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Question to me is not about how long it lasts before it dies...it is how long it will be until the functionality is obsolete. I'd tend to think the iPhone cycle is a reasonable indicator...although I'd expect a first generation product like this to be obsolete much quicker than later generations.
That is what I was thinking. Who the heck buys high tech gear and expects it to not be replaced when it becomes low-tech. I imagine there are those, but mostly we queue up for the next version because it is the new higher tech one.

The original iPhone is a great example. It was relevant until it could no longer run modern apps and certainly until it couldn't talk on more modern cellular networks.
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That's charge CYCLES, which is 0% to 100%. So if you charge it from 50% to 100%, you have to do that twice for one cycle - 80% to 100% must be done 5 times for one cycle. 1,000 cycles on a watch should probably be a good 5 years or so?
Certainly up to the point where the new model is compelling because the old one can't do what the new one can... and so on and so forth and <repeat>! Whats that? My APPL stock is up?
 
My original Apple Watch is still chugging along, however in the past month I’ve noticed some inconsistencies with the battery life. Every night I charge my watch and usual put it on at 7:00am. Some days I can get the charge to last all day and still have about 30% left by 10:00pm. Other days my watch hits 10% around 4:00pm and then goes into low power mode. I have yet to figure out a correlation between my daily activity and battery use.
I have noticed the exact same thing on my Series 0. Some days it goes all day on fresh charge, some days not so much. I went ahead and bought a S3 aluminum silver GPS for $299 shipped arriving today (refurbished from Best Buy). I think I will step up to Black Stainless LTE with the S4 if it has the goods. My new plan is passing the old models onto my kids/wife. My wife is getting my S0 to see if she will actually use it. For what she will use it for, it will be fine. I love mine now. I did not use it for about a year as I did not think the software was that good, it has come a really long way. I started using it regularly again this year and I love it now. Excited for the S3 coming in the next couple hours...
 
Based on my experience of Series 0 (May 2015 - Sept 2016, 17 months) and Series 2 (Oct 2016 - ongoing, 17 months) my conclusion is that with good care an Apple Watch should last at least 2 to 3 years of proper functionality. The Series 0 did have a weak processor, so by the time I switched to Series 2 it felt relatively sluggish. But with Series 2 it's still quite good after a similar period of use.

Battery life has degraded by 5 to 10% at this point, but it does not make much difference in daily use. I think Series 2's battery degradation was on the lower end because it did not drain as much as Series 0 every day and resulting in less stress to the cells. To elaborate, Series 0 generally had 20 to 30% left after nearly one full day, as I do a 22-hour use / 2-hour charge routine. With Series 2 it was 40 to 60%.

Meanwhile, I'm still using the original black elastomer watch band that came with the Series 0 on the Series 2 and it's still going strong. At this rate I won't be surprised if it'll last at least a decade.
 
Question to me is not about how long it lasts before it dies...it is how long it will be until the functionality is obsolete. I'd tend to think the iPhone cycle is a reasonable indicator...although I'd expect a first generation product like this to be obsolete much quicker than later generations.

This is the key. I have a SS Apple Watch series 0, preordered and received on the original release day. The watch itself is still holding up great. Minor scuff marks, but I wear it everywhere, including during military training. The screen still looks as good as it did on day one and it holds up great. After 24 hours of straight use (charge it before bed, wear it for sleep tracking, 45 minute workout, and out and about all day) and it finally gave a low battery warning around 8:30 p.m.

That said, the actual usefulness of the watch is almost completely gone, except for telling time. This is solely due to the speed of the watch (or I should say a lack thereof). Apps are constantly freezing and taking forever to load. I recently started getting back into working out and used Strava for running. Very slow, and if I raise my wrist to check my time/pace/distance, it takes a good 10 seconds to update. Not ideal when you are holding your wrist up while running.

This morning, I attempted to start an "other workout" using Apple's own fitness tracker. I had already started my workout and forgot to start my watch. I went to Activity and after about 30 seconds of hanging I gave up and reset the watch. Oops. Timed the restart (I was doing circuits) and it took just under 3 minutes before it started back up. Activity did work fine at that point.

The main issue here is that doing anything except checking notifications and time takes so long it is just much easier to do it with the phone. The watch faces, which I first loved, have gotten extremely stale and boring. I like fancy watch faces, and the Apple Watch does not have any that look even remotely realistic. Take a look at the new Samsung Gear and you will see what I mean.

I am holding on to my AW0 for now. Can't really justify paying for a new one ATM. It still works good for tracking steps throughout the day and for basic activity tracking. I also use it as a sleep monitor where it excels. This latest OS (Watch OS 4?) is what really killed it. So to me, what would be about the real useful time of the watch as a smartwatch. It is still more than useful as a slightly more than basic watch. And, or course, all three bands I purchased with the watch (Milanese loop, leather loop, and white sports band) are in excellent condition! :-D
 
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I still use my Series 0 every day, and while it is very slow now compared to newer Apple Watches, it is still fully functional and usable.
Same here!
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This is the key. I have a SS Apple Watch series 0, preordered and received on the original release day. The watch itself is still holding up great. Minor scuff marks, but I wear it everywhere, including during military training. The screen still looks as good as it did on day one and it holds up great. After 24 hours of straight use (charge it before bed, wear it for sleep tracking, 45 minute workout, and out and about all day) and it finally gave a low battery warning around 8:30 p.m.

That said, the actual usefulness of the watch is almost completely gone, except for telling time. This is solely due to the speed of the watch (or I should say a lack thereof). Apps are constantly freezing and taking forever to load. I recently started getting back into working out and used Strava for running. Very slow, and if I raise my wrist to check my time/pace/distance, it takes a good 10 seconds to update. Not ideal when you are holding your wrist up while running.

This morning, I attempted to start an "other workout" using Apple's own fitness tracker. I had already started my workout and forgot to start my watch. I went to Activity and after about 30 seconds of hanging I gave up and reset the watch. Oops. Timed the restart (I was doing circuits) and it took just under 3 minutes before it started back up. Activity did work fine at that point.

The main issue here is that doing anything except checking notifications and time takes so long it is just much easier to do it with the phone. The watch faces, which I first loved, have gotten extremely stale and boring. I like fancy watch faces, and the Apple Watch does not have any that look even remotely realistic. Take a look at the new Samsung Gear and you will see what I mean.

I am holding on to my AW0 for now. Can't really justify paying for a new one ATM. It still works good for tracking steps throughout the day and for basic activity tracking. I also use it as a sleep monitor where it excels. This latest OS (Watch OS 4?) is what really killed it. So to me, what would be about the real useful time of the watch as a smartwatch. It is still more than useful as a slightly more than basic watch. And, or course, all three bands I purchased with the watch (Milanese loop, leather loop, and white sports band) are in excellent condition! :-D
I think it's a great watch using the built in apps, anything else is a chore!

I believe 4.3 fixes the activity app sluggishness! OS4, app quick, updates later and it's slow. Wonder if Apple is doing it on purpose to make us believe the watch is slow and buy a new one!
 
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How many years will an Apple Watch last...

Most Apple gear lasts until Apple decides to "EOL" the product. After that they will not repair it and will not offer software upgrades and fixes. An EOL'd product quickly become not-compatible with other Apple products and while it technically might work would you want a watch that could not work with our new phone?

The watch might be EOL'd after 6 or 7 years and after that you've not be able to upgrade the OS or install new software that needs the new OS.

I actually have two older 512K Macs. like the one pictured below. These were EOL'd long ago both still work but I don't use them. The watch will be like that, an antique that still works using the old software but you really don't want to use it anymore and Apple would not be able to repair it.

But it would be fun to bring the old Mac to the Apple store and ask if they would look at it.
 

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I think it will be obsolete quickly.
2 years.
So, to me, buying a SS version is kind of a waste.
But I can't resist the SS and the Sapphire screen lol

It isn’t a waste if you can’t stand scratched up screens. The sport watch screens might as well be made of butter.
 
Still rocking my launch S0 42mm SS. Still going strong after 3.5 years. Battery still gets me a full days usage.

Looking to upgrade to the series 4 now as its a redesign. Wasn’t interested in S2 or 3.
 
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My Series 0 with wOS 2 could easily be fully functional for at least a couple of years still. The battery works perfect. The question is more; will I have to leave iOS 9 and what will the forced upgrades do? I do love my Apple Watch, but I will probably not buy another one, it's not a sustainable use of any resources to keep doing it.
 
Only 1000? Thats nothing
That's more than you might think. One cycle is draining battery from full to empty and then charging it back up again. Few people drain more than a fraction of their battery capacity in a day, so one full cycle might represent two or more days of real-world use. Say you burn 50% battery per day, that's 2000 days of use or nearly 5 1/2 years. After that time you're down to 80% capacity. Do you use your smartphone for over 5 years? :)

Theoretically. It's complicated a bit more by the fact lithium batteries age even if you don't use them and so on, but even so, after nearly 3 years 3 months of being worn daily my OG gets a full day of my (admittedly light) level of use, an hour of walk using workout app, and still ended the day with 25% battery left.

Battery isn't much of an issue, honestly.
 
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It isn’t a waste if you can’t stand scratched up screens. The sport watch screens might as well be made of butter.

I've read this before and I often wonder how I have managed to keep my S0 aluminum sport scratch free for more than 3 years? Others have as well. Is this a later Series issue? Do the later models have less scratch resistance? Maybe they have a thick oleophobic coating that is scratching? 2015 scratch tests found that the ion-x glass could resist a Mohs-7 pick, while the sapphire crystal on the SS Apple Watch could resist a Mohs-9 pick. So yes, the sapphire crystal is more scratch resistant, but the ion-x should resist most materials as well. Fortunately I have managed to avoid swiping my Apple Watch along a brick wall or a strip of sandpaper, but I have smacked it into doors and drywall (which would be more likely to crack it rather than scratch it), and it has endured pushing my way through thick brush while hiking or mountain biking. Fortunately brush ranks lower on the Mohs scale.
 
Not sure but I can tell you my S2 Nike was already a bit laggy with Watch OS 4. And now with 5 it seems far too clunky for a watch I just bought last year. Very disappointed despite having an SS Gold to be delivered Monday. If this $1000 watch is like my S2 in 2 years I will no longer buy them.
 
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Is this a later Series issue?
Mostly a carelessness issue I would say. People aren't being responsible with their stuff. They bang their things into something, it breaks, and then they're jump onto a forum and be like, "I paid X dollars for that so it shouldn't have broke! It's Apple's fault!" No, it was their own fault.

Maybe part of it comes from many not having worn a watch before in their whole life. I grew up wearing one from first grade, every single day.
 
Same here.
I am with the Series 0 SS too.
For Notifications, Apple Pay and Time reading still good enough. At the evening I have ~60-70% battery.
The speed for checking emails, using siri or homekit app is way too slow. Because of that I am thinking to upgrade. The S4 maybe will last 2 years longer.
 
I've read this before and I often wonder how I have managed to keep my S0 aluminum sport scratch free for more than 3 years? Others have as well. Is this a later Series issue? Do the later models have less scratch resistance? Maybe they have a thick oleophobic coating that is scratching? 2015 scratch tests found that the ion-x glass could resist a Mohs-7 pick, while the sapphire crystal on the SS Apple Watch could resist a Mohs-9 pick. So yes, the sapphire crystal is more scratch resistant, but the ion-x should resist most materials as well. Fortunately I have managed to avoid swiping my Apple Watch along a brick wall or a strip of sandpaper, but I have smacked it into doors and drywall (which would be more likely to crack it rather than scratch it), and it has endured pushing my way through thick brush while hiking or mountain biking. Fortunately brush ranks lower on the Mohs scale.

Put it under a bright light/sunlight and I guarantee you it’s scratched somewhere.
 
I am with the Series 0 SS too.
For Notifications, Apple Pay and Time reading still good enough. At the evening I have ~60-70% battery.
The speed for checking emails, using siri or homekit app is way too slow. Because of that I am thinking to upgrade. The S4 maybe will last 2 years longer.

And the performance will never be improved from that point forward, because it will not see any future watchOS updates. You can utilize the first GEN watch as much as possible, but it lags because it’s under powered with the S1 processor.
 
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