Apple's Kevin Lynch Explains Method Behind Apple Watch's Precise Timekeeping

[CarlJ]

NTP is not high tech...nor is it rarely used and only by the tech geeks out there. Its been used for years by even most userish of users.

When you setup a new OS, ...

Have you read much of this thread? I gave quite a bit of explanation about NTP and pointed out that I've run NTP servers before, at the campus level... why are you trying to explain to me how it's used? (I can quote the relevant Cisco IOS configuration commands for NTP to you if you'd like. I speak Cisco IOS as well as iOS.)

My point stands exactly as I said it: NTP-based time syncing is not something that has been available to average consumers IN A WATCH before, thus Apple putting it into a watch is them taking something that is advanced tech IN THIS CONTEXT and putting it into a form that average consumers can and will use. The fact that desktop computers have used NTP previously to get the time (note, most of them are grabbing the time from an NTP server *once*, or *occasionally*, and not running a properly synced NTP client), IS IRRELEVANT to the point I made.

 

[CarlJ]

My $25 Raspberry Pi is currently less than 5 milliseconds off relative to the Apple NTP servers. That is an order of magnitude better than the Apple Watch tolerance.

Cool story bro, what kind of batteries and portable display do you carry in order to use your Raspberry Pi as a "pocket" watch when you're out and about? I actually have a Raspberry Pi (and a PiTFT touchscreen and a python script running on top of the PyGame library) specifically set up as an extremely accurate digital clock in my living room. Done that way so it could take advantage of NTP to always have the right time. But I couldn't find a watch that was similarly accurate, self-adjusting, and reliable ("Atomic clock" radio signals and GPS don't always get good reception), so I bought an Apple Watch.

 

[npmacuser5]

Or when you have a mechanical watch and you forget to set it to the correct time zone your in. The apple watch has you covered there it does it auto magically.

there are benefits to each device one is not better than the other. This need for the apple watch to be better than all other watches is kinda funny.

If i am dressed up i am not wearing my apple watch. I am wearing my polished up Omega.

Sorry you missed my point. Apple was showing off how much better their time keeping is compared to other watches. My point, who cares if the Apple watch (Any Smartwatch) is milliseconds better then your Omega, most care that the watch has enough battery to last a long business day. I agree it is kinda funny for Apple to say their Watch is better at keeping time then run out of battery before the end of a typical business day. Your points were well taken however.
I dress up with a Movado.

 

[CarlJ]

Having been in the industry almost two decades now, it's simply laughable how some of you are trying to repackage this as a new breakthrough in tech or product development. (the same feature has also been in your Mac OS for well over a decade now).

I've been in the industry more than three decades. Is there some sort of prize? I'm very happy that I can now go and get a WATCH that gets its accuracy from NTP.

The fact that OS X uses NTP has NO relevance in a discussion of WATCHES unless you regularly carry an open and running MacBook strapped to your arm.

It's as if you said, "smart phones are no big deal, computers have been around for decades". Well, as a developer and a consumer, having a computer I can carry in my pocket all the time IS a big deal. In the same vein, having an NTP-sync'd WATCH on my WRIST is a big deal to me. It is, in fac, one of the reasons I got an Apple Watch.

It feels a bit like everyone who has heard of NTP is coming out of the woodwork to show how smart they are by pointing out that it's been around a long time. Not on a widely available consumer level watch it hasn't.

 

[telefono]

My Apple Watch is one of the most accurate in displaying the time and I'm always late for work

 

[SusanK]

NYE and a person's big thrill is precision timekeeping? Very sad.

 

[jerwin]

indeed, the funny part is how this pseudo-magazine plays along with it, apple's employee just explained how NTP works, nothing to do with apple, even chinese $25 smartwatches have the same accuracy.

quoth the wikipedia

The relative stability of the resonator and its driving circuit is much better than its absolute accuracy. Standard-quality resonators of this type are warranted to have a long-term accuracy of about 6 parts per million (0.0006%) at 31 °C (87.8 °F): that is, a typical quartz clock or wristwatch will gain or lose 15 seconds per 30 days (within a normal temperature range of 5 °C/41 °F to 35 °C/95 °F) or less than a half second clock drift per day when worn near the body.

If you want something more akin to what a tourbillon provides, consider upgrading to the Apple Watch Edition.

 

[CarlJ]

NYE and a person's big thrill is precision timekeeping? Very sad.

Eh, on the west coast the parties haven't really started yet. It's not even 7pm. One can have more than one thrill.

 

[macmediausa]

It doesn't matter how accurate my Apple Watch was...
With the Times Square ball drop, the watch was 20 seconds too fast.
So big deal if it was accurate - 2 million other people were celebrating much later than I was and I could have looked like a total jerk

 

[appledefenceforce]

It's still ugly as hell and nobody wants it.

only millions of people bought it. Yeah sure outsold years of Android wears.

This website rivals Reddit when it comes to trolling.

 

[Ramchi]

If we compare Apple Watches with Automatic Movement Watches which are even more expensive but cannot provide you with accurate time without manual intervention every other day or so....People have been quite lenient when it comes to accuracy of watches....some people even keep it few minutes ahead or late deliberately, not sure if this is possible with Apple Watch!

 

[unlinked]

Yeah sure outsold years of Android wears.

This website rivals Reddit when it comes to trolling.

Usually plurals are only really appropriate when there is more than one of something.

 

[Mw0103]

....some people even keep it few minutes ahead or late deliberately, not sure if this is possible with Apple Watch!

It is.

http://9to5mac.com/2015/04/10/adjust-time-apple-watch/

 

[bsolar]

My point stands exactly as I said it: NTP-based time syncing is not something that has been available to average consumers IN A WATCH before, thus Apple putting it into a watch is them taking something that is advanced tech IN THIS CONTEXT and putting it into a form that average consumers can and will use.

As far as I understand the Apple Watch itself does not directly use NTP: the Apple Watch synchronizes its time with the iPhone and it's the iPhone which uses NTP. I think this is what other smartwatches already did out of the box years before the Apple Watch. This is even mentioned in one of the articles:

"Apple's claims about timing accuracy is impressive, but it isn't what I would consider really innovative given that it is logical to have your connected watch feed from your mobile phone's clock which itself is based on GPS signals or the network (which probably relies on an atomic clock somewhere along the line)," said aBlogToWatch Editor-in-Chief and watch expert Ariel Adams in an email to Mashable.

And to be honest I wouldn't consider putting a NTP client directly on the smartwatch such an innovative idea either...

 

[Mr. Buzzcut]

Confused about the crystal that is inside the Watch for timekeeping. If it's calibrated based on GPS and bluetooth from the phone, what's the point for the crystal?

Software clocks drift quickly and it consumes resources to check the NTP server frequently. So the crystal keeps the time accurate and stable.

 

[Mr. Buzzcut]

It's what Apple do better than anyone else, and it's why mindless fools accept the fact that when a device slows down due to an iOS update, they believe they need to upgrade and don't question why Apple are deliberately slowing down their device.



Well, exactly, but then Apple wouldn't be able to track your phone and watch

I thought I should add computers, phones and all smart watches are incredibly accurate but it's all boring stuff.

Now while many purists may scoff at the fact that this is a TAG Heuer, the fact that it keeps accuracy to 1/2000th of a second is a true marvel in a mechanical wrist watch.

Apple Watch is just another boring piece of silicon. This is a work of art....

Printing a feature list on the case of a product is garish and tacky. I'd expect it from Casio but not getting into this price point.

 

[tooltalk]

I've been in the industry more than three decades. Is there some sort of prize? I'm very happy that I can now go and get a WATCH that gets its accuracy from NTP.

The fact that OS X uses NTP has NO relevance in a discussion of WATCHES unless you regularly carry an open and running MacBook strapped to your arm.

It's as if you said, "smart phones are no big deal, computers have been around for decades". Well, as a developer and a consumer, having a computer I can carry in my pocket all the time IS a big deal. In the same vein, having an NTP-sync'd WATCH on my WRIST is a big deal to me. It is, in fac, one of the reasons I got an Apple Watch.

It feels a bit like everyone who has heard of NTP is coming out of the woodwork to show how smart they are by pointing out that it's been around a long time. Not on a widely available consumer level watch it hasn't.

@CarlJ : Sure, since you claim to have so much industry experience, would you mind telling the public why Apple's implementation of NTP in Apple Watch (or via iPhone) is so unique and groundbreaking? What's so technically challenging about well known, well-tested NTP protocol in embedded devices, widely used and implemented in almost all conceivable electronic devices from appliance/servers to desktop to wearables? I don't want to hear your blabbering about how Apple's changed the smartphone market and any other garbage you've been throwing around here.

 

[Mr. Buzzcut]

I've been in the industry more than three decades. Is there some sort of prize? I'm very happy that I can now go and get a WATCH that gets its accuracy from NTP.

The fact that OS X uses NTP has NO relevance in a discussion of WATCHES unless you regularly carry an open and running MacBook strapped to your arm.

It's as if you said, "smart phones are no big deal, computers have been around for decades". Well, as a developer and a consumer, having a computer I can carry in my pocket all the time IS a big deal. In the same vein, having an NTP-sync'd WATCH on my WRIST is a big deal to me. It is, in fac, one of the reasons I got an Apple Watch.

It feels a bit like everyone who has heard of NTP is coming out of the woodwork to show how smart they are by pointing out that it's been around a long time. Not on a widely available consumer level watch it hasn't.

The Casio Waveceptor has been on the market since 2000. I'd say that's a consumer level watch. Other brands such as Citizen and Seiko started using the technology as well. Also consumer products.

 

[wovel]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it is incorrect to say that Apple has 15 NTP servers. Those are military NTP servers and Apple is merely reading the time on GPS signals that are originated by the military NTP servers. Unless Apple is now in charge of the military's GPS system and satellites and controls what is being transmitted.

You are wrong.... Apple watches are synced with Apple's NTP servers which are synced with the GPS signal.

 

[2128506]

Coming up next: "An iPhone Allows Making Phone Calls" shocker.

Considering where it's all headed one wouldn't be surprised to get phone calls from iPhone as a paid extra in near future.

 

[2128506]

only millions of people bought it

Millions of people still listen to Justin Bieber.

And millions of flies could not be wrong as well...

 

[dan110]

Not sure if anyone needs to have that accurate of time when we have so many avenues for time.

 

[rdlink]

It's still ugly as hell and nobody wants it.

Hmmm, ~8 million nobodies in the world...

 

[AppleScruff1]

NYE and a person's big thrill is precision timekeeping? Very sad.

Wait until the Magic Apple Ring is released in 2017.

 

[Mw0103]

Not sure if anyone needs to have that accurate of time when we have so many avenues for time.

The point is that there would be a mob with pitchforks if the Apple WATCH didn't keep good time. It's simply the narrative that it's a watch first and foremost. That they account for the transmission delay in the various parts of the process is pretty impressive. My Windows machine at my last job would routinely trail to 5 minutes slow, which would play havoc with meetings and catching the train at the end of the day.