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I Don't See The Point
- Thread starter blairh
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When that 2" screen is right just quick look and you are busy w/ other things, yes, it's a hassle to fish out the phone for 2 sec. That's the difference. I don't think anyone plans on heavy emailing or web browsing.
And in 1980 most people thought a PC was overpriced for what it was and a solution to a problem that didn't exist. So you are not alone in the minions of people with no imagination or vision.
I don't see how $349-399 is overpriced. Seems pretty reasonably priced to me when you compare is to a one trick pony like the $249 Fitbit Surge.
Look, if this works for you. Great. I never said seeing a notification is not convenient. My original point is that it's a very limited way of communicating. You can't reply to texts unless you have a simple reply or want to dictate. That really would not work for me or countless others. I'd rather just fetch the phone out of my pocket and see if a proper reply is needed or not. 95% of the time I'm going to want (or need) to type out a reply and not dictate it on my watch.
The real issue is that you seem to have a limited view of what the watch is for. I am excited to be able to add home automation that I can control without having to grab my iPhone or iPad. I want it for fitness and heart rate tracking to replace my fitbit. I want it for walking directions when I am in a city I am not familiar with and don't want to have to sit there staring at my phone to get directions, or in the car so I don't have to look down at my phone in a cupholder. There are a ton of uses that we won't even realize for the watch until developers come up with them.
The watch is obviously not going to appeal to everyone which is fine, but just because you don't see a point doesn't make it a pointless device.
Sure. We'll see if you're in the minority or not. Did you read this article? It's a pretty good read: http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/06/the-apple-watch-is-time-saved/
I never said it was a pointless. So let's stop right there.
Your gonna need to input an address on your iPhone and then use your watch to navigate you. If you want to do that, go for it. In the times I've done that with walking it's pretty easy to look at where I'd be going on my phone (on a proper sized screen), and then pulling it out in case I really needed to double check. If this is something you think you want to keep track of on a 2" screen, go ahead. I don't see the Watch as being such a game changer in that regard.
Why is your GPS your phone in a cupholder? That seems like your mistake. You should at least have a holder to keep it more level to your dashboard. And using a 2" screen for car navigation sounds like a nightmare and very unsafe. Now you can look down at your wrist while driving. Great.
Developers will be limited to what they can offer you because you'll be so reliant on the phone itself. The first-gen Watch is so reliant on the iPhone and so limited in its functions.
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Yes I have read that before and it honestly feels like something written by Apple itself.
What other conclusion could I come to other than it being pointless when your OP says that answer didn't answer the why of having the product? If that wasn't your intention thats fine, but it certainly came across that way.
I can easily ask siri to give me directions to a destination and walking I don't need to look at the screen because of the haptic feedback that was demoed in september.
I don't want to have a phone holder mounted in my car all the time for those few times that I don't know where I am going so the watch resting on the wrist that is already on the steering wheel in view will be a welcome upgrade.
I think developers will surprise you with what they can come up with.
For those of you who just sit in front of your computer, ride the bus to... your mom's house or to the market... Those of you who rarely do anything that requires you to keep your phone asleep or on silent, this is a pointless accessory.
I would wager that your daily activities would be pointless to me.
For me, however, I'm running and trying to make a decent 5k time. I get a text message from my girlfriend. It could be something minor like, "hey sweetie what's for dinner?" or something major like "The Russians are attacking". Either way, a glance at my wrist lets me decide which.
Before that? I'd have to stop running or at least slow down, pull my phone out, press the home button to see the message preview and if I want to reply, unlock and THEN click the microphone for dictation. The watch allows me to cut down, potentially a 1~2 minute process to as little as 10 seconds if I reply or 1 second if I don't.
If I'm meeting my boss and I get a text, or if I'm in a meeting presentation, the room is dark and I get an email, it helps me maintain my professionalism if I don't pull my phone out and start posting to Instagram or something. It's all about presentation and convenience. Someone who looks at their phone in a meeting is a scumbag. Someone who looks at their watch is someone on top of their responsibilities. And it saves me that much time.
And yes, that small fraction of time saved is the point. You know why? We are an advanced civilization because we developed in ways that gave us free time. The development of tools so we wouldn't have to make things with our hands, to the development of assembly lines so we wouldn't have to make things with tools. All of that, to provide convenience to create more time for developing and advancing.
You might not see the point: Get a job that requires you to be in and out of meetings with a presentable attitude, start riding your bike, start going out for a run, start driving places. You'll find that the action of pulling your phone out of your pocket and looking at it is quite obnoxious in volume. Moderation is key. Simplicity is beauty.
I would wager that your daily activities would be pointless to me.
For me, however, I'm running and trying to make a decent 5k time. I get a text message from my girlfriend. It could be something minor like, "hey sweetie what's for dinner?" or something major like "The Russians are attacking". Either way, a glance at my wrist lets me decide which.
Before that? I'd have to stop running or at least slow down, pull my phone out, press the home button to see the message preview and if I want to reply, unlock and THEN click the microphone for dictation. The watch allows me to cut down, potentially a 1~2 minute process to as little as 10 seconds if I reply or 1 second if I don't.
If I'm meeting my boss and I get a text, or if I'm in a meeting presentation, the room is dark and I get an email, it helps me maintain my professionalism if I don't pull my phone out and start posting to Instagram or something. It's all about presentation and convenience. Someone who looks at their phone in a meeting is a scumbag. Someone who looks at their watch is someone on top of their responsibilities. And it saves me that much time.
And yes, that small fraction of time saved is the point. You know why? We are an advanced civilization because we developed in ways that gave us free time. The development of tools so we wouldn't have to make things with our hands, to the development of assembly lines so we wouldn't have to make things with tools. All of that, to provide convenience to create more time for developing and advancing.
You might not see the point: Get a job that requires you to be in and out of meetings with a presentable attitude, start riding your bike, start going out for a run, start driving places. You'll find that the action of pulling your phone out of your pocket and looking at it is quite obnoxious in volume. Moderation is key. Simplicity is beauty.
Great points. I own a business in TV, and TV production doesn't really have official work hours, so I'm dealing with being contacted almost 24/7. If I'm riding my bike, enjoying my family, eating lunch, etc., I can quickly vet the incoming communication without getting out my phone, and that's fantastic for me.
Look, a proper sized screen on your dashboard is a millions times safer and superior then a 2" screen on your wrist giving you haptic feedback. If you want to disagree, so be it.
Developers will always need you to have your phone on you to do anything.
it might "seem" more professional because you're not looking at a phone. but once everyone knows you're checking texts/emails/sports scores. same issue applies to looking at your phone. you're just being more discreet.
There's no question this will sell well in the beginning. Some of it will be due to Apple fanboys, some due to curiosities, some due to status, some due to genuine need for fitness purposes. But after that initial wave, Apple does need to answer OP's question. Non watch wearers need a compelling reason to get this. And there aren't many compelling reasons right now. Once this thing becomes a separate device (and not just an accessory for another device) with better battery life and perhaps more functionality, then it becomes compelling.
I think the compelling use case is going to be things where you wave your arm at a scanner to open doors, pay for your purchase, enter a theater, etc. At first, there won't be many places that are equipped for that, but gradually, more and more places will have them, and one day in the future, we might find that we NEED a smartwatch to check into a hotel.
Personally, I'm not glued to my iPhone, so often it's in the next room, or in my purse, or rolled away somewhere in the sofa, etc. So a watch on my wrist means I never miss an incoming call/message, whereas now, I often miss them. I also think being able to send quick responses to those messages without having to dig out my phone is neat. But I do see the pov of people who see no need for that kind of usage. And if notifications and quick responses were all the watch did, I think at least half the population would see no need for it. But I bet once peope get a taste of waving their arm at a door and getting in, there will be no turning back.
Put simply, its too expensive. The Pebble already does many of the main features the Apple watch can do at less than half the price.
Usually when Apple comes out with new products I jump all over them but the Apple watch is not something I'm overall excited about and I will not be pre-ordering. I need to see it first.
I agree with others. I that price level, reception will be good but not great. Having a plastic watch band on a $350 watch is almost criminal and Apple should be ashamed of themselves for robbing everyone blind like that.
Usually when Apple comes out with new products I jump all over them but the Apple watch is not something I'm overall excited about and I will not be pre-ordering. I need to see it first.
I agree with others. I that price level, reception will be good but not great. Having a plastic watch band on a $350 watch is almost criminal and Apple should be ashamed of themselves for robbing everyone blind like that.
for Iphone users
-Apple Pay
-Text Response (Preset or Dictation)
-Siri
- Phone Call Making and Answering
- an App Store that adds a whole world of potential
- and the reason why most Apple consumers are Apple consumers in the first place = an apple interface
are huge "main features" that the Pebble does not have.
I, like other posters, am usually on board with all things Apple. But this time around, I just don't know. The sport model is water resistant to 1 meter? It can just get a little wet? This thing should be water resistant to at least 10 meters. You should be able to submerge it.
It's one more thing to charge. Instead of fiddling with iphones, people will be fiddling with Apple Watches. You can dictate to Siri, but would you really do that on a train or bus going to work? Sure, it looks great in action at the keynote, but in reality, I just don't know. Do I want to send my heartbeat to someone? I just don't know. Do I want to answer a call on my wrist? I just don't know.
Time will tell I suppose, but for now, I'll sit tight and wait and see what the Apple Watch 2 or 3 has to offer...
It's one more thing to charge. Instead of fiddling with iphones, people will be fiddling with Apple Watches. You can dictate to Siri, but would you really do that on a train or bus going to work? Sure, it looks great in action at the keynote, but in reality, I just don't know. Do I want to send my heartbeat to someone? I just don't know. Do I want to answer a call on my wrist? I just don't know.
Time will tell I suppose, but for now, I'll sit tight and wait and see what the Apple Watch 2 or 3 has to offer...
It is a first world problem. If taking two seconds to "dig out" your iPhone is a problem, it's a first world one. The Apple Watch is not solving any problems. It's adding to it. People have to realize what's going on around them. I see parents looking at their phones instead of their kids at restaurants, on the train, bus etc.
It's great to be connected, but I think Apple Watch is just a toy. Think if you will really use these features.
I would not call those "huge". I admit Apple Pay is neat. Responding to text is something I usually don't do with voice unless I'm alone and I do that with the phone anyway because making corrections is easier. The voice recognition is not perfect. Making a phone call with the watch is a bit silly and makes your call very public just like a speaker phone. No thanks. When I'm in my car, my car system does that so the Apple Watch is not needed.
... and the big one... BATTERY LIFE! The Pebble lasts me an entire week!
I will give the Apple Watch a chance. I will go the Apple store and look at them. If I'm impressed, I will get one. Right now however, it doesn't look good.
When I first bought the pebble, I thought the same thing. It will be gimmicky toy, and in many ways it is. The apps are a joke besides sport scores/weather/stocks ect.
That being said, what I didn't realize was how convenient and useful simple features really are. Being able to glance down and see who's calling/texting you when you have your phone in your pocket, cooking in the kitchen, or even taking a shower is surprisingly natural and convenient. Checking the score of a game without digging out your phone and opening up an app and refreshing is nice as well. In many ways it keeps you off your phone for all the trivial BS.
The apple watch does all of these things and IMO is much sleeker so I welcome it. What I don't care for all the apps like photos/gps/opening a garage door/hotel room ect. The phone is clearly the way to go for apps and being productive, the watch is a nice companion for quick glances. But even so you don't have to use the sketch, heartbeat, or any of the apps so I could care less if they are there or not.
I'm not along. The tech writer for the WSJ journal wrote about this being the best function of the watch. I believe TechCrunch or one of the tech blogs made note of it too. It solves exactly the problem you talk about above. Parent't w/ a watch won't need to keep looking at their phones because their watch will tell them when a call or text is in. And if they need quick info tap on the watch.
And even if it is a "first world problem" is still a problem. Let's not forget that it's the first world nations that produce a civilized standard of living. I'm not interested living in the African bush in a grass hut. And yes, improving personal efficiency, reducing annoyances that lead to stress build-up, is a good thing. It's not on the level of finding a cure for Cancer or sending a manned rocket to Mars, but it's important none-the-less. If it wasn't for people looking for a better way because they believed we already had the better way progress would have died before the ancient Egyptians.
wheres your proof on that. aliens? lmao. why don't you buy the rose gold 17grand one then. it will fix all your problems. it will also cook you dinner