The dilemma

[100thMonkey]

I like Apple stuff. I buy a new thing ever year or two at least. With my family, we buy 2-3 things annually or more. I like the yellow gold watch with the blue leather band.

That being said, I have a real hard time mentally preparing myself for the reality that new watches are going to make me want the new one. It'd be a great idea if the case could be reused and Apple figured out how to let users put updated guts in their watches.

I just don't think I'll be able to follow the apple watch trail, knowing that it won't appreciate other than the value of the matieral. I like nice watches, i wear nice watches, but i expect a nice watch to last me 10-20 years. Not 2.

 

[odds]

I like Apple stuff. I buy a new thing ever year or two at least. With my family, we buy 2-3 things annually or more. I like the yellow gold watch with the blue leather band.

That being said, I have a real hard time mentally preparing myself for the reality that new watches are going to make me want the new one. It'd be a great idea if the case could be reused and Apple figured out how to let users put updated guts in their watches.

I just don't think I'll be able to follow the apple watch trail, knowing that it won't appreciate other than the value of the matieral. I like nice watches, i wear nice watches, but i expect a nice watch to last me 10-20 years. Not 2.

I'm sure they thought of this. Don't worry yourself! They'll either offer a nice recycling deal like with iPhones or they'll reuse/refurbish cases.

 

[psylence2k]

I would skip the first generation. I think the battery life just isn't acceptable to justify the price IMO amongst plenty of other things that could and will probably added/refined in future iterations. Unless you just have money like that and could easily afford a new one in 1-3 years then by all means knock yourself out.

I really doubt Apple will let you bring your watch in and have the genius bar perform open case surgery on it to update the technology. I mean just imagine asking them to do that with an Iphone. They'll probably just suggest you sell your old one on the open market and buy the new watch.

 

[ChubZ]

I'm just not even remotely interested in a smart watch. It's redundant. My phone is almost always on me and If i need to be alerted to an email or text message, then my phone will beep and vibrate.

Of course there is a going to be a market for this but not the huge market that some people think. This is just a niche device.

Some people will say, well the tablet market was a niche market at first too. However, the tablet market was never a niche market. There needed to be a device in between smartphones and desktops.

With phablets now going to 6 inches, it could really cannibalize the tablet market. Since I've gotten my iP6+, I have not touched my iPad at all. I've had other phablets. I've had all the galaxy note series phones and currently still have the LG G3 but I always kept my iPad because i felt Apple got the tablet market right better than any other vendor. With the 6+ I haven't even picked it up.

Sorry for the side tracking lol

 

[100thMonkey]

I would skip the first generation. I think the battery life just isn't acceptable to justify the price IMO amongst plenty of other things that could and will probably added/refined in future iterations.

Agreed about the battery life

I really doubt Apple will let you bring your watch in and have the genius bar perform open case surgery on it to update the technology. I mean just imagine asking them to do that with an Iphone.

Yes, but the iPhone doesn't have a solid gold case. If Ming Kuo-Cho is right, the one I want would probably cost a couple of thousand....that's like a new 15" rMBP and an iPhone X together. Makes other Apple purchases hard to conceptualize in a budget.

Of course there is a going to be a market for this but not the huge market that some people think. This is just a niche device.

From the point of view of 1) health tracking 2) SMS'ing and notification 3) not having to pull out my phone for all the kids in my life: children, nieces, nephews, etc...wanting to paw all over and 4) Apple payments without having to wip out the phone. All sounds good. Being able to see whose calling on my watch and answer on headset without having take phone out of pocket while walking with kids/groceries/archive file boxes...starts to add up for a busy family guy

 

[psylence2k]

Agreed about the battery life



Yes, but the iPhone doesn't have a solid gold case. If Ming Kuo-Cho is right, the one I want would probably cost a couple of thousand....that's like a new 15" rMBP and an iPhone X together. Makes other Apple purchases hard to conceptualize in a budget.



From the point of view of 1) health tracking 2) SMS'ing and notification 3) not having to pull out my phone for all the kids in my life: children, nieces, nephews, etc...wanting to paw all over and 4) Apple payments without having to wip out the phone. All sounds good. Being able to see whose calling on my watch and answer on headset without having take phone out of pocket while walking with kids/groceries/archive file boxes...starts to add up for a busy family guy

It's really hard to see Apple doing any type of program where they'll have someone at an Apple store upgrade the technology on your watch. All the components inside are subject to changes in size and placement as well as the casing which holds them. New cases will probably be thinner, shaped differently, have additional sensors. There will be just too many incompatibility issues.

I understand that in your perspective, you're gonna potentially pay anywhere between 1500 to 2500 or maybe even more for a gold one and you feel that may be a huge purchase but to them that's just business and the way the industry works.

It sounds like from what you're describing that a good fit for you would be the Pebble Watch. It does pretty much everything you named and does it well from what I've heard. Only thing missing would be Apple Pay but you have your phone for that and I dont know if that feature alone is worth the additional $200-$300 dollars.

If you're willing to forego the " cool " factor of having to have the Apple product then I think the Pebble would be a great substitute at least until a better iteration for the Apple Watch comes out.

Even if you go with the nice premium steel version, it only costs $200, you'd be getting almost all the features you need from a smart watch. You'd be getting better water resistance and better battery life (5-7 days vs. 1 day ).

 

[odds]

Agreed about the battery life



Yes, but the iPhone doesn't have a solid gold case. If Ming Kuo-Cho is right, the one I want would probably cost a couple of thousand....that's like a new 15" rMBP and an iPhone X together. Makes other Apple purchases hard to conceptualize in a budget.



From the point of view of 1) health tracking 2) SMS'ing and notification 3) not having to pull out my phone for all the kids in my life: children, nieces, nephews, etc...wanting to paw all over and 4) Apple payments without having to wip out the phone. All sounds good. Being able to see whose calling on my watch and answer on headset without having take phone out of pocket while walking with kids/groceries/archive file boxes...starts to add up for a busy family guy

Well said, especially the second part. I can't wait for the convenience that the Watch will bring to technology on the go.

 

[100thMonkey]

The Pebble looks like a calculator watch compared to the Apple. It's not just the cool factor, it's attractive, it's functional. I have several nice Swiss watches, I'm just thinking how my wife is going to tolerate buying and selling gold watches every 2 years. I don't think it's going to go over well...oh Apple, why do you do it?

 

[rkuo]

The Pebble looks like a calculator watch compared to the Apple. It's not just the cool factor, it's attractive, it's functional. I have several nice Swiss watches, I'm just thinking how my wife is going to tolerate buying and selling gold watches every 2 years. I don't think it's going to go over well...oh Apple, why do you do it?

No one here knows for sure what Apple is going to do, but I agree that I'm going to need some sort of guarantee of service if I'm going to be convinced to buy a gold Apple Watch.

There are actually a good number of people who will buy a gold watch, but the number who will buy a watch that will be technological trash in two years are much much fewer in number.

 

[bransoj]

I would skip the first generation. I think the battery life just isn't acceptable to justify the price IMO amongst plenty of other things that could and will probably added/refined in future iterations. Unless you just have money like that and could easily afford a new one in 1-3 years then by all means knock yourself out.

I really doubt Apple will let you bring your watch in and have the genius bar perform open case surgery on it to update the technology. I mean just imagine asking them to do that with an Iphone. They'll probably just suggest you sell your old one on the open market and buy the new watch.

Do we even know for certain what the battery life is to start making decisions based around it? There has only been guess work to date as to what the battery life is!

 

[betabeta]

The only dilemma for me is the waiting having information like stock prices and messages right on my wrist and be able take actions on them will be HUGE

I understand some not wanting it if they are fine with using and constantly checking the phone, I just don't do that. I see people constantly checking the phone, it's amazing they will take that thing out 10 times just standing there talking to me, crazy.

If I can just get a tap on the wrist look at my watch and see who it's from and decide what to do, it will make me way more productive. More than half my calls or messages are not important so I end up ignoring all of them and leave my phone in my pocket and end up missing something important.

Photos on my watch? really? why? for that I'll pull out my phone, so nope.
draw little pictures? nope.
see my heart beat, ummm..nope.
They should have focused much more on productivity.

Stock alerts, quick glance messages/calls, information and news right on my wrist and Apple Pay? Sign me up now!

 

[psylence2k]

Do we even know for certain what the battery life is to start making decisions based around it? There has only been guess work to date as to what the battery life is!

Well Tim Cook both in the keynote and in post interviews said it should be charged daily so that gives us a pretty good idea.

The reporter asked “So why did you skip over the watch’s battery life?”

Tim Cook responded:

“I don’t think we skipped over it. I addressed it in the presentation myself. We think that based on our experience of wearing these that the usage of them will be really significant throughout the day. So we think you’ll want to charge them every night..."

 

[Piggie]

Well Tim Cook both in the keynote and in post interviews said it should be charged daily so that gives us a pretty good idea.

The reporter asked “So why did you skip over the watch’s battery life?”

Tim Cook responded:

“I don’t think we skipped over it. I addressed it in the presentation myself. We think that based on our experience of wearing these that the usage of them will be really significant throughout the day. So we think you’ll want to charge them every night..."

I adore the amazingly well thought out way they play with the English language.

"So we think you'll want to charge them every night".....

 

[bransoj]

Well Tim Cook both in the keynote and in post interviews said it should be charged daily so that gives us a pretty good idea.

The reporter asked “So why did you skip over the watch’s battery life?”

Tim Cook responded:

“I don’t think we skipped over it. I addressed it in the presentation myself. We think that based on our experience of wearing these that the usage of them will be really significant throughout the day. So we think you’ll want to charge them every night..."

Yes so a full days use out of the watch is more than workable isnt it? Pop it on charge when you go to sleep, take it off and wear it the following day then repeat. Its no different to what we do with smartphones so dont see the issue. I would also expect handy 3rd party charging stations to arrive in no time making this no hassle at all.

 

[Donoban]

I like Apple stuff. I buy a new thing ever year or two at least. With my family, we buy 2-3 things annually or more. I like the yellow gold watch with the blue leather band.

That being said, I have a real hard time mentally preparing myself for the reality that new watches are going to make me want the new one. It'd be a great idea if the case could be reused and Apple figured out how to let users put updated guts in their watches.

I just don't think I'll be able to follow the apple watch trail, knowing that it won't appreciate other than the value of the matieral. I like nice watches, i wear nice watches, but i expect a nice watch to last me 10-20 years. Not 2.

I feel bad for you man. This is a serious dilemma you're dealing with here. Hope you can get over it soon and move on with your life.

 

[psylence2k]

Yes so a full days use out of the watch is more than workable isnt it? Pop it on charge when you go to sleep, take it off and wear it the following day then repeat. Its no different to what we do with smartphones so dont see the issue. I would also expect handy 3rd party charging stations to arrive in no time making this no hassle at all.

Not for those who want/need to wear it to bed at night.

I guess it's preference but there would still be people trying to justify it if it only got half a day of battery. You'd still have some people saying " Well Just carry the charger around with you ! It's not that hard ! "

IMO I'm sure most people who spent anywhere from $400 to $3,000 on a device would want a battery that lasts more than a day if that even especially when we have phones now that last at least two with heavy use. Who knows with really heavy power users it might even run out before your day is up

Some people dont have conventional days, some work unusual hours, alot of people travel, switch time zones, take really long flights. A one day or less battery would be extremely inconvenient for them. Especially for those who might want to wear their watch to bed because they use it as an alarm and also for notifications. I know plenty of people who love their current smart watch because they can be notified of things in their sleep (wake alarm, phone calls, e-mails, texts, etc) without waking their significant other. For some having it notify them in their sleep will be the most desired use of the entire watch. How are you suppose to do this on the watch when you have to take it off to charge it every night ??

I dont know how first generation adopters would feel about spending that much money on a watch and see a 2nd or 3rd generation version come out 1-3 years later that has much improved battery life.

 

[mojolicious]

It'd be a great idea if the case could be reused and Apple figured out how to let users put updated guts in their watches.

That was my expectation of the watch: a modular Apple-flavoured bit with all the traditional watchy parts manufactured by licensees, whether it be a $50 Swatch or a $20,000 something expensive. Throw away the guts of the watch whenever you fancy an upgrade to the next iteration, and keep the case for as long as you fancy.

 

[Sodner]

Ya I have a 20+ year old Rolex that looks as good as they day I bought it and I could probably sell for more than I paid for it.

I love Apple's products but a watch on a yearly refresh isn't sitting well with me.

 

[Julien]

Not for those who want/need to wear it to bed at night.....

I dont know how first generation adopters would feel about spending that much money on a watch and see a 2nd or 3rd generation version come out 1-3 years later that has much improved battery life.

It will probably charge up in about an hour. For sleep wearers you could charge it while showering/eating/getting ready.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look) we are stuck with loth-ion batt tech for a while. We will get improvements in chip/OLED/radio/electronics efficiency but the batt will be a huge limiting factor for some time to come.

So don't expect week long batt life while on gen 3 (or any other comparable smart watch) providing all the services, display and convince features of the aWatch. It's a trade off.

 

[psylence2k]

It will probably charge up in about an hour. For sleep wearers you could charge it while showering/eating/getting ready.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look) we are stuck with loth-ion batt tech for a while. We will get improvements in chip/OLED/radio/electronics efficiency but the batt will be a huge limiting factor for some time to come.

So don't expect week long batt life while on gen 3 (or any other comparable smart watch) providing all the services, display and convince features of the aWatch. It's a trade off.

A hour would be decent but who knows if it might be a little more.

either way IMO it's kind of a hassle to remember to routinely take off your watch in the middle of your evening especially if you're busy doing things. Having to remember every night would be a considerable inconvenience for something that is suppose to make things more convenient.

and then if you go to sleep with it on, get notifications, set alarms, etc during the night you're waking up with a non-full battery that hopefully wont die on you before your next day is over.

I know a week long battery is unrealistic for a while, I think 2-3 days with heavy use should be something aimed for by the 3rd generation for a $400 - $3,000 watch.

 

[Julien]

...I know a week long battery is unrealistic for a while, I think 2-3 days with heavy use should be something aimed for by the 3rd generation for a $400 - $3,000 watch.

In some ways 3 days is LESS convenient. With once a day you will fall into a pattern of charging. With 3 days of batt life your aWatch is more likely to just die at a random time while wearing it.

 

[cleirac]

For me, Watch is the perfect accessory for my GOLD iPhone 6+.

 

[psylence2k]

In some ways 3 days is LESS convenient. With once a day you will fall into a pattern of charging. With 3 days of batt life your aWatch is more likely to just die at a random time while wearing it.

I dont think getting 2-3 days on my smartphone is less convenient than one. So I dont know how that would apply to a watch.

Also with 3 days, you can gauge by your usage if you're someone who can normally reach 3 days with at least 10-%20% left or if charging at 2 is better for you. It also gives you extra security in case you have a very long or very busy day or you're traveling.

IMO it's just as easy if not easier to get caught with a dead battery on one day because it may not even be guaranteed to get you through the whole day. I know with a 100% full battery on a 3 day I'm guaranteed to make it through a LONG day, like a Friday, if you get up early, go through work, then have a long night hanging out or partying so your day might last from 6 AM to 2AM Saturday morning. Also if you're traveling and have a long flight sandwiched by two busy days on each side. At least you know you'll make it through those long unpredictable days with a 3 day. That guarantee isn't there with a one day.

You can't honestly believe 3 days is LESS convenient, are you telling me that if they offered the watch in identical models with 1 day battery and 3 day battery that you would pick the 1 day battery because you honestly think that it's really more convenient ?

 

[Julien]

....You can't honestly believe 3 days is LESS convenient, are you telling me that if they offered the watch in identical models with 1 day battery and 3 day battery that you would pick the 1 day battery because you honestly think that it's really more convenient ?

You must have not read what I said "in some ways". I didn't say I don't want more batt life. However we must be realistic. The aWatch will get faster and the electronics slightly more efficient, but batt tech will reman the same for MANY years to come (loth-ion). Apple will likely add more sensors and try to make a thinner watch (smaller batt) as efficiency increases over extended batt life. All smart watch makers will also loosely follow this trend. Don't believe it look at cell phones. They get about the same day long batt life as they did in 2007.

 

[psylence2k]

You must have not read what I said "in some ways". I didn't say I don't want more batt life. However we must be realistic. The aWatch will get faster and the electronics slightly more efficient, but batt tech will reman the same for MANY years to come (loth-ion). Apple will likely add more sensors and try to make a thinner watch (smaller batt) as efficiency increases over extended batt life. All smart watch makers will also loosely follow this trend. Don't believe it look at cell phones. They get about the same day long batt life as they did in 2007.

Well I know in what "ways" those were because you specified your hypothetical scenario and then I elaborately explained why I didn't even agree with that one scenario. The part you quoted at the end was a reference to how I didn't even believe in that one "way" being more convenient so that's why I implied that IMO it's not convenient in ANY way.

but like I said and you just admitted, you want more battery life so let's stop pretending that less battery life is convenient in ANY way, your watch gives you notifications that it's low. You know just like your phone which alot of people have been conditioned to charge every other day when they get that notification or see the indicator low. So this whole "appeal" of having a daily charge routine is something that is clearly outweighed by the benefit of a longer battery.

As far as the thinness to battery logic. It may or may not go that way. It's easier to see why Apple would want to make handhelds that go in your pocket or bag thinner and therefore lighter. To me something that just stays on your wrist that's already light in comparison to that thing in your pocket would seem that prioritizing battery first wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Cell phones have NOT kept the same battery life over the years. The Iphone 3G had 5 hours of talk time and the models have steadily increased to now where we have an Iphone 6 with 15 hours and an Iphone 6 Plus with 25 hours. That's 3 to 5 times the battery life and Android devices have been improving exponentially as well. So I wouldn't even consider that "about".