Ive on Apple Watch: One of the Most Difficult Projects I've Ever Worked On

[IJ Reilly]

Having followed Apple news for so long, I find it interesting to compare past to present. When the iTunes Music Store was introduced, much of its success was due to Apple's deals with the music labels, and credit for those negotiations went to Steve Jobs.

I wondered whether anyone else, including Tim Cook, would have the magic (reality distortion field) or the clout to get a team of major companies (who compete with each other) on board for a new Apple ecosystem, as Jobs did with iTunes. I think Cook provided the answer with the number of collaborators he has already brought on board for Apple Pay.

I understand your point, but I am weary of the "WWSD?" questions. Having followed Apple news for a long time myself, I find them to be essentially irrelevant, and even worse yet, a distraction from events as they are occurring now. As you imply, Cook has demonstrated the very limited relevance of comparing him to Steve. I believe Cook's leadership (and Apple's culture) can be evaluated without constant reference to Steve. He is gone now. It's time to judge current events in their own light.

 

[chupachup]

I undertand the concept of cards. This one example is an example of a meter; progress bar. A meter shows progress in a static canvas. The red bar increments on the day. Each day, the bar turns red until it makes a complete red circle. It is an indicator. It is not a static image you swipe to get more detail. It is a "progress meter"

Are you telling me to swipe up or swipe down once the red meter hits Thursday? Because once it gets to the 6 oclock marker, the meter is cut.

What is there not to understand. It is obvious.

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These huge pictures are really hard to scroll through. Just make your point without having any pictures.

OK. So the Moto 360 sucks. Great. Can we move on now? Who cares really.

Nobody here is going to buy it. You're all buying the Apple Watch because it is a rounded square and took them 3 years to make and it is the best one ever created.

 

[DerekAndonian]

You still need to have an iPhone on you to use the best parts of the watch. Jobs would never allow this.

I'm not sure about that. You needed a Mac to use the first iPod...

 

[samcraig]

What a perfect self-comment to set himself up as a genius or to minimize damage.

Think about it.

If the iWatch is a success, saying it was one of the most difficult projects he's worked on, everyone can say that hard work paid off and he's brilliant.

If it's a failure - they can say - it was a difficult project. Even he said it was difficult. If Ive couldn't succeed, then clearly no one at Apple could have...

 

[Liquorpuki]

I undertand the concept of cards. This one example is an example of a meter; progress bar. A meter shows progress in a static canvas. The red bar increments on each day. Each day, the bar turns red until it makes a complete red circle. It is an indicator. It is not a static image you swipe to get more detail. It is a "progress meter" There is no scrolling. No up, down, left. Just a red meter progressing in a 360 degree fashion.

Are you telling me to swipe up or swipe down once the red meter hits Thursday? Because once it gets to the 6 oclock marker, the meter is cut. It is simply poor design and you are being obtuse.

What is there not to understand. It is obvious.

The black bar that houses the light sensor is ugly. Other than that no info is missing. The spot below TH will still turn red on Thursday and you will know it's Thursday. Unless you have an OCD need to see a full circle 24/7, I don't see what the big deal is. And if you have an OCD need to see a full circle, the odometer in your car probably annoys the hell out of you

 

[fortysomegeek]

Unless you have an OCD need to see a full circle 24/7, I don't see what the big deal is. And if you have an OCD need to see a full circle, the odometer in your car probably annoys the hell out of you

That is a strawman argument because a speedo doesn't go full 360.
If the day of the week design was graphed like an odometer, I wouldn't have a problem with that. I've seen plenty of 180degree meters. VU audio meters are perfectly fine.

It is about integrity of design. A Circle shows less information than a square that is of the same size.
This post is an excellent example of that:
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/19627830/

Thus, in order to have a circle, you have to have a bigger watch to show the same amount of information as a smaller dial. 46mm Motorola LCD shows as much as 40mm square dial when you factor in all the extra whitespace.

These are real design issues based on functionality. Now, since 1/2 your market is women, you need a dial that is 36-38mm to cover that market. That is not an easy feat. If you were to do the Moto 360 at 38mm, you would have a tiny screen and zero ability to mult-touch navigate. These are real business constraints. This is why I totally understand the need for a crown as an input device. It works with a 38mm dial.

If you had a target to design a watch that must have 36-38 (for women) and 40-42mm (for men), you have to make some serious considerations. Not simply based on the idea of making it mimic it a round wristwatch.

 

[spicynujac]

You still need to have an iPhone on you to use the best parts of the watch. Jobs would never allow this.

Problems with iWatch:

1) It is expensive (costs more than an ipod touch or ipad mini, even for the base model)

2) Is an iphone accessory that basically requires an iphone to be functional (this is the deal killer for me)

3) Poor battery life, must be charged every day.

Apple is innovative. They did some great things with the iWatch. I like the crown, I like the way they did the replacable (and beautiful) straps. But these are 3 deal killers. I can maybe deal with it being overpriced a little if you fix the other problems, but traditional watch makers like Citizen have developed solar cell batteries that do not need charging or winding. Many makers offer "automatic" watches powered by the movement of your wrist. Apple is said to have tried but given up. I'm hoping Apple improves this in a generation or two, and then I would consider buying an iWatch. But yeah, Steve would not have approved this. He would have yelled at some engineers to fix the forking battery charging until they found a way.

 

[kdarling]

Clocks first popped up on top of towers in the center of towns and over time were gradually miniaturized, appearing on belt buckles, as neck pendants, and inside trouser pockets.

They eventually migrated to the wrist, first as a way for ship captains to tell time while keeping their hands firmly locked on the wheel.

Umm. As a collector of early avigation gear, and related history books, this doesn't sound right to me.

First off, ladies had been wearing watches made for the wrist for years before men ever did. At least a decade ahead, though some even say for centuries.

Secondly, ship captains don't have their "hands on the wheel". That's the helmsman's job!

Perhaps Ive or the reporter was referring to the story that German naval gunnery officers asked for wristwatches back in the 1880's to help with timing bombardments.

In any case, wristwatches for men finally gained traction because of infantry and cavalry use in WW-I, and because early aviators found them handy for navigation.

 

[Liquorpuki]

That is a strawman argument because a speedo doesn't go full 360.
If the day of the week design was graphed like an odometer, I wouldn't have a problem with that. I've seen plenty of 180degree meters. VU audio meters are perfectly fine.

That "59" BPM monitor you were complaining about being cut off doesn't go 360 either. Matter of fact, it looks like an odometer

It is about integrity of design. A Circle shows less information than a square that is of the same size.
This post is an excellent example of that:
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/19627830/

Thus, in order to have a circle, you have to have a bigger watch to show the same amount of information as a smaller dial. 46mm Motorola LCD shows as much as 40mm square dial when you factor in all the extra whitespace.

These are real design issues based on functionality. Now, since 1/2 your market is women, you need a dial that is 36-38mm to cover that market. That is not an easy feat. If you were to do the Moto 360 at 38mm, you would have a tiny screen and zero ability to mult-touch navigate. These are real business constraints. This is why I totally understand the need for a crown as an input device. It works with a 38mm dial.

If you had a target to design a watch that must have 36-38 (for women) and 40-42mm (for men), you have to make some serious considerations. Not simply based on the idea of making it mimic it a round wristwatch.

This whole circle vs square thing is overblown. I've owned 2 smartwatches and one thing I learned is once you get past the novelty and stop playing with your new smartwatch, its primary function is jewelry. Functionality matters 2% of the time. The other 98% of the time its job is to look nice so you won't take it off or feel compelled to screw with it all the time to emotionally justify wearing an ugly attention drawing piece of nerd kit. And the 360 does this well, even with a circle, even with a black bar, even using X mm instead of the X-2 mm it was supposed to use

 

[Keirasplace]

..

These huge pictures are really hard to scroll through. Just make your point without having any pictures.

OK. So the Moto 360 sucks. Great. Can we move on now? Who cares really.

Nobody here is going to buy it. You're all buying the Apple Watch because it is a rounded square and took them 3 years to make and it is the best one ever created.

Moto is not bad looking but a functional deadbeat, thats what most people said of it. Apple had generally good reviews on its look (a special nod of how adaptable the design is), but even better reviews on its build and finish, but we can't say anything for sure about its functionality or its UI. That's it. That's how it goes.

Who I see bitch about the watch are people who will in no way shape or form buy one, ever; like you. So, basically same deal as the Moto 360 critics according to you!

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Problems with iWatch:

1) It is expensive (costs more than an ipod touch or ipad mini, even for the base model)

2) Is an iphone accessory that basically requires an iphone to be functional (this is the deal killer for me)

3) Poor battery life, must be charged every day.

Watches or similar build and finish (exceptional say all reviewers) cost as much or more (and they only tell time). We're not even talking expensive watches here, just you mid range run of the mill timekeepers.

It can be used without the phone to play music, show pictures (and probably video) and run non network apps that can sync later (calendars, collecting heartbeat info, voice memos) or independent apps (timers, alarms, casual games, etc).

There is no watch with current battery tech and a modicum of functionality that will give more than a day between charges. The only other option would be for apple to produce a much more limited device with less functionality (to make it last longer) or to make it of use only when you exercise, so battery life is less of an issue (then you can include more power hungry functions like GPS). So, no, its no a poor battery life at all.

 

[StyxMaker]

This is what I was expecting from Ive.



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I'm really glad he didn't come up with that, the one Ives designed is much better.

 

[OatmealRocks]

What a perfect self-comment to set himself up as a genius or to minimize damage.

Think about it.

If the iWatch is a success, saying it was one of the most difficult projects he's worked on, everyone can say that hard work paid off and he's brilliant.

If it's a failure - they can say - it was a difficult project. Even he said it was difficult. If Ive couldn't succeed, then clearly no one at Apple could have...

Or if it's a failure people will say he lost his touch and to replace him since his job would be in jeopardy. Geez..

 

[KrakaJap]

Well, it looks cut-off to me

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You realize you're basing your knowledge on 3rd party apps that have not been fully updated to support the round interface right? These are apps that were never intended for small screens yet the developers decided to push them out anyway. Don't blame a device for a developers lack of attention.

On my 360 I see absolutely none of this "cut off" you speak and post photos of. Perhaps I'm only using apps that are actually designed for the interface? Or perhaps your Google search results are pulling pre-release images and information?

 

[spinedoc77]

Yes, because Steve could have just conjured up watch battery that can power a GPS, cell, and Wifi antenna all day.

I'm not saying he could have, but when the iPad was introduced it had some amazing battery life for how freakin thin and light it was, and compared to tablets 4x or more its thickness/weight.

I may not have liked everything out of Apple but I sure as hell wished I would have been able to see a Jobs inspired smartwatch.

 

[H2SO4]

Hilarious how so many "no talents" here are complaining about Ive's work as if they really understood the constraints he was working under.

How do I know this? Because if they were that talented they'd be working either for Apple or some other company designing rather than mouthing off on an anonymous site OR they'd be renowned enough to write an intellectual critique in a design publication and that critique would not start off @Ive or with some other insidious kiddie slang or photoshop.

Sooo much easier looking in from the outside.

Yes because nobody here can make any good decisions. Nobody here runs their own small business or has as much skill as anybody that works on Apples design team. Just remember a lot of large companies do buy or want to buy a lot of small start ups/one man bands.
There are plenty probably millions of people who are truly excellent in what they do that enjoy working for themselves or where they are.
More than there are in Apple.

 

[MacMulti]

Actually I think Ive and his team are perfectly capable of making design decisions. Steve just took the credits.

*grabs popcorn*

design is one thing, others like marketing and directions are equally if not more important, that is played by Steve, don't forget.

 

[Technarchy]

From an engineering perspective I believe it. I'm certain it was no easy task to cram that much tech into a small space, and end up with something marketable and appealing.

Count me in for a sport model.

 

[Jimrod]

What does your current watch do?

I don't have a current watch because mobile phones replaced watches for the majority of people some time back in the early 2000's...

The iPhone was an awesome improvement on the phones we were using, sparking a revolution in communication technology.

The Apple Watch is a great replacement for something a small percentage of people still use and even then a large percentage of those do so for fashion, not function. The Apple Watch is not a replacement for a fashion watch as it looks pretty hideous on that front. So, outside tech geeks and hipsters who exactly will be the customer for the Apple Watch?

It'll sell because Apple has become a huge brand with huge marketing - much like Beats did with their pretty awful products compared to the well established alternatives. People are easily lead and brand worship seems to be a new religion.

 

[sinfonye]

What can a smartwtach do than my smartphone can't?

All a smart watch does is show you notifications. It does nothing really.

You're making a false comparison. Makes no sense.

Monitor health and fitness, provide a convenient and very secure way to identify yourself (e.g. for payment, tickets), provide a discrete and socially acceptable way to interact with the world during meetings etc, allow communication in dangerous situations or ones where a phone would be at risk (e.g. street settings, while hillwalking or climbing), provide an easier and safer way to use GPS while walking through an unfamiliar city, provide quick access to information (without needing to reach for a device), allow access to information while driving, always on your person (so fewer missed calls etc).

That sounds like a reasonable list of advantages, and things that a phone cannot or should not do. The modern habit of taking out a phone at dinner etc. is going to become as socially graceful as eating with a knife.

 

[FightTheFuture]

Imagine how people here a lot longer than you feel . . .

I feel the same way - the bigger Apple gets, the more this forum looks like a Youtube comment section.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Yes because nobody here can make any good decisions. Nobody here runs their own small business or has as much skill as anybody that works on Apples design team. Just remember a lot of large companies do buy or want to buy a lot of small start ups/one man bands.
There are plenty probably millions of people who are truly excellent in what they do that enjoy working for themselves or where they are.
More than there are in Apple.

But that wasn't my point... You missed by miles. I didn't say complainers were not competent running businesses or that small business was nothing. I said the complainers likely had no design skills to give credibility to their comments. If you look at most of the negative comments they are juvenile in nature, not professional. That's my point.

 

[mrmarts]

This is one Apple product i am not investing my money in at the moment besides with only 1 day battery life it will just annoy as i charge my iPad and iPhone daily.

 

[k4rrjin]

Lacking vision and direction

I think this shows that it must have been really hard for them to come up with a good vision for that watch so they were digging all the way back in time in hopes of maybe uncovering SOMETHING.

I am not blaming Apple nor Ive nor missing-Steve; I blame the "smartwatch" as a whole. It is a weird, gimmicky product that might have a few niche uses but generally it is more a solution in desperate need of a problem than anything else. Plus it is being horribly held back by the current status of batteries and miniaturization. It's like the Glass with less privacy-outroar by others than the wearer.

That is the reason why Apple went this weird "lifestyle, touchy, feely" route with "emotional" **** like "new forms of communication". They couldn't have possibly found a better use for such a clunky piece of weird.

 

[k4rrjin]

Monitor health and fitness, provide a convenient and very secure way to identify yourself (e.g. for payment, tickets)

Current smartphones including the 6 can do that just fine plus you still got to have the phone nearby, it's not an independent health and sleep tracker - which are cheaper and longer lasting.

provide a discrete and socially acceptable way to interact with the world during meetings etc

No. Instead of diddling around on your phone you will be diddling around on your wrist and it will be just as obvious you are being distracted. Plus turning your wrist, focusing on the watch and reaching over to the tiny crown with your other hand is at least as obvious as picking up the phone from the table or taking it out of your pocket.

allow communication in dangerous situations or ones where a phone would be at risk (e.g. street settings, while hillwalking or climbing)

So instead of using the phone with one hand, you not got to occupy both your hands plus either way you will be distracted and not focusing on your allegedly dangerous hill walking, climbing or street walking. And if you are talking about robbery, well now they will see you using your watch and will instantly know they can not just take your phone off of you but also the watch and it's a guarantee you got both on you.

provide an easier and safer way to use GPS while walking through an unfamiliar city

This being guided through the city is actually a cool idea and of all your points it's the only one I can understand and see as valid. Though we haven't "felt" the watch guiding us yet; I have no idea how clear its instructions would be and how real-world ready this guiding would be especially given the abundance of tiny streets and roads all over the world. Combine that with slight GPS inaccuracies especially in the city and you might be looking at a confusing and frustrating mess where actually LOOKING at the map would be much easier.

provide quick access to information (without needing to reach for a device), allow access to information while driving, always on your person (so fewer misse calls etc).

Depending on country, you aren't allowed to use your smartphone while driving anyway and you can bet they will make the same rules for smartwatches. Plus watches are sitting on top of your wrist, not on the side of your wrist. Most of the time in it's natural position you are actually looking at the side of your wrist, NOT at the top. So it is not so readily available after all and you will still be distracted from the road. You cannot make calls without the phone.


I still think the smartwatch is mainly a cute, gimmicky device without much real world use except for a few niche applications.

 

[Keane16]

I already have a watch. It does what I need it to do. Tell me the time.

I used to have a phone, it did what I needed it to do, make calls.

Now I have a smartphone. It does much more.

Did I need it? No. Do I rely on it now? Yes.