thing I can think of that's really missing is support for cycling power meters. While that is something Apple should absolutely add support for, that's more along the lines of specific device category support, not more generic BT connectivity. Using vague terms like "genuine" that don't have a true definition for the given context isn't useful and just sounds like you're going to move the goal post if Apple were to improve things.
Fair question. I’m talking the ability to connect my device as a HRM by Bluetooth to another device. In my case, my Garmin Edge…it’s simply not possible to do with an AW as Apple block this, but you can with almost every other HRM smart watch device.
Well the button is on the side, and the added word was "besides" so I was trying to give the benefit of the doubt
Can you turn that siren function off, no way I want that siren to go live if the button is accidentally engaged.
Does Casio or anyone make a bare bones smartwatch, no smartphone connectivity needed, and the ability to have a home screen with complications; stock quotes, weather, news headlines, maybe throw in GPS and driving directions, sort of like that Microsoft watch that was first out on the scene around twenty years ago, it would be cool to have a device that was simple and just gave you some functional day to day information.
This is the most I've been excited about receiving a first-generation new Apple product probably since the launch of the iPad. I am like a kid waiting on Christmas! The 23rd can't come fast enough for me. Hopefully, it arrives on that date or no later than the next business day.
And I think Apple underestimated the initial popularity of the Ultra. The shipping dates are going to get worse.
And I think Apple underestimated the initial popularity of the Ultra. The shipping dates are going to get worse.