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And when you advertise a rectangular watch don't use an analog round face, it makes it look ridiculous.
You are really fixated on the shape of the case. You do understand that a square or rectangular face provides the most usable display space, right? It is funny that someone who denigrates Apple Watch users for being more interested in style than substance, is so fixated on a display choice that is only about style over substance.
 
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Unless you need the GPS then they measure it in hours... still pretty good tho, and they have that whole solar feature too in the other model.
Exactly! I took my Apple Watch Series 7 Titanium to the Smokey Mountains. While my Garmin Instinct 2 Solar would not give me battery anxiety throughout the day while hiking… my Series 7 kept up just fine and I would charge it off a battery pack at night. No big deal as most people doing “extreme activities” like hiking have battery charging packs for their electronics. People aren’t realizing that when using your Garmin’s GPS, the battery life drains significantly quicker lasting a couple days if lucky… just speaking from experience as I sit in the Garmin and Apple camps. I’m looking forward to the ultra and the added compass/tracking features… to each their own.
 
If you make a habit of hanging off sides of mountains, then the Garmin might be a better tool for that activitiy.
But it's Garmin that is calling out Apple and comparing themselves to a general purpose smartwatch, that honestly, can do so much more than the Garmin can. Where do you get apps for the Garmin? The Garmin Store? Uh, no thanks.

If you're not hanging off sides of mountains, you can certainly charge your watch while you're sleeping. Who cares how many DAYS your watch can last?
If I was hanging off the sides of mountains for days, I would really like to have some sort of emergency radio, just in case. How about carrying an extra battery pack to charge your Apple Watch instead of that radio?
 
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Exactly! I took my Apple Watch Series 7 Titanium to the Smokey Mountains. While my Garmin Instinct 2 Solar would not give me battery anxiety throughout the day while hiking… my Series 7 kept up just fine and I would charge it off a battery pack at night. No big deal as most people doing “extreme activities” like hiking have battery charging packs for their electronics. People aren’t realizing that when using your Garmin’s GPS, the battery life drains significantly quicker lasting a couple days if lucky… just speaking from experience as I sit in the Garmin and Apple camps. I’m looking forward to the ultra and the added compass/tracking features… to each their own.
As an example, I use my Fenix 6 when I play golf. A round of golf with the native Garmin Golf workout app using GPS (lasting anywhere from 3 to 4.5 hours) drains 20-25% of battery life. If I played golf (or did workouts of equivalent duration using GPS) daily, I'd make it about 3 days on a charge when combining the workouts with daily usage and nightly sleep tracking. Admittedly still more than I'd get out of an Apple Watch, but not as spectacular as Garmin would have you believe.
 
All this back and forth that the Ultra is not as good as the Garmin. Obviously Apple saw a market and went for it. Will it do everything Garmin can do? No. Will do a lot of things pretty well that Garmin can do? More than likely. Apple know the markets they get into and these watches will undeniably sell like hot cakes.
 
All this back and forth that the Ultra is not as good as the Garmin. Obviously Apple saw a market and went for it. Will it do everything Garmin can do? No. Will do a lot of things pretty well that Garmin can do? More than likely. Apple know the markets they get into and these watches will undeniably sell like hot cakes.
The Ultra will also do things that Garmin can't do - and for those people who those things matter to, they could be the deciding factor in purchasing it vs. a Garmin. And vice-versa.

A 2-door sports car accelerates faster, handles better and is more fun to drive than a 3/4 ton 4x4 pickup truck. But a 2-door sports car can't haul a family of four, it can't tow a boat or fifth wheel trailer, and it can't drive off-road. That's why we don't all buy the same cars.
 
Disclaimer: have a Fenix 7s and iPhone 13 mini.

I am baffled that we cheer Apple for giving its watch users only 36 hours after they "been working on it for several years". Honestly, I think this is pitiful for a $2.5 TRILLION dollar company. I could have come up with this in like 5 minutes.

Sure some may say "well Apple watch does more!" Yeah sure but you cant do anything when your battery is dead! As for apps on the watch, no thanks I dont feel like playing Angry Birds on my watch.

"Ultra" also feels very not Apple. Apple Watch Pro would have been a much better name.

In the end, I think this feels more like a money grab than actually trying to innovate or bring something new to the market. Still cant believe this is coming from the world most valuable company.
 
Things changed a lot from 2018.

I personally discovered that the gradual improvement in battery life ended up being enormous in terms of general usability. I had a number of cool Android watches (a Diesel being the best) but I couldn't go back to daily charging.
Ok. I don’t find the daily charging to be a problem overall. I don’t wear my Watch to sleep so it’s either going to just sit uncharged or it might as well spend that time charging.
 
What does this matter? If he finishes in 6 hours in the dark or a BQ, it's an accomplishment.
Totally agree. When I was a competitive runner, I was part of a track club that has competitive runners and others who were really dedicated runners but not as competitive in time. Their dedication was really what counted. They may not have the best times, but they really worked out.
 
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Given that you pointed out that Apple acknowledges this in the video, do you think that software issue will be hard for a company that owns its own maps to solve?

Should not be hard for Apple to solve this - even if they would not own their maps: open street maps have pretty good trail coverage.

Yet, apple shipped the watch without solving this.

Furthermore, this is not a new problem: every Apple Watch would have benefited from having offline map.

Even further, Apple Maps on iPhone would benefit from offline map. Lack of offline map is the only reason I need to use Google Maps (when heading somewhere without reliable cell phone coverage)

For some unknown reason, Apple has chosen not to ship all apple watches and iPhones with an offline map...
 
It's unlikely though.
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).
 
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Totally agree. When I was a competitive rubber, I was part of a track club that has competitive runners and others who were really dedicated runners but not as competitive in time. Their dedication was really what counted. They may not have the best times, but they really worked out.
I’d guess the point of the original question was about time related to battery power. I know when I run a 10K (47-50 mins) while listening to an podcast I typically have about 55% battery life left on my S7 Hermes. I don’t think it could last 3+ hours for a marathon if you’re using GPS and streaming. Just my 2 cents.
 
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Should not be hard for Apple to solve this - even if they would not own their maps: open street maps have pretty good trail coverage.
My point was that once it seems to matter, they are likely to do it. I will bet that until the Ultra, they did not think it was that important.
Yet, apple shipped the watch without solving this.
Timing. I would guess that adding it before the Watch shipped would have given too much of a hint about the new watch.
Furthermore, this is not a new problem: every Apple Watch would have benefited from having offline map.
Guessing that until L5 got added, it did not matter.
Even further, Apple Maps on iPhone would benefit from offline map. Lack of offline map is the only reason I need to use Google Maps (when heading somewhere without reliable cell phone coverage)
Again, without the L5 signal, the GPS coverage is not reliable enough.
For some unknown reason, Apple has chosen not to ship all apple watches and iPhones with an offline map...
We will have to see what happens. :-D
 
I’d guess the point of the original question was about time related to battery power. I know when I run a 10K (47-50 mins) while listening to an podcast I typically have about 55% battery life left on my S7 Hermes. I don’t think it could last 3+ hours for a marathon if you’re using GPS and streaming. Just my 2 cents.
Yes, I don’t think using the Watch to track the workout and listen to podcast or music will leave much battery life. It’ll be depleted quickly.
 
I’d guess the point of the original question was about time related to battery power. I know when I run a 10K (47-50 mins) while listening to an podcast I typically have about 55% battery life left on my S7 Hermes. I don’t think it could last 3+ hours for a marathon if you’re using GPS and streaming. Just my 2 cents.
If you use an Apple Watch during a marathon, with gps tracking the run, and only half of the time listening to music, the battery does not last for the entire marathon. I know. I’ve done it.

I have run a marathon also, while tracking the run on my Garmin and only streaming Apple Music through my Apple Watch (not tracking the run on the Apple Watch) and the Apple Watch was dead before the end of the marathon. Both of those were during marathons with finishing times of roughly 3.5 hours.
 
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I have run a marathon also, while tracking the run on my Garmin and only streaming Apple Music through my Apple Watch (not tracking the run on the Apple Watch) and the Apple Watch was dead before the end of the marathon. Both of those were during marathons with finishing times of roughly 3.5 hours.
Just out of curiosity, how charged was the Apple Watch at the start of each marathon? Where were they? Whose service did you have (mostly curious what band it was)? I presume you were using Bluetooth headphones/headset, not just playing over the speaker for everyone else to enjoy. :-D I have streamed podcasts for more than 3.5 hours, but I am not sure if I streamed music. This was walking/jogging, not running and certainly not running repeated 8 minute miles (that is way faster than I could do). If you got the people out of the way, I could probably drive that fast, would be harder if I had to honk at them on my own. :-D

P.S. Congrats on finishing at all.
 
Just out of curiosity, how charged was the Apple Watch at the start of each marathon? Where were they? Whose service did you have? I have streamed podcasts for more than 3.5 hours, but I am not sure if I streamed music. This was walking/jogging, not running and certainly not running repeated 8 minute miles (that is way faster than I could do). If you got the people out of the way, I could probably drive that fast, would be harder if I had to honk at them on my own. :-D
One was in the Chicago Marathon in 2018. Apple Watch was fully charged. AT&T coverage/service. At the time I tracked the run on my Apple Watch and Garmin 245 at the same time, to compare the two as I had just gotten the Garmin. I don’t know if the GPS tracking was more draining on the battery there because of the buildings but I know many watches have a hard time with GPS there because of it.

The second was the Austin Marathon where I only used the Apple Watch to stream Apple Music. It did not last the whole marathon. Again fully charged. I tend to upgrade my Apple Watch every other year so neither of those marathons would the watch have been older than two years. At worst, a year, maybe a year and a half old.
 
Disclaimer: have a Fenix 7s and iPhone 13 mini.

I am baffled that we cheer Apple for giving its watch users only 36 hours after they "been working on it for several years". Honestly, I think this is pitiful for a $2.5 TRILLION dollar company. I could have come up with this in like 5 minutes.

Sure some may say "well Apple watch does more!" Yeah sure but you cant do anything when your battery is dead! As for apps on the watch, no thanks I dont feel like playing Angry Birds on my watch.

"Ultra" also feels very not Apple. Apple Watch Pro would have been a much better name.

In the end, I think this feels more like a money grab than actually trying to innovate or bring something new to the market. Still cant believe this is coming from the world most valuable company.
If you could have done this in five minutes, you should not have wasted your time with this post, instead you should have come out with your watch that has longer batter life. Hell, it could be on the market right now and you would be crushing Apple! /s

Also no one said they want to play Angry Birds on their watch so to even say that is absolutely ridiculous!

How is this a money grab? If you watched the keynote, they made it very clear who this product was designed for. I work in the restaurant/beverage service industry and while I am not hard on my watch, I do bump it into hard surfaces. It has lite scratches. I cannot even imagine how the normal watch would hold up in the extreme situations they demonstrated what the Ultra is designed for.
 
One was in the Chicago Marathon in 2018.
Was that the year where they had all the heat problems or the year that they had the cold problem, or was it the normal one? GPS without L5 in downtown Chicago is hard. I would be curious how the Ultra would handle that.
I don’t know if the GPS tracking was more draining on the battery there because of the buildings but I know many watches have a hard time with GPS there because of it.
I would guess it does worse because it needs to constantly try to acquire signal.
The second was the Austin Marathon where I only used the Apple Watch to stream Apple Music. It did not last the whole marathon. Again fully charged. I tend to upgrade my Apple Watch every other year so neither of those marathons would the watch have been older than two years. At worst, a year, maybe a year and a half old.
Interesting. I know that T-Mobile has 700MHz service here in LA and that is great for coverage and range. Not sure what band AT&T is on in Austin. My iPhone is on both AT&T and T-Mobile, but watch is T-Mobile only.
 
Also no one said they want to play Angry Birds on their watch so to even say that is absolutely ridiculous!
Just like @solq, any use that @crashFlow5 does not have is too stupid to contemplate.
How is this a money grab?
Because @crashFlow5 could not only come out with an Apple Watch with extended battery life in 5 minutes, he could sell it profitably for $5, therefore he knows that Apple is just gouging everyone (especially since no one needs these features anyway).
 
Good for Apple, but it’s not enough for me to switch back.

I bowed out after the Apple Watch 5, primarily due to doing more off the grid activities where the Garmin excelled, and still are.

I don’t think the two watch lines have a lot of overlap for a user base honestly, and Apple doesn’t seem interested in chasing anything but the battery life angle. Even then, I doubt they’ll ever do what’s needed to be as low power as what Garmin has done.

I do find it interesting the hate Garmin is getting in here however.
 
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It depends - the Lily/Venu are more lifestyle, the Enduro/Fenix/Quatix are quite focused.
Focused meaning what. Fitness is part of lifestyle.
Having a fashion product is nothing in itself, just irksome when it's being promoted as some hardcore sports thing. I find the hypocrisy annoying.
There is no hypocrisy as there is no one definition of “hardcore sports thing”.
 
I’m gonna ask this question at the risk of knowing I won’t get an honest answer, but here goes.

1. What was your son’s finishing time in the NYC Marathon?
2. Did he run it just to finish so he could mark off having run a marathon off of his list?
If you’re asking did he finish in the top 10…the answer is no.
 
Disclaimer: have a Fenix 7s and iPhone 13 mini.

I am baffled that we cheer Apple for giving its watch users only 36 hours after they "been working on it for several years". Honestly, I think this is pitiful for a $2.5 TRILLION dollar company. I could have come up with this in like 5 minutes.

Sure some may say "well Apple watch does more!" Yeah sure but you cant do anything when your battery is dead! As for apps on the watch, no thanks I dont feel like playing Angry Birds on my watch.

"Ultra" also feels very not Apple. Apple Watch Pro would have been a much better name.

In the end, I think this feels more like a money grab than actually trying to innovate or bring something new to the market. Still cant believe this is coming from the world most valuable company.
On the other hand the Apple Watch has functionality not present in other watches. So even if your current watches’ battery is better than the Apple Watch but the Apple Watch can do some task yours can’t….
 
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