Swimming?

[Mac 128]

Why would Apple do this? I know some high end/low volume manufactures do test (usually atmospheric pressure instead of water) each case individually. Also this is usually reserved for ATM10 and higher (or is it deeper ) models. It would be a huge waste of time and resources for Apple to test each Watch, especially in a water pressure tank. Apple will just do (and does now with IPx7) what all other volume manufacture do and pull 1 of every 1000 to 10,000 to test.

I didn't say Apple tested their IPX7 rated watch. But an IPX8 rating requires the watch be tested. Just like a jeweler has to test the watch after they replace the battery to make sure it's been assembled correctly. And that's my point. Even 1 in every 1000 of 3,000,000 watches sold will slow them down, especially if they have a failure. And if they don't test them all, they run the risk of failure with the consumer, which would be catastrophic for a brand new product launch. Then there's the issue of servicing the watch to check the seals -- clearly something Apple didn't want to worry about with this first model. So even if it could meet a higher standard, there's the added burden of labeling it as such, so Apple took the safest way to market.

 

[Sharkey311]

been swimming with mine since launch. no issues what so ever.

I bought a sports watch, i plan on using it as a sport watch.

So you swim laps weekly and for how long with it?

I want to use my watch so badly to swim, which I do every other morning, and usually swim 1200 meters at a time.

 

[malochico1]

Well i am not a professional swimmer. I go to 24hour fitness and usually hoop for a while or just do laps in their pool. Not sure how many meters. 10-12 laps or so in their pool, no diving either.

So you swim laps weekly and for how long with it?

I want to use my watch so badly to swim, which I do every other morning, and usually swim 1200 meters at a time.

 

[Sharkey311]

Well i am not a professional swimmer. I go to 24hour fitness and usually hoop for a while or just do laps in their pool. Not sure how many meters. 10-12 laps or so in their pool, no diving either.

Hmmmmmm I so want to try this! Perhaps I'll give it a go Monday.

 

[Gjwilly]

Can't believe people are arguing about gaskets and o-rings. The LCD on the Apple watch is held on with adhesive. If there's going to be a failure the adhesive will give way long before any rubber degradation.

BTW
here's two threads where water exposure is apparently linked to LCD failure
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/display-issues.1886386/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-watch-screen-broken-commence-freakout.1883166/

 

[Julien]

Can't believe people are arguing about gaskets and o-rings. The LCD on the Apple watch is held on with adhesive. If there's going to be a failure the adhesive will give way long before any rubber degradation.

BTW
here's two threads where water exposure is apparently linked to LCD failure
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/display-issues.1886386/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-watch-screen-broken-commence-freakout.1883166/

The OLED (there is no LCD in the Watch) is lamented to the crystal and the crystal is sealed with a gasket/O-ring. So there are only 2 ways for water to reach the OLED. The only other way is through a cracked crystal which is positively the culprit on the 2ed thread and I suspect on the first too.

 

[exxxviii]

DC Rainmaker is hardly just "a guy playing in his basement" (do you have a water pressure depth chamber in your basement?). You obviously are not into fitness or you would KNOW better.

+1. DC Rainmaker is the absolute bomb of fitness device reviews. And in my humble opinion, DCR may be the best reviewer I have read in any domain. What sets him apart is the depth he goes to put devices through a real battery of tests, his effort at maintaining transparency, and his objective writing style.

 

[exxxviii]

I want to use my watch so badly to swim, which I do every other morning, and usually swim 1200 meters at a time.

I swim about 7,000 yards/week and wear a watch designed to track my swimming. I don't think that the AW can do anything yet to support swimmers, other than being a stopwatch. If you are in the pool a lot, then it is worth having a watch that can count strokes, count laps, track stoke type, and calculate all kinds of efficiency measures. You can get a TomTom or Garmin swim watch for about a third the cost of an AW. Swim with that and save the AW. The swim watch data will rock your world.

 

[Mac 128]

Can't believe people are arguing about gaskets and o-rings. The LCD on the Apple watch is held on with adhesive. If there's going to be a failure the adhesive will give way long before any rubber degradation.

I agree, if you've seen the iFixit tear downs it's clear the entire assembly, including the antenna/gasket is all secured with glue. The fact that some have reported their crystals separated from the watch suggests this is a likely point of ingress, especially since the watches clearly aren't being thoroughly tested off the assembly line. There are some amazing adhesives out there, but it's clear that warming the crystal with a hairdryer is enough to loosen the adhesive enough to easily pry it apart. Imagine if your crystal is exposed to direct sunlight (which Apple says to avoid), in 100 degree weather(which Apple says to avoid). Likewise, imagine if you go from a 100+ degree hot tub into 40 degree weather. Or a 50 degree ocean into a 90 degree sunny afternoon in Southern California. Now imagine if you do this routinely. It's hard to imagine the adhesive holding up to that kind of expansion and contraction, not to mention loosining up on hot days, even if the o-rings do.

 

[burgman]

Done (at least to ATM4). How is that for pulling one out of my ass?

Looks like that must have hurt

 

[MarryJK]

As for me apple watch is not comfortable for swimming and considering it price it even scary to put it under water I recently found one watch (Tempo Trainer Pro) on this site http://www.proswimwear.co.uk/ and for me it’s a good alternative.