Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Text input
- Thread starter amirite
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It will pre-populate canned responses just like on the iPhone. If you need to write longer messages, use Siri or take out the iPhone.
I said if we don't want to use voice dictation.
Is there no way to actually write messages? "Smart replies" don't count.
We should be able to dictate an email... Which can be longer than Notes.
So even if you want to get something down as text, but not for an email, just compose it in an email anyway, and send it to yourself, you can then copy/paste it later to wherever you need it.
If you mean write messages as in iMessage/SMS, yeah it will do that.
So even if you want to get something down as text, but not for an email, just compose it in an email anyway, and send it to yourself, you can then copy/paste it later to wherever you need it.
If you mean write messages as in iMessage/SMS, yeah it will do that.
You're setting yourself up for fail with these contrived constraints.
Would you expect there to be, on a 2" screen? You couldn't fit a keyboard onto there without hitting three letters with one tap of your finger (unless you got the hands of an infant, that is.) The UI is adapted to the constraints of the device, hence siri, canned replies or handoff, where you write your response on your phone, ipad or perhaps Mac.
But voice recognition doesn't work for everybody. Some people have speech impediments, others just have accents that Siri can't make out.
But you are right that an Apple watch is too small for a keyboard. So, I'm half serious when I say we should learn Morse code. Or, as you say, wait until we can get out our phones to compose text.
How do you write, with a pencil on pen, block capitol writing (which many adults do as their joined up handrwriting is not great)
How do people write letters, as I say, with pen or pencil on paper, in an area VASTLY smaller than the size of the Watch Screen?
The answer? I shall tell you (I know we all know this)
We all write one letter at a time. And have always written one letter at a time, even if we dipped out finger in paint we would write with our finger one letter at a time, to write a message, a note or a letter.
Given that's what we have always done, since evolving as humans, and what we do to this very day.
Why not use the same method on the Watch?
Write one letter at a time with our finger.
It may not be the very fastest method to input text, but it works and always has done.
Jesus Christ am I thankful you don't work at Apple.
Dictation is going to be the main input, but sometimes it's not appropriate.
I think the solution in these times is to get your phone out. The watch isn't going to replace a phone, like a phone doesn't replace a tablet, like a tablet doesn't replace a laptop.
You are still going to use your phone for a lot of things, and inputting text will sometimes be one of them.
Watch is about convenience and practicality. The time and effort it would take to type on it would be for offset by just using your iPhone.
This is a very good idea indeed, although I doubt Apple would include something like that (they would have announced it by now).
I've been thinking about an input method for something as small as the Apple watch and never thought about that. Apple already has one of the best handwriting recognition softwares, from they long-dead Newton platform. There's still some people that use MessagePads and they say that the HWR hasn't been matched by anything modern.
Obviously the watch is not intended for writing long messages (unless you use Siri's dictation) but for some short replies yes, it'd be a good idea, because (let's face it) even with the best predictive replies, with only three of them per message (as shown in the Apple Watch website) is very likely that what you wanted to reply isn't there (even if you only want to answer "ok"), and taking the phone out might not be appropriate or practical.
And dictation doesn't work well in many languages (Spanish, for example) or at least not well enough to rely on it as the main input method.
Multiple languages!
There's one issue with Siri that really makes my life miserable here: multiple languages.
I keep my phone and Siri configured in English but I use Spanish and French in a daily basis.
Ok, so Siri is compatible with many languages, but I would love to be capable of doing something like this:
"Hey Siri, I will dictate a text in Spanish for my mother..."
I also don't know why Siri cannot simply identify the language of an incoming mail or text and read it in the appropriate language.
Changing the language of the keyboard changes the dictation engine to the appropriate language, but this needs to be done manually and one needs to press the dictation button.
There's one issue with Siri that really makes my life miserable here: multiple languages.
I keep my phone and Siri configured in English but I use Spanish and French in a daily basis.
Ok, so Siri is compatible with many languages, but I would love to be capable of doing something like this:
"Hey Siri, I will dictate a text in Spanish for my mother..."
I also don't know why Siri cannot simply identify the language of an incoming mail or text and read it in the appropriate language.
Changing the language of the keyboard changes the dictation engine to the appropriate language, but this needs to be done manually and one needs to press the dictation button.
That sounds so awesome to write a text one letter at a time. It would only take me an hour to tell my wife to pick up the drycleaning on her way home.
Don't exaggrate. It only takes the same time as writing it out on paper in block letters.
The point is it takes significantly longer than using canned responses, Siri or simply taking out your iPhone. Piggie proposed his silly idea because he refuses to get an iPhone (but is interested in the idea of getting the Apple Watch).
The problem with canned responses is, as someone pointed out earlier, their number is limited. So for instance, one day you may want to tell your husband to pick up milk, the next day it could be eggs, or pick up baby from daycare. You can't make up canned responses for every situation.
And yes, I know your response is going to be just take out your iPhone. But the whole point of the watch is that there are situations where it is convenient not to have to take out your iPhone. People are going to want the convenience of being able to send out messages from the watch.
We already have the ability to dictate a full, unique message from the watch through Siri. Canned responses are for when someone has already replied to you with a simple question/request.
As I said before, Siri doesn't work for everyone. Oh, and even for those who can use Siri, it's not 100% accurate. So how do you correct it if it gets a word or two wrong?
I'm not saying single letter input is the best option, just that it does no harm to have such an option, and it takes no longer than writing the exact same message on a sheet of paper with a pen or pencil.
With practice you should be able to write a short message on a watch screen with your finger, at the same speed you write on paper.
Don't see why you are so negative to having that option, even if it was for a short phrase.