The Quest for Quality: Five of the Most Useful Apple Watch Apps

[Lictor]

You are wrong, normal people, not geeks like us, can't even figure out 2% of something. It sounds crazy but its true.

Actually, I know a lot of people who don't know that half a liter and 50cl are the same thing - and I live in a metric country.
Math literacy is very very low nowadays. People from the previous generations where pretty good (my mother always checks by hand that the calculator is right ), but in the current generation it's just awful.
So, yes, a calculator on a watch, or anything actually, is useful for a majority of people. I guess a calculator inside the brain will be the ultimate thing....

Moreover, not all the operations are that easy. For instance, when I'm on holidays with friends, I use Tricount a lot. Because it can track operations we do all the time, like I bought the groceries but you paid for the restaurants and Bob paid the tickets, so, who owns who what ? Tricount would be very useful on a watch, because the phone is usually in the backpack.

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The apps don't use the processor of the watch instead they bluetooth between the watch to the phone to calculate.

The WWDC is coming soon, hopefully we should have good news on that front...

 

[bobob]

"the most useful functionality of Calcbot for Apple Watch is the tip calculator, which allows you to enter the total cost of your bill, calculate a 10% to 30% tip"

Welcome to the future!!!

 

[CFreymarc]

How long until tinder and grindr show up?

They'll give "wrist action" a whole new meaning.

 

[CFreymarc]

Calcbot and the other calculators apps are so frustrating to use they are just useless. The apps don't use the processor of the watch instead they bluetooth between the watch to the phone to calculate. When you input the number there is lag and sometime it is unresponsive. The watch needs a native calculator app, the third party apps are a joke.

I agree. While there have been a lot of tear-down articles on the watch. What hasn't been talked about a lot in public is the wireless traffic analysis between the watch and the iPhone as an app runs.

Many of the best WiFi and Bluetooth network houses have placed an Apple watch and iPhone in a Faraday cage with a wireless network analyzer to see exactly what's going on. From what I can say, the current WatchKit API is an insult to the capability of the Apple Watch's hardware.

WatchKit is pretty much just a UI pipe between the watch and the app running on the phone. Very little if any computation is happening on the watch. Graphics wise, developers are told all that can be done is to have static images pushed to your watch screen. That is just pushing data objects.

If you look at the native apps, specifically the watch faces, fitness, pin login, phone and camera app, there is a lot of graphic rendering happening in real-time and data streaming.

None of these APIs are in WatchKit. Sending data to and from the watch is very token oriented with no decent throughput. I'm sure there is heavy work on dumping the binary from the watch to find out these hidden APIs.

I'm sure a "native" API for third party developers are in the works as soon as they get the sand-boxing together. Til then, we have static view apps with "flip book" graphics.

I know a lot of projects that are on hold due to this. The watch face API is inevitable with Hello Kitty, KITT and steampunk watch faces out soon after that.

 

[roadbloc]

How can they call a watch with less than a day battery life revolutionary? I simply do not get the appeal. The Apple Watch to me just seems like a colossal waste of money, solving an apparent problem that doesn't even exist.

 

[dtich]

Workflow is one of my favorite iPhone apps... and I was pumped when I saw it has Apple Watch support. Being able to tap my watch screen and do some pretty complex tasks without even reaching into my pocket was pretty attractive. Unfortunately, I've found the watch app to be terrible.

First of all, the app will sometimes cause the entire watch to crash and restart (which is not unique to Workflow, but needs to be corrected asap).

Secondly, it's so miserably slow that it is considerably faster to pull my phone out of my pocket, unlock it, open the Workflow app, and hit the button I'm trying to access. I have no idea why it is so slow... but I'm not exaggerating. I tested it this morning, and it is literally much faster to get my phone out.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, some of the most useful workflows I use get halfway through the process, and then tell me to "handoff to the iPhone". Why would I start something on my watch that I'm going to have to pick up halfway through on my phone? It completely defeats the purpose.

I'm hoping these issues get worked out as developers have more "hands-on" time with the watch. But right now, I find Workflow to be virtually unusable.

can't speak to workflow, but my exp. is totally not in agreement with your first two points. i have never had it crash, and have yet to find it SO slow that i'm agro about it. sometimes it needs to load a bit, most of the time it's nice and snappy truthfully. in any case, it's early days.. it'll just get better and better.

edit: ok, didn't realize all your comments were pointed to the workflow app, on first read i thought it was general about the watch.. rescind.

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How can they call a watch with less than a day battery life revolutionary? I simply do not get the appeal. The Apple Watch to me just seems like a colossal waste of money, solving an apparent problem that doesn't even exist.

point of fact i'm actually having trouble exhausting the battery in one day, i've never gotten close. some days i've put it on the charger at bedtime without having to really, just giving in to the habit. and i use the watch. texting, phone calls, checking emails, traveling with passbook, apple pay.. and snapping onto the charger, which, btw, takes about 500 milliseconds, is so painless and easy i can't even see why people are still mentioning it....

 

[0098386]

How come those links to go a different website rather than the iTunes store?

 

[GuitarDTO]

I only hope the apps can be more independent of the phone in the future.

The other day I went out running in shorts with no pockets. Drove over to the grocery store afterward and thought I would leave my phone in the car and use the grocery list in clear on my phone. Once I got in the store, clear couldn't load the list because my phone wasn't in range.

At least I can use my watch for running without my phone. That alone has been worth the price of admission.

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So why do you bother wearing a watch in the first place? I'm not trying to be a jerk, just curious. If I wear a watch, I'm sure not gonna pull out my phone to check the time.

For me, wearing a watch is purely a fashion thing, and time telling is just a bonus. From that standpoint, I'd have no issues buying an Apple watch as I own 12 other watches already. BUT, will the thing last and be functional beyond 3 years? Even my cheaper watches (I have several fossil) have lasted 10+ years

 

[MNJohn]

The article might be better titled "The Quest for Utility"...

 

[Wokis]

I like how the calculator "tip" feature allowed dividing it with up to 10 people. Glad they stopped at 10, because 10 is so hard to do the head-math on

 

[acctman]

How long until tinder and grindr show up?

Like now...tinder had a Apple watch version out within the first week

 

[samcraig]

As with Pebble and Android Wear, there are and will be a lot of useless apps (or marginally useful) and some with real utility. So far nothing I've seen or used has been "killer" or so amazing that it's changed the way I "live."

The biggest utility (for me) has been caller ID, email/text/whatsapp and calendar notifications. And the time. Note I don't do do activity training.

That's not to say owning a smart watch (whatever brand) isn't worthwhile. But right now I don't think there's any app out there (at least for me) that is proving why there's a need or how great a smart watch is beyond the core functionality.

 

[acctman]

When a calculator is the most useful app, you know you have problems justifying a multi hundred dollar device.

I have to agree with you, and even though it's faster toniest swipe up on my phone and get a bigger calculator. The fitness features, time and weather at the turn of your wrist is the only useful stuff on the watch. Some people will justify how it has replace their phone and maybe it has but let's be serious it requires your phone to function past the basic and the apps are all laughable. Just a bunch of water down tap and hold apps.

It's a $400+ waste of money, I don't see a killer app happening any time soon. It would require a supporting killer iPhone app too.

 

[Someyoungguy]

All I keep seeing is evidence of people trying desperately to invent things the watch is useful for. Not impressed...

I agree and have been saying the same, but last week I actually came up with my first use for an Apple Watch: turn-by-turn directions while riding my motorcycle, which doesn't have a phone mount. Otherwise, I am basically only interested in a FitBit that has the time and notifications, but the Surge doesn't do Calendar notifications - just calls and texts - so still looking.

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

Like now...tinder had a Apple watch version out within the first week

That might be the killer app for these things.

Kind of like the killer app for VCRs.

 

[gregrose]

Watch sounds so useless and the apps comical. Wonder when this fad will fade away

 

[tcugrilla]

Apps are worthless without the watch

In 28 days Apple has shipped the first eight minutes of orders of the space gray 42mm sport watches. Get us the watches, and we will let you know what we think of the apps.

Yes I know get rid of the Grinch face

 

[ENduro]

The Quest for Justifying the Purpose of the Purchase - There. I fixed it for ya.

 

[jagolden]

These gadgets are just making the humankind dumber and dumber.

Look at the the pathetic apps that lists stuff to do: cut hair, call mom, go to store, clean up garage, etc.

Why can't you use your brain to calculate the tip? Work that brain muscle more. I mean I can see how the iPhone has greatly enhanced life in the perspective of being able to go everywhere using GPS/navi apps, calling people seeing how their are doing via FaceTime, sending messages with videos and voice, all sorts of life enhancing product apps.

Now you just have these answers to no problems to begin with - the apple watch is just superfluous. It's almost as if people are trying so hard to come up with an app that makes the watch useful.

It seems like people are trying so hard to come up with reasons to justify why THEY think it's not useful.

Do you own a smartphone? You must be getting dumber and dumber.
GPS? Ever hear of a road map? Can you read and use one? Facetime? Can't you just call on the phone? Do you really need to see them? Messages with videos - yeah, because your call didn't already waste enough of someones time.

Anyways, the watch is an extension of the phone. All notifications, appointments and other useful and/or needed information on your wrist, at a glance. Much better than constantly pulling out your phone to check what just came in, more discreet.
And much, much better than these people that walk around carrying the phone in their hands like a security blanket (this must be you).

It's a big world out there. Different people with different needs. Try to see beyond the windows of your basement.

 

[ENduro]

If you need a calculator to figure out what a 10 or 15% tip would be.. well, please just don't breed.

Or at the very least take your $350 and sign up for night school.

 

[roddenshaw]

Watch sounds so useless and the apps comical. Wonder when this fad will fade away

I very much doubt it will, for the simple reason that lots of people find fitness tracking to be useful. This is my third smart watch, and despite the lack of GPS it's the best for fitness tracking yet.

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On the topic of the chosen apps, I was disappointed to find that Apple's reminders weren't integrated on the watch. It's ideal for things like grocery shopping for me (pushing a cart with my phone in one hand is awkward, and all I really need is to occasionally glance at my list to make sure I'm not forgetting anything). It's just disappointing that Things is so expensive for the Mac (£40). I understand that the developer needs to make a reasonable profit, but it's difficult to justify spending that much on a reminders app.

 

[jagolden]

How can they call a watch with less than a day battery life revolutionary? I simply do not get the appeal. The Apple Watch to me just seems like a colossal waste of money, solving an apparent problem that doesn't even exist.

It's not meant to solve a problem, but to extend the usefulness of your phone. If you can't see the obvious convenience of what it does, you're just being obstinate. So many people have explained it to people like you, but as the saying goes, "I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you".

Not essential, but very, very useful.

 

[roddenshaw]

It's not meant to solve a problem, but to extend the usefulness of your phone. If you can't see the obvious convenience of what it does, you're just being obstinate. So many people have explained it to people like you, but as the saying goes, "I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you".

Not essential, but very, very useful.

Also Apple have been very conservative with the battery life figures (which I give them a lot of credit for). I could get two days out of my 42mm, but charging it overnight is so easy I can't imagine why I wouldn't do it anyway.

 

[jagolden]

Watch sounds so useless and the apps comical. Wonder when this fad will fade away

God, I love trolls!

Does this "fad" bother you? Why? Just don't participate.

"Sounds so useless" so you have no personal use or knowledge of what is can do. Your opinion=useless in that case.

Apps comical? Messaging, mail, calendar, notifications, dates, wheather, translators, news, payment fitness, music, calls, timers, etc.
Since you couldn't buy one, how are you investigating all the apps that are available.

Clearly you weren't invited to the party so you need to dis it to make your poor self feel better. There, there, you'll get over it.

 

[stukick]

I still haven't got my Apple Watch. FML.

Well, that sucks. I already received my 42mm sport, sold it for $1000 on ebay, and moved on. Hope you get yours soon!