Nah, the 12 series had particularly poor battery health for some reason.
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Done with Apple Watches for now
- Thread starter jsgreen
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"Not a watch" 
iPhone is not a phone either then?
Buyers do need to educate themselves on what they purchase. That's the obligation on the buyer though. Certainly anyone who thinks it could possibly be an heirloom has only themselves to blame. It's a 3-4 year tech device.
iPhone is not a phone either then?
Buyers do need to educate themselves on what they purchase. That's the obligation on the buyer though. Certainly anyone who thinks it could possibly be an heirloom has only themselves to blame. It's a 3-4 year tech device.
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I have an iPhone 13 Pro I got last September and it’s at 90. Use cases vary and the 11 doesn’t have 5G, so that saves battery.
The 12 series had the worst/smallest batteries to consumption rate due to making room for the 5G antennas (especially the mini). Smaller battery paired with 5G battery use was a double whammy. When I lived in China I had a 12 and as people use their phones for everything there the 12 was a joke. You could overhear people on the subway or cafes talking about it all the time, my friends would always joke about the battery rentals just being around for the iPhones (or as they say Apple 12 苹果12）
I got myself two nice "real" watches and i havent used my Apple Watch since.
Apple PAy works (since we dont have to wear a mask anymore) fine with FaceID and otherwise, the features of the Apple watch where time tracking and maybe weather forecasts.
My watch has become just a nice gimmick, nothing more. And now i prefer style, which real watches can offer better.
Apple PAy works (since we dont have to wear a mask anymore) fine with FaceID and otherwise, the features of the Apple watch where time tracking and maybe weather forecasts.
My watch has become just a nice gimmick, nothing more. And now i prefer style, which real watches can offer better.
The iPhone 12 series had a notoriously terrible battery for some reason. I was down to 90% in a year on my 12 Pro and the battery life was noticeably bad, and everyone I've known with one had a similar experience. I don't know what it was with that model but the battery was trash.
I'm guessing that just 120 years ago, Luddites were questioning why anyone would spend large sums of money on a wristwatch or mechanical clock that had to be wound daily, cleaned and adjusted frequently, when they could just stick with their old reliable sundial and candle clock.
My Garmin will last well beyond that time frame.
Smartwatch lifespan seems more like smartphone vs actual smartwatch. Perhaps as more of these get into the market we will get a better picture.
It’s really not a watch though. Not anymore than your iPhone is at least.
It’s a wrist worn health tracker that belongs in the ”consumer electronics“ category.
There are plenty of wristwatches and timepieces to be bought at all kinds of price points. Really Apple Watch is really just a tiny smartphone with health tracking sensors that has about the same footprint as a watch.
But no regular watch can do all of what Apple Watch does.. which is part of the explanation why they last so long.
I have my own gripes with AW. But expecting Apple to deliver something as small as AW with as many features and sensors as AW and also have the battery be replaceable while keeping water resistance is just not fair.
Indeed!
My watch is my smartphone; my iPhone is a small tablet.
Those old enough to remember the original iPhone will realize that it was a revolutionary smartphone in terms of what you could do with it, and also that today’s watch can do all those same things, and more … and do it all easier and better with a superior UI. In a form factor that’s a fraction of the size that lives on your wrist.
If all the Apple Watch did was show the time and date, sure, you might be upset that it has a limited practical lifespan.
But nobody in the history of the world has made a phone call with their Rolex. Or sent an email. Or gotten turn-by-turn directions to a destination. Or checked the UV index or AQI at a glance. Or scanned through upcoming calendar events. Or measured their blood oxygen or gotten an EKG. Nor has their Rolex called 911 on their behalf after a fall or a crash.
If you’re not interested in having a watch that does any of that (and, of course, an insane amount more!) — if all you want is the time and the date on your wrist — then, obviously, you want a device that excels at just giving you the time and the date. Which would be a Rolex or any number of other mechanical watches.
But me? I’m as interested in actually wearing a Rolex day-to-day as I am in using Grandma’s rotary dial phone that I still have on the wall in my office (and which worked until I cancelled the landline) as my “daily driver” telephone.
b&
So you are placing "new" limitations on the definition of a watch?
My current use items....
Citizen Stiletto
Garmin Fenix 7
Citizen World Chrono
Casio G Shock
Apple Watch Ultra
So you are claiming the Ultra is not a watch? Hmmm.....
Of course I am talking about the AW in the AW forum. I sort my purchases so that I buy in the summer and can make use of the yearly gift card promo. Renewing the MBP came with $150 and the iPad another $100. That pretty much takes care of the cheapest SE. I'd have replaced these devices regardless as they are needed business expenses and the "free" AW on top is pretty sweet. Otherwise I'd never have gotten the AW to begin with as it's more of a gadget to me and it wouldn't be something I'd pay the full price for.
Also doubt OP will get a battery replacement since their AW is defective, they'd have to pay the full repair price. The battery replacement price is only valid if the AW is otherwise in working condition.
Eh, no idea how you came away with that reading.
I wrote, “My watch is my smartphone; my iPhone is a small tablet.” Clearly, that’s an implied inclusivity. Had I written, “My wife is my travel partner,” that would in no way imply that I’m not married.
b&
The Watch batteries should become replaceable in 2027 due to the new EU regulation. It will be interesting to see how Apple handles that.
I can't blame you, OP. The Apple Watch can scarcely be called a watch when it dies and the battery can't be replaced. I hope the European Union's new laws about rechargeable batteries will change that.
When I read your entry, it came across, to me, as the Apple Watch is not a watch.
If I took that incorrectly I apologize.
Ben, I agree wholeheartedly with your point about the Watch and its extraordinary capabilities. It's so much more than a watch!
But I will nitpick this bit of hyperbole.
Not sure that's true, at all!
A disclaimer at the outset. My comparison point is an iPhone 4 — one I still use!
But we're now up to generation 8 or 9* of the Watch and it still can't do things the iPhone 4 can… or, in many cases, what the original iPhone could!
* See https://www.imore.com/health-fitness/apple-watch/history-of-apple-watch
Here's a baker's dozen of things that come to mind!
1. Can you surf the Internet on the Apple Watch in the way you can on the iPhone 4? (Or, on the original iPhone for those who know it?)
2. Can you play games on the watch as you can on the iPhone 4? Bonza, Risk, Scrabble, Sudoku, Solitaire, etc.? Especially viably?
3. Can you play music directly from the watch without ear buds?
4. Can you run full-fledged planetarium programs? And use them at the telescope? Or, to show the path of the ISS through the constellations?
5. Can you read ebooks comfortably? Are there even multiple ebook reading apps for the Watch, especially ones comparable to Stanza, Shubook, or eReader?
6. Can you type emails on the Watch as easily as you can on the IP4? (Or, the original, for those who have or had one?)
7. Can you take photographs with the Watch?
8. Can you read full articles from major newspapers?
9. Do you have full-fledged, unabridged, searchable dictionaries with thesaurus and etymologies on the Watch? Is the classic Webster's 1913 Unabridged Dictionary available for the Apple Watch? Would you even want to use it there?
10. Can you download and view the latest images from SoHO, Hubble, or Spitzer? And be satisfied with what you're looking at?
11. Can you run spreadsheets and databases on the Watch? Not to mention, reasonably and productively?
12. Can you group apps into folders? Do you have ready access to 20 apps on one screen? As opposed to 5 complications max, at least up through Series 7.
13. Can you do any of the above things easier and better on the Watch?
For sure, the Watch does things the original iPhone and IP4 never could — and that even current iPhones can't. You've described those well. It's a viable, satisfying device in its own right.
But the Watch still can't do many things that the early generations of the iPhone could! Yes, that’s because it is severely limited by its tiny screen, and its position on one's wrist. But that simply reinforces the point that it still can't, after 8-9 generations, do what the early iPhones could — and can! However, to reinforce your argument, that's not its purpose!
Finally, the Apple Watch GUI remains incredibly primitive and limited in many respects compared to that of even the early iPhones. But that’s a discussion for another time.
In short, the Apple Watch is, as you point out, definitely far more than a watch, but it's no iPhone! Just as the iPhone is no tablet!
But I will nitpick this bit of hyperbole.
Not sure that's true, at all!
A disclaimer at the outset. My comparison point is an iPhone 4 — one I still use!
But we're now up to generation 8 or 9* of the Watch and it still can't do things the iPhone 4 can… or, in many cases, what the original iPhone could!
* See https://www.imore.com/health-fitness/apple-watch/history-of-apple-watch
Here's a baker's dozen of things that come to mind!
1. Can you surf the Internet on the Apple Watch in the way you can on the iPhone 4? (Or, on the original iPhone for those who know it?)
2. Can you play games on the watch as you can on the iPhone 4? Bonza, Risk, Scrabble, Sudoku, Solitaire, etc.? Especially viably?
3. Can you play music directly from the watch without ear buds?
4. Can you run full-fledged planetarium programs? And use them at the telescope? Or, to show the path of the ISS through the constellations?
5. Can you read ebooks comfortably? Are there even multiple ebook reading apps for the Watch, especially ones comparable to Stanza, Shubook, or eReader?
6. Can you type emails on the Watch as easily as you can on the IP4? (Or, the original, for those who have or had one?)
7. Can you take photographs with the Watch?
8. Can you read full articles from major newspapers?
9. Do you have full-fledged, unabridged, searchable dictionaries with thesaurus and etymologies on the Watch? Is the classic Webster's 1913 Unabridged Dictionary available for the Apple Watch? Would you even want to use it there?
10. Can you download and view the latest images from SoHO, Hubble, or Spitzer? And be satisfied with what you're looking at?
11. Can you run spreadsheets and databases on the Watch? Not to mention, reasonably and productively?
12. Can you group apps into folders? Do you have ready access to 20 apps on one screen? As opposed to 5 complications max, at least up through Series 7.
13. Can you do any of the above things easier and better on the Watch?
For sure, the Watch does things the original iPhone and IP4 never could — and that even current iPhones can't. You've described those well. It's a viable, satisfying device in its own right.
But the Watch still can't do many things that the early generations of the iPhone could! Yes, that’s because it is severely limited by its tiny screen, and its position on one's wrist. But that simply reinforces the point that it still can't, after 8-9 generations, do what the early iPhones could — and can! However, to reinforce your argument, that's not its purpose!
Finally, the Apple Watch GUI remains incredibly primitive and limited in many respects compared to that of even the early iPhones. But that’s a discussion for another time.
In short, the Apple Watch is, as you point out, definitely far more than a watch, but it's no iPhone! Just as the iPhone is no tablet!
That is one aspect in hindsight I did not consider and now may regret.
The lifespan of my Apple Watch Ultra will likely be less than the Garmin I already owned.
For an $800 watch that is a bit of a bummer.
There’s a reason I compared it to the original iPhone, not to later models. There were smartphones well before the iPhone, but the iPhone was a revolutionary high water mark at the time … and it would not pass muster with your list.
Just to pick from the top of your list … you can text yourself a URL from the watch and then open the URL right there on the watch; the resulting experience, while pathetic by modern standards, is actually better than that of early smartphones, including the original iPhone. There are plenty of games for the Watch, including not just solitaire but Doom and Quake. The lack of music on the speakerphone is a (regrettable but understandable) software limitation, and my Ultra is a significantly better speakerphone than your iPhone 4. I’d have to check, but I’m pretty sure NightSky will show me the current ISS location.
Skipping ahead … it never would have occurred to anybody to open a spreadsheet on an early smartphone. I might maybe do so today on my 13 mini out of desperation, but I guarantee you that you are not running any spreadsheets (nor databases) on your own iPhone 4 “reasonably and productively.”
Now, compare the user experience on the watch for things one might have used smartphones for back in the original iPhone day. As I mentioned, the speakerphone on the Ultra is hands-down better. The calendar and reminders are, too. Timers and alarms? No contest. Weather, obviously so. Messages and email. Heck, even the calculator has built-in tip and check-splitting functions that make it better. The screen might be small, but photos on the watch look better than they ever did on original smartphones. There’s voice dictation that actually works. Siri might not be much better than she was on the original iPhone, but she is improved nonetheless. There were no maps, no navigation; you needed a separate Garmin unit for that, one that was even bigger and bulkier than the phone.
Add it all up and, yes, unquestionably, the watch is a better, more capable, easier-to-use smartphone than the original iPhone.
b&
Bummer? Didn’t you realize this before purchasing?That is one aspect in hindsight I did not consider and now may regret.
The lifespan of my Apple Watch Ultra will likely be less than the Garmin I already owned.
For an $800 watch that is a bit of a bummer.
OP here, just saw that Apple approved my repair and are sending a replacement product back to me.
For $85 that’s a pretty reasonable way for me to get another 3-4 years of service from my Series 5 (assuming a S5 is what they send).
Those of you who pointed out the flaw in my logic - that I had not considered the AW as a disposable item - thanks for the blinding glimpse of the obvious. Realizing they are disposable was exactly my point.
For entertainment value, here’s the criteria I came up with when I was in the frame of mind of not getting another AW:
- analog display
- Vibrating alarm (prefer silent alarm, the AW’s is excellent)
It turns out there aren’t many affordable options out there - other than some analog/digital combo display Casios (I think) that are not my style.
I actually almost bought a timex weekender - pretty much the opposite of an AW, but no silent alarm on those and when someone in the thread pointed out the battery replacement service, that was my best option (thanks again @BugeyeSTI).
Generally the novelty of a computer on my wrist has worn off. In addition to silent alarms, getting texts or answering the occasional call with it is cool, but my phone is usually within reach, so I wouldn’t miss that too much. Weather alerts (rain expecte!) I’d miss - those are helpful to not get caught with my Jeep’s top down. Tide watch complications are handy to know at a glance. Automatically counting my laps and yardage when I swim is nice too. Oh never mind, who am I kidding, I’m looking forward to having an AW back
For $85 that’s a pretty reasonable way for me to get another 3-4 years of service from my Series 5 (assuming a S5 is what they send).
Those of you who pointed out the flaw in my logic - that I had not considered the AW as a disposable item - thanks for the blinding glimpse of the obvious. Realizing they are disposable was exactly my point.
For entertainment value, here’s the criteria I came up with when I was in the frame of mind of not getting another AW:
- analog display
- Vibrating alarm (prefer silent alarm, the AW’s is excellent)
It turns out there aren’t many affordable options out there - other than some analog/digital combo display Casios (I think) that are not my style.
I actually almost bought a timex weekender - pretty much the opposite of an AW, but no silent alarm on those and when someone in the thread pointed out the battery replacement service, that was my best option (thanks again @BugeyeSTI).
Generally the novelty of a computer on my wrist has worn off. In addition to silent alarms, getting texts or answering the occasional call with it is cool, but my phone is usually within reach, so I wouldn’t miss that too much. Weather alerts (rain expecte!) I’d miss - those are helpful to not get caught with my Jeep’s top down. Tide watch complications are handy to know at a glance. Automatically counting my laps and yardage when I swim is nice too. Oh never mind, who am I kidding, I’m looking forward to having an AW back
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