Jony Ive Reveals Exclusive Apple Watch Sport Bands at Milan Design Week

[RogerWilco]

Observation: people are more obsessed about the bands than the Watch itself.

Interesting phenomenon.

My guess is the majority of posters live in the Bay Area, a rather unique place totally divorced from the economic and social realities of "regular" America. When I visit San Jose I see nothing but prosperity and growth and this colors the attitudes of the young, diverse workers who are the prime customers for these colorful baubles. The town where I live has been in an economic depression since 2009, with boarded storefronts, declining wages, and an air of resignation that makes younger people flee. We are obviously not the target market for Apple's latest offerings...

 

[alphaod]

I like choices.

 

[Trekorvar]

Not that I'm buying an apple watch, but that's not much of a knock -- as long as you have three other products, including two wrist-worn products, apple watch isn't necessary! I mean... That sounds more like an endorsement than a criticism.

Apple Watch is dependent on iPhone, so the third one does not count. But you are right, I have both wrists occupied compared to a single one with Apple Watch. But, I have to charge only every 4-5 days, I can swim and shower with my combo, also the loop tracks my sleep (while Apple Watch would be charging).

 

[Karma*Police]

i totally want to sleep with my apple watch.

for the sleep tracking.

i plan to charge first thing in am while i'm waking, shower, dress, etc. and if it needs more maybe a bit at work.

gonna work fine i'll bet.

I don't know. Sounds very uncomfortable. There are other sleep tracking systems out there that are cheaper and less intrusive and integrates with health kit.

Or, people can just use the time tested method of going to bed when they're tired and waking up and gauging for themselves whether or not they got a good night's sleep.

 

[elgrecomac]

This is absolutely idiotic. Watch bands or straps are making everyone go ape? Really? A parallel thread could be awesome cases for an iPhone. Equally idiotic .

It's about the device, people. And while sales to the fan base are doing well it's a matter of time to see if they can convince the non watch wearing public to tether a 3 oz wristwatch to ones phone for the primary reason of convenience and secondary reason of biometric monitoring.
I'm passing on this beta version of the watch. Maybe 3rd gen will be worth while.

 

[ginkobiloba]

I don't know. Sounds very uncomfortable. There are other sleep tracking systems out there that are cheaper and less intrusive and integrates with health kit.

Or, people can just use the time tested method of going to bed when they're tired and waking up and gauging for themselves whether or not they got a good night's sleep.

Me, when I go to bed, I only wear :

 

[nStyle]

Me, when I go to bed, I only wear :
YouTube: video

You're lying. That's not the truth.

 

[OoOOOOOOoooOOOO]

the only colors i need are black, grey, cognac, and oxblood. all these dayglow colors are hideous.

 

[i.mac]

Me, when I go to bed, I only wear :
YouTube: video

If you wear channel no 5 to bed, then you probably can afford an apple watch.

 

[neonart]

...
The watch is ridiculous in so many ways. It does virtually nothing, and even less than many competing products. Jobs wouldn't have jumped into a whole new category like this unless his device offered real utility, that this watch doesn't. My guess is that it was intended to be revolutionary with GPS, health sensors, and probably connections with augmented reality UI--a product we honestly haven't seen anywhere else. What the Apple watch turned out to be is a pure marketing gimmick. It's a smaller iPod nano they've prettied up....

Please see Macrumors Thread 500.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apples-new-thing-ipod.500/

 

[diegogaja]

If that's all there was to the apple watch then you would have a point. The color of the bands is just one very small aspect of the watch.

Personally, I've tried on many smart watches. I own a few pebbles. I tried on the Apple Sport Watch the other day. Mane here are joking about the "rubber" Apple watch band but the band itself in person is far from an ordinary rubber watch band. Apple nailed it when they made it. Not going to explain why/how it's better. People will need to try it on for themselves.

IMO, if any other company made this exact same watch there would hardly be any buzz about it. Bands in multiple colors would be a gimmick, etc. etc.

 

[OoOOOOOOoooOOOO]

If that's all there was to the apple watch then you would have a point. The color of the bands is just one very small aspect of the watch.

Personally, I've tried on many smart watches. I own a few pebbles. I tried on the Apple Sport Watch the other day. Mane here are joking about the "rubber" Apple watch band but the band itself in person is far from an ordinary rubber watch band. Apple nailed it when they made it. Not going to explain why/how it's better. People will need to try it on for themselves.

yeah, garmin could learn a thing or two from apple on how to make a nice band.... and also fix their software.

 

[0928001]

As long as they work with my Edition...

Why wouldn't they? Your comment seems like a lame attempt at bragging.

 

[terrapinjess]

Am I one of the few or the many that don't really see Apple Watch as being as much of fashionable as it is in declaring social status?
Sure it's nice looking, but to call it fashionable seems a de facto thing... From all this hype and everything, it seems to me that it's now become a social status thing... Kind of puts a sour feeling in me.

 

[diegogaja]

Well, it doesn't seem t be an issue for people training to run marathons and world travelers....

I've tried the Apple watch.

The security of the strap relies entirely on the insertion of the exposed peg into the body of strap holding firm. There is no secondary security from being looped through a buckle, nor through an additional keeper or two.

Tucking the tail into the slot only keeps it out of the way; it won't prevent the band from falling open if the strap isn't pressed securely onto the button, either mistakenly, or as it loosens over time and usage.

Like I said, it's more stylish than functional.

If I'm spending $350/550, never mind thousands, on a piece, I wouldn't want to see it damaged because something as simple as the strap wasn't up to the task.

I'd have reservations about it even for a casual watch. More so for something that's meant to be worn during activity.

----------

While true technically, your post didn't actually counter his point. If that's all you got then the Apple watch definitely does more than those two combined.

Polar Loop monitors my sleep, while Apple Watch needs to change. I can swim and shower with my combo (20m rating for the Loop), Apple Watch is not waterproof. Apple Watch does not solve any problem, it depends on iPhone, which I also carry.

 

[elgrecomac]

They kind of are. That white sport band is pretty distinctive, just like those white ipod earbuds became a fashion icon.

Not saying it should or should not be that way, but it is just how things are.

IIRC, Apple even ran a whole campaign around the white earbuds.

And IIRC the apple earbuds were and are BPOS.

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

It's the same reason some people don't buy power drills. Power drills do something fairly amazing that are useful to a lot of people. But, they aren't useful to some, so they don't buy them. Apple is making this a lot harder by tricking a lot of people into a new product category that does things that a lot of people want to do that they may or may not actually "need".

I find power drills to be boring devices.

(ba-dum-dum... I'm here all week, folks...)

 

[nando87]

Why wouldn't they? Your comment seems like a lame attempt at bragging.

Yours seems like a lame attempt at envying.

 

[diegogaja]

Except that you are wrong. You refuse to understand because it would force you to admit some things...

EVERY single reviewer stated they had battery left at the end of the day. and based on the rumors of poor battery life you know (and they also wrote about it) EVERY single reviewer put the watch through very thorough and high activity testing. Meaning they used it HEAVILY during the time they had it.

Your point is invalid.

Why can you not understand.........?

The watch does not last for 18 hours on a charge.
It last for 18 hours when you use it in a manner that Apple suggests you do.

Should I perhaps try and sell you a car, that I say will last a month between needing fuel stops, but only if you drive it in a manner and distances I suggest you do?

The watch may last 3 days for someone who never looks at it, or perhaps 3 hours for someone who uses it heavy, perhaps later in the year when REAL apps come out.

18 hours is just a made up concept it's not real.

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

Why wouldn't they? Your comment seems like a lame attempt at bragging.

I think it was an excellent attempt at humor, as he was juxtaposing a $10,000 watch with a $50 plastic, err... fluoroelastomer band.

 

[diegogaja]

Ok "fashion expert"...please enlighten everyone on the board exactly what is fashion and art and why the bands material specifically disqualify it.

Only Ive would have the brass face to present plastic watch straps as fashion and art. Only in Appleland does this fly. Daft events like this will bring Apple into the realm of material for comedians.

----------

Or...what if they got to choose the color...and that's what he chose?

Sam Smith should send it back for only gettinng the stainless steel. Someone with his following should get the Gold like Katy, Drake and others.

----------

You're implying that apple just picked the 18 hour figure out of thin air without a lot of testing?

But MPG figures are arrived at by standard testing - it's a useful comparator rather than something plucked out of the air.

 

[Quu]

I like that they are showing some variety, just wish there was more confirmation about what they'll actually make available.

 

[thekeyring]

If Tim Cook spends his time as CEO working on the tasks of his previous position as VP, then Apple is in worse trouble than I thought. In all the hype and gushing over these trivial devices and pieces of colored plastic, has anyone noticed that the music store is dying? iPad sales are declining? The MBP hasn't been updated in two years? AppleTV is a nothing burger? OS X is in its fourth beta release since X.6?

Apple Inc. is a giant gleaming ship with a talented crew, it can go anywhere. Too bad it lacks a captain to set the course.

I thought it was clear my comment was tongue-in-cheek.

The music store isn't "dying" but the decline has been noticed, hence the Beats acquisition and the rumours of Apple building a competitive streaming service.

True about iPad, we don't know exactly what Apple's plans are. iPad sales are still incredibly strong even though, relatively, they are less year over year. Obviously if that trend continues, Apple won't sell any iPads at all, but as an absolute number, they're still selling.

The 13" MacBook Pro has been updated with force touch and new processors, and as soon as Intel releases new processors for the 15" that will receive an update, too.

Apple are adding new channels to Apple TV every day, plus there's rumours of a hardware refresh, app store, and new content service, so it's hardly a "nothing burger".

Tim Cook is more than capable as CEO. I'm not quite sure what more he needs to do to prove it, and to show it isn't "in trouble".

When you think of companies that compete with Apple's lineup, you end up naming loads that have to collaborate. The smartwatch commonly held as most competitive with Apple Watch is the Moto 360, and that's a collaboration between Motorola and Google. What about Lenovo's PC business? That's Lenovo and Microsoft. The Galaxy S6? That's Samsung, Google and Microsoft. The HTC One M9? That's HTC, Google and Qualcomm.

 

[Piggie]

Except that you are wrong. You refuse to understand because it would force you to admit some things...

EVERY single reviewer stated they had battery left at the end of the day. and based on the rumors of poor battery life you know (and they also wrote about it) EVERY single reviewer put the watch through very thorough and high activity testing. Meaning they used it HEAVILY during the time they had it.

Your point is invalid.

Used it heavily with the currently very limited number of Apps, only able to do a currently very limited number of things on the device.
And I guess much of it being done by the phone with the watch just as the display.

So yes, I agree you are right. With the very limited things Apple are only allowing right now, it does last the amount of time that's being quoted.

And still meaningless regards to the overall lifespan of the product and what, hopefully it may be allowed to do later on in it's life.

 

[MrXiro]

This is absolutely idiotic. Watch bands or straps are making everyone go ape? Really? A parallel thread could be awesome cases for an iPhone. Equally idiotic .

It's about the device, people. And while sales to the fan base are doing well it's a matter of time to see if they can convince the non watch wearing public to tether a 3 oz wristwatch to ones phone for the primary reason of convenience and secondary reason of biometric monitoring.
I'm passing on this beta version of the watch. Maybe 3rd gen will be worth while.

See I'm probably going Gen 1 and then Gen 3. Mostly because I like having the newest gear to play with.

Though the more I think about it the more this watch doesn't work for my lifestyle. I'm using a Fitbit Surge currently and it fits in perfectly with what I do. Sleep tracking, activities, silent alarms. But I still find it a bit lacking in extra features like text messages and phone calls. But at least it has a multi-day battery life and I can wear it to sleep and set a silent alarm (that doesn't vibrate long enough) to wake me up in the morning.

I'm hoping I can find a way around the shorter battery life and have the Apple Watch fit into my life, it's nearly perfect for my uses otherwise... but now I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with the Fitbit or move onto the Apple Watch.