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Then you don't get the concept of a smartphone. It's to initiate Apple Pay, check texts/email, use turn-by-turn nav, etc. all without taking your iPhone out of your pocket 50x a day.

Which becomes even less convenient now with a bulky 5.5" screen iPhone 6+

The watch is a sort of a Mini-Me to the iPhone :)
 
Who said it had to have a 1.5" screen? And why must a watch only augment a phone? Why can't it function as a stand alone device one day? How can you be so certain? Did we think in 1997 that a phone could replace a CD disc man? Did we envision our phone would replace the iPod as we all ran out to buy MP3 players not that long ago?

You can't be so close minded. The Gear S has a Nano SIM which enables it to do a lot. I don't think the Gear S specifically is the solution per se but it may be a sign of what is to come. I just started a thread explaining how a stand alone watch that does all (or most things) could be enormously useful.

-1.5" was just a size thrown out there....

I'm not saying "can" and "can't". I'm simply pointing out the irony I see in people crying and clamoring for bigger displays on their smartphones then turning around and complaining that a watch with a far smaller display can't replace that smartphone.

Do you not see the irony here?
 
Prior to Continuity in iOS 8 you needed your phone to take phone calls, but that didn't stop people from carrying around iPads.
 
-1.5" was just a size thrown out there....

I'm not saying "can" and "can't". I'm simply pointing out the irony I see in people crying and clamoring for bigger displays on their smartphones then turning around and complaining that a watch with a far smaller display can't replace that smartphone.

Do you not see the irony here?

Actually that's exactly what you said. That a smartwatch can never replace a smartphone. I don't think that will be the case down the road.

I don't think anyone is complaining that a current smartwatch can't replace a smartphone. I think it's a given that over time the smartwatch can do more and more things that we currently rely on our smartphones for.
 
Actually that's exactly what you said. That a smartwatch can never replace a smartphone. I don't think that will be the case down the road.

I don't think anyone is complaining that a current smartwatch can't replace a smartphone. I think it's a given that over time the smartwatch can do more and more things that we currently rely on our smartphones for.

Hmm, correct - my mistake.

Given the current size wants and desires in a smartphone though a smartwatch won't ever meet THOSE requirements.

Again, all I'm saying - phones are getting bigger and bigger driven by consumer desires. Yet you're telling me that consumers at the same time want a small watch that can do all those things that bigger phone can do....

So why clamor for the larger phone in the first place? That's all - its ironic. If you can't see it.....
 
Hmm, correct - my mistake.

Given the current size wants and desires in a smartphone though a smartwatch won't ever meet THOSE requirements.

Again, all I'm saying - phones are getting bigger and bigger driven by consumer desires. Yet you're telling me that consumers at the same time want a small watch that can do all those things that bigger phone can do....

So why clamor for the larger phone in the first place? That's all - its ironic. If you can't see it.....

It's really not much difference than using a phone vs. a laptop. You use the phone for quick communication, and then get out the bigger laptop for more involved applications.

Eventually, we'll probably all have 5" Smart Watches and 15" phones. :D
 
It's really not much difference than using a phone vs. a laptop. You use the phone for quick communication, and then get out the bigger laptop for more involved applications.

Eventually, we'll probably all have 5" Smart Watches and 15" phones. :D

Somehow, I think there actually IS a size limit for wrist watches as they can only wrap and cover so much of one's arm before they become some kind of sleeve or other wearable entirely.
 
Hmm, correct - my mistake.

Given the current size wants and desires in a smartphone though a smartwatch won't ever meet THOSE requirements.

Again, all I'm saying - phones are getting bigger and bigger driven by consumer desires. Yet you're telling me that consumers at the same time want a small watch that can do all those things that bigger phone can do....

So why clamor for the larger phone in the first place? That's all - its ironic. If you can't see it.....

Uh, I never said consumers want a watch that can do all the things a big phone can do. I'm saying there are very specific things that I (and I imagine countless others) would like to do with their watch that a smartphone can do. (Type out replies to emails and texts, access our music via Google Music or Spotify, web/email browsing without a phone involved.)

We aren't exactly light years from what I'm getting at. Granted it runs Tizen and I have no idea if it can use 3rd party apps, but the Gear S can make/take phone calls and go online without a smartphone connected. The future for smartphones is bright and in due time can do a lot of what our phones can do.

The desire for large phones has nothing to do with what I'm getting at in the first place. It's something you seem to want to connect with smartwatches though.
 
Somehow, I think there actually IS a size limit for wrist watches as they can only wrap and cover so much of one's arm before they become some kind of sleeve or other wearable entirely.

Agreed. I think there's still a size limit for phones and computers, too. I pretty much pick all of my computer equipment based on size. I'd love the iPhone 6 Plus screen for some applications, but it won't fit in my pockets well. I carry a laptop for work around quite a bit, and I'm waiting for the Macbook Airs to go Retina, so I can replace my 15" Macbook Pro.
 
I do not get all the hatred/negativity. If you do not like it, nobody is forcing you to buy one.

For myself, I am just thinking of it as a cool digital watch with some features on the side. I can see some of the features being useful, but as a watch nut I find this very interesting.
 
Then you don't get the concept of a smartphone. It's to initiate Apple Pay, check texts/email, use turn-by-turn nav, etc. all without taking your iPhone out of your pocket 50x a day.

Still don't get it. Just use your phone. Are we really that lazy? You'll use your phone 50x a day anyway.
 
Samsung is so lost. I mean, they put a qwerty keyboard on a 1.63 inch screen....
Good luck typing on that.

People will smash their watch with frustration trying to use that tiny keyboard. Even swype will likely produce nonsense.

Maybe the Apple Watch click whee^H^H^H^H er... digital crown can be used for accurate stand-alone text entry.
 
Still don't get it. Just use your phone. Are we really that lazy? You'll use your phone 50x a day anyway.

It's really no different than any other device, in terms of size/convenience vs capability. Most of us have all or some of the following devices, so:

- If you can't accomplish what you need with your watch, then you go to your phone.

- If you can't accomplish what you need with your phone, you go to your tablet.

- If you can't accomplish what you need with your tablet, you go to your laptop.

- If you can't accomplish what you need with your laptop, you go to your desktop...etc.

I already wear a "dumb" watch, so I may as well replace it something that has a few more uses.
 
- If you can't accomplish what you need with your watch, then you go to your phone.

- If you can't accomplish what you need with your phone, you go to your tablet.

- If you can't accomplish what you need with your tablet, you go to your laptop.

- If you can't accomplish what you need with your laptop, you go to your desktop...etc.
Yes, I agree. You go to your other devices. You don't carry them all with you.

It just seems to me this watch is going to be a niche product. Gobbled up by fitness addicts and Apple fanboys with a lot of disposable income.
 
Yes, I agree. You go to your other devices. You don't carry them all with you.

It just seems to me this watch is going to be a niche product. Gobbled up by fitness addicts and Apple fanboys with a lot of disposable income.

My watch is on my wrist, I go to my phone in my pocket, I go to my tablet in my backpack, I go to my laptop in the car, and I go to my desktop at home. I'd say the "going to" part is proportional to their size. Of course, I often skip around when I don't have all of those things with me, but that doesn't negate the convenience of seeing who is text/email/calling on my wrist when I'm out and about during my day.

It's really like asking why wristwatches were invented in the first place, when pocket watches were perfectly fine. If you check the time once a day, sure, but, the more you check the time, the more annoying it becomes.

I already owned the Pebble for a while, and it proved the concept to me pretty easily. I gave up on it because the software wasn't great, and I had connection issues.
 
It's really like asking why wristwatches were invented in the first place, when pocket watches were perfectly fine. If you check the time once a day, sure, but, the more you check the time, the more annoying it becomes.
A good analogy I'll admit but if that pocket watch did everything you needed plus 100x more than the wristwatch I bet you'd put up with that annoyance.

I'm not nixing the utility of the Apple Watch mind you, just its dependency on another device. First thing they need to do is cram GPS in the thing... then Apple's off to a good start.
 
A good analogy I'll admit but if that pocket watch did everything you needed plus 100x more than the wristwatch I bet you'd put up with that annoyance.

I'm not nixing the utility of the Apple Watch mind you, just its dependency on another device. First thing they need to do is cram GPS in the thing... then Apple's off to a good start.

I'd still wear a wristwatch if my pocket watch did other things. I mean, I'm wearing a wrist watch right now, despite my iPhone being in my pocket. Tons of people wear wrist watches with phones in their pocket. Why not switch the wristwatch with something a little more useful?

Agreed about sensors and GPS, although it wouldn't affect me, personally. I'm sure it's a delicate balance between size, cost and battery life.
 
I'd still wear a wristwatch if my pocket watch did other things. I mean, I'm wearing a wrist watch right now, despite my iPhone being in my pocket. Tons of people wear wrist watches with phones in their pocket. Why not switch the wristwatch with something a little more useful?
Fair enough. I ditched my wristwatch years ago. It finally dawned on me that the time is pretty much displayed everywhere I go and every other function I need is simply on the iPhone.
 
Fair enough. I ditched my wristwatch years ago. It finally dawned on me that the time is pretty much displayed everywhere I go and every other function I need is simply on the iPhone.

Yeah, even though I do have "jewelry" watches that are a bit expensive, I often just wear the cheapie Casio digital that I have on right now.
 
Good luck typing on that.

Better luck typing without a keyboard.

----------

Nudist resort. No pockets.

Just get the Nokia lipstick phone, it'll slide right in...

lipstick-phone-nokia.jpg
 
Because this is the first generation and future generations won't be so dependent on your phone. I think there's a reason Apple created a new OS and watch specific SDK. Let's not forget the first iPhone didn't have an App Store or even copy/paste.
 
Personally I think the best feature that people don't seem to have picked up on too much is its ability to give information to the wearer via haptic "taps" (the whole "tactic" thing). When I'm at work, generally my phone lives in my jacket pocket, on the back of my chair. If I were a woman, I would probably keep it in a handbag. I then have the choice of having the sound on so that I know when phone calls and messages arrive, but irritating people around me with noise, or putting it on silent and missing calls and messages. The ability for the phone to give me information when my phone is silent and not in physical contact with me would be a huge benefit.

Another huge benefit is for turn-by-turn navigation when I don't want to get my phone out of my pocket and look at it. If I'm out on a run, or riding my bike, I really don't want to look at a phone screen. Allowing it to inform me of turns when I get there with something like "one tap right two taps left" is pretty handy.

Finally, as phones get bigger (4.7" or 5.5"), they become more awkward to use. Having a really small and easy to get to device that lets me control and interact with my phone would become more useful. Another neat idea is using it as a viewfinder for the phone's camera. You can now do the whole hold-the-phone-in-the-air thing when taking a picture in a crowd and actually be able to compose the shot. Or set the camera somewhere else to make really good selfies.
 
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