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Does anyone actually NEED a watch AND a phone?

Arran

Arran

macrumors 601
Original poster
Mar 7, 2008
4,944
3,970
Atlanta, USA
I've pondered this question for some time now (like many) and always come back to the view that the watch is a really, really nice add-on to the phone in my pocket, but not absolutely essential.

I'm starting to shift, however, since using ApplePay on the watch more and more.

Perhaps not right now, but maybe in a few years, when mission-critical functionality resides primarily on our electronic devices, it's going to be rather nice to have a backup device on your person should the other device fail.

By mission critical, I mean things like: credit cards, boarding passes, public transport passes, car unlocking and starting, home security systems, hotel room keys. Things which absolutely must work 100%

So, could having two devices, on your person, start to be seen as a huge advantage?

Could something as simple as, "redundant backup" be Apple's killer app?

Thoughts?
 
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I think for those kinds of uses, the watch would start being seen as the primary device, and the phone would be considered the backup. But yes, I do see being the control hub of the "internet of things" as the key use for the watch going forward. Before I had the watch, I hadn't considered getting a smartlock, because digging the phone out of my pocket or bag to open my door is the same effort as digging out my keys. Now that I have the watch, I'm considering getting a smartlock, because touch my wrist to the door and open sesame would be so much easier.
 
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I poo'poo'd the watch on get go, but if I can use the watch instead of the iPhone, I'd jump because what little I do on the phone can be done on the watch (I can wait to check emails, hit the bank etc. until I get to work and/or home.)

Like my computing needs, my iPhone needs (which were never high to begin with) are fewer and far between. Besides if I could save the on the phone bill every month that would be great.

No, I would not need a watch and a phone.
 
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I don't see how the text you wrote follows your rather inflammatory title. The Watch will never do everything that the phone does, but what it will do, especially as the hardware and software develops, is free us from needing to have our phone at our sides every second. This had already begun to happen with Continuity, which allowed me to leave my phone on the counter around the house a lot more as I was generally near another Mac or iPad within earshot at least. The Watch extends that freedom to out of the house. Especially once it has GPS and a phone, I won't feel the need to carry my phone with my every time I leave the house on an errand, go for a walk, go for a run, whatever. That will be a nice convenience, and it's at that point I believe that the wearable market will really skyrocket.
 
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JayLenochiniMac said:
We don't carry a backup device for our iPhone should it fail so why should it be any different?
Click to expand...
I kinda do... My iPad, it always has plenty of battery on it and I can use public wifi hotspots to send text messages and make phone calls through O2's app TuGo if my iPhone battery dies.
It's saved me a few times when in London and need to call the wife or the boss. Just plug in the headphones and hop on a public wifi.
 
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Recognition said:
I kinda do... My iPad, it always has plenty of battery on it and I can use public wifi hotspots to send text messages and make phone calls through O2's app TuGo if my iPhone battery dies.
It's saved me a few times when in London and need to call the wife or the boss. Just plug in the headphones and hop on a public wifi.
Click to expand...

Just as we have the Power Reserve Mode in the Watch, there's no reason why we can't have the same in the iPhone and perhaps Apple will incorporate that in the future. Better to have a crippled iPhone than a completely dead one.
 
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No one needs a cell phone or apple watch (in the strictest sense of the word need). I think the iPhone provides so much benefits personally and professionally. The apple watch is a nice to have luxury, I don't see it getting near the level of utility of the iPhone.
 
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Nobody needs any of this, by most definitions. However, the iPhone is an amazing convenience (or distraction), and the Watch adds to that convenience with a touch of luxury (and a filter to the distraction, if you like).

What I see happening in my own life is a personal network of devices. From the watch, I can control the music playing from my iPhone, which is streaming wirelessly via Bluetooth to headphones or speakers. I might not even be connected to the Internet, yet I have my own personal network.

I'm patiently waiting to control my Kevo door locks using my watch, which would be especially convenient if I left my iPhone inside on its charger. While the demand to have this functionality is there, I have my doubts Unikey / Kwikset will get us there with the existing hardware and API. I'd actually rather hold my watch up to an NFC reader on the door or doorframe. I may just have to build my own setup for that to work.

BTW - I tried Android Wear for the better part of a year. It was only a taste of what was to come with Apple Watch, which presently stands head and shoulders above Android Wear (in my opinion, of course). Undoubtedly Google will continue to offer competition to Apple, which is good for everyone, so I do cheerlead for both parties.
 
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No one needs any gadget of any kind. Mankind has survived before electricity.. but history tells us we do all we can to invent new stuff for convenience and laziness - I bet this isn't the last of it ;)
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
We don't carry a backup device for our iPhone should it fail so why should it be any different?
Click to expand...
Yeah, but in the not so distant future, when you don't carry cash/cards or house keys on your person, could you see yourself wanting a backup?

What if you're off on a business trip 1000 miles from home and locked out of your hotel room? Or just a shopping trip 50 miles from home and locked out of your car? When your cash is on your watch and your car keys are on your watch and your watch has flat battery, what do you do?
 
Recognition said:
I kinda do... My iPad, it always has plenty of battery on it and I can use public wifi hotspots to send text messages and make phone calls through O2's app TuGo if my iPhone battery dies.
It's saved me a few times when in London and need to call the wife or the boss. Just plug in the headphones and hop on a public wifi.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I'm talking about. We're becoming so dependent on our devices that life becomes difficult without them. It's only going to get worse as we put more-and-more of our lives on these devices.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
Just as we have the Power Reserve Mode in the Watch, there's no reason why we can't have the same in the iPhone and perhaps Apple will incorporate that in the future. Better to have a crippled iPhone than a completely dead one.
Click to expand...
I don't see how that would help. The watch in power reserve mode won't buy you lunch, pay for a taxi home or open your hotel room door. A phone in a similar state won't be much use either. What you need when your phone (or watch) dies is another device on you that's still charged.
 
maflynn said:
No one needs a cell phone or apple watch (in the strictest sense of the word need). I think the iPhone provides so much benefits personally and professionally. The apple watch is a nice to have luxury, I don't see it getting near the level of utility of the iPhone.
Click to expand...
Nor do I, but as we become more dependent on electronic substitutes for room keys, car keys, wallets, etc. a single flat battery could be quite debilitating personally.

We're not there yet, but maybe in 10 years?
 
Arran said:
I don't see how that would help. The watch in power reserve mode won't buy you lunch, pay for a taxi home or open your hotel room door. A phone in a similar state won't be much use either. What you need when your phone (or watch) dies is another device on you that's still charged.
Click to expand...

True if the iPhone uses the same crippled power reserve mode as found in the Watch. I don't know how versatile the one in iOS 9 is, but it should in theory allow all those essential tasks. We'll find out.
 
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Arran said:
I don't see how that would help. The watch in power reserve mode won't buy you lunch, pay for a taxi home or open your hotel room door. A phone in a similar state won't be much use either. What you need when your phone (or watch) dies is another device on you that's still charged.
Click to expand...
I'd rather my battery died on my phone than I lost my house keys or my wallet.
When you lose your keys or wallet or hotel pass, you don't get a countdown, ticking away until the moment it's lost. They're just gone with no warning.
Then you have the huge inconvenience of getting new keys cut, bank cards cancelled, paying for a replacement hotel room key.
Or you could just go into virtually any shop, ask a friend or even a stranger if you could use their charger for 5 minutes.
 
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Another

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Topic...
 
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Recognition said:
...When you lose your keys or wallet or hotel pass, you don't get a countdown, ticking away until the moment it's lost. They're just gone with no warning.
Click to expand...
That's actually a really good point. Like a low-fuel warning light on a car? The watch/phone would keep a little more juice in reserve just for the mission critical functions. Like it.

But what about the sudden, catastrophic loss of one device:
  • Your watch falls off your wrist on a crowded subway unnoticed. It's lost forever.
  • Chronic (but unnoticed) water penetration suddenly takes its toll. (I've actually had that one happen to me.)
  • Something more brutal, like banging the watch into the ground as you fall, rendering it useless.
  • Or just plain theft.

You'd want a second device on your person, or readily accessible, wouldn't you? I would.
 
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Arran said:
That's actually a really good point. Like a low-fuel warning light on a car? The watch/phone would keep a little more juice in reserve just for the mission critical functions. Like it.

But what about the sudden, catastrophic loss of one device:
  • Your watch falls off your wrist on a crowded subway unnoticed. It's lost forever.
  • Chronic (but unnoticed) water penetration suddenly takes its toll. (I've actually had that one happen to me.)
  • Something more brutal, like banging the watch into the ground as you fall, rendering it useless.
  • Or just plain theft.

You'd want a second device on your person, or readily accessible, wouldn't you? I would.
Click to expand...

Any of the above can happen to our physical keys, wallets, etc., yet we do not carry a second set of keys, wallet, etc. on our person, do we?
 
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