I am a huge fan of the apple watch. But I use no apps outside of music, timer, activity, exercise tracking, and messages. I think Apple should focus on making the exercise apps even better (maybe when running an audio message telling me to speed up or slow down when off my pace, etc).
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Google Maps, Amazon, and eBay Drop Apple Watch Support [Updated x3]
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The first generation Apple Watch only has an IPX7 resistance rating for splash resistance only. Its not rated for submersion. That said, it's lottery for some who have had experienced water log failure and others have not had issues with prolonged water exposure. I would not recommend it regardless based on if he is a swimming instructor either way.
Oh I know. It's not my call, we were just comparing watch experiences after I noticed her watch. And the point that she's a swimming instructor isn't to say that she has any inside track on reliability, simply to point out that she's been in the pool every day with it (since the series 0 was new). My watch (also a series 0) doesn't go anywhere near the pool or the shower.
My statement was regarding how the watch deals with Apps, which still sluggish and not usable most of the times, that's why I returned it and kept the original one cause It's doing the same job.
Why are people always picking on the iPhone 6/7 +? : ) ...oh, I remember why...because it's the size of an iPad. Another reason I gripped my 5S with tightly clenched fists on every recent iPhone product announcement day...until of course the day they released the glorious SE, which, incidentally doesn't feel like a brick stuck to your arm when you run with it!
No of course I don't, I don't have an Apple Watch (and to be honest don't intend to buy one anytime soon), but if I did these would be widely used Apps for me, particularly eBay.
Absolutely agree. I have the original Apple Watch with its sluggish innards, and I've given up on using any 3rd party apps, or even the built in apps by launching them directly, etc.
Only use it for notifications, quick sms replies and sometimes apple pay if i dont have my iPhone in hand.
I've played around with a Series 2 watch and it's not noticeably better in app speed/operation.
They better make the 3rd gen one much better.
I've been a big critic of the Apple Watch (I far preferred the round design of the Moto 360 I bought, and think the Apple Watch is overpriced), but I do have one (my brother gave/lent me the 1st one he bought) and I get some use out of it (I really do like the taptic feedback when I get a text message). That said, Amazon's response sounds like total BS to me.
This is the same company that stopped selling the Apple TV in their store with a ridiculously unbelievable explanation, and now they're at it again. I love buying from Amazon, and their Fire TV (I have one in addition to my current-gen Apple TV, multiple prior-gen Apple TVs, TiVo, etc) is pretty decently put together, but they really come across as the douche-bags of the tech industry.
This is the same company that stopped selling the Apple TV in their store with a ridiculously unbelievable explanation, and now they're at it again. I love buying from Amazon, and their Fire TV (I have one in addition to my current-gen Apple TV, multiple prior-gen Apple TVs, TiVo, etc) is pretty decently put together, but they really come across as the douche-bags of the tech industry.
Not an Apple Fan-boy nor an Apple basher here... Just a realist who uses technology to improve my work and personal life. Reality is, there are a few Apple watch Apps that really work well. But not many. All of them are a little window into the information on my phone. For example: United and American Airlines or Passbook to scan my boarding pass without having to pull out my phone (or, god forbid) a paper boarding pass. Runtastic to give me a quick look at my exercise progress. Read & respond to texts (voice to text works well for me). Auto unlock of my computer when I walk up to it is a nice to have I've come to count on. And so on... I've taken the time to delete every other useless app on my watch. If it doesn't add value - it detracts from my life. Finally, I've updated the watch screen to be a mini dashboard: time, date, next appointment, temperature, battery level and text access. Again, it's an extension of the iPhone not a Smartphone on my wrist.
Would be nice to know when an item ships, delivers, a return was processed, or an item that you are waiting for stock is now available again. Or maybe you can set a price alert and be notified when it hits a target price you set.
There's plenty of things you can add for the watch - they are just lazy or stupid.
That's definitely part of it. Also, the other problem is that watchOS is a moving target. watchOS 1 -> watchOS 2 was basically a complete re-engineer. Then, watchOS 3 bailed on Glances (which people took a lot of time to code for). Did anyone think that these big players got an early preview of watch OS 4 (WWDC is around the corner) and realized it was yet again another major engineering effort to support it? Then, they threw in the towel.
I believe this is not a watch problem but a development problem on the app side. They quickly released a watch app and then never really updated it or figured out a great user solution. If they put more time into UX then maybe more people would use the apps. I use watch apps all the time, but they need to be well built and and have a point.
This pretty much sums it up. From reading through this thread, I'm not entirely sure just what people are expecting from a watch. It's still a watch. It's not much bigger than my Citizen Nighthawk but:
- It alerts me to football scores
- It gives me a single glance look at how active I've been
- It allows me to make a decision on whether or not an email is worth reading and to ditch it if I want without going to my phone
- I can respond to texts and calls without having to dig my phone out when I'm cycle commuting
- I get to see when my next meeting is
- I get news headlines. Again just a heads up as to whether or not it's worth checking my phone
I was really dubious about the benefit of having an Apple Watch. I bought the S1 and then sold it. I missed it so much I bought the S2 and I'm currently getting along with it.
There are many of us who work, in certain jobs that do not allow the use of cellphones in public view. The Apple watch allows us to answer and replay to messages with relative ease as well as manage notifications.
It's a godsend for people like me.
Thanks for the info. I haven't followed Watch topics to much, again I mostly use it as a watch, I did not know the series 0 was that water resistant.
Yes, but people complain about a device that does way more than tell time and still complain about all the extra features it has. And you just reinforced my point. Regular watches tell time and most people have never complained about that although I do also know people a couple people who hate wearing watches and say the time is on their phone. But out of curiosity do you dislike the Apple Watch? So much so that no one else should be able to enjoy it? I have always liked wearing a watch even just for the time. Now I have one that currently has the time, day, date, air temp, sunrise/sunset, moon phase and fitness activity. And that's just on the watch face. Not to mention the notifications it sends...
Not really. Native app support on the watch is just not incredibly valuable when it doesn't have its own network connection so your phone is always with you and the phone a has a better and faster experience for nearly every task anyway.
I've had an Apple Watch for awhile, and I think it's awesome but I rarely open native apps. My current S3 Frontier has far fewer apps yet overall I like it more than my Apple Watch in many ways.
To me Apple Watch is not a medium to purchase things. I love my watch and use it every day. I buy a lot off Amazon and some off of eBay but not even thinking about my watch to shop with. If I used Google maps thou, I would want my watch to sync.
Over the course of the last few months, several major companies have quietly removed support for the Apple Watch from their apps. As first noted by AppleInsider, Google Maps, Amazon, and eBay have pulled their Apple Watch apps from the App Store.
Google Maps, Amazon, and eBay were all early supporters of the Apple Watch, releasing apps within a few months of the device's April 2015 debut.
Checking today, none of the three companies offer Apple Watch apps, having quietly removed Apple Watch functionality through App Store updates. It's not entirely clear when each app was updated to remove Apple Watch support, with the feature elimination appearing to have largely gone under the radar.
That three major apps were able to remove Apple Watch support without much fanfare seems to explain the reasoning behind the decision to cease offering an Apple Watch app, as it suggests there weren't many people using the apps in question. Whether the removal of the apps is permanent is unknown.
Google Maps was perhaps the only app that was useful on the wrist, with quick directions to places like home and work. Amazon's Apple Watch app simply allowed for voice-based searches and one-tap purchases, something that's easier to do on a phone or computer, while eBay's offered notifications for auctions being tracked on the site, which also required the concurrent use of an iPhone or Mac to track content in the first place.
Target has also recently removed Apple Watch support from its Target app, but Apple Watch functionality remains available via the separate Cartwheel by Target app.
With the Apple Watch having celebrated its second birthday on April 24, the kinds of apps that work on the wrist-worn device are becoming more clear, allowing companies to stop using resources on content that's not suitable for a wearable device.
Update: In a statement, a Google spokesperson said the Apple Watch app has been temporarily removed but will be re-launched later. "We removed Apple Watch support from our latest iOS release but expect to support it again in the future."
Update 2: Amazon has issued a statement to CNET's Shara Tibken on its removal of Apple Watch support: "We are constantly innovating on behalf of our customers. There are a number of reasons we don't think this is the right solution for our customers at this time. We are always trying new things and look forward to experimenting with wearable solutions in the future."
Update 3: In a Twitter response to a customer question, eBay says it is "revamping" its Apple Watch app: "We are in the works of revamping it. We don't currently have a release timeframe from our mobile team."
Article Link: Google Maps, Amazon, and eBay Drop Apple Watch Support [Updated x3]
