Quanta May Begin Trial Production of Apple Watch 2 This Month

[melendezest]

Having two different shaped watches would be too confusing to buyers.

I believe most people missed the sarcasm in your post...

Apple will never do 2 types, for the same reason you mentioned.

They're stuck on stupid this way, and have been for far too long.

Hopefully, what they will do is make the watch less girly and more neutral (doubt it), and add all the requisite missing functionality they always leave out of their gen 1 products (they WILL leave something out for the next cycle, however).

 

[MacFan1957]

If you are infallible and never forget to put your watch on charge, never forget to pack the charger/cable/international adapter on a trip, never find yourself in a hotel with a single socket where you have to decide between charging your phone, never make an unplanned overnight stay anywhere then fine. Spare a thought for us less perfect people!

Look, if we were talking about the battery lasting a week or more than I'd be with you but 48 isn't really that much better than 24. If you forget your charger/cable/international adapter on a trip and it's longer than 1 night, 48 hours isn't going to help much!

I'm fine with the nightly recharge, don't need to be perfect, just reasonably organized.
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Ultimately, though, you're right because although a 24 hour battery on a smartphone is as much use as a chocolate teapot

Okay, now your just being ridiculous. If the current battery is "is as much use as a chocolate teapot" then the watch would be no use at all and that clearly isn't true. I'd LOVE a full week of battery, hell a month would be even better but it's not even remotely reasonable to expect that, unless you want the thing to be the size or a large chocolate tea pot.

 

[BSben]

I hope it will not feature any camera, it seems creepy and weird. Also the angle from your wrist to the face is usually not flattering.

 

[Glassed Silver]

Having two different shaped watches would be too confusing to buyers.

Confusing? Granted, it does seem that Apple are over-cautious about letting customers decide on stuff they deem too confusing, but I don't think the shape is one of them.

Hell, if nothing else helps, make one model 100 bucks more expensive, yeah, that'll make decisions easier for people.

Glassed Silver:mac

 

[igorsky]

Any chance that they'll make a round watch?

If I'm Apple and I just sold 10 million units of a first generation square watch, I don't see any incentive make a round version. But if they do, that's cool also.

 

[err404]

It's not black and white. Square watches also have compromises.

Sure, they're slightly better for lists (although round has no problem with those), but there are also apps that make more sense in a round screen. Analog watchfaces. Maps of what's around you within an equal distance. Ditto for weather radar screens. Circular graphs like Apple uses for fitness. A circular menu of friends like Apple uses.

Not to mention that only round watches can have rotating bezels for input and/or other purposes.

More importantly, in real life, there's little difference in what can be seen. And as I pointed out, the smaller Apple Watch already SHOWS LESS text than its big brother, and millions of people DO NOT CARE. So all you're doing is dissing 38mm watch owners.

As for style, I can tell you from experience in public that no one cares one whit about my daughter's Apple Watch, not when they see my round always-on Android Wear watch.

So let's be frank here. The reason why a few people here want to diss round watches (besides obviously not having experience with both styles), is because Apple doesn't have one (yet). The moment they do, I'll bet that it'll be the most popular model... just as round watches are far and away the most popular mechanical style.

TL;DR - This is a repeat of the "no one wants a phablet sized phone" or "no one can use a smaller tablet" claims, that were also proven wrong.

As a long time Pebble user (including a brief stint with a PTR), I can assure you that my feelings have nothing to do with Apple loyalty. I expressed these views before the AW was shown, while looking at the Moto 360.
All of the mockups of round watches shown here work by showing round watches with very slim bezels. That same trick should be applied to the rectangular mockups if you want an accurate comparison.
The size of a watch is secondary to the efficiency of the screen usage. I argue that if you only want to dedicate arm space for a 38mm watch, then rectangular makes more sense. That said I partially agree that as watch size increase, this becomes less of an issue.
I also agree that always on display and battery life are the Achilles heel of the AW, but these are not part of my claim.
I moved to AW because I use an iPhone and it offers the best experience with iOS. If I were on android, I would have a square android ware device (or more likely a PTS).

 

[bizwiz]

My secret source said "Apple Watch 1S"

 

[Gabs_]

Having used mine since launch I'm not sure this would be a big deal for me unless I were not able to get though a full day for some reason. A 48 hour battery, charging every other day, would be harder to track than just putting on the charger each night like I do now. I can see the benefit in more time from the battery but I would use the internal space for other features.

I don't get the battery complaints. I used to take my mechanical watch off every night and put it on my nightstand. I do the same thing with my Apple Watch. Literally nothing has changed.

 

[Mac 128]

I hope it will not feature any camera, it seems creepy and weird. Also the angle from your wrist to the face is usually not flattering.

Because nobody holds an iPhone or iPad at the same angle when using FaceTime? How is the watch any more creepy or weird than having a phone with a camera? Or an iPad?

All of the mockups of round watches shown here work by showing round watches with very slim bezels. That same trick should be applied to the rectangular mockups if you want an accurate comparison.

There's no trick. Apple could have more than likely pushed their display to the Edge just like the Huawei did in this example, but they chose not to for design aesthetics. Maybe the next Watch will push the display to the edge. But you'll see in a head to head comparison, that even when the total screen bezel area of the current Watch is used, the Huawei still has about the same available screen space (probably a little less), which a custom UI could exploit without issue. (note the watches below are to exact scale)

 

[66gonzo]

Most people I see running are carrying their smartphones with them regardless of their seriousness with the sport. I do quite a bit of running and use only my phone and Apple Watch (I use Strava to log runs). However I carry my phone in a waist belt or in a pocket on my hydration vest and never on my arm.

In the end it just come down to user preference and I think the fitness and running market is large enough for both Apple Watch like devices and full blown GPS Garmin like devices to be very successful.

YES, the market is big enough, but obviously the watch hasn't been as successful as Apple thought it would be (per various articles online), so why not start to get in on it? Isn't this the same discussion with Android vs iOS (the smartphone market is big enough for both)? Then why continue to ask for features that are available on androids that weren't originally on iOS (i.e.: widgets, notification center, etc)?

Many people carry their phones for safety and I get that. However, there are thousands of schools in the nation, MOST schools have cross country or track programs, and I'm sure in these programs are kids who have a GPS watch and would have hopped on the apple watch right away instead of the Nike or Garmin watch if it had GPS just for the simple reason that it would cover two desires (smart watch and GPS watch). I would have in a heartbeat....would have been at the apple store 3 hours away from my house for one on release day. But then Garmin came out with a more affordable version of their smart watch (I'm a Garmin guy) and I bought that instead, because it did everything I "needed" although I would have loved some of the other features of the Apple watch. That's one customer...and I'm sure I'm not alone.

By not adding GPS the market is in thirds: GPS smart watches, Android smart watches (do they have GPS???), and Apple Watch. Why not cut that in half (or close to it) and make it all about your mobile device preference?

 

[Aragornii]

Why do you all want GPS in a watch that only works with an iPhone (with its own GPS)?

When I run I don't want to have to carry my iPhone with me.

 

[WLS]

Makes no sense to me to have Face Time on the watch. It's just a waste of power IMO. If they go that route I'll be getting the Samsung. If they do put it on the 42mm version then please please do not try that on the 38mm one also..

 

[ksuyen]

Why would you do that? Have you been reading outdated folk tales about 20th-century nicad batteries that lost their mojo if you didn't fully discharge them before recharging?

My (non-i) phone can go 2-3 days on a charge, but I still usually charge it every night. However, if I forget to plug it in, or go away for a day or two and forget the charger then I'm not faced with a brick in the morning. A few years ago I had an unscheduled hospital stay and my phone lasted until I could get someone to bring me a charger.

My watch last for 48 hours (and more) on average uses. I think after the latest OS patch, the battery efficiency has been much improved. I still charge daily, but on (few) occasions I forgot, the watch last even to the third day.

 

[chrisone]

Having used mine since launch I'm not sure this would be a big deal for me unless I were not able to get though a full day for some reason. A 48 hour battery, charging every other day, would be harder to track than just putting on the charger each night like I do now. I can see the benefit in more time from the battery but I would use the internal space for other features.

Agree. With 48 hours I would probably still end up charging every night just since it is really a no-hassle routine and to avoid running low on the second day. And with nightstand mode, taking it off makes sense in any case...

 

[err404]

There's no trick. Apple could have more than likely pushed their display to the Edge just like the Huawei did in this example, but they chose not to for design aesthetics. Maybe the next Watch will push the display to the edge. But you'll see in a head to head comparison, that even when the total screen bezel area of the current Watch is used, the Huawei still has about the same available screen space (probably a little less), which a custom UI could exploit without issue. (note the watches below are to exact scale)

Not sure where you are jumping in. I was never talking about AW vs Huawei. This was rectangle vs round smartwatches. It applies for any brand of hypothetical watch.
If you are going to talk about speculative AW2 redesign, it should include similar constraints on both variants sides.

 

[chrisone]

There are functional reasons for the watch being a rectangle, not just esthetics.
If the watch goes all voice interaction, with very little info on screen, then yes a circle might work.

Indeed, the fact that most classic analogue watches are round was also most likely a "functional" choice in the beginning, just makes sense with the hands (pointers). So I don't think it is necessarily a bad choice rethinking that when watches move to becoming a more meaningful digital tool.

 

[iChrist]

Really thought that it would be closer to a 2 year upgrade cycle for the Apple Watch. Hmmm.

The first watch was a beta as indicative by the clunky size, poor battery, and extremely limited functionality. Thus, the poor profit margins and poor sales.

Hopefully they get it right with the 2nd version. No one want a big clinker on their wrist with a dead battery. lol

 

[Michael Scrip]

I want one if the battery lasts 48 hours of regular use.

A 48 hour battery, charging every other day, would be harder to track than just putting on the charger each night like I do now.

It either has to last ONE FULL DAY and you charge it every night... or it has to last TWO FULL DAYS so you have the option of skipping a charge one night. Both are acceptable.

But if it only lasts 1.5 days... you'd end up being stuck charging mid-day on the 2nd day so you didn't really gain anything.

So basically... we're asking Apple to DOUBLE battery life... assuming the Apple Watch can last one full day already.

People today can get to the end of the day with 20-30% battery life remaining on their Apple Watch.

But they'd actually need to go to bed with at least 50-60% to guarantee getting through a 2nd full day. Otherwise there's no point in putting in a bigger/better battery.

One full day is fine... two full days is fine... but anything in between is not really gaining anything.

So... can Apple give us such a big increase in battery life in this next generation? Can they basically cut power consumption in HALF so soon?

 

[Mac 128]

Not sure where you are jumping in. I was never talking about AW vs Huawei. This was rectangle vs round smartwatches. It applies for any brand of hypothetical watch.
If you are going to talk about speculative AW2 redesign, it should include similar constraints on both variants sides.

Yes I'm well aware, but we're talking fictional watch designs versus actual watch designs. A round watch the same diameter to height is always going to have smaller area than the square. I don't know anyone debating that. However, that's not necessarily Apple's main concern, and clearly it wasn't with the original Watch design which not only compromised screen real estate over what was already offered in the marketplace, but did so for fashion and design reasons, having little to do with functionality you claim is so important for a wearable. The 38mm is compromised even worse. Comparably sized round watches therefore have significantly more space. With the direct comparison of the Apple watch to the Huawei, utilizing 100% of the potential display area, at the exact same scale, the Apple watch still only approximates slightly more usable screen space than the Huawei. If Apple chose to go with right angles, instead of round-rects, then maybe the additional space would be slightly more, but they haven't and given their design history, I certainly wouldn't expect them to. Also, Apple chose a rectangular shape, NOT a square. And try as you might, that shape is not significantly larger than that a circle of similar diameter to height. Apple may or may not make a taller watch. But most of the round watches are already taller, and regardless a round watch of similar diameter to a rectangular watch height is always going to be comparable.

So, if Apple truly cared about making a perfectly square watch without any functional compromises, then your point would be valid. As it is, I don't see any reason to believe that Apple plans on compromising any of their aesthetic designs to accommodate that. As such, any round watch is likely going have equal or greater space to any rectangular watch of similar dimensions. So Apple will not have to address any space limitations in the event they decide to design a round watch, and I have no doubt they could make a fantastic UI, giving their customers the choice that fashion dictates, and Apple seems concerned to serve.

 

[iBug2]

If the tech is there I'd love a faster and more accurate heart rate sensor. It really loses my heart rate a lot when moving. Couldn't care less about the battery, since I haven't seen it drop below 40% after a full day use. I'd charge it overnight even if it was at 80% instead of 40%. And faster CPU would be nice as well.

 

[DynaFXD]

But if you look at the ipad 2 it was a lot more futureproof than the ipad 1. They are still supported, the ipad 1 is not.

True. But it sounds like for many (most?) of us, so long as the current version 1.0 watch can still tell time, get notifications, and field a call and such, it will be perfectly serviceable as a device for as long as it figuratively draws a breath. Future functionality isn't really as important as it is for a more general use iPad that has to be updated to keep up with things. Although, based on sales, it seems like the iPad itself has plateaued and many are quite happy with their 2, 3, and Airs, despite the Air-2 superior specs. I might think that phones are not far behind being "good enough" without the need to regularly upgrade.

As for my wish list:

No Facetime camera unless it has a hardware disable switch. I accidentally activate Siri enough. I sure don't want an uncontrolled, software operated camera on my wrist where ever I go, a microphone is bad enough.

An SDK to allow for the deep customization of watch faces by third parties (but that is for the OS, not necessarily the next version.)

That is all.

 

[scaramoosh]

I want a new design, if it's the same one then I don't see the point as a Watch is fashion, you don't buy the same look twice.

 

[Keirasplace]

YES, the market is big enough, but obviously the watch hasn't been as successful as Apple thought it would be (per various articles online), so why not start to get in on it? Isn't this the same discussion with Android vs iOS (the smartphone market is big enough for both)? Then why continue to ask for features that are available on androids that weren't originally on iOS (i.e.: widgets, notification center, etc)?

Many people carry their phones for safety and I get that. However, there are thousands of schools in the nation, MOST schools have cross country or track programs, and I'm sure in these programs are kids who have a GPS watch and would have hopped on the apple watch right away instead of the Nike or Garmin watch if it had GPS just for the simple reason that it would cover two desires (smart watch and GPS watch). I would have in a heartbeat....would have been at the apple store 3 hours away from my house for one on release day. But then Garmin came out with a more affordable version of their smart watch (I'm a Garmin guy) and I bought that instead, because it did everything I "needed" although I would have loved some of the other features of the Apple watch. That's one customer...and I'm sure I'm not alone.

By not adding GPS the market is in thirds: GPS smart watches, Android smart watches (do they have GPS???), and Apple Watch. Why not cut that in half (or close to it) and make it all about your mobile device preference?

YOU need to read more articles (or remove the blinkers), because it has been very successful.
BTW give me those "many articles", so I grind them down (or grind the sources...) and counter them.
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Because I would prefer not to run with my iPhone 6 or even my old iPod Touch 5th gen. If the watch could give me GPS and a bit of music, I could leave both behind.

Can't it ALREADY give you music... I don't get your drift AT ALL.
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The Apple Watch isn't square though.
A circular screen with a 390px diameter would only have 2% less available screen space than the 390px x 312px 42mm Apple Watch. The watch body would only need to have the same height as the current watch and would be a little wider but like you said earlier...

Your assuming a usable space of 100% and no bezel seemingly, none of these are the case in round watches. The difference is much bigger than that.
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I see a few advantages to a round watch.

1) It would give Apple Watch variety: Two styles to choose from (keep the original rectangular design in the mix); Apple offered larger iPhone screens to match competitors, why not a round watch so competitors don't have an exclusive on that design, for people who prefer it? iPads and Mac laptops come in a wide array of choices...

2) A circle with the same diameter as the long dimension on the current watch would have greater volume, thus could include a larger battery. Battery life's never been a problem for me--charging overnite--so I'd rather see the increased volume used to accommodate a same-capacity battery as current but with a thinner design, which i wouldn't mind) EDIT: Or to accommodate chips for extra features such as GPS, an am-fm chip, whatever...

A bigger battery, a bulkier watch and less usable screen... Fantastic...
Have you actually seen the other round watches in person... A trip at best buy is illuminating.

 

[ColdShadow]

Hmmm a "watch" that costs at least $550..it comes with cheap ass rubber bands..and decent looking steel bands similar to the ones you get with any $20 Casio watch costs another $450..
It will become obsolete after one year..
it also cannot function without connecting to a phone...
and it's not good looking...
and needs to be charged every night...
what a brilliant idea!
bravo Apple!

 

[OllyW]

Your assuming a usable space of 100% and no bezel seemingly, none of these are the case in round watches. The difference is much bigger than that.

I was talking about the amount of pixels on the screen, it has nothing to do with the bezel size.