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chiefs1968

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 27, 2016
189
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Since day one of the introduction of the Ultra I visited BestBuy several times and always walked out not buying the watch. $799.00 is not so much of an issue BUT there is really no blockbuster feature that will force me to purchase the watch. Unless you like the Orange side button I personally think it looks weird and the watch has an awkward bulky design. Hopefully Apple will give it a new look in September and I willn for sure jump in....for now I will stick with my 6. No offense to anyone..
 
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

You’re interested enough to look at it every time you visit a store that sells it; you’re interested enough to start a new thread on MacRumors about the watch; and you’re interested enough to offer up snide almost-insults to those who do like it. And you’re also interested enough that you have plenty of money set aside for it.

It’s okay to want the Ultra. It doesn’t even need any single blockbuster feature. Just liking it is enough.

My S4 was on its last legs a week or so before the Ultra was available for pre-order. My wife recently got a battery replacement for her S4 and still loves it. (We bought both on launch day).

I love the Ultra. The display is nice and big and bright for my old eyes; I only have to pop it on the charger while I take a shower; even after a looooooong day of travel it still has almost enough battery to make it through an entire second day without a top-off; contrary to what I expected, the Wayfinder face is hands-down better than any other face for me; and it’s still pristine despite my complete lack of attention to babying it. Oh — and it’s a capable enough device that I was able to use it exclusively for a week after putting my iPhone XS through the wash before I could get a replacement. And I’m still not at all shy about leaving my new iPhone 13 mini behind or in the backpack.

But that’s just me. You’re busy trying to convince yourself that you don’t like nice things. Have fun with that. Different strokes and all.

b&
 
I'm actually with you on this. Like, I kinda love the Ultra for its throw back "diving watch" vibe, while still being totally futuristic. It's so cool that way. But I just can't see wearing it everywhere - especially going out on the town or during workouts, which I do a lot of. I still love the (mostly unchanged) original design and have the Silver SS 7, and SB Hermes 8 anyways so no rush to make a change. But I think the Ultra is an exciting design and can't wait to see what comes down the pike next. Hopefully with a form factor for the rest of us.
 
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I bought my fist AW an 8. Took it back within a week battery life was a dealbreaker for me. replaced the 8 with an Ultra. better battery life. If the battery life was equal between the two I would choose the 8 over the Ultra. Like the smaller form and its a little less 'noticeable". Wear my Ultra daily but still prefer my Garmin when I hike.
 
Actually just got home with a just purchased Ultra w/Midnight Ocean band from my local Apple store, and debating my self whether I should have just gotten the 8. NO WAY!
 
I replaced my 41mm with the Ultra. It’s definitely a lot more bulky. But, I like the design. And I like going out and having a slightly different watch than 90% of the people I walk by on a daily basis. I like that I can use it all day, and then use it as a sleep tracker. I usually only charge it while I’m in the shower. I’m also going out a lot more without my iPhone than I used to with my old watch, not having to worry about the battery in the Ultra.

But, as you mentioned, there’s really not much else the Ultra can do that a Series 8 couldn’t.
 
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“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

You’re interested enough to look at it every time you visit a store that sells it; you’re interested enough to start a new thread on MacRumors about the watch; and you’re interested enough to offer up snide almost-insults to those who do like it. And you’re also interested enough that you have plenty of money set aside for it.

It’s okay to want the Ultra. It doesn’t even need any single blockbuster feature. Just liking it is enough.

My S4 was on its last legs a week or so before the Ultra was available for pre-order. My wife recently got a battery replacement for her S4 and still loves it. (We bought both on launch day).

I love the Ultra. The display is nice and big and bright for my old eyes; I only have to pop it on the charger while I take a shower; even after a looooooong day of travel it still has almost enough battery to make it through an entire second day without a top-off; contrary to what I expected, the Wayfinder face is hands-down better than any other face for me; and it’s still pristine despite my complete lack of attention to babying it. Oh — and it’s a capable enough device that I was able to use it exclusively for a week after putting my iPhone XS through the wash before I could get a replacement. And I’m still not at all shy about leaving my new iPhone 13 mini behind or in the backpack.

But that’s just me. You’re busy trying to convince yourself that you don’t like nice things. Have fun with that. Different strokes and all.

b&
it's all good and appreciate your comments
 
Since day one of the introduction of the Ultra I visited BestBuy several times and always walked out not buying the watch. $799.00 is not so much of an issue BUT there is really no blockbuster feature that will force me to purchase the watch. Unless you like the Orange side button I personally think it looks weird and the watch has an awkward bulky design. Hopefully Apple will give it a new look in September and I willn for sure jump in....for now I will stick with my 6. No offense to anyone..
Ok, that's good but... Why did you decide to announce it to the world?

Nobody should care about YOUR gadgets other than you. Stop looking for validation from strangers, it's so sad and cringy.
 
Since day one of the introduction of the Ultra I visited BestBuy several times and always walked out not buying the watch. $799.00 is not so much of an issue BUT there is really no blockbuster feature that will force me to purchase the watch. Unless you like the Orange side button I personally think it looks weird and the watch has an awkward bulky design. Hopefully Apple will give it a new look in September and I willn for sure jump in....for now I will stick with my 6. No offense to anyone..
I'm with you - I have considered it many times, but it just doesn't quite grab me. I also don't have a really compelling reason to get one; there is nothing about my S8 that I am dissatisfied. Even if it was $600 instead of $800, I probably would not get it.
Ignore the comments that are gatekeeping what people should or should not post.;)
 
When the Ultra came out I was like there isnt a single feature on this I want or need. Zero desire for it. Saw it at the Apple Store a month ago and was shocked at how huge it was compared to my S6. Didn't like that either.

Here I sit today with an Ultra on my wrist. Damnit.

TBH though, the battery life is killer. I was looking for something to replace my launch day S6 that's battery life was almost as bad as my launch day S4 I gave to my dad. Didn't want to wait for the big improvements in 2024. I was looking for something cellular, and a used Ultra doesnt go for THAT much more than a used S8. Running Always On and Loving the battery life so far.
 
This is the main reason I want one, a massive battery.


Agreed. If there a similar discrepancy in the 2023 or 2024 releases (between Ultra and non-Ultra) I’ll probably get an Ultra.

Hopefully both will be better
 
The battery life is the Mane reason why a keep this watch over my Graphite SS S7 watch. It’s night and day. How ever, I still prefer the classy look of my S7 version. Can’t wait the day when Apple will upgrade the battery life of the regular Apple Watch
 
I don't mind how the Ultra looks, but I was more than happy getting the new SE instead. My wallet also approved!

This is the only way.

The Ultra is too big and too expensive.

The S7/S8 doesn't have enough differentiation to the SE to make it worthwhile. I mean most of the time I turn the always on display off to preserve battery life and I used the ECG once and went ooh and ahh and that was it.
 
I bought it for its minimal features: two day battery life, brightness, flat screen. If those were available in the regular version, I’d jump back to the regular Apple Watch immediately…

Having to charge the Watch every morning never bothered me, especially since fast charging came with the S7, so for me the bigger battery of the Ultra is nice, but not game-changing. What is game-changing for me is the flat screen – it is shockingly more legible (the added brightness outdoors helps, too). When I see a „regular“ Series Watch now, all I see is glare. But I agree, while I actually really like the Ultra design, I would probably go back to the regular Watch if it got the flat screen, just because of the more manageable size (on my not-so-big wrist).
 
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When I was shopping in December to replace my Apple Watch series 2 with a dead battery I looked closely at the Ultra and found it to be just too big for me. Then I decided I wanted a smaller watch and went with the 41 MM series 8 GPS only and went home and ordered it on the Apple veterans site to save 10% off the $400.00 price tag.

I did not care if I did not have the latest and greatest on a wearable consumable watch. I just wanted something similar to what I wear on a daily basis and that ended up being the series 8

At least there is a choice that we can select.
 
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You do you. I upgraded mainly because of battery life and design. I wear my watch almost 24/7, and battery degradation and watchOS 9 was hitting my S5 hard. I used to only have to charge once per day but was having to charge twice per day. Also, I actually prefer the design of the Ultra over the other Watch models.

The bigger screen, twice the screen brightness, built-in cellular, and fast charging have all been big quality of life updates for me that I’ve appreciated after upgrading to the Ultra.
 
The Ultra goes for specific market segment, aka people who wanted more durable Watch and previously served by the likes of Garmin. Apple expects regular people to buy the SE/Series 8, not the Ultra.
 
This is the main reason I want one, a massive battery.
And most who want it or have it and love it do so for this exact reason, acceptable battery life.

And I get it. I also really wanted to like it because the not-really-all-day battery life of Apple Watch 6/7/8 just doesn't last more than a single charge if you use any of its features in a meaningful way.

Having the 2x of that is a game changer and lets you really go hard on the heart rate and gps tracking capabilities without having to recharge after a long session.

But the Ultra's case is just to bulky and protrusive to be anything but the watch you wear for diving, hiking, running:

When you look directly down at the display from above, it looks just fine and can pass as decently proportionate on a lot of wrists.

But all proportionality is gone once you look at it from any other angle:
AppleWatchUltra_LEAD_1.jpg
76bdeee0-441e-11ed-b7f5-465947d421a6.jpeg
db6ff000-441d-11ed-ba62-5b240e97132e.jpeg

The way the Ultra sits on an average wrist is exactly how you don't want a wrist watch to sit on your wrist: With the case protruding vertically out beyond the width of your wrist, creating large gaps between the bottom of the watch case and the watch band.

Either 41mm and 45mm will fit average and below or above average wrists. 49mm requires an 8" wrist or bigger. And even then it's still a bit too thick and protrusive.
 
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