Letter to Tim Cook

[Apple blogger]

Hello tim,

Amazing work with the  watch last morning. It made every other smart watch look ugly and old fashioned. Even before the launch I always knew from the heart that if anyone is going to get it right, it's Apple.

We will be getting to use them in 2015, but till then I have a few tips which may help improve the product and take it to a whole new level.

I am a hardcore apple fan, so please try to understand. I'm sure a $500B company must have thought all the things I'm going to say but in case you'll haven't, then it might help.

1. Design- amazing design. No need to change it.

2. Software- kicks every other smartwatch in the face. The home screen is very beautiful and easy to use, but what would be easier is, that, instead of keeping the home screen as a mesh of apps(we need to scroll up and down alms left and right to access our apps) use the same layout of the home screen but keep pages like we have in iOS, just swipe left or right to access the apps. It's easier that way.. The same home screen layout


But instead of scrolling up, down left right, it should be just left or right. Using the digital crown, we could zoom in and out of the screen just like we do now,
but if we tap an app that's on another page, it should take us to that page and should show all apps in that page with the same layout.

2. 3 editions- You may have something in mind when you decided to have 3 editions of the watch,  watch, sports, and edition. But I think that this is not "Apple style" of selling their products. Apple always focuses on what it does best and not different products of similar type, just 1 or two in its category, with this being said, instead of keeping  watch, and edition, it would be easier for us to choose between only 2 ,  watch, and sports since the  watch and  watch edition will be the same, so we will have 2 gold and a stainless steel and space black option for the normal and aluminum and space grey option with sports( p.s in my opinion instead of 4 options just add 2 gold options for  watch and the current offering in sports). I'm saying this only because it's easier for you to manufacture less variety of products and selling more products just like you always do best.

3. The straps- I appreciate that you have given an amazing range if choice. You must have something in mind for this too, but it's beyond my logic. Why would apple create SO MANY straps when it could make 2-3 straps in each category and leave the rest to other manufactures to make as accessories, that way you could have a variety of accessory straps and you could save on your costs for ALL THE straps you currently offer.
I know you'll must have thought about this too, but i just don't get it.

4. Apples biggest step with iTunes and iPod was offering a windows version. Steve jobs always said that to make a product truly easy to use, you must limit what it can do, and I think this would really apply to the  watch. I have 3 ideas for this itself.

i) since the watch is extremely custimisable software wise, I suggest that instead of adding customizing functionality on the watch itself, you should allow it to change it's look via a the iphone or iPad or iPod touch. What I am trying to say that, adding a theme like astronomy or solar system, which we currently do from the watch, it makes more sense in doing the same thing on a big screen which is your idevices. By doing that, you remove the painful task of doing this job on a small screen and shift it to a big screen.

ii) to do the above change you should develop an app on the App Store which allows the watch to seamlessly sync with the watch. So any changes you make on the layout or theme on the app on the ios device, the same change should be affected and seen on the watch. So for eg, you want to change the theme and add a photo to your theme, instead of doing it from the watch, open the app on the ios device, there you will get the option to change the look of the watch, and when completed and saved, the watch will sync with the app and the same settings will be applied on the watch. This will not only help in simplifying the process but it's also logical considering the screen size of the watch and the ios device.

iii) this may be the most important of all. You need to bring the app mentioned above on android and other mobile software and make the  watch work with other phones. I hate android. But this product is in the same situation as the iPod was with windows. And bringing iTunes to windows was not only a big step but the best that apple had done.Android offers many smart watches so people already have those, but for them to buy a watch they will HAVE to buy an ios device, which isnt a very good option. Make an app on android and other softwares and make the  watch compatible with them and guarentee you have taken on the world. As you said, a great chapter in apples history, so this may be now.
Please consider this option the most.




I would really appreciate if apple could seriously consider selecting even 0.0001% of what I've suggested. This company is very very dear to me it's my dream company and I always think of ways to improve it's products even if I'm not a part of it..

 

[S.B.G]

Did you actually send that to his email account or www.apple.com/feedback instead of just posting it here?

 

[maflynn]

Hello tim,

Amazing work with the  watch last morning. It made every other smart watch look ugly and old fashioned. Even before the launch I always knew from the heart that if anyone is going to get it right, it's Apple.
...
From,
Kushal

I don't think he'll see it here, you may be better served in sending it to him

 

[Apple blogger]

I've sent it on tcook@apple.com as that's what comes up on the internet when search

----------

Did you actually send that to his email account or www.apple.com/feedback instead of just posting it here?

Yes I did

----------

I don't think he'll see it here, you may be better served in sending it to him

I know ☺️ just in case

 

[mariotr87]

I think you're really taking your Apple fanboyism to the next level...

But anyway, leaving that aside, I don't agree with any of your suggestions.

I don't want to have homescreen pages on a watch and swipe to move between them, I think the new homescreen looks better.

There are not 3 different versions of the watch really. You have different bodies, with different finishes/colors, and different straps. You can mix and match, or you can just go for one of the three standard options. It's only a way of helping you pick the right one.

I'm sure 3rd party straps will come out, but they will be of lower quality. So having a wide range of Apple-made straps is great. Most people will only need one, and so they can pick their preferred option and have it installed out of the box.

Customizing the watch via the iPhone? This is about making the watch more iPhone-independent, not about worsening the situation. It is a mistake, in my opinion, that the Apple watch requires an iPhone for almost everything.

Apple watch with an android phone? that makes no sense, this was designed to work within Apple's ecosystem, without continuity, watch kit, etc, there is no watch. That won't happen, ever.

 

[Apple blogger]

Customizing the watch via the iPhone? This is about making the watch more iPhone-independent, not about worsening the situation. It is a mistake, in my opinion, that the Apple watch requires an iPhone for almost everything.

I well that's true it requires the iphone which isn't good.. What could be done is that it should have its own App Store where developrrs make their own custom apps instead of watch kit, and then the watch should connect with only wifi for every other thing, but for continuity and handoff, it needs the iphone, but I only am suggesting customizing the settings via the iphone.m, I truly agree that ur should not be so dependant on it.

----------

There are not 3 different versions of the watch really. You have different bodies, with different finishes/colors, and different straps. You can mix and match, or you can just go for one of the three standard options. It's only a way of helping you pick the right one.

I didn't get you.. U can't remove the body, there are 3 bodys 1 steel, one aluminum and the other gold.. It's the straps that are interchangeable , that what i have understood, am I missing something?

 

[jordanm86]

Just want to offer my thoughts:

2. Software- kicks every other smartwatch in the face. The home screen is very beautiful and easy to use, but what would be easier is, that, instead of keeping the home screen as a mesh of apps(we need to scroll up and down alms left and right to access our apps) use the same layout of the home screen but keep pages like we have in iOS, just swipe left or right to access the apps. It's easier that way.. The same home screen layout

I think Apple's solution is more graceful in this instance. On a phone it is easy to use one hand and swipe with your thumb through 5/6 pages. On a watch, swiping right to left 5 to 6 times with your other hand is a bit tedious, as opposed to panning around all of your apps in a more zoomed out environment.

2. 3 editions- You may have something in mind when you decided to have 3 editions of the watch,  watch, sports, and edition. But I think that this is not "Apple style" of selling their products. Apple always focuses on what it does best and not different products of similar type, just 1 or two in its category, with this being said, instead of keeping  watch, and edition, it would be easier for us to choose between only 2 ,  watch, and sports since the  watch and  watch edition will be the same, so we will have 2 gold and a stainless steel and space black option for the normal and aluminum and space grey option with sports( p.s in my opinion instead of 4 options just add 2 gold options for  watch and the current offering in sports). I'm saying this only because it's easier for you to manufacture less variety of products and selling more products just like you always do best.

As Apple state, this device is very personal. What they are subtly saying is that looking at other smartwatches, a 'one-size fits all' model does not work when it comes to wearable devices. We a witnessing a monumental shift in the way in which we interact with technology and in doing so, it is important to recognise that people are different.

Myself for example, I would like a Watch that I can wear to the gym and monitor performance, health etc and most importantly be comfortable whilst doing so. At the same time, I would like it to look smart enough to wear to meetings or when heading into the office. I prefer the darker coloured watch body so my options are either the Watch Sport in Space Gray or the Watch in Space Black. As the Sport watch does have a metal link bracelet in the same colour as the body, I would opt for the Watch in Space Black with a Space Black link bracelet and purchase an additional Black Fluoroelastomer strap for going to the gym.

My girlfriend on the other hand, whilst being a gym user, does not care about metrics, but would like a watch that is more elegant to wear day to day - so she would go for a Watch Edition.

Let's compare this to the Samsung smartwatches... I would wear a gear fit to the gym, but I would not wear it in the office or for meetings, I would wear a Galaxy Gear day to day but not at the gym or in meetings, same as the Galaxy Gear 2.

This means if I purchased a Samsung Smartwatch, it would not become an everyday part of my life, it would become an occasional item that eventually would get left in a drawer (these my personal preference/thoughts).

3. The straps- I appreciate that you have given an amazing range if choice. You must have something in mind for this too, but it's beyond my logic. Why would apple create SO MANY straps when it could make 2-3 straps in each category and leave the rest to other manufactures to make as accessories, that way you could have a variety of accessory straps and you could save on your costs for ALL THE straps you currently offer.
I know you'll must have thought about this too, but i just don't get it.

In the past couple of years Apple has realised how big the accessories market is and how extremely profitable it is - do you think an Apple phone cover - do you think the new Apple iPhone 6 leather case will cost Apple $45 to produce... of course not. Why would you create a device and allow someone else to reap the profits.

By offering more 'genuine' accessories, Apple will gain more market share of the accessories market and make more profit.

It also allows Apple to gain more control over the overall aesthetics of the product. Would you want lots of people walking around with your fantastically designed watch paired with some garish ugly or cheap strap to match?

4. Apples biggest step with iTunes and iPod was offering a windows version. Steve jobs always said that to make a product truly easy to use, you must limit what it can do, and I think this would really apply to the  watch. I have 3 ideas for this itself.

i) since the watch is extremely custimisable software wise, I suggest that instead of adding customizing functionality on the watch itself, you should allow it to change it's look via a the iphone or iPad or iPod touch. What I am trying to say that, adding a theme like astronomy or solar system, which we currently do from the watch, it makes more sense in doing the same thing on a big screen which is your idevices. By doing that, you remove the painful task of doing this job on a small screen and shift it to a big screen.

It seems pretty simple to do on the watch and would be less convenient to take out your phone to do it. I believe Apple is shifting us towards wearable devices so that in the next few years, you do not need to take your phone out unless you want to watch a movie or play a game - everything else will be easier through the watch which is accessible at all times.

ii) to do the above change you should develop an app on the App Store which allows the watch to seamlessly sync with the watch. So any changes you make on the layout or theme on the app on the ios device, the same change should be affected and seen on the watch. So for eg, you want to change the theme and add a photo to your theme, instead of doing it from the watch, open the app on the ios device, there you will get the option to change the look of the watch, and when completed and saved, the watch will sync with the app and the same settings will be applied on the watch. This will not only help in simplifying the process but it's also logical considering the screen size of the watch and the ios device.

This sounds like a 'Microsoft' style solution to a non-existent issue. Again, let's say you keep your phone in a bag and not in your pocket and you want to change themes on the subway or a bus - you would have to rummage around, find your phone and open the app to change. Alternatively, you could turn the dial on your Watch and swipe to change? seems a bit easier.

iii) this may be the most important of all. You need to bring the app mentioned above on android and other mobile software and make the  watch work with other phones. I hate android. But this product is in the same situation as the iPod was with windows. And bringing iTunes to windows was not only a big step but the best that apple had done.Android offers many smart watches so people already have those, but for them to buy a watch they will HAVE to buy an ios device, which isnt a very good option. Make an app on android and other softwares and make the  watch compatible with them and guarentee you have taken on the world. As you said, a great chapter in apples history, so this may be now.
Please consider this option the most.

This would defeat the entire purpose of the user experience. The reason so many people love (and some hate) Apple is because they place some restrictions on their devices and software in order to provide a more seamless, more stable and reliable experience.

Now I am not saying there aren't flaws, but since using Mac OSX over Windows as a designer, it has made me more productive, it is easier and more intuitive, it doesn't crash (unless using Microsoft Office, just sayin' ) and it's more pleasing to use.

I still use Windows for browser testing and I loathe using it. It's slow, awkward and annoys me.

If Apple were to allow this watch to work with Android, you would have to make so many software options to cater for it, it would lead to an inconsistent user experience and would quickly turn 'something great' into 'just another smartwatch'.

 

[AT101ET]

Wow. I find this both sad and badly informed. Sorry OP but disagree with almost everything you said.

 

[iCore24]

Are we allowed to send Tim Cook packages/mail to the 1 infinite loop address?

I sent him stuff but got it returned? I did mix up the To and From areas, the top left corner I put his address and mine in the To area, But I labeled them TO and FROM to make sure it was clear. It was a bubble envelope and thought my address would be in the postage the reason I put his on the top left.


And to the OP, You want to give us less options, depend on the iPhone more, and have pages when the new home screen is fluid and fun especially when zooming out and in? Please don't mail this ti him!

 

[Alvi]

i think you're really taking your apple fanboyism to the next level...

+1

 

[calderone]

You should be embarrassed about having sent this to Apple.

 

[katewes]

The Apple Watch body looked like it was designed by Samsung and Panasonic. The software looks ok, but the external hardware design sucks. As a longstanding Apple user who drools over Apple design, I have to say I would be embarrassed to be seen wearing one of the ugly Apple watches. It has no sense of classy style. It's a rectangular brick. Sure, the software seems great, but the overall appearance of the hardware looks like it was designed in Taiwan.

 

[Apple blogger]

Just want to offer my thoughts:



I think Apple's solution is more graceful in this instance. On a phone it is easy to use one hand and swipe with your thumb through 5/6 pages. On a watch, swiping right to left 5 to 6 times with your other hand is a bit tedious, as opposed to panning around all of your apps in a more zoomed out environment.



As Apple state, this device is very personal. What they are subtly saying is that looking at other smartwatches, a 'one-size fits all' model does not work when it comes to wearable devices. We a witnessing a monumental shift in the way in which we interact with technology and in doing so, it is important to recognise that people are different.

Myself for example, I would like a Watch that I can wear to the gym and monitor performance, health etc and most importantly be comfortable whilst doing so. At the same time, I would like it to look smart enough to wear to meetings or when heading into the office. I prefer the darker coloured watch body so my options are either the Watch Sport in Space Gray or the Watch in Space Black. As the Sport watch does have a metal link bracelet in the same colour as the body, I would opt for the Watch in Space Black with a Space Black link bracelet and purchase an additional Black Fluoroelastomer strap for going to the gym.

My girlfriend on the other hand, whilst being a gym user, does not care about metrics, but would like a watch that is more elegant to wear day to day - so she would go for a Watch Edition.

Let's compare this to the Samsung smartwatches... I would wear a gear fit to the gym, but I would not wear it in the office or for meetings, I would wear a Galaxy Gear day to day but not at the gym or in meetings, same as the Galaxy Gear 2.

This means if I purchased a Samsung Smartwatch, it would not become an everyday part of my life, it would become an occasional item that eventually would get left in a drawer (these my personal preference/thoughts).



In the past couple of years Apple has realised how big the accessories market is and how extremely profitable it is - do you think an Apple phone cover - do you think the new Apple iPhone 6 leather case will cost Apple $45 to produce... of course not. Why would you create a device and allow someone else to reap the profits.

By offering more 'genuine' accessories, Apple will gain more market share of the accessories market and make more profit.

It also allows Apple to gain more control over the overall aesthetics of the product. Would you want lots of people walking around with your fantastically designed watch paired with some garish ugly or cheap strap to match?



It seems pretty simple to do on the watch and would be less convenient to take out your phone to do it. I believe Apple is shifting us towards wearable devices so that in the next few years, you do not need to take your phone out unless you want to watch a movie or play a game - everything else will be easier through the watch which is accessible at all times.



This sounds like a 'Microsoft' style solution to a non-existent issue. Again, let's say you keep your phone in a bag and not in your pocket and you want to change themes on the subway or a bus - you would have to rummage around, find your phone and open the app to change. Alternatively, you could turn the dial on your Watch and swipe to change? seems a bit easier.



This would defeat the entire purpose of the user experience. The reason so many people love (and some hate) Apple is because they place some restrictions on their devices and software in order to provide a more seamless, more stable and reliable experience.

Now I am not saying there aren't flaws, but since using Mac OSX over Windows as a designer, it has made me more productive, it is easier and more intuitive, it doesn't crash (unless using Microsoft Office, just sayin' ) and it's more pleasing to use.

I still use Windows for browser testing and I loathe using it. It's slow, awkward and annoys me.

If Apple were to allow this watch to work with Android, you would have to make so many software options to cater for it, it would lead to an inconsistent user experience and would quickly turn 'something great' into 'just another smartwatch'.

Fair points ...