Has WatchOS 1 been abandoned?

[iBlazed]

Since OS 2 is due next month, is it safe at this point to say that OS 1 was simply a stable yet watered down placeholder for what was actually supposed to be the original WatchOS? I mean, when else in Apple history has an OS received a full number upgrade 5 months after release? On top of that, there hasn't been an update since 1.01. Seems likely to me that all work on OS 1 ceased the day 1.0.1 was released, Apple considered their placeholder OS to be complete, and all effort was shifted to getting OS 2 ready for release.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Better that way than trying to stuff all of wOS 2 features into wOS 1 and have too many bugs right off the bat like iOS 7.

 

[iBlazed]

Better that way than trying to stuff all of wOS 2 features into wOS 1 and have too many bugs right off the bat like iOS 7.

They couldn't have stuffed it with features even if they wanted to, OS 2 wasn't anywhere near completion when the Watch started shipping. It was a buggy disaster as of July and it's only nearing completion right now. iOS 7 had some quirks, but WatchOS 2 up until beta 3 or 4 was basically unusable. I think the WatchOS team got severely backed up at some point and the Watch release date had already been set in stone so they had no choice but to make a stripped down OS for release. It just doesn't seem to me like what we know as WatchOS 1 was part of the plan all along, I think it was an improvisation. Just speculating of course.

 

[BlueMoon63]

They couldn't have stuffed it with features even if they wanted to, OS 2 wasn't anywhere near completion when the Watch started shipping. It was a buggy disaster as of July and it's only nearing completion right now. iOS 7 had some quirks, but WatchOS 2 up until beta 3 or 4 was basically unusable. I think the WatchOS team got severely backed up at some point and the Watch release date had already been set in stone so they had no choice but to make a stripped down OS for release. It just doesn't seem to me like what we know as WatchOS 1 was part of the plan all along, I think it was an improvisation. Just speculating of course.

Agreed and I think apple rushed the watch after delays with manufacturing and probably other reasons. OS1 was probably 0.8 and OS2 is probably 1.5 as a guess.

I use beta 5 and it is much better but could be even better. If apple adds bands with more features and sensors the Apple Watch is going to close to a must have.

 

[JohnApples]

Yeah, I can almost say with certainty that OS1 was a improvisation, while at least some features of OS2 were meant to be in the initial version. Heck, we even have proof. Remember after the reveal we saw the Photo and Time-lapse Watch faces? And what about Walkie-Talkie mode? Those were removed before the Watch's actual release.

 

[matrix07]

Agreed and I think apple rushed the watch after delays with manufacturing and probably other reasons. OS1 was probably 0.8 and OS2 is probably 1.5 as a guess.

I use beta 5 and it is much better but could be even better. If apple adds bands with more features and sensors the Apple Watch is going to close to a must have.

I don't think you can say the OS with support to 3rd party app right out of the gate is OS1. Looks at iPhone, the one that has App Store is also OS2. The fact that it's only 5 months old when it will be replaced has nothing to do with it being OS1 or not at all. It's just the Watch had been delayed and only on sale on May this year. If Apple can update the software together with iOS, it's practical to do so.

 

[Enygmatic]

If you look at the "Reveal" film for the Watch, you'll see subtle OS 2 cues, even though that was shown almost a year ago. Things like Time Lapse watch faces, personal wallpaper, and (IIRC) a shot of a screen with multi-color sketches. That tells me that OS 1/1.01 were pretty much hurried - as I think the entire process was to meet ridiculous demand to enter this segment.

 

[maflynn]

I'm not terribly surprised that apple has not updated watchos1, it definitely feels rushed but their main focus is WatchOS2

 

[cambookpro]

Better that way than trying to stuff all of wOS 2 features into wOS 1 and have too many bugs right off the bat like iOS 7.

I found iOS 7 to be a lot more stable than iOS 8, but I agree with the sentiment. I'd rather have fewer features and a stable OS than packing in every last thing and it being a nightmare to use.

 

[maflynn]

I found iOS 7 to be a lot more stable than iOS 8

I don't know if apple has learned their lesson but they rushed out iOS8 and Yosemite to the point where there were clearing issues. So far, I've not run into any issues with my watch, and I'm looking forward to OS2 in a few more weeks.

 

[576316]

I feel like WatchOS 2 is what's gonna make the Apple Watch a killer device. I've loved using mine, don't get me wrong, but it feels buggy and lacking in features. I can't wait for native apps too, something that will make the Watch very independent. The minute I go out of range of my phone, I lose access to 95% of installed apps and that's not good enough. Native apps will, in theory, allow the Watch to do anything it wants over WiFi.

 

[Julien]

Ask an engineer if their software us ready to ship and you will never get an answer closer than ready in the 'next week or so'.

 

[Roller]

I feel like WatchOS 2 is what's gonna make the Apple Watch a killer device. I've loved using mine, don't get me wrong, but it feels buggy and lacking in features. I can't wait for native apps too, something that will make the Watch very independent. The minute I go out of range of my phone, I lose access to 95% of installed apps and that's not good enough. Native apps will, in theory, allow the Watch to do anything it wants over WiFi.

I agree that WatchOS 1.x is missing features that Apple wanted at release, but couldn't wait for. But it's been very stable for me. I've had very few instances where it felt buggy.

 

[576316]

I agree that WatchOS 1.x is missing features that Apple wanted at release, but couldn't wait for. But it's been very stable for me. I've had very few instances where it felt buggy.

Meh. I've noticed occasional freezing, app crashes, buggy notifications etc

 

[throAU]

Since OS 2 is due next month, is it safe at this point to say that OS 1 was simply a stable yet watered down placeholder for what was actually supposed to be the original WatchOS? I mean, when else in Apple history has an OS received a full number upgrade 5 months after release? On top of that, there hasn't been an update since 1.01. Seems likely to me that all work on OS 1 ceased the day 1.0.1 was released, Apple considered their placeholder OS to be complete, and all effort was shifted to getting OS 2 ready for release.

OS X 10.0 released in march 01
OS X 10.1 released in september 01

... and OS X is an OS for computers, which are (and were, back then) a well established market with well known uses and requirements.

Watch OS is brand new, and Apple are still figuring it out. This should not be a surprise, you're dealing with an entirely new category of device.

Whether it was rushed or not, is a bit of a moot point. I suspect Apple is (and will be) evolving watch OS at a fairly rapid pace for the next few years in order to cater to both third party and Apple in-house application (as opposed to OS) developer requirements.


edit:
I'd argue that "rushing" Watch OS 1 out the door was probably a good idea anyway (if that's what they did). You can do internal studies with your OS team and "design" and "plan" all you like, but until APPLICATION developers get their hands on the device in the real world and experiment with building real-world applications for it, you won't really know if you're heading in the right direction.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I'm not terribly surprised that apple has not updated watchos1, it definitely feels rushed but their main focus is WatchOS2

I was pretty sure that Apple would do at least a few updates on OS1 while we waited on OS2. But as time went by I realized that Apple was not and we would all have to wait till OS2. From what I have read here OS 2 may still not be everything I had wished for but time will tell what OS2 and 8 together will be like.

I am currently have my first problem with my 3rd AW. For some reason it looses BT connection with my 6+. Happened once last week and twice yesterday. I know because my iPhone is making notification sounds like before the watch and when I look at my watch I get the phone with a slash thru it above the 12 on the AW screen.

 

[iBlazed]

I am currently have my first problem with my 3rd AW. For some reason it looses BT connection with my 6+. Happened once last week and twice yesterday. I know because my iPhone is making notification sounds like before the watch and when I look at my watch I get the phone with a slash thru it above the 12 on the AW screen.

How does your iPhone automatically go back to making notification sounds when the watch is disconnected without you turning the sound back on? I'm confused by that

 

[plexdk]

Yeah, I can almost say with certainty that OS1 was a improvisation, while at least some features of OS2 were meant to be in the initial version. Heck, we even have proof. Remember after the reveal we saw the Photo and Time-lapse Watch faces? And what about Walkie-Talkie mode? Those were removed before the Watch's actual release.

Walkie talkie mode? Haven't heard about that.. Please explain

 

[Rogifan]

To me Watch seems like a much more fully formed product out of the gate than previous Apple products. Much more so than Apple Music that's for sure.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Walkie talkie mode? Haven't heard about that.. Please explain

It's a redundant version of what we can already do with voice message in iMessage, but which was supposed to be part of digital touch. Scrapped probably because it's redundant and it's not even coming to wOS 2.

 

[Newtons Apple]

How does your iPhone automatically go back to making notification sounds when the watch is disconnected without you turning the sound back on? I'm confused by that

I never turned the sound off on my iPhone, When it is connected to the watch the iPhone does not make any sounds except if I get a call.

All I know is when the watch is no longer connected to the iPhone, the iPhone reverts back to it normal notification sounds. Just like when I put it on charge at night the iPhone goes back to making its normal sounds.

 

[iBlazed]

All I know is when the watch is no longer connected to the iPhone, the iPhone reverts back to it normal notification sounds. Just like when I put it on charge at night the iPhone goes back to making its normal sounds.

So if your Watch is connected to your phone, the phone is automatically muted? Not the case for me.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

I never turned the sound off on my iPhone, When it is connected to the watch the iPhone does not make any sounds except if I get a call.

But this is simply a side effect of notifications going to the Watch instead of the iPhone if the latter is locked.

 

[Night Spring]

Obviously, some features that Apple had wanted to put into wOS1 got delayed (like time-lapse face). But some features, like native apps, were always planned for wOS2, and were never meant to be part of the initial release. It's a good idea to not to do too much at once. So part of Apple's strategy was to stagger features. As somebody else said, you don't know how a product will be used in real life until you actually mass produce it and put it in real users' hands. So it makes sense to release it with limited features, see what kinds of problems crop up in real life use, then add more features accordingly, instead of putting things out there with too many features that turn out to be designed badly or not in demand. Yes, that makes early adopters beta testers, but we should all know hat by now.

 

[Creek0512]

I think you are getting to hung up on the version number. As someone who works in software development, major version numbers can often be bumped for arbitrary reasons.

To me it seams the reason Apple is calling this watchOS 2 is for marketing because it is coming out at the same time as iOS 9 and OS X 11, they are bust bumping them all at once. With the way Apple's operating systems are all tied together, it makes sense to have them all on the same update schedule.