Is it just me who doesn't care about or want cell chip in AW2?

[Julien]

.....could you maybe follow this up with some scientific information or research that would define it better so I can better understand please? I get the ranges, but don't understand your assignment of 600mhz to cell phones and not sure what RED or how that pertains to WIFI/Bluetooth frequencies or radiation?

Inquiring minds want to know

600THz electromagnetic radiation is red light. Light is the same as cell phone electromagnetic radiation but just at a higher frequency. Would you be afraid to shine a flashlight on your wrist? Of course not even if it did absorb a small amount of heat from the photons hitting it. A cell phone signal is the same as light except at a lower and *safer frequency but it is too low for our eyes to see so we fear it (if we could see it then I guess we wouldn't need cell phones).

Just a down and dirty from not a scientist (so may not be 100%). Photons (radio, microwaves, light, ultraviolet, etc.) transfer their energy (and produce heat) when hitting an object (like your wrist) buy moving an electron in an atom to a higher quantum state. *The higher the frequency the higher the quantum state it moves. It only becomes unsafe when you get to a higher frequency than ultraviolet. At this higher frequency the electromagnetic radiation can dislodge (free) an electron from the atom and this is called ionizing radiation and is the dangers radiation we all fear.

 

[BarracksSi]

I was thinking more an episode of "Kung Fu", grasshopper!

Ha!

Ok, so here's the problem --

There's still no battery technology, nor an efficient-enough cellular technology, that can enable a voice-controlled, phone-independent Apple Watch which could run for more than a couple hours.

There's still the hurdles of privacy and social acceptance when dictating commands and messages in public places.

There's the question of, is five hours going to be enough battery life to use with the all-day usage of the watch?

And, after all this time, not even Apple can rightly declare the watch to be ready to be fully independent from the phone.

Sure, there's Scribble, but you're not using it to copy-paste whole paragraphs and messages, are you? How do you send someone a web link via the watch?

There are things that such a tiny interface won't handle well, so you'll still want to have the choice of using the phone.

I'll ask this question:
Given the choice of leaving the house with either ONLY the watch or ONLY the phone, which would you rather bring? Which gadget do you know would be capable of doing what you need?

 

[Osamede]

Ha!

Ok, so here's the problem --

There's still no battery technology, nor an efficient-enough cellular technology, that can enable a voice-controlled, phone-independent Apple Watch which could run for more than a couple hours.

There's still the hurdles of privacy and social acceptance when dictating commands and messages in public places.

There's the question of, is five hours going to be enough battery life to use with the all-day usage of the watch?

And, after all this time, not even Apple can rightly declare the watch to be ready to be fully independent from the phone.

You cannot judge a step change device by measures of the old world. This was the heart of the step change:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_S1#/media/File:S1-A6_Comparison.jpg

They need to keep working on getting processing power and functionality up and power consumption down. So they are doing that. It's not an effort you make just for the lure of getting into the fashion accessories business.

But still step change also means change in mode of usage. So we cannot expect to use a wrist communicator the same way we used out slabs of metal and glass. The mode is less direct interaction with this device. You won't nag it as much, if you can trust it to be your "butler".

Battery life: I can tell you that a Samsung Gear S from 2014 functions fine as an all day standalone smart watch. Without difficulty. So battery life not a deal breaker - all depend on degree of screen time usage. But hey, any who owns an IPhone 6 can already sing you that song.

More "intelligent" apps that prompt you reliably, instead of you burning up screen time, is part of the puzzle. More intelligent wireless headset is part of the puzzle. That just arrived and is getting installed base shortly. GPS and a bigger battery just arrived into the device.

Apple is spending investment in the processing and S2 showed up, is now in the second iteration of device.

So it's coming along.

Iteration 3 will have the full Monty. It will do better in the market than the Samsung Gear series because of this progressive approach.

Like I said, this is Apple consistently practicing design thinking, though they never trumpet this principle.

But just as Apple didn't begin the journey with the end goal of making MP3 players only, they have not gotten into this biz with the end goal of making a sports watch.

It's more the most personal hub for a network of devices and cloud sources that Apple will not make itself all alone but be at the heart of.

If you are asking yourself how you can get past commodidiization of smartphone in the slab-of glass-and metal, while staying premium and still having a chance at being able to sell to the next billion customers, this is how you go about it.

So this here becomes like a debate over whether anyone could conceivably make use of the unthinkable luxury of a data radio and a camera in their Ipod...

 

[BarracksSi]

So this here becomes like a debate over whether anyone could conceivably make use of the unthinkable luxury of a data radio and a camera in their Ipod...

Kind of like a Palm Pilot with a properly responsive touchscreen and full-color web browser.

 

[MaulRx]

I would prefer the gps first but the cell function would be welcome. Series 4 I bet

 

[shox2k2]

I originally wanted lte for gps. I'm ok not getting messages on my watch on a run. It'd be nice to be able to stream something but I can take the phone for that its not an issue. So I am good with gps and swim proof. I'd like to upgrade right away but will probably wait until best buy has a sale or something. I'm not in a huge hurry to upgrade.

 

[Osamede]

Looks at it this way. If the watch has cellular data, with the new AirPods you can simply ditch the iPhone and use the watch instead (if software let you manage your watch via iPad) so no paying extra needed. For web and app function you can use iPad mini in the phone place. The Watch will become the true communication device.

Hope somebody learned something from all this. This is where the device was headed all along. And the Airpods were obviously bricks in the plan.

And hahaha to those playing mindgames with themselves about "not wanting" the data radio. That's like saying you dont want an engine in your sportscar...

 

[KarimLeVallois]

Hope somebody learned something from all this. This is where the device was headed all along. And the Airpods were obviously bricks in the plan.

And hahaha to those playing mindgames with themselves about "not wanting" the data radio. That's like saying you dont want an engine in your sportscar...

I'm like Fred Flintstone, I don't need an engine, I have legs...