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

[jagolden]

Can we officially call the Apple watch a failure yet? I get that some people out there find the watch beneficial. But you're not the norm. This watch is useless for everybody else. The more apps that come out, the more clear this becomes.

Another useless comment from someone who has zero first-hand experience.

How about some usefull input? What would make a smartwatch usefull? Just what do clowns like you want a smartwatch to do? Big mouths that really say nothing.

"Useless for everybody else", wow, you know what everyone else needs?

 

[jagolden]

People said the same thing about the iPhone screen. It was too small to surf the web. Yet, what happened is that responsive design is now the norm and the web has adapted to the size of the smartphone screens...

What is true is that you can't do the same on an iPhone screen and on a desktop screen. That's why responsive design has become mobile first. Likewise, you don't build an iPhone app the same way you build a desktop app. You really have to think with the device screen size and capabilities foremost.

The same will happen with the Apple Watch. It's not a desktop computer screen and it's not an iPhone screen either. So developers have to come up with ergonomics and user experiences that make sense on a very small screen. But they will eventually do. Because the Apple Watch is very similar to the iPhone. The iPhone made up with its small screen by being closer to the user. And the Apple Watch is even closer to the user.

For instance, I extensively use todo lists for my work and for important personal stuff. Yet, I have never bothered to use them in the supermarket. Because pulling out my phone out of my pocket (or worse in summer, my backpack) every few minutes is a pain. But glancing at my wrist to check what I still need to buy is a lot less bothersome. I think the watch can shine with similar applications : very short lived and repeated interactions.

Unfortunately, well written and thought out responses like yours complely pass over the heads of the people that can't see beyond their own small lives and realize they are but one tiny person in a world of billions.

People write about how useless it is but don't/can't suggest what would make it usefull.

Instead of just thinking "it's not for me", and moving on, they seem to need to justify why they won't/didn't/can't get one.

Personally I believe most of these trolls want one, they just can't get one.

Green envy (yeah, like my sport band), is a terrible thing. Sure, whatever they need to keep telling themselves.

 

[Lictor]

The problem is that people expect a killer app and, seeing no universal killer app think it's a failure...

The truth is that most successes happened without a killer app. They just happened because the product was more convenient in some use cases or because it was a bit better than other products in the domain.

For instance, what was the "killer app" of cars ? None. They're just more convenient in some use cases for some people.
Likewise, the killer app of television, quality TV shows, only occurred decades after television was a huge success. Television was a success only because it was a little more convenient than cinema at the price of submitting your brain to advertisements.
And DVD didn't have a killer app, it was just better than VHS (which was better marketed than Betamax). And Bluray was better than DVD.

Killer apps are a myth. True, they explain some of the successes, but most products are just successful for less extraordinary reasons.

Moreover, you don't have a killer apps, but a multitude of them, each addressing the needs of a niche of users. For instance, what was the killer app of computers ? Was it spreadsheets ? To an accountant, certainly, but for a writer it was more probably word processors. Or games. Or Internet.

The same will happen with Apple Watch : some apps will be "killer apps" for some users, some are already out there. But most of the people will use it not for killer apps, but because it's a bit better than regular watches and not that expensive. Just like the iPad and other tablets are killing computers : they don't really have killer apps, except for some niches, but they're more convenient in some use cases and cheaper...

 

[macfacts]

How are these top5 apple watch apps better or different than their equivalents on pebble or android smartwatches?

Apple has had more than a year since other smart wearables have been released to refine their product but this is the best they can do. And to those people that say wait for the full sdk to be released to developers, that just means this is an incomplete product that was launched.

 

[mysticbluebmw]

I feel like when ever someone talks about what the watch can do, they need to always (yes, ALWAYS) put it in the context of why it's better to do it on the watch instead of the phone. Both devices are mobile. Both devices use apps. One screen is small on your wrist, the other is about 4-6 times larger in your pocket. Your pocket is about 10 inches from your watch.

So instead of saying "with the Apple Watch, you can use a calculator" you should say "using a calculator app on the watch is better than the one on your phone because...".

Right. There are really very, very few reasons doing an "app" on the wrist is better than the phone.

I must admit to not reading every post in this thread, so this may have already been stated...

The phone is not always just 10 inches from your wrist. Often at home, my phone is NOT in my pocket but somewhere else in the house charging. It's nice to be able to do many things that I would normally need to find my phone for. Like most everything else, its just a convenience, but one I can appreciate over the course of the life of a smartwatch.

I had the galaxy s5 and gear 2 neo, and it was wonderful to be able to screen or even answer calls without having to get up and run to the phone when its not on me. Now that I have the iPhone 6, I desperately miss that. For that reason alone I can't wait for the Apple watch to ship.

 

[rowspaxe]

People said the same thing about the iPhone screen. It was too small to surf the web. Yet, what happened is that responsive design is now the norm and the web has adapted to the size of the smartphone screens..

Its worth noting smart phone screens have increased in size as people started using them for mail and browsing. It may be the case the only use of a postage size screen is notifications. Even apple pay seems awkward.

----------

How about some usefull input? What would make a smartwatch usefull? Just what do clowns like you want a smartwatch to do?

I think these are the questions the smartwatch sector are struggling with. The criticism is that the whole product category may prove to have very limited adoption because it offers so little value to consumers.

 

[longterm]

I mean, Duh. What can you really do on a watch to make the damned thing worthwhile owning? Now you'll have folks constantly looking at their watch, tapping it, looking closely at it. What odd behaviors this device will bring about, second only to the readers/ texters while walking city streets with the iPhone crowd.

... said the person who clearly hasn't spent more than 5 minutes with one.

No matter how much people say it, the fact seems to escape the naysayers: the Apple Watch is NOT A REPLACMENT FOR AN IPHONE.

On the iPhone, you consume data; on the Watch, you take small sips--you get notifications during the day, or you use it for specific things that lend themselves to the Apple Watch. For example:

iPhone -- read Twitter feed, articles, Facebook;
Watch -- get a notification of a retweet or a direct message,but don't read either Twitter or Facebook feeds;

iPhone -- look at calendar, add to calendar, edit events;
Watch -- get notification of an upcoming event, get an alarm reminder;

iPhone -- See where your Uber driver is on a map;
Watch -- summon an Uber car;

iPhone -- set up trips in Tripit; add items, flights, hotels, etc.;
Watch -- see the upcoming flight's info

iPhone -- make flight reservations, get a boarding pass;
Watch -- pull up the QR code for the flight and walk into the jetway using your watch to check in;

iPhone -- see detailed weather info;
Watch -- get a summary of the weather.

It's not the same thing, and one doesn't replace the other; I love wearing a watch and have worn one since I was a kid, and although I have a cherished Tag Heuer that I've had for 25 years, I put it in storage and am thrilled to use my Watch on a daily basis. Use it for a few days and it grows on you; after almost 3 weeks, I can't imagine not having my SS Milanese.

 

[goobot]

Do Americans really need a calculator/app to work out a 10% tip and then divide it between a few people?

What makes you think this is an American only app?

 

[longterm]

Its worth noting smart phone screens have increased in size as people started using them for mail and browsing. It may be the case the only use of a postage size screen is notifications. Even apple pay seems awkward.

----------



I think these are the questions the smartwatch sector are struggling with. The criticism is that the whole product category may prove to have very limited adoption because it offers so little value to consumers.

Nonsense. I've used my watch to check out in several stores, and it's almost magical. Walking up to the flight attendant and boarding my flight with my Watch was a real pleasure.

People seem to want to slam the watch so that they won't have to go buy one. Time will tell, but this device is a great addition to my iPhone.

----------

How are these top5 apple watch apps better or different than their equivalents on pebble or android smartwatches?

You're kidding, right?

The flaws in design and software on the Pebble and Android watches are many; take a 30-second look at Pebble screenshots, then look at the Apple Watch.

When the iPhone arrived in 2007, nothing came close to it; the same thing is happening now with the Apple Watch, and we're only seeing version 1.0 right now. It's only going to get better and better with time.

In any given day, I control my Phillips Hue system with my Watch, control my AppleTV, my Xfinity box, get lots of Due reminders, get notifications about upcoming travel, and much more. I love this thing almost as much as I do my iPhone 6.

 

[jloving]

Top Tip: while AppleWatch is charging-you won't be able to use certain Apps. However don't despair. Simply buy a small notepad. You can write down stuff that the other apps will do like:
Remind you to have a haircut
When to eat your next meal
Scribe some basic mathematical calculations
When your next important meeting is
Friends birthday dates
When to exercise and where
Contact phone numbers
Note down passwords etc
The list goes on.
This alternative utility does not need batteries or linking- to an iPhone of course so this could be a real boon a proper money saver?

Apple Stores do not sell them. But most newsagents do. And not too expensive either. A great standby utility when you're iPhone or Watch is inaccessible.

So..... why are you in this forum?????

 

[bretm]

I must agree with Gruber, the updated MLB At-Bat is great because I can now get updates on all games with a quick glance without having to engage with my phone and I think we all know the stated reasons for times when engaging with your phone may not be appropriate or convenient.

You must have been reading my mind because I almost considered starting a thread asking why does the Watch need a so-called "killer app?" And my mind began to think back to 2007. I don't recall a killer app for iPhone. Even when the app store came about a year later, I don't recall any one app the masses generally found they couldn't do without other than as you allude to the phone harnessing the power of the Internet.

Now that I think about it, the way so many people on these forums complained about how the watch is "useless" without a paired phone, couldn't the same thing be said for iphone? How useful would it be if it weren't able to connect to the web in any way (WiFi or cellular)?

At the time the iPhone was first released, it was still pretty amazing without the internet. The same reasons the palm pilot was great without any internet years before. It was a great organizer, contacts, calendar, games device. Being able to eek out an email over 2g or check something on the Internet was an added bonus. NOW, people are expected to be available 24-7. The Internet isn't the killer app anymore. It's a standard required backbone.

 

[Judas1]

Another useless comment from someone who has zero first-hand experience.

How about some usefull input? What would make a smartwatch usefull? Just what do clowns like you want a smartwatch to do? Big mouths that really say nothing.

"Useless for everybody else", wow, you know what everyone else needs?

How about a watch that can work independently without a phone?
How about a watch that you don't have to charge everyday?

And you don't need first hand experience to take a look at the available apps and see them for the crap that they are.

 

[Lictor]

Its worth noting smart phone screens have increased in size as people started using them for mail and browsing.

Yes, and that's exactly why we now need smartwatches...

My 4S was always in my pant pocket. It was small and unbendable.
My 6+ is in my jacket pocket in winter and in my backpack the other seasons. It's just too bulky inside my pant pocket and it's a real hindrance when you need to kneel, squat, sit or bend.

The 6+ is great for many things, the large screen is really nice for a lot of uses. But as a result, the phone has become task oriented more than glance oriented. I used to pull out my 4S whenever I wanted to see the time, but fishing for my 6+ in my backpack makes this impractical. Likewise, I tend to miss SMS and phone calls.
There is also the problem with women, since most tend to put their phone in their purse and it takes a lot of time to grab anything out of these.

Thus, the smartwatch makes a lot of sense coupled with the phablet. You use the phablet for tasks - surfing the web, reading, playing, managing your todos, managing your calendar... And you use the smartwatch for glances (SMS, notifications, time...) and short tasks (checking your todos, checking your next appointment).

 

[Lictor]

What makes you think this is an American only app?

Because tips that must be precisely calculated are a very american thing. Tipping is much less formal in most of the world.
For instance, I only tip when the service was good (this is a bonus on top of the salary) and when I do I don't have to do a precise calculation, I just leave some change or what feels appropriate to express my satisfaction at an exceptional quality of service.
This is because the tip (service) is already included in the price of the food, so it makes no sense to pay it twice unless as a thank you for exceptional service. And because waiters have a minimum wage and don't rely as much on tips to live.
There are probably some other countries that work like the USA, maybe UK. I don't know about Asia. But it's pretty rare to have to make calculations for tipping in Europe. So I would say the biggest market, by large, for this kind of app is the USA.

 

[FreeState]

How about a watch that can work independently without a phone?

Most people have their cell phone with them, thats a natural fit for cellular data. I imagine eventually cell phone companies will allow secondary devices to use a main accounts cellular data, but until that time Apple has done a good job implementing it. There are apps that work without data on the phone now.

How about a watch that you don't have to charge everyday?

When I went to bed last night at 3:00am I had 40% charge left without charging it from 7am Saturday morning. It will get there, but this really isn't an issue. Seems more like a trumped up complaint, unless you own the watch and find an 18 hour charge with heavy usage doesn't work for you.

And you don't need first hand experience to take a look at the available apps and see them for the crap that they are.

Actually you do. Trust me, they are much better in person and get better the more you use them.

 

[doelcm82]

Another example of a device controlling our behavior. Why should I trust a number from some far-off server when deciding to plan an activity? Are we becoming so inept and ignorant that we can't assess even the local air quality? What's next, a cheerful, colored screen with our Order of the Day: 1)Obey, 2)Sumbit, 3)Consume.

I'm guessing you have a crisis of conscience every time you approach a traffic light: "Do I stop, and if I do, is it because I want to stop or because the red light MADE me do it?"

 

[friedmud]

... said the person who clearly hasn't spent more than 5 minutes with one.

No matter how much people say it, the fact seems to escape the naysayers: the Apple Watch is NOT A REPLACMENT FOR AN IPHONE.

On the iPhone, you consume data; on the Watch, you take small sips--you get notifications during the day, or you use it for specific things that lend themselves to the Apple Watch. For example:

iPhone -- read Twitter feed, articles, Facebook;
Watch -- get a notification of a retweet or a direct message,but don't read either Twitter or Facebook feeds;

iPhone -- look at calendar, add to calendar, edit events;
Watch -- get notification of an upcoming event, get an alarm reminder;

iPhone -- See where your Uber driver is on a map;
Watch -- summon an Uber car;

iPhone -- set up trips in Tripit; add items, flights, hotels, etc.;
Watch -- see the upcoming flight's info

iPhone -- make flight reservations, get a boarding pass;
Watch -- pull up the QR code for the flight and walk into the jetway using your watch to check in;

iPhone -- see detailed weather info;
Watch -- get a summary of the weather.

It's not the same thing, and one doesn't replace the other; I love wearing a watch and have worn one since I was a kid, and although I have a cherished Tag Heuer that I've had for 25 years, I put it in storage and am thrilled to use my Watch on a daily basis. Use it for a few days and it grows on you; after almost 3 weeks, I can't imagine not having my SS Milanese.

This.

I think that people have become so accustomed to the inconvenience of all of the small interactions with a cell phone that they don't even realize that there could be a better way.

 

[usarioclave]

How about a watch that can work independently without a phone?
How about a watch that you don't have to charge everyday?

No point in arguing. It's like the old DOS guys arguing that a GUI was far inferior to the command line.

 

[friedmud]

Because tips that must be precisely calculated are a very american thing. Tipping is much less formal in most of the world.
For instance, I only tip when the service was good (this is a bonus on top of the salary) and when I do I don't have to do a precise calculation, I just leave some change or what feels appropriate to express my satisfaction at an exceptional quality of service.
This is because the tip (service) is already included in the price of the food, so it makes no sense to pay it twice unless as a thank you for exceptional service. And because waiters have a minimum wage and don't rely as much on tips to live.
There are probably some other countries that work like the USA, maybe UK. I don't know about Asia. But it's pretty rare to have to make calculations for tipping in Europe. So I would say the biggest market, by large, for this kind of app is the USA.

As an American this is something I've never really understood. Why the fetish with such exact tipping? Is it because people are SO inept at math?

I NEVER leave an exact tip. I start with finding 10% (which everyone should be able to do). If it was good service I double for 20%. Decent service is 1.5x and poor service is just the 10%.

In cash I always just leave the nearest whole dollar amount of the total + tip. On credit card I always leave a whole dollar amount of tip (simple to compute the final amount). Better service leads to more rounding up in this process, poorer service to rounding down.

What kind of cheapasses out there need to compute tips down to the penny?

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

What makes you think this is an American only app?

There are a lot of countries where the tip is included in the price.

(However, when I was in these countries, I asked the waitstaff if it was rude if I tipped, and on all but one occasion, I was gladly told, "no". The one guy that said it was listened to me as I explained how I liked to show appreciation for the great service he provided with a tip. He smiled and graciously accepted the tip.)

----------

No point in arguing. It's like the old DOS guys arguing that a GUI was far inferior to the command line.

Apple Server Mail configuration proves that case.

----------

As an American this is something I've never really understood. Why the fetish with such exact tipping? Is it because people are SO inept at math?

I NEVER leave an exact tip. I start with finding 10% (which everyone should be able to do). If it was good service I double for 20%. Decent service is 1.5x and poor service is just the 10%.

In cash I always just leave the nearest whole dollar amount of the total + tip. On credit card I always leave a whole dollar amount of tip (simple to compute the final amount). Better service leads to more rounding up in this process, poorer service to rounding down.

What kind of cheapasses out there need to compute tips down to the penny?

The beauty of America is that no matter what you do, someone will be offended.

 

[Khedron]

What makes you think this is an American only app?

I didn't say it was American only but I asked because the screenshot shows dollars.

 

[rowspaxe]

This is because the tip (service) is already included in the price of the food, so it makes no sense to pay it twice unless as a thank you for exceptional service. And because waiters have a minimum wage and don't rely as much on tips to live.

In the US, a tip is fee for service, and this is why most restaurants serving larger tables have a mandatory "tip" added to the bill. I would say 20% is now customary in the US. I have never heard of the practice of
exact tipping anywhere--usually people round off and overpay.

 

[friedmud]

No point in arguing. It's like the old DOS guys arguing that a GUI was far inferior to the command line.

It REALLY IS: but not in the way you think/imply!

A GUI is better for some things, but a good terminal (on any Unix based system) IS better at some tasks (scripting small repeated interactions for one). If the GUI were better for everything then Terminals wouldn't even exist anymore (we've had 40 years or so of people trying, but many people (including myself) still use terminals every day)

Similarly a Phone is great at many tasks... but some things (like getting 50-100 notifications a day of messages, appointments, emails) would be much better on a small screen that you have easy access to (like on your wrist!)...

Why is it so hard to understand that instantaneous information on your wrist is convenient?

When your phone rings in the other room, wouldn't you like to be able to see who's calling before you go running?

If you're driving and your phone is in your backpack and you hear it start to ring, wouldn't it be great to know that it's just your dentist calling before you nearly kill yourself trying to get your phone out?

If you're in a meeting and you feel your phone buzz because you got a message wouldn't you like to know if it's something important or just your mom saying "hi!".

If you're making dinner and your hands are all nasty but you hear your phone ding with a message: wouldn't it be great to see what it is without having to stop everything and clean your hands?

If you're about to step outside to take the dog for a walk, wouldn't it be nice to be able to glance at your watch and see if it's raining?

When you're at the grocery store, wouldn't it be great to have an instantly available shared grocery list to follow that both you and your wife contribute to?

While on the subway, wouldn't it be handy to be able to glance down and see who the current artist is that's playing on Spotify?

These are only a few of the things I've already used my Watch for... and I've only had it for a week.

These are all really annoying circumstances without a Watch. But we're all so used to dealing with them that we forget that it could be better... With instant information on our wrists...

 

[rickdollar]

No point in arguing. It's like the old DOS guys arguing that a GUI was far inferior to the command line.

Exactly. And the harshest critics are the those who've never used the product. No biggie.

 

[rowspaxe]

When your phone rings in the other room, wouldn't you like to be able to see who's calling before you go running?.

I'm just not that manipulated by my phone--mostly i'm busy and i simply block time to return calls