What is unlikely? That I owned a Garmin bike computer with three sets of sensors and several Garmin GPS units? That I would have considered buying more into the ecosystem before the Apple Watch 3?
If you thought that an Apple Watch was good enough and desirable, you might think that $800 is a good deal for an essentially bigger and fancier one.
You mean if someone likes the Apple ecosystem, they might want a product that eliminates some of the tradeoffs one needs to make between a great smart watch and a mediocre smart watch ecosystem that has some superior sports features?
But if you wanted a Garmin, it's hard to believe you're going to settle for this Ultra.
Would it not matter which Garmin one was considering and why one was considering it to know whether one would choose an Apple Watch Ultra instead? By the time the Ultra came out, I had already given up on the Garmin ecosystem, as its tradeoffs required giving up too much to make it even worth considering. What is funny is that you are basically saying that everyone one who has posted on this thread (and the thread over at DCRainmaker.com) saying they are/were Garmin users, but they will be switching to the Ultra are lying.
That's because the whole reason for wanting the Garmin were probably in the region of round screen and looks (you can get a titanium band as well to go with it),
Funny, on one had you argue that people pick the Garmin because it is more functional, and that anyone picking an Apple Watch is doing it just for style, and then on the other hand argue for something that absolutely less functional (a round display) over the greater area to display information (a square or rectangular display). I think I understand your general method of evaluating. What Garmin does is good, what anyone else does is bad. Got it.
the realistic use as a advanced sleep monitor (which you can do because of the battery life and great stats),
While you seem not to understand that many, many people have no problem at all using the Apple watch for sleep tracking, it is still true.
and the training software, which is just way better compared to Apple's - a lot more info during (from offline maps to respiration and heart rate zones) and after (training readiness, recovery time etc).
You only seem to compare Garmin’s first party software to Apple’s first party software. One of the biggest benefits of Apple’s ecosystem is the many strong third party apps. Over the course of time, Apple adds functionality (
e.g. the new triathalon support).
I don't buy that any Garmin lover will look at this Ultra and think it's the bee's knees.
If by “Garmin lover” you mean someone like you, I am sure you are correct. If you mean someone who is looking for a tool, it is clear that there are already people who have decided to switch from Garmin to Apple because of the Ultra.
But I see it cannibalizing regular Apple Watch sales. Some people can afford a more expensive Apple Watch instead of the regular one and Apple is happy to part them with their cash.
It will take sales from other Apple Watches, from people who have been tracking the sector and now have a product that they feel is ready, from other ecosystems (including Garmin’s) where users decide that whatever their last showstopper(s) was is now gone.
It's a lifestyle, fashion product after all.
Love when you say this in the same post where you argue that people pick the Garmin because it is better looking (or as you have said in other posts, more manly - probably the unintentionally funniest thing you have said).