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How Long Until the Watch Has a SIM Card?

rillrill

rillrill

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 27, 2011
843
654
New York
So, I've had the :apple:Watch now for a few weeks, and I'm really liking it. It has it's problems, like being a little slow, a little unintuitive, and a little bulky. All of these problems will, I'm sure, be solved in future iterations. However, the one main problem with the watch is it's dependence on the iPhone, which got me thinking, I would love the Watch to be my iPhone. If I could pair an iPad or my laptop to it via a hotspot, answer calls/messages on either devices, I think that'd be a great combination.

What do the Macrumors peeps think? When will the watch have it's own SIM?
 
When Apple introduce new gen of AW like this, it will be large enough for anything you want, but still smaller than iPhone.
A sim card will required some significant space for both sim card, sim carrier, and connector, but a integrated sim will be different story.

post-21269-0-33576500-1330028077.jpg
 
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There have been a few smart watches with SIM and GPS features for a couple years. So, Apple will either ignore and go its own way or follow the market.
 
rillrill said:
So, I've had the :apple:Watch now for a few weeks, and I'm really liking it. It has it's problems, like being a little slow, a little unintuitive, and a little bulky. All of these problems will, I'm sure, be solved in future iterations. However, the one main problem with the watch is it's dependence on the iPhone, which got me thinking, I would love the Watch to be my iPhone. If I could pair an iPad or my laptop to it via a hotspot, answer calls/messages on either devices, I think that'd be a great combination.

What do the Macrumors peeps think? When will the watch have it's own SIM?
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Never, and unless Apple figures a way out of doing that well, thank you for no SIM.
 
When it can do twice as much and drive twice as many radios on half the battery capacity (gotta put the SIM and cellular hardware somewhere, right?).
 
Never. Cause that might mean you don't buy an iPhone.... The relarionship between the iPhone and watch will remain.
 
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It'll never have a SIM card. Though once feasible I could see them using a digital sim.
 
I don't think it will ever have it. The design philosophy of the AW, is to be an extension of the phone, not an independent device like some other smart watches.
 
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The more I think about it, the more I feel it's only a matter of time until the Watch can operate independently. We're already seeing some things function over Wifi (directly to the internet, not via phone), and it sounds like future updates will allow it to do more over Wifi without the phone present.

It would still complement the phone very nicely, and even stay paired with it, but I think they'll reach a point where many things are done independently (updates, backups, etc).
 
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profets said:
The more I think about it, the more I feel it's only a matter of time until the Watch can operate independently. We're already seeing some things function over Wifi (directly to the internet, not via phone), and it sounds like future updates will allow it to do more over Wifi without the phone present.

It would still complement the phone very nicely, and even stay paired with it, but I think they'll reach a point where many things are done independently (updates, backups, etc).
Click to expand...

Not until someone start eating up 75% smart watch market share AW has.
Apple has no reason to make AW indenpendent. In fact, it is better for Apple from revenue point of view to required everyone, from 75% of smart watch market share, must have a iPhone. There is no reason for Apple to not force any future AW owner to not use iPhone but use other smartphone.

Added: Apple, like all other company, drive strategy based on revenue gain in the future, not potential revenue lost.
 
The Apple watch with a SIM card would literally be a flip phone with no keypad. I don't quite get the appeal of a 1.5" screen device with Internet connectivity as a stand alone device.
 
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Armen said:
The Apple watch with a SIM card would literally be a flip phone with no keypad. I don't quite get the appeal of a 1.5" screen device with Internet connectivity as a stand alone device.
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Notifications without carrying your phone. It would just be another option. Some people would say the Apple Watch all together is a waste, but it can be useful to others.
 
I want a limited use GPS long before a SIM card in my Watch. Apple needs to make the Watch more useful for the things they already tout in their literature before creating a whole new Dick Tracy experience.

TxWatch
 
JT2002TJ said:
Notifications without carrying your phone.
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Receiving notifications on your watch without needing your phone is convenient.

You know what's not convenient? Responding to notifications on your phone. Every response to a notification isn't "yes" "no" and dismiss.

What if you get an important work e-mail? Are you going to dictate the entire response? What if you screw up? Have to start the reply all over again? Siri doesn't have a correction mode.

Until responses from the watch are polished and convenient I don't see Apple adding a SIM card to it. Also, how are carriers going to handle the SIM card situation? Another extra charge for that device?

Some users here can't even afford decent data plans let alone pay an extra fee every month for the convenience of a SIM support Apple watch.

Just something to think about.
 
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If Apple ever became an MVNO, I could see one bill that covers all your mobile devices, a music subscription, and could include a GPS/data only rider that covers the watch. No one really needs voice calling on a wristwatch.
 
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Armen said:
Receiving notifications on your watch without needing your phone is convenient.

You know what's not convenient? Responding to notifications on your phone. Every response to a notification isn't "yes" "no" and dismiss.

What if you get an important work e-mail? Are you going to dictate the entire response? What if you screw up? Have to start the reply all over again? Siri doesn't have a correction mode.

Until responses from the watch are polished and convenient I don't see Apple adding a SIM card to it. Also, how are carriers going to handle the SIM card situation? Another extra charge for that device?

Some users here can't even afford decent data plans let alone pay an extra fee every month for the convenience of a SIM support Apple watch.

Just something to think about.
Click to expand...

I'm not suggesting they make the watch only work with an active SIM. Just have the ability to turn cellular on if you want it.

To answer your question about responding to an important email, personally (obviously this is for my workload), even my phone isn't good enough, so my response would be at most, I am out, I will be home in X minutes and will provide an update. I agree about it not being practical to have a long response over the watch. I basically use my watch as an old school beeper.

Also, I do agree that it should be GPS over SIM, but personally I would like both. But the same argument would apply for me, if we do not have cell service, I would still have to bring my phone, and then at that point, GPS isn't required either as it can share off of the phone. To be a true stand alone product, we need both.
 
I don't think the watch will get a SIM because they are trying now to remove the SIM from the phone. They want a built in mechanism that takes the place of SIM, can be integrated with the main board and removes the space needed for a slot on the side. If done, the watch might receive this function but it won't be via a SIM card.
 
gsmornot said:
I don't think the watch will get a SIM because they are trying now to remove the SIM from the phone. They want a built in mechanism that takes the place of SIM, can be integrated with the main board and removes the space needed for a slot on the side. If done, the watch might receive this function but it won't be via a SIM card.
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This would be nice!!! But, I'm sure it will screw us the customer, for example, I'm sure there will be some type of carrier lock on it...
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
No reason for that as the carriers do not subsidize the Apple Watch (unlike the iPhone).
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With the IPP, the latest SIM device, you have to get a specific SIM for Verizon, which is different than the standard Apple universal SIM. This is what I meant. If it was now tied to the hardware, I'm sure the carriers would have a say, and the Verizon vs. AT&T battle would continue.

For example, once you activate it on one carrier, it can no longer be activated on a different carrier kind of thing.
 
JT2002TJ said:
With the IPP, the latest SIM device, you have to get a specific SIM for Verizon, which is different than the standard Apple universal SIM. This is what I meant. If it was now tied to the hardware, I'm sure the carriers would have a say, and the Verizon vs. AT&T battle would continue.
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There's no reason why Apple can't make it a world Apple Watch (compatible with all carriers like certain world iPhone/iPad models). Unless it's a technology limitation, they won't restrict it to any one carrier if they can help it.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
There's no reason why Apple can't make it a world Apple Watch (compatible with all carriers like certain world iPhone/iPad models). Unless it's a technology limitation, they won't restrict it to any one carrier if they can help it.
Click to expand...

They won't (Apple). But if you will note I am blaming carriers. Carriers are not fans of people being able to switch devices over to other networks. So far the two big US carriers have been very successful in keeping users from simply jumping back and forth. I see no reason the carriers will all of a sudden stop fighting.
 
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