Jony Ive's Design Team Nixed Apple Watch Band With Sensors

[HowEver]

Interchangeable bands is kind of awesome, given how many tastes there are out there to satisfy. Even someone with no fashion sense recognizes the need to have more than one kind of band, no? No?

Now that the watch is ramping up exponentially in the health field, it's very interesting to, um, watch what happens over time. Health is a massively important field, and the watch is built-in springboard to healthful and knowledgable lifestyles. It's already improving lives, even for people who cannot stand that there might be more than one watch band in the world.

 

[CFreymarc]

So - form over function. Got it.

You really start to understand Apple when you view them as a fashion company with computer technology as their medium. When you try to look at them as just another tech company, they seem crazy. However, when you see them with an aesthetic eye, it starts to make sense.

 

[JPLC]

God no, noth those watch bands again!!!

 

[bluespark]

So... Steve Jobs was replaced by a bunch of mentally challenged show off that calle themselves "design team"? Usually the garbage that takes control of a department by kissing asses and stabbing people on the back. No wonder Apple is sinking.

That's your takeaway fro this? Really?!! Design is everything. This to me tells me that, at least on occasion, Apple can still function properly without Jobs.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I have to side with Jony on this one.

Really?

A watch band?

With sensors?

Attached how?

Good call. Damn good call...

 

[IJ Reilly]

Engineering is about what you put in.
Design is about what you leave out.

Apple has always been a design company. Geeks will always hate that about Apple.

 

[Gigaman]

So - form over function. Got it.

Sounds more like they chose one function over another.

 

[Bubba Satori]

We are the knights who say nixed.

 

[Gigaman]

Whew.

Thank God "fashionable" watchbands made the top of their to-do list when designing the Apple Watch.

It's wearable tech. It's a watch. Why wouldn't fashion/aesthetics be a priority?

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Engineering is about what you put in.
Design is about what you leave out.

Apple has always been a design company. Geeks will always hate that about Apple.

WRONG!!!

Engineering is what you put in, and 'design' is how you make us give our right kidney to own it.

Yeah...

And I am a 'geek', and have gone from hating Apple Computer, to respecting Apple. I get tired of learning shell script, and remembering the many switches for a command, or utility.

Apple, usually, just works.

Case in point: I FINALLY got the 'You can update to Windows 10' on a 7 Enterprise system. I figured 'What the hell. It's free'. It was an Intel G33/31 chipset. Guess which one 7 supported until the cows come home, and 10 doesn't.... Um, yeah. Now I have to get a damn video card, and HOPE that it supports the damned monitor AFTER I buy the damn card!

I'm tired of 'drama'. Like REALLY tired of drama. I really WANT things to JUST FREAKING WORK!!!

Now I have MORE DRAMA... I FREAKING HATE DRAMA!!! I just want my home system TO JUST WORK!!! I don't want to have to spend a half hour, or 2 minutes, to get it to FREAKING WORK!!!

But I digress...

Sure Apple has 'issues', but...

I had a IIcx. The one with 'dirty ROMs'. Apple Computer actually added a 'ROM slot' on the motherboard so that they could just pop a jumper, add a SIMM, and replace the ROMs. Ah, but paranoid Steve Jobs didn't want to make Apple Computer ROM cards, because people could copy them. Yeah, that was his lame excuse. So I had a 'defective' system, with a way to fix it, but they denied the ability to fix it. I was pissed. Didn't matter. Still, I LOVED that system, as much as it pains me to admit it.

 

[Rogifan]

So - form over function. Got it.

So interchangeable bands isn't a function? Seems to me that was one of the things praised about the Watch - how easy it was to change bands. Also, as far as I'm aware most, if not all the Android Wear round watches have the heart rate sensor in the same spot as the Apple Watch. Is that form over function too?

You really start to understand Apple when you view them as a fashion company with computer technology as their medium. When you try to look at them as just another tech company, they seem crazy. However, when you see them with an aesthetic eye, it starts to make sense.

The way the headline reads you'd think there were all these amazing sensors that could have been in the Watch but the designers said no because they care more about silly little watch bands. This guy was specifically talking about the heart rate sensor. The heart rate sensor that is placed in the same spot as nearly every Android Wear watch. As far as fashion goes...a big appeal with the Watch is the ability to easily swap out bands. If the original plan for the heart rate sensor would have prevented easily swapping out bands (or would have made bands way more expensive than they already are) that would have made the Watch less successful IMO. I don't see Microsoft Band flying off the shelves.

 

[Rocket Man]

I'm confident Apple decided to go with an emphasis on fashion to grab the "trend setters" to normalize wearables as the first rollout phase for what the Watch is going to become. Without fashion, it's incredibly hard to get normal consumers on board with the idea. Now that it's getting out there, the tech aspect can really kick in.

Smart watches had the stigma of calculator watches a few years ago (and given some of the horrible designs I can see why).

I loved my Casio calculator watches!

 

[Mavelous]

Messerschmidt was shot down............too funny

 

[goobot]

That's your takeaway fro this? Really?!! Design is everything. This to me tells me that, at least on occasion, Apple can still function properly without Jobs.

Jobs was at Apple in 2010.

 

[samcraig]

So interchangeable bands isn't a function? Seems to me that was one of the things praised about the Watch - how easy it was to change bands. Also, as far as I'm aware most, if not all the Android Wear round watches have the heart rate sensor in the same spot as the Apple Watch. Is that form over function too?



The way the headline reads you'd think there were all these amazing sensors that could have been in the Watch but the designers said no because they care more about silly little watch bands. This guy was specifically talking about the heart rate sensor. The heart rate sensor that is placed in the same spot as nearly every Android Wear watch. As far as fashion goes...a big appeal with the Watch is the ability to easily swap out bands. If the original plan for the heart rate sensor would have prevented easily swapping out bands (or would have made bands way more expensive than they already are) that would have made the Watch less successful IMO. I don't see Microsoft Band flying off the shelves.

Your sarcasm meter needs a recharge

 

[zulkiflim]

Messerschmidt goes on to explain other important lessons he learned from his time working at Apple and from Steve Jobs, including that user experience is "everything when it comes to consumer products," that "good enough is not good enough," and that it's important to say no "until it's just right."


So who was in charge of the crappy first Watch Os software ? Buggy and hella slow ...

The latest watch OS software is loads better .
I just wonder did Apple wait till they made some profit (from watch sales )then invested manpower to watch OS ?

I mean seriously the optimization in the current Beta is amazing !! The watch flies !!
That should have been from day ONE!!

What happen to IT JUST WORKS Apple ??

 

[btrach144]

Whew.

Thank God "fashionable" watchbands made the top of their to-do list when designing the Apple Watch.

To be honest I've owned the Jawbone V1, Jawbone V2, Fitbit Zip, Microsoft Band, and Fitbit Charge HR before buying my Apple Watch. My biggest complaint as a traditional watch wearer is that I looked like a fool wearing any of the devices plus my watch. I looked like a machine LOL

With the Apple Watch, I've been able to retire my traditional watches and only wear one device as I feel it meets the style and functional needs. The Microsoft Band gen 1 had chips built into the band and it made it extremely thick plus a $150 leather band would then cost $400 for the chips.

 

[azentropy]

That explains why Apple branded bands are so expensive, they were supposed to have sensors in them and they forgot to adjust the price points without them!

 

[32828870]

Form over function? At Apple? No, can't be. (Seems Apple has more drama than a bus full of drag queens on their way to a wig sale)

 

[KPOM]

So - form over function. Got it.

More like they didn't just try to check boxes off a feature list like Samsung at the price of aesthestics.
[doublepost=1471306649][/doublepost]

Charging a watch every night isn't how most people use watches either, Jonny.

There's what's desirable and what's possible. It's desirable to have a watch that doesn't need to be charged as often, but let's face it, there isn't going to be a "smart watch" that lasts for years on a single charge, like a regular watch.

 

[44267547]

Your sarcasm meter needs a recharge

*Edit.

 

[Internet Enzyme]

wait but I wanted another watch band

 

[KPOM]

Wtf!! What is wrong with them? I'd much rather have a better engineered product with amazing sensors than a mediocre product with fashion sense. Interchangeable bands is neither good design nor superior user experience.

Interchangeable bands are great for someone who wants to wear a different band while working out than when going out at night or wearing to the office.

Plus, this is not to say that Apple will never have bands with sensors. It's just that they were not about to put a core sensor into the band.

 

[44267547]

Health versus band options. Which outweighs which.

 

[TXAppleUser]

Looks over function? Lame.