Do you have high expectations for AW Series 8?

[satchmo]

I'm guessing they'll probably keep the Series 7's design for the Series 8 and 9 just like how they've kept the same design for three generations (Series 0/1,2,3 and Series 4,5,6). That would also give Apple the opportunity to introduce a brand new design for the 10th generation Apple Watch (Series X??) and we might even see the squared edges design then.

The S7 design is essentially the same as S4-S6.
I can't see them keeping this form factor for another 3 generations.

Perhaps the SE stays the same, with an S8 and S8 'rugged' being squared edged. The rugged version going larger and thicker for more battery life.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Also have a 5 here, with battery life at 82%. I’m going to replace the battery when it hits 80% and then wait to see what enhancements they bring to the 8. If it’s a big change, I’ll upgrade. If not, I’ll hang into the 5 for another year.

I’m going to put up with mine until September as I can’t see the point in paying for a battery replacement for a few months of use. The watch will end up in a drawer anyway as it’s worth very little at this point. Makes sense though if you’re keeping it another year.

I’ll go for another aluminium model as the last two I have had have been great (apart from the battery). I’ll buy the smaller model too as I hate big watches so I hope the price remains competitive.

 

[danny121pt]

They would make better improvements to apple ecosystem by making their run activity actually designed for runners. i.e

Include intervals / able to create own sessions
Better run metrics / datafields
Better post run analysis
Apple Coach - the AI coach to get you towards you 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon etc

There is third party apps that do this, however surely many agree, it's a shame apple haven't improved their running profile.

Add that and they automatically increase sales, productivity and take a % of a market away from other brands tbh.


But hardware I would say better battery life in which this and the addition of software changes suggestions above would be better than just Apple Watch 8 with minimal differences to the 7 etc.

 

[PaladinGuy]

I’m genuinely interested in how Garmin can get approx 10 days on their Venu 2 (always-on turned off) and Apple can only get 2-3 days.

A Youtuber also suggested Fitbit (now owned by Google) might get 5 days in it’s next iteration under Wear OS3.

If they’re all using OLED displays, and similar resolutions, is WatchOS a power hog? I’d love to see Apple get somewhere closer to 5-7 days in the next few generations.

I think the processing power is very different in all of these. The Apple Watch is more fluid and snappy than the Venu 2 and Fitbits. Most reviewers mention more noticeable lag on them compared to the Apple Watch. There’s also just much more capability (read: power drain) with the Apple Watch. Between all the third party apps that people use and the first-party apps, the Apple Watch tends to get used more throughout the day. Other than dismissing a notification here and there, there’s not much to fiddle with on Garmin and Fitbit watches, especially if you have an iPhone. I think the battery life differences come down to the fact that: 1. They use lower powered processors and don’t tax them much and 2. People tend to use them for fewer tasks throughout the day.

If you want to take it to the next level, LTE service on the Apple Watch is a huge draw on power that the Venu and Fitbits don’t have.

As most reviewers have said, the Apple Watch is a smartwatch. Things like the Venu are first and foremost fitness watches with some smarts.

 

[nattK]

The S7 design is essentially the same as S4-S6.
I can't see them keeping this form factor for another 3 generations.

Perhaps the SE stays the same, with an S8 and S8 'rugged' being squared edged. The rugged version going larger and thicker for more battery life.

Externally the Series 7 might seem to be the same as the Series 4-6, but internally it’s very much different. Producing the new curved display itself was such a significant change that it led to production delays for the Series 7. From an engineering and manufacturing standpoint, they are unlikely to pivot to a new design for the Series 8 and abandon all the manufacturing and production processes they have just created for the Series 7.

I expect the rugged version to be a new case material similar to how the Series 5 introduced new case materials from the Series 4.

 

[PaladinGuy]

I strongly believe that Apple first needs to start building on what the watch can already do before they start trying to add anything else. There's plenty they can do with the existing sensors. Improve battery life, increase sensor sampling frequency, and do more with the data that the watch already collects. I'd take those things over additional sensors or new designs.

 

[pneves1975]

I think the processing power is very different in all of these. The Apple Watch is more fluid and snappy than the Venu 2 and Fitbits. Most reviewers mention more noticeable lag on them compared to the Apple Watch. There’s also just much more capability (read: power drain) with the Apple Watch. Between all the third party apps that people use and the first-party apps, the Apple Watch tends to get used more throughout the day. Other than dismissing a notification here and there, there’s not much to fiddle with on Garmin and Fitbit watches, especially if you have an iPhone. I think the battery life differences come down to the fact that: 1. They use lower powered processors and don’t tax them much and 2. People tend to use them for fewer tasks throughout the day.

If you want to take it to the next level, LTE service on the Apple Watch is a huge draw on power that the Venu and Fitbits don’t have.

As most reviewers have said, the Apple Watch is a smartwatch. Things like the Venu are first and foremost fitness watches with some smarts.

I get your idea and I partially agree. But how about a 11% battery drain (sometimes even more.. like 16%) while the screen is off in 8h sleep mode? My previous Garmin Fenix 3 HR captured more sleep data than AW (at least I could see more data on the app with detailed graphs) and never lost more than 5%. Surely AW can use Pulse Ox that my previous Garmin couldn't, but even today the HR measure in AW is far away from real time, so I don't think it is making much Ox measurements on sleep (I tried disabling it and made no difference in battery life).

So what gives? Is it processing power, use cases and AOD? I don't think so.

I just sold my series 7 after not being able to live with the fact that I had to remove it from my wrist every single day. I miss my Fénix 3 HR in this regard. If Apple can deliver battery life compatible with a watch use (for me charging a computer and phone makes sense because I do not need to "take it off" like a watch and can charge while in use), I will not get back on board. For me the night battery drain was inexplicable and a major deception.

Having said this Samsung is also struggling with battery life, and some watches (Huawei Watch 3 PRO) give maximum 5 days on Android but 2.5 days in iOS, I wonder why.

Great year for everyone!

 

[jsamuelson]

I’m going to put up with mine until September as I can’t see the point in paying for a battery replacement for a few months of use. The watch will end up in a drawer anyway as it’s worth very little at this point. Makes sense though if you’re keeping it another year.

I’ll go for another aluminium model as the last two I have had have been great (apart from the battery). I’ll buy the smaller model too as I hate big watches so I hope the price remains competitive.

Same. My battery health on my Series 3 (the cellular model with a smidge more RAM, so I haven't had any issues updating) is at 85%, OK for a watch made in Oct 2017 and used every single day since. I really don't want to pay for a battery replacement, so will stick it out until September-ish and upgrade to the latest and greatest.

 

[Foilguy]

Glad to see so many responses are focusing on battery life. Here’s a simple brute force game changing upgrade. Take the current small size 7/SE models and put the extra size and weight that would have gone into the large size models and redirect it all to increased battery size. Oh, and Apple, “quit worrying so much about Nike logo’s and color options”. Dare to dream

 

[pesos]

If they bring back ceramic I'd probably replace my S3 ceramic edition. If not I guess I'll keep trolling for a deal on an S5 ceramic.

 

[Rychiar]

Given the relatively small incremental features from S4 through to S6 and S7 primarily just a larger display, are you expecting a major upgrade for AW S8?

Other than blood glucose monitoring, I'm not sure there is anything else they can add. And frankly blood glucose monitoring may still be a year out...so will it essentially be the same as an S7 but with the squared-off edge design?

The biggest upgrade ever was the always on display. Always weird to me how people see that as minor. Didn’t want a watch til then

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

The biggest upgrade ever was the always on display. Always weird to me how people see that as minor. Didn’t want a watch til then

It’s wasn’t a big deal to me I must admit. I went through a stage of disabling it when one of the updates made the battery life appallingly bad. I think if it was a must have feature then the SE would have included it, but that’s a popular watch in its own right.

 

[Velin]

Series 7 is great. Don’t mash more junk into it. Instead, refine and improve. Better battery life. Any incremental screen improvement is a big plus. Refine WatchOS so it is even smoother and more responsive.

But Series 7 is best smartwatch available. Keep it that way with 8, 9, 10 by improving core functionality, not gimmicks.

 

[Rychiar]

It’s wasn’t a big deal to me I must admit. I went through a stage of disabling it when one of the updates made the battery life appallingly bad. I think if it was a must have feature then the SE would have included it, but that’s a popular watch in its own right.

I never noticed a difference from always on display. Always Lasts 18 hours.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I never noticed a difference from always on display. Always Lasts 18 hours.

I’ve got a series 5 and it’s never been great. Right now it’s within the last 10% after 14 hours and completely dead by the time I go to bed.

 

[Night Spring]

The biggest upgrade ever was the always on display. Always weird to me how people see that as minor. Didn’t want a watch til then

To me, it's not something I use, as I can't read the time by just glancing out the corner of my eyes, as other people seem to be able to do. I need to bring the watch up near my face to see the time, and that turns the watch on about 99% of the time. And when I'm not looking at the watch, there is no need for it to be on. Plus, I don't fancy having other people peeking at my activity circles. So I don't have a reason to use it, and there's one reason not to.

 

[bluespark]

Series 7 is great. Don’t mash more junk into it. Instead, refine and improve. Better battery life. Any incremental screen improvement is a big plus. Refine WatchOS so it is even smoother and more responsive.

But Series 7 is best smartwatch available. Keep it that way with 8, 9, 10 by improving core functionality, not gimmicks.

Agreed. My watch is not where I want gimmicky changes happening. I like my Series 7 so much that I plan to keep it for a few years. With the exception of the Timers app, which Apple ruined, everything works just the way I want it to, and the watch looks great to me.

 

[GrandeLatte]

Maybe even better battery life.
One or two new health sensors.
Even bigger screen.
A little something here and there.

But AW upgrades are usually very slow and stable, so I’m cool with my Series 7.

 

[canyonblue737]

Given the relatively small incremental features from S4 through to S6 and S7 primarily just a larger display, are you expecting a major upgrade for AW S8?

Other than blood glucose monitoring, I'm not sure there is anything else they can add. And frankly blood glucose monitoring may still be a year out...so will it essentially be the same as an S7 but with the squared-off edge design?

so here is my guess...

NORMALLY after a "design" update year the follow on year is about new processors and sensors, yet it seems the "big" stuff like glucose or blood pressure monitoring isn't ready. only skin temp monitoring (mainly for female cycle tracking) seems a lock for Series 8. So what will this year be all about? Here is my guess...

1. A Series 8 41/45 the same exact design as Series 7: but adding skin temp monitoring and a faster processor. A bit underwhelming although some other updates like car crash detection etc. will help (but maybe work on older watches too?)

2. A new SE watch with always on display.

3. THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT of the year is a new "rugged" larger Apple Watch. This will be the flat sided watch we thought was Series 7 last year. It will have a larger and thicker case and the screen may be even larger than 45mm. It won't come in a smaller size. The big story is it will have a MUCH bigger battery and will double or more battery life to enable all day GPS tracking for long hikes, triathlons etc. Maybe it will have more feature rich options for sports tracking like intervals etc. in software? It won't really be as rugged as Garmin Fenix series watches, nor have as long a battery life but it will for the first time allow more serious athletes and outdoorsmen to consider the Apple Watch since you can use it for 2-3 days and at least a full 24 hours of GPS / HR tracking during a workout.

Apple will LOVE if everyone buys an Apple Watch AND an Apple Watch Rugged and they will once again heavily promote how easy it is to move back and forth between watches and not lose data, rings etc.

 

[canyonblue737]

I'm guessing they'll probably keep the Series 7's design for the Series 8 and 9 just like how they've kept the same design for three generations (Series 0/1,2,3 and Series 4,5,6). That would also give Apple the opportunity to introduce a brand new design for the 10th generation Apple Watch (Series X??) and we might even see the squared edges design then.

I agree except I think the flat design is the rugged version of the watch that will be sold along side the SE/Series8 this year. Essentially a third branch of the tree. The rugged design will be larger and most importantly have a bigger battery that they will use to claim it can track longer GPS events like hikes for upwards of 24 hours vs. the 8 on the current watch.

 

[ufgatorvet]

I often wonder if the camp that "needs a battery that lasts longer" are the minority or majority. I often read those posts and wonder why my battery lasts 22-24 hours every day. Am I not a typical user? Not enough streaming? Not enough work outs? Not enough fussing with the watch all day long?

For my AW5 and AW7 I have never had battery concerns. Am I atypical?

 

[Night Spring]

I often wonder if the camp that "needs a battery that lasts longer" are the minority or majority. I often read those posts and wonder why my battery lasts 22-24 hours every day. Am I not a typical user? Not enough streaming? Not enough work outs? Not enough fussing with the watch all day long?

For my AW5 and AW7 I have never had battery concerns. Am I atypical?

I'm also satisfied with the battery life. I charge my Apple Watch S6 before bed, put it on so I can track my sleep, and it stays on for the next 23 hours, when I put it back on charger about an hour before bed time. I usually have about 20% battery left at that point. However, I should note I don't use always on display. People who do may run out of battery before 24 hours?

 

[mk313]

I often wonder if the camp that "needs a battery that lasts longer" are the minority or majority. I often read those posts and wonder why my battery lasts 22-24 hours every day. Am I not a typical user? Not enough streaming? Not enough work outs? Not enough fussing with the watch all day long?

For my AW5 and AW7 I have never had battery concerns. Am I atypical?

For me, it really seems to depend on if I’m exercising and/or using the cellular radio. If I’m not, I can end a typical day with a lot of battery life left. But if I’m out riding or running for a while and I stream podcasts, I can run the battery down before noon.

 

[jz0309]

I often wonder if the camp that "needs a battery that lasts longer" are the minority or majority. I often read those posts and wonder why my battery lasts 22-24 hours every day. Am I not a typical user? Not enough streaming? Not enough work outs? Not enough fussing with the watch all day long?

For my AW5 and AW7 I have never had battery concerns. Am I atypical?

no, you're not ...
My S4 at the end of my day between 16 and 17 hrs on my wrist) was at ~ 45-50% battery life, my S7 with same usage pattern is ~ 25-30%.
I always charged overnight, but since I have the S7 it goes on the charger overnight and the S4 tracks my sleep and goes on the charger every other day ...
I've said it before, I rather charge every day and do this as a habit vs having to watch the exact battery percentage and figure out if I need to charge or not ... but everyone is different

 

[hmorneau]

The biggest upgrade ever was the always on display. Always weird to me how people see that as minor. Didn’t want a watch til then

Same. I bought the S4 and returned it because the wrist flick was so annoying (you look stupid when it doesn't work). Also while doing a sport where the screen is locked (swimming) it's really hard sometimes to get the screen to turn on to see where you are at. I hated it. I bought the S5 the following year and, wow, it's a watch! Like now while typing this I can glance at my watch and the time is there, you know, like a watch.

Now I have the S7 and I must say the battery is even better. Did 2 hours of sport today (tracked with the Watch) and I'm down to 50% at the moment and it's 9h30 PM. I have all the things turned on (sound meter, brightness screen set to maximum, etc.)

Every feature after the S5 I don't really care much, to be honest. Like the O2 meter, who really monitors their O2? I personally don't see the point. It's like the ECG, you do that when the watch is new to try and you never do it again. Bigger screen? Yeah, ok, but it's not much of a change. Fast charge? I charge overnight... The only thing is the battery drain less with the S7 when you track sport than with the S5.

It's a mature product, I like the slow incremental approach Apple is doing.