My Thoughts on the Philosophy Behind the Apple Watch Ultra

[Xand&Roby]

So we have the wannabe extreme sport buying the Ultra to show they had 799$, and now people that for decades buyed expensive “tools” only for showing them and the status about them, now complain about people think the Ultra is ridicolous.
Be calm, people: nobody cares about you and how spend your money, and the Ultra remain an ugly, useless, cheap Apple Watch.
But if you want it you’ll buy it, who cares?

 

[JM]

Got played by Apple, and that's OK:

Whoah interesting.

He got a little too deep, but got the genius marketing part right: the idea was sold that the Ultra would allow you to pretend to be an explorer like the rugged people in the video.

 

[SEmAN]

So we have the wannabe extreme sport buying the Ultra to show they had 799$, and now people that for decades buyed expensive “tools” only for showing them and the status about them, now complain about people think the Ultra is ridicolous.
Be calm, people: nobody cares about you and how spend your money, and the Ultra remain an ugly, useless, cheap Apple Watch.
But if you want it you’ll buy it, who cares?

I guess those people are the target customers of AW Ultra. Apple only wants to sell the image of an "extreme and utilitarian" smartwatch rather than the functionality. It is so obvious that this is totally within Apple's plan since AW Ultra's features and performance are excessive for casual hikers/divers/trail runners but lackluster for real extreme athletes.

 

[Harvey Zoltan]

I really like the look of the Ultra and had one on order but decided it's much more than I require. Might upgrade to a stainless steel model instead. I've only had the aluminium version so far.

 

[DENZIE]

Thanks for your post. It read well.
I like mine too, I got the yellow ocean band for diving (used it on a dive last weekend and was within .1m of my suunto) can’t wait for actual dive apps to flourish on the platform.

I got the umber leather link to dress it up. The soft sheen of the titanium and leather compliment, and the brown and international orange at a glance match quite well.

When you consider a 45mm stainless watch with a nice band is really within $100-200 of the ultra, the extra features make it way worth the upgrade.

 

[RPhoto]

With a few exceptions I think that everyone is taking Apple’s marketing too literally.

100% this.

 

[TimmKook]

GOOD MORNING!

The number of people who have wrists big enough to accommodate the Ultra are very low, statistically speaking. However, we love selling this watch to any sucker who will buy it! So please, buy many and buy often!

 

[RPhoto]

I didn't mean specifically you necessarily. But there seems to be a ton of defensiveness about this particular watch in general to me.

There is defensiveness because of the aggressive nature of a lot of the negativity from those who don’t like it. Many people on here are incapable of passing their opinion on the Ultra’s design or purpose, without a twist of the knife, made to intentionally insult the person it’s aimed at.

And because the watch is also, in part, a fashion accessory, it seems to trigger a lot of insecurity when what they deem as ugly, isn’t agreed with.

 

[RPhoto]

Yup. Jeeps, trucks, Porsche. Range rovers! Landrovers! Advertised to cross the desert or run the track but Never used for it’s intended capacity and no says anything.

I’m also curious to know if, on sneaker forums, members are ridiculed for buying Air Jordan’s despite never setting foot in a basketball court.

 

[Salty Pirate]

The breadcrumbs will be useful when I venture off the path at Ikea.

 

[PatrickNSF]

People are overthinking this. It’s just an Apple Watch with a bigger battery and a different design. It’s finally adequate for more endurance activities, but it’s still not a true sports watch no matter how Apple markets it.

The best review remains this one –

Apple Watch Ultra review: Is it a true sports watch?

The Apple Watch Ultra is an extremely nice smart watch, but unfortunately it is still missing what it takes to be a modern day sports watch.

connectthewatts.com

 

[MajorFubar]

At this point Apple should just stop producing regular AW. Just go Ultra all the way and add 53mm version for some of us.

That's called an iPod Nano on a wrist strap.

 

[spiderman0616]

OP, I agree with your overall sentiment. I probably don't "need" the MacBook Pro, but definitely benefit from its extra features on a daily basis. I spend most of my screen time in macOS during the week, so I find it worth the extra money. I don't need the Pro model iPhones, but I definitely benefit every day from the nicer screen, faster internals, better camera, etc.

I definitely don't mind spending the extra dough on a device if I know I'll use the extra features, and will definitely err on the side of "get it in case you need it". Having really bad arthritis in my back, it was just a bridge too far for me as far as the Ultra. I have no problem with the price tag or design or any of that. It's just truly a device I don't need.

You'll see a lot of opinions here either way, but it doesn't matter that much. I can't fault anyone for "aspiring" to own an Ultra or for buying one just because they want those features just in case. I think Apple did a really good job of adding a whole bunch of extra capability and battery power but keeping the price well under $1000 even after including cellular on all units. It's not even that much more expensive than the nicer finish Series models.

 

[Fiona FTW]

Everyone who is honest with themselves understands the “philosophy“ behind Ultra is to push AW profits up by emphasizing its “sportiness” since the fashion marketing take has never really taken. You see far more less expensive aluminum AW in the wild than SS, Ti, ceramic, and Hermes combined.

So Apple made AW8 boring as hell, and then took last years 45mm Ti AW, gave it a thicker case, 2x battery and cut the price $50 to $799 while leaking a $999 price leading up to its announcement to make it seem like a “bargain“ and fresh.

That strategy seems to have worked b/c most the online chatter is AWU, not AW8. I’m not immune even though I grasp Apple’s cynicism here as my AWU is coming by Monday. Let’s not pretend AWU is either innovative or a work of art. It’s just different at a time when the look of the flagship AW has become even more ho-hum than ever. Apple then baited us with a newer look, but at a steep cost.

 

[1rottenapple]

Thanks for your post. It read well.
I like mine too, I got the yellow ocean band for diving (used it on a dive last weekend and was within .1m of my suunto) can’t wait for actual dive apps to flourish on the platform.

I got the umber leather link to dress it up. The soft sheen of the titanium and leather compliment, and the brown and international orange at a glance match quite well.

When you consider a 45mm stainless watch with a nice band is really within $100-200 of the ultra, the extra features make it way worth the upgrade.

View attachment 2089283

Hmmmmmmmmm. I love it! But it’s darker than saddle brown right? I have brown belt and brown shoes and I’d like to match them with a nice band.

 

[Farrellcollie]

There is defensiveness because of the aggressive nature of a lot of the negativity from those who don’t like it. Many people on here are incapable of passing their opinion on the Ultra’s design or purpose, without a twist of the knife, made to intentionally insult the person it’s aimed at.

And because the watch is also, in part, a fashion accessory, it seems to trigger a lot of insecurity when what they deem as ugly, isn’t agreed with.

And apparently triggers insecurity in those who bought who have a need to aggressively defend a purchase. I am all for buying what you want but then go on with your life. I am personally not a fan of any of the giant watches that have metal bits poking out of them and that look like giant disks with a lot of complicated things on the face that I could, at this point in life, never read without a magnifying glass and my reading glasses. But it is okay with me if someone else likes it. I just don't think it matters one way or the other whether I like it or don't like or if anyone else does or not. Buy it and use it or don't. And I don't really notice other people's wrists all that often so most of my experience with even seeing the giant non-apple watches have come from people posting their wrist pictures on this forum. I couldn't tell you what watch my partner wears - I have no idea and I see that wrist all the time.

 

[RPhoto]

And apparently triggers insecurity in those who bought who have a need to aggressively defend a purchase. I am all for buying what you want but then go on with your life. I am personally not a fan of any of the giant watches that have metal bits poking out of them and that look like giant disks with a lot of complicated things on the face that I could, at this point in life, never read without a magnifying glass and my reading glasses. But it is okay with me if someone else likes it. I just don't think it matters one way or the other whether I like it or don't like or if anyone else does or not. Buy it and use it or don't. And I don't really notice other people's wrists all that often so most of my experience with even seeing the giant non-apple watches have come from people posting their wrist pictures on this forum.

It’s a fair point and one I was aware of as I said it. The difference being, the negativity comments are by and large far more insulting than the people spouting the positive ones. Especially considering a lot of the negative ones crop up in posts that are unrelated and about people celebrating their purchase. So you can’t blame people for being frustrated with unsolicited remarks that are designed to offend.

 

[Farrellcollie]

It’s a fair point and one I was aware of as I said it. The difference being, the negativity comments are by and large far more insulting than the people spouting the positive ones. Especially considering a lot of the negative ones crop up in posts that are unrelated and about people celebrating their purchase. So you can’t blame people for being frustrated with unsolicited remarks that are designed to offend.

I agree that the posts where someone is quite happy with their new watch and some other poster comes in with a that is too large/small/ugly/feels or looks like a toy are unwarranted and misguided. Trying to suck the joy out of someone else is a mean spirited choice

 

[RPhoto]

I agree that the posts where someone is quite happy with their new watch and some other poster comes in with a that is too large/small/ugly are unwarranted and misguided. Trying to suck the joy out of someone else is a mean spirited choice

Exactly. It’s just plain rude. If people acted like that in real life they’d quickly end up with no friends, or just part of a toxic group of people. But they enjoy hiding behind anonymity or a forum which allows them to prod the wasps nest.

Anyway, thanks for the healthy discussion 👌

 

[TriApple]

Lots of people talking about what this new Ultra "can't do". I've been using it for Ironman training since launch day... that's a reasonable high-end fitness use case and honestly, it works great. You have to lean into the 3rd party ecosystem, which I was hesitant about, but no longer.

Download structured workouts from TP: iSmoothRun
Swimming: works better than my Fenix 7s for swim stroke detection + drills and kicks - nothing needed
Biking: Any real cyclist is using a bike computer anyway, me too. That said I do also use WorkoutDoors which connects to my BLE PM and other sensors

Body Battery / Readiness: Athlytic or Health app - pending how much you value gamification vs raw data

All my workouts are in TP anyway, and that's where my coach or I would do real analysis.

 

[xxray]

I agree with you. I think the Ultra looks better than the Series 8. Unpopular opinion, I know. But to me, the S8 just looks bulbous and boring, which is ironic because it’s sleaker and slimmer. But I like the flatter, hard-edged look of the Ultra. I’m just tired of the S8 design. I feel like it’s been the same design for 7-8 years now.

 

[D3ggy]

I’m nearly 60 and the most exercise I do is walking the dog twice a day, but guess what I bought an ultra.

In store they asked me why I bought it. My response was simple, its new and shiny and I like the look of it. Ok extra battery helped and the better microphones and speakers but my justification was easy. I liked, I wanted, I bought.

 

[GuruZac]

Yup. Jeeps, trucks, Porsche. Range rovers! Landrovers! Advertised to cross the desert or run the track but Never used for it’s intended capacity and no says anything.

Add Jeeps and now Broncos to the list of "I own and will never use as intended or marketed, but love the look" category.

 

[Night Spring]

GOOD MORNING!

The number of people who have wrists big enough to accommodate the Ultra are very low, statistically speaking.

Nope. I'm at the very low end of wrist size that fit the Apple watch -- I wear the size 1 solo loop. But I'm able to wear the ultra. So the number of people who can wear the ultra is the same as the number of people able to wear size 1 solo loop and above.

 

[cardfan]

Lots of people talking about what this new Ultra "can't do". I've been using it for Ironman training since launch day... that's a reasonable high-end fitness use case and honestly, it works great. You have to lean into the 3rd party ecosystem, which I was hesitant about, but no longer.

Download structured workouts from TP: iSmoothRun
Swimming: works better than my Fenix 7s for swim stroke detection + drills and kicks - nothing needed
Biking: Any real cyclist is using a bike computer anyway, me too. That said I do also use WorkoutDoors which connects to my BLE PM and other sensors

Body Battery / Readiness: Athlytic or Health app - pending how much you value gamification vs raw data

All my workouts are in TP anyway, and that's where my coach or I would do real analysis.

That’s over my head. I am active but have no desire to measure it or collect data on it, etc. It seems meaningless.

Financial data on the other hand is something I track. I have millions in investments which took years to do as I’m in 50s now. It’d be cool to see apple steering people to manage data that is actually useful. So many people are just ignorant with finances but they keep me in business. And that’s simply the higher income individuals.

That said if s8 ss got better features then I’d look at it. It’s the same aw. The ultra is the same aw except slightly better specs. Watch OS is way too limited. The useless health gimmicks are tiring.

The most useful thing about an Apple Watch is getting relevant notifications to your wrist and not missing them. But it’s up to you to find apps or services that make these useful. It sure isn’t the sports or health spam apple has needlessly complicated the UI with that you have to turn off first thing.