Radical redesign - when?

[staggerlee41]

This simply isn’t possible. The amount of energy generated by movement is orders of magnitude lower than what a smart watches uses. You would gain, maybe, seconds of extra charge for a day. Maybe.

Edit: this also goes for the solar idea, I highly doubt it would ever happen. Even a perfectly efficient solar panel the size of the entire watch fence couldn’t get it done.

Casio hash a watch now with a solar panel on it. It isn’t a smart watch exactly but has GPS. Four hours charging in direct sunlight gets you an hour of GPS usage.

Again, what I was suggesting was nothing more than an idea and a means of keeping conversation going forward. I recognize that with today's known technologies this may be impossible to deliver or otherwise we'd maybe have a product that does this already on the market, right? Consider this, there is more computing power in our smart phones and potentially on our wrists today than the computers which powered the first rockets into space back in the 60's. If you asked scientists back in the 60's would this be possible what do you think they'd say?

 

[mcdj]

Solar watches use the entire surface of the dial to collect light. How exactly do you incorporate a solar panel into an OLED screen? Not in the next few decades anyway, if ever.

As for an automatic movement that powers the watch, Seiko has been doing it for decades with their Kinetic line. But as with the solar idea, a smart watch would require much more power than a simple motor that drives watch hands.

In terms of redesign, as others have mentioned, the options are limited. A rectangular flat faced watch is probably always going to be the core of the design.

The most radical change I could foresee is the removal of the Digital Crown. It’s the home button of the AW, and the iPhone has obviously moved away from a home button. I could see them evolving the side(s) of the watch into touch sensitive strips that respond to taps and swipes.

But if you’re looking for something with curvy lines and a beveled edges or something radically visually different, you probably don’t know Apple very well. With the exception of Braun, few companies have so strictly adhered to the “form follows function” design edict.

 

[musicpenguy]

I dont think there is enough power to be had by solar or movement to make much of an impact - perhaps like the cell phone we can take it off for 30 minutes or so while working in the middle of the day to ensure a full day for when watch use is heavy and more in line to cell phone usage.

 

[tromboneaholic]

Solar watches use the entire surface of the dial to collect light. How exactly do you incorporate a solar panel into an OLED screen? Not in the next few decades anyway, if ever.

As for an automatic movement that powers the watch, Seiko has been doing it for decades with their Kinetic line. But as with the solar idea, a smart watch would require much more power than a simple motor that drives watch hands.

In terms of redesign, as others have mentioned, the options are limited. A rectangular flat faced watch is probably always going to be the core of the design.

The most radical change I could foresee is the removal of the Digital Crown. It’s the home button of the AW, and the iPhone has obviously moved away from a home button. I could see them evolving the side(s) of the watch into touch sensitive strips that respond to taps and swipes.

But if you’re looking for something with curvy lines and a beveled edges or something radically visually different, you probably don’t know Apple very well. With the exception of Braun, few companies have so strictly adhered to the “form follows function” design edict.

I would imagine the entire screen would be a solar panel. The ambient light sensor is currently under the screen, so it's possible for light to pass through the display. If every development would be limited by what is possible today, then we would have reached the end of technological development.

 

[staggerlee41]

Just to clarify, when I suggested an automatic movement to provide power earlier in the conversation and then solar was brought into it, I didn't mean to COMPLETELY power the watch but to supplement battery power. That'd be a great feature, starting point and a solid foundation from which to improve upon.

I would imagine the entire screen would be a solar panel. The ambient light sensor is currently under the screen, so it's possible for light to pass through the display. If every development would be limited by what is possible today, then we would have reached the end of technological development.

Completely agree with you. This is what in some circles is known as innovation.

 

[KarimLeVallois]

Just to clarify, when I suggested an automatic movement to provide power earlier in the conversation and then solar was brought into it, I didn't mean to COMPLETELY power the watch but to supplement battery power. That'd be a great feature, starting point and a solid foundation from which to improve upon.



Completely agree with you. This is what in some circles is known as innovation.

I used to have to shake my Sieko Kinetic for an age just to change it enough for a week. That’s just enough power for the hands to move, you’d never generate enough power to supplement a battery.

 

[MacBird]

Solar watches use the entire surface of the dial to collect light. How exactly do you incorporate a solar panel into an OLED screen? Not in the next few decades anyway, if ever.

I was wondering if they could integrate the solar panels into the wrist band. It would be really cool if that were possible.

 

[brentc133]

I was wondering if they could integrate the solar panels into the wrist band. It would be really cool if that were possible.

Awhile back there were Kickstarter projects that were going to build solar panel watch bands for the Pebble Watch as it actually had some type of connector built into the band pin connection area. Kinda like the IPad Pro connection for keyboard.

 

[staggerlee41]

Ok I'll try one more time to explain the point of my post. This is for a future redesign, not necessarily next years or in the next 10. I'm suggesting that it would be both interesting and appealing to me as a consumer of Apple watches IF there were a way to somehow utilize a battery that could tap into an alternate source of power to keep the charge going to whatever level through the day. I'm not talking about using CURRENT known technologies to accomplish this but perhaps ones that are improved upon or even redesigned.

I mentioned earlier that current smart phones have more computing power than the first computers that sent astronauts into space. Technology advanced, people pushed the development envelope. And this year, we have a digital crown that is capable of providing ECG data (when it's approved for release by FDA in the US). Do you think that 10-20 years ago most people thought that was a possiblitly? Lastly, what if horology stopped at the sun dial?

 

[Gregintosh]

The biggest options for a "radical" change in this watch are:

1. Changing the buttons to haptic feedback versus physical buttons... or eliminating them altogether.

2. Changing the bezels to be ever smaller or screen to go up a bit... but not by much since there is a limit to what the wrist can hold.

3. Changing corners to be more or less rounded... but only slightly.

4. Changing the position of the buttons. For example, adding or moving a button to the top or bottom, or making that an "active" area with haptic feedback.

5. Experimenting with different colors and materials for the case.

Unlike a phone, which in a way is quite flexible in what design options there are as long as it fits in a pocket (which is still a BIG universe of possibilities), the watch has to fit on most wrists.

A watch doesn't really require radical change anyway, since there's a limited possibility of apps to be used on it. 5 years from now the primary uses for Apple Watch will still probably be health/fitness tracking/sensors, telling time, and notifications.

There will probably be a few "cool" feature demos out there, like using the watch as a TV remote, or using it to open your doors via bluetooth or something, etc. which some people will buy the watch to take advantage of but those aren't going to be driving most sales. And they won't "radically" change the design to accommodate these.

 

[tromboneaholic]

I used to have to shake my Sieko Kinetic for an age just to change it enough for a week. That’s just enough power for the hands to move, you’d never generate enough power to supplement a battery.

Before the car was invented, it was common knowledge that humans would die if they traveled at over 30 mph.

 

[barjam]

Again, what I was suggesting was nothing more than an idea and a means of keeping conversation going forward. I recognize that with today's known technologies this may be impossible to deliver or otherwise we'd maybe have a product that does this already on the market, right? Consider this, there is more computing power in our smart phones and potentially on our wrists today than the computers which powered the first rockets into space back in the 60's. If you asked scientists back in the 60's would this be possible what do you think they'd say?

You hit a limitation of physics. No break through can get past that. With a 100% efficient solar panel the size of the watch face in full sun you won’t get the job done. With some back of the

Battery storage capacity advances could take us interesting places though.

Again, what I was suggesting was nothing more than an idea and a means of keeping conversation going forward. I recognize that with today's known technologies this may be impossible to deliver or otherwise we'd maybe have a product that does this already on the market, right? Consider this, there is more computing power in our smart phones and potentially on our wrists today than the computers which powered the first rockets into space back in the 60's. If you asked scientists back in the 60's would this be possible what do you think they'd say?

There is a hard physics limitation here that you can’t get past. The sun has a maximum power output per square foot. Today’s solar panels are about 18% efficient, even at a theoretical 100% efficiency there still isn’t enough power for something like a smart watch.

 

[tromboneaholic]

even at a theoretical 100% efficiency there still isn’t enough power for something like a smart watch.

What if the power requirements are dramatically reduced some day?

 

[squirrrl]

What if the power requirements are dramatically reduced some day?

I envision a microscopic field of wind turbines. Covering the whole watch.


Honestly though I think something more likely is that we’ll have buildings that just have electrical fields that will charge anything nearby. How long a battery will last won’t be as much of an issue if it’s constantly being charged. That will really bring it the EMF crazies and their tin foil hats though

 

[spacemnspiff]

Radical re-design? I mean, you have two options, a square and a circle.

And circular design in traditional watches was form following function, the hands turn and hence a circular dial. Apple watch with a rectangular form factor is also form following function, more information can be displayed on a digital screen that is rectangular than is circular. So I don't Apple going for the circular just for sake of it.

 

[tromboneaholic]

And circular design in traditional watches was form following function, the hands turn and hence a circular dial. Apple watch with a rectangular form factor is also form following function, more information can be displayed on a digital screen that is rectangular than is circular. So I don't Apple going for the circular just for sake of it.

I read yesterday that the first true wristwatch for men was actually rectangular (if not a square), which looks like an attempt to attach the bands more easily.
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/cartier-santos-review

 

[spacemnspiff]

I read yesterday that the first true wristwatch for men was actually rectangular (if not a square), which looks like an attempt to attach the bands more easily.
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/cartier-santos-review


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Nice looking watch, thanks for the lesson in history.

This watch design was flexible for reasons that it only had to tell time, an shape could be adopted around the circular motion of the hands, so purpose of aesthetics was purely for being aesthetic, not function. So form didn't follow function.

A designer cannot design square wheels for a car for a reason, no matter how much their design aesthetic calls for that shape. That to me is the purpose of design, form following function and not the other way around.

 

[anthonymoody]

I find the general lack of imagination in many of these comments sad. Thank goodness the people at places like Apple don't suffer from this disease.

 

[bluespark]

Personally, I *love* the Apple Watch design. I have some very nice watches that now live in a drawer, and not just because of the Apple Watch's functionality. Not everyone needs to have that view, of course, but there are enough of us who are drawn to the AW in part because of its aesthetics/design that I think this design (in broad strokes, at least) is here to stay.

 

[musicpenguy]

I find the general lack of imagination in many of these comments sad. Thank goodness the people at places like Apple don't suffer from this disease.

I think most are replying to a near term request of the original post “when should I buy I’m waiting for a major redesign” - this being asked just weeks after the first redesign was released - sure go ahead and wait 6 or 10 years for the type of RADICAL redesign that you are seeking.

 

[44267547]

And circular design in traditional watches was form following function, the hands turn and hence a circular dial. Apple watch with a rectangular form factor is also form following function, more information can be displayed on a digital screen that is rectangular than is circular. So I don't Apple going for the circular just for sake of it.

I think the point of my post was, there really is no such thing as a ‘radical’ redesign with a smart watch, when traditionally they have primarily always been offered into similar form factors for ages.

In addition, Jony Ive had also said that when displaying information, a circle doesn’t make sense, now, rather we see a round Apple Watch in the future is yet to be told, but Apple does not always conform to what the user wants either. With the current form factor, I am more than content with the changes made for the Series 4.