Haven't worn mine in weeks...

[exxxviii]

How do you find this to be, existing Garmin and AW users?

...
What do you athletes prefer to wear as an 'all day' watch?

I am an HIM triathlete and I just a sprint distance last weekend. I wear my AW as my all day watch and I use a Garmin Edge 520 for biking and a 735XT for everything else.

Currently, the AW does not really capture and present activity data in a useful way for an athlete. And, currently, there is no meaningful data integration between Garmin and AW. If Garmin data can feed into the AW and affect move calories, steps, and distance, that would be a massive leap forward. It may be part way there with wOS3 and iOS10.

I used to wear my AW alongside my Garmin stuff for workouts for about the first 9 months I had the watch. But then I quit wearing the AW during workouts. I would not wear it in swims anyway, and it was not adding value to my training. And I felt like I was a cyborg with all the tech strapped on and button pushing at the start and end of a workout.

I do not expect that Apple will offer native sleep tracking any time soon.

I found that I really like the way Garmin captures and presents HR data throughout the day. The HR widget on the 735XT is freakin' awesome! I do not think Apple has any plans for this either in wOS3. That is a big gap for me, to the point that I am likely to buy a separate Fitbit or Garmin activity tracker to wear alongside my Apple Watch.

This is my dream list for what I would like to see in the AW platform for it to support a triathlete (or similar person with rigorous 365/7 training focus). All of this needs to be visible equally in the mobile app and watch app.

• Receive step activity from the fitness device (GPS watch)
• Receive calorie burn data from the fitness device (for all 3 sports, not just run and cycle)
  
• Receive stand credit from the fitness device (this is a lower priority, but it chaps my arse when I run for 3 hours but get no move credit on the AW and miss my 12-hour day on the AW)
• Analyze HR data and present daily highs, lows, and RHR; have the analytic intelligence to filter out anomalous readings
• Show me daily RHR trends and charts to help me spot over-training or impacts of illness
  
• Give me an HR chart on the watch like the Garmin 735XT-- that is brilliant
• Track sleep and report on a mobile app
• Give me a web app so I can see more advanced visualizations of my activity data (this is a lower priority for me, if Apple can fix the mobile app, but it is a major gap for Apple in the market)
• Don't make me do all of the above through a mix of a half-dozen, clumsy third-party apps that clutter my watch screen and phone. Every competitor does this through a single platform, and Apple should too.

 

[PatrickNSF]

The AW has just about become acceptable with a suit, but I'm only willing to go there if the data captured is well integrated with my Garmin data, e.g. all day HR and steps at a minimum. How do you find this to be, existing Garmin and AW users?

Integration is not quite there, at least under the current betas. Your Garmin activity will affect the Exercise ring, but you won't get any Move credit or Steps credit with the Apple Watch for stuff you do purely with the Garmin. And Garmin won't recognize anything you do with just the Watch. The data sort of gets commingled in the Health app, but it's a little bit of a mess to see.

For times when I've been wanting to track activity with the Apple Watch, I've found that if I drop the watch in my running belt (sans watch bands) I get Move, Stand and Steps credit, although the Move credit doesn't factor in heart rate so it comes out a little bit lower than it probably should. I've worn both the AW and Garmin a few times when running just to compare metrics, but it's not something I'm willing to do routinely.

And contrary to the general consensus, I like Garmin Connect and all the data it collects. So for the periods when I wear the 735XT 24/7, I like having my running, cycling, steps and sleep data all in one system. And bonus points for having web access to all this data (which AW doesn't offer).

All that said, I still find the AW to be the better day-to-day non-running watch for me most days (when I want notifications, alarms, calendar access). But I probably wear the 735XT (and the 235 before that) as a daily watch just as often.

 

[tejaykay]

I found that I really like the way Garmin captures and presents HR data throughout the day. The HR widget on the 735XT is freakin' awesome!

Totally with you on this. The 735xt is a stunning watch. A question for you - do you intend on getting the AW2 and wearing it as your daily device when you know it won't include your wish list of bullet points (which I completely agree with).

 

[exxxviii]

Totally with you on this. The 735xt is a stunning watch. A question for you - do you intend on getting the AW2 and wearing it as your daily device when you know it won't include your wish list of bullet points (which I completely agree with).

No, I am not planning on getting an AW2 at launch. I am not expecting any compelling upgrade features, based on what I am hearing about OS3 so far. I do plan to get the iPhone 7, so part of it is limiting the amount of cash I give Apple on a single day. The main thing I really, really want is better HR monitoring and analysis. If that is a feature of the new watch and OS, I may get one. Also, I am waiting for what Garmin does with their little vivo trackers.

 

[r0k]

No, I am not planning on getting an AW2 at launch. I am not expecting any compelling upgrade features, based on what I am hearing about OS3 so far. I do plan to get the iPhone 7, so part of it is limiting the amount of cash I give Apple on a single day. The main thing I really, really want is better HR monitoring and analysis. If that is a feature of the new watch and OS, I may get one. Also, I am waiting for what Garmin does with their little vivo trackers.

I may get an iPhone 7. I may not. With current rumors saying it will be the same exact size but will be missing the 3.5mm headphone jack, it isn't tickling my fancy at the moment. I probably won't consider an AW for some time because my priority is on running metrics more than smartwatch features. If I did get another AW, I would not expect to use it for running. I am in need of replacing a rather long in the tooth mac mini so that may be the chunk of money I decide I can afford to give to Apple this fall after they announce their new computers in October.

 

[r0k]

No, I am not planning on getting an AW2 at launch. ... I do plan to get the iPhone 7,...

I may get an iPhone 7. I may not. ...

Hall of mirrors... quoting myself...quoting exxxviii...

So I did get an iPhone 7. I pre-ordered an unlocked Verizon 128 GB model this morning. The battery life misery I'm having with iPhone 6 is enough to make me at least give it a try. As for AW 2 or the Nike running AW, I think I'll wait. I'm happy with my Garmin and while I'd like to be able to play Pokemon Go from my AW, I really need a reliable running watch that exports data to the sites I use now like Garmin Connect, etc... If I read reviews after it's been out a while and I learn that people are successful at getting their running data easily, I might give it a try.

 

[exxxviii]

So I did get an iPhone 7. I pre-ordered an unlocked Verizon 128 GB model this morning... As for AW 2 or the Nike running AW, I think I'll wait.

Ditto. iPhone 7 128GB on order for store pickup next week.

After I saw the $50 price increase back to $400, it totally nixed any possibility of an AW upgrade. At the least, I will wait for the retail prices to drop back to $350, and probably $300. It is hard to fathom that the $400 price point is sustainable.

 

[r0k]

So I did get an iPhone 7. I pre-ordered an unlocked Verizon 128 GB model this morning... As for AW 2 or the Nike running AW, I think I'll wait.

Ditto. iPhone 7 128GB on order for store pickup next week.

After I saw the $50 price increase back to $400, it totally nixed any possibility of an AW upgrade. At the least, I will wait for the retail prices to drop back to $350, and probably $300. It is hard to fathom that the $400 price point is sustainable.

Congrats on your new phone! I'm doing shipping rather than store pickup and mine hasn't switched to "preparing..." yet though I expect it will overnight.

I think $400 might be a defensible price point for AW with GPS. Garmins list for $400 and they have GPS and very limited smartwatch features. I got a deal on my Garmin at REI and that's why I replaced a working FR220 with chest based HRM with a FR235 with wrist based HRM. Normally this year's Garmins cost $400 and up and last years' Garmins go for about 1/3 off.

Now that I mentioned HRM, that reminds me I'd also have to learn that Apple got HRM working correctly during runs for me to become interested in their Nike branded AW running edition.

 

[PatrickNSF]

After I saw the $50 price increase back to $400, it totally nixed any possibility of an AW upgrade. At the least, I will wait for the retail prices to drop back to $350, and probably $300. It is hard to fathom that the $400 price point is sustainable.

$400 for the Series 2 and GPS seems fair to me. It would be an easy sell for me if it had even a limited cell service (for calls/texts while out on a run) on some kind of limited always-on display.