Tons of round smartwatches exist. It just so happens that none of them are as successful.
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Google Pixel Watch Allegedly Leaks with Circular Design, Rumored to Launch in October
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It's a valid comparison because Apple Watches are computers called a "watch". They include a monitor and smartphone. Yes, they are portable but so are laptops. How many round laptop screens are there? The Apple Watch is wearable but that doesn't mean is has to be circular. They have far more functions than just a watch. If they were only watches, round will work. If iPhones were only phones, they could be all sorts of shapes or sizes. They wouldn't even need a screen. Rectangular screens make sense as giving the most visible area for their dimensions.
Round watches are a legacy of analog clocks. In fact, no one really knows why clocks were designed and popularized as round. People put forth various reasons -- days are cyclical so we want circular timepieces, the round shape mirrors the shape of the sun, sundial shadows move in circles [best explanation] -- but we really don't know why clocks were popularized as round. Analog clocks do not have to be round but that's the convention. It's a design bias. Circles are pleasing objects to many people. They are interpreted as infinite (although they are not more infinite than a square -- you can trace the perimeter of a square forever if so inclined).
There's no reason for digital watches to be round. They can be but it's an inefficient use of space. Making them round is form over function. People complain about Apple deciding form over function but at the end of the day, Apple wants functional products. I like the look of round watches but it just isn't the best decision for smartwatches.
If Apple only released round Apple Watches, I'd buy one but that's because it has utility to me. However, the rectangular face is the more efficient design. If Apple made a round watch and a rectangle watch, I'd choose the rectangle one as more space-efficient. I don't use the clock faces that mimic analog watches. They look nice but I use the watch for its functions, not the look of it. If I want a "dumb" phone, I'll buy one. If I want a "dumb" watch, I can buy a round analog one or whatever form people make. Those are my biases but the mathematics of face shape shows that a rectangle gives more screen area than a circle does (21.5% more for a square versus a circle with side same length as diameter).
They are very similar to the Amazfit GTR2 look [I have one of these], they are very thin, very light with 10 day battery life. I have the classic SS version and very pleased with it; not sure what else you would need from a smartwatch, Notifications, auto tracking of about 30 exercise routines, heart, blood oxygen monitoring, Alexa, music [Spotify intergration coming...] always on OLED display although I don't use that feature, all for less than £100....and round. I had a series 1 Apple watch and this is way better.
Good. Hopefully this will push Apple to release a round watch too. I really can't stand the look of the square watches.
weird. Since iOS 14 I get the opposite.
“Hey Siri, turn on all the lights.”
Siri: OK
Result: only living room light goes on.
Depending on HomePod, iPad Pro or my iPhone 12 mini same results. Going to reset the Philips Hub see if that fixes it for me
Oh I get stuff like that too. It’s like a lottery recently. I have no idea what’s going to happen next. Going to reset my Hub soon as well. Has low priority right now On my list of things to do.
Easily the best looking Smart Watch.
As long as the diameter is 40MM or less (modulo any presumed lug extra), and the final prototype is just as thin + sports 16GB or more storage, it’ll be the first AW competitor.
Even today they’re all dogsh-.
The wearable market worse than the iPad or iPod competitors ever were, in part because IMO the miniaturization makes attention to detail, good engineering & QC that much more obvious and important.
As long as the diameter is 40MM or less (modulo any presumed lug extra), and the final prototype is just as thin + sports 16GB or more storage, it’ll be the first AW competitor.
Even today they’re all dogsh-.
The wearable market worse than the iPad or iPod competitors ever were, in part because IMO the miniaturization makes attention to detail, good engineering & QC that much more obvious and important.
At 40mm you have to consider having rounded edges you'll loose space for content. Most likely it'll be larger than 40 mm.
This is why circular design is terrible for a smart watch. imho.
Circles aren't good for displaying what is predominantly tabular or list data. There's a reason computer screens are rectangular.
Or Casio's classic square digital design, if we talk affordable for everyone. I'm actually waiting for a strong Casio retro comeback.
Haha, we will see.
Google's track record is pretty poor. Their fans get excited early on but ultimately let down by the execution.
I bet if Apple made it, you would love the design. This Pixel Watch looks good.
And this blatant copying is not reason enough to „hate“? Google have just as little taste as Microsoft, Samsung et al. so the best they can do is take the general design of the Apple Watch and make it round to appeal to the „real watches are round“ folks? Also, IRL fit and finish will very, very probably not even be close to the Apple Watch; everything looks „sleek“ in a render. And to get enough information onto a round display (and to get reasonable battery life as well) this thing will certainly be quite big/clunky (like all other round smartwatches).
If at this point in time you still don‘t understand the vast differences of the general business models of Apple and Google, you‘re just not paying attention, like, at all.
Movado called from their 1980s graveyard. They want their design back.
It looks thin because it's a render. The actual product will never be this thin. It's too thin to fit enough battery life in there, unless there is a pronounced bottom bulge.
The only difference bewteen Apple and Google is that Apple pretends privacy is important [because it makes them a fortune] and Google doesn't pretend because it makes them a fortune.