Third-Party Tesla App Provides Look at Opportunities and Limitations of Apple Watch Development [Updated]

[iMeanIt]

What the F...??

So...here's the thing:

The Watch is not a standalone device. Regardless of Dev Pissing and Moaning (I read it everyday on the apple dev forums) there is literally NOTHING stopping a developer from writing an app that controls a device or thing via an api over the web or whatever.

Don't listen to them. The people that aren't complaining are the ones you need to keep an eye on.

Well said! For some disgruntled TESLA contractors to be moaning at this stage at how the (beta) SDK just isn't meeting their expectations is pathetic! I bet TESLA could easily find another contractor(s) who'd be happy to take over for the poor fools that just can't seem to figure out how to adjust the cruise-control turning/speed-radius from the back seat! OR - just wait a month or two as things get sorted out. At the very least in the meantime they could get them to keep their mouths' shut!

I think the first priority for TESLA is not to hire big-mouth "haters" as their app developers...

 

[thekeyring]

I'm afraid "limitations" will be the word most associated with iWatch original.

Why do people still insist on calling it iWatch?!

 

[Piggie]

I have said this a number of times.

I honestly think the main reaon why Apple are restricting things in this way has more to do with battery life than anything else.

They know full well that battery life "is" the BIGGEST NEGATIVE of these type of devices right now, especially when the general public are used to, and have been used to watches lasting a couple of years or more on a single tiny replaceable battery.

Going from devices that lasted years without worrying about them to device that may only last hours, or a day with very light use is one hell of a change.

Deliberately limiting what devs can do with the watch, and not allowing, what one may call full, feature rich apps that customers would probably spend too long using/enjoying, and hence using up battery life.
Is Apples deliberate attempt at trying to make the battery life seem to appear better than it really is.

They are doing all they can to limit what the watch can be used for right now, to stop people buying this new device, playing with it all the time, and then the Internet reviews/chat and printed media (magazines, papers) be totally awash with unhappy critical user reports of the battery only lasting a few hours.

That's the real reason I think they are limiting this so harshly, to avoid early mass negative publicity and harming sales too much as people who are currently thinking about buying one decide they will wait for a later model that's better.

 

[handsome pete]

Well said! For some disgruntled TESLA contractors to be moaning at this stage at how the (beta) SDK just isn't meeting their expectations is pathetic! I bet TESLA could easily find another contractor(s) who'd be happy to take over for the poor fools that just can't seem to figure out how to adjust the cruise-control turning/speed-radius from the back seat! OR - just wait a month or two as things get sorted out. At the very least in the meantime they could get them to keep their mouths' shut!

I think the first priority for TESLA is not to hire big-mouth "haters" as their app developers...

Calm down. He simply pointed out his frustrations with the current SDK. Why would TESLA change developers because of that? He may be overreacting, but it's not like Apple doesn't have a history of keeping everything locked down from the start.

 

[fredaroony]

They've released it?

Yes, they released the SDK kit for the product.

 

[RnSK]

It would be something if the complaints were new...

Calm down. He simply pointed out his frustrations with the current SDK. Why would TESLA change developers because of that? He may be overreacting, but it's not like Apple doesn't have a history of keeping everything locked down from the start.

...or more importantly, if the complaints prevented them from writing a very capable watch app...which they clearly seem to have done.

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Deliberately limiting what Devs can do with the watch, and not allowing, what one may call full, feature rich apps that customers would spend too long using, and hence using up battery life.

Describe a full, feature-rich app you'd expect to engage with for several minutes on a screen that is barely 2".

Even better: look at the app they were tasked to make. Does it appear to be missing features? Pretty much everything that can be controlled by the remote API seems to be crammed into the thing...

 

[i.mac]

Not too many engineers in this forum.

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Calm down. He simply pointed out his frustrations with the current SDK. Why would TESLA change developers because of that? He may be overreacting, but it's not like Apple doesn't have a history of keeping everything locked down from the start.

Based on apple's recent success , should they change the way they do things on account of what some frustrated developers expect or desire ?

 

[JohnsonK]

I'm not dreaming about the future. I'm making it so.

Man, your ego sure is big

 

[willybNL]

Version 2 hopefully contains:

* car alarm: when someone hits your door with his door you get a view with the camera's the car has (yeah, most cars have parking cams, use them!).
* pre-heat the car with a button
* put lights on, so i can walk from my house to my tesla when it's dark.

 

[Piggie]

Well, THE most obvious type of program that would slaughter the battery, and be used for far longer than Apple wants you using the watch current can be summed up in one simple word.

"Games"

Now, whether you personally are going to rubbish and criticize other watch owners for playing a game on a 2" screen is up to you, that's your viewpoint and opinion.

But whatever "you" think, games will come, games will be played, and above all other apps, I would suggest games are going to be the biggest problem for battery life right now. Or rather when Apple gives the devs the tools they need to create quality entertainment apps.

 

[dannys1]

I honestly think that looks great. Now if only I owned a Tesla!

I'm really looking forward to the watch - for me i'm terrible at having my phone with my while I work, it'll be in the same room but I tend to throw it somewhere and forget and then go back to a load of notifications for apps which don't show up on my Mac. It'll be great to get a little tap on the wrist to tell me about these, same for calendar notifications when I need to leave and stuff.

Notifications, directions whilst walking with taps on the wrist for left and right and it being by Apple are enough for me to buy this first one and enjoy it. Anything else is a bonus.

 

[Olivier Giround]

First people ask for huge 5.5 smartphones, now they want a tiny screen so they don't have to use said phone. Schizophrenic. I do not get it

Source?

 

[Piggie]

I'm really looking forward to the watch - for me i'm terrible at having my phone with my while I work, it'll be in the same room but I tend to throw it somewhere and forget and then go back to a load of notifications for apps which don't show up on my Mac. It'll be great to get a little tap on the wrist to tell me about these, same for calendar notifications when I need to leave and stuff.

Notifications, directions whilst walking with taps on the wrist for left and right and it being by Apple are enough for me to buy this first one and enjoy it. Anything else is a bonus.

You bring up an excellent point, which as far as I'm aware Apple has kept quiet on, and it will be interesting if they explain this at their pre-launch gathering most are expecting to see.

Or if they carefully decide to deliberately not mention it.

What am I talking about?
The maximum distance the Watch can be from the iPhone and still function.

In your scenario, and for everyone else, in home life, this is a major, and I mean MAJOR point that will make a vast difference to how the watch functions for you day to day.

If the iPhone just had to be in the house somewhere, or downstairs where you are, or in the same room as you, or within a few feet of you.

That fundamentally changes how the watch will feel and work for many.

If for example the iPhone just had to be in the home/apartment somewhere, then the watch will be great, and you can just relax when wearing it at home.

If it however had to be within say 10 feet, then it's a mostly dead device whilst you are at home going about your day to day business.

Given how much of a difference in use and function this will make the watch I would hope Apple will explain this reliable distance it can be from the iPhone fully before launch

 

[APlotdevice]

Which are the future. Safari in iOS 8 has WebGL enabled - as soon as developers start to realize that and take advantage of it, native apps will die swiftly (pun intended.)

I seriously doubt the lack of WebGL was the reason iOS 1's webapps failed. Even in this day and age, internet access isn't always available. And even when it is available, it often comes with restrictions. I don't see this changing any time soon. (especially not in the United States)

 

[Mike MA]

Michael: "K.I.T.T., come get me!"

 

[Vegasman]

Why do people still insist on calling it iWatch?!

Because Apple has trained us for over a decade that they produce iStuff. and it so happens this latest stuff happens to be a Watch?

----------

.

Even better: look at the app they were tasked to make. Does it appear to be missing features? Pretty much everything that can be controlled by the remote API seems to be crammed into the thing...

Automatically start tracking my heart rate at a faster interval when the car detects I am "race" driving.

 

[TallManNY]

You bring up an excellent point, which as far as I'm aware Apple has kept quiet on, and it will be interesting if they explain this at their pre-launch gathering most are expecting to see.

Or if they carefully decide to deliberately not mention it.

What am I talking about?
The maximum distance the Watch can be from the iPhone and still function.

In your scenario, and for everyone else, in home life, this is a major, and I mean MAJOR point that will make a vast difference to how the watch functions for you day to day.

If the iPhone just had to be in the house somewhere, or downstairs where you are, or in the same room as you, or within a few feet of you.

That fundamentally changes how the watch will feel and work for many.

If for example the iPhone just had to be in the home/apartment somewhere, then the watch will be great, and you can just relax when wearing it at home.

If it however had to be within say 10 feet, then it's a mostly dead device whilst you are at home going about your day to day business.

Given how much of a difference in use and function this will make the watch I would hope Apple will explain this reliable distance it can be from the iPhone fully before launch

Well Bluetooth has a range of 200 feet. So it should work fine if your phone is on the same floor as you or maybe one floor away. But if you leave it in the basement and then go to the second floor of your house, you probably will loose connection (assuming that 200 feet metric is the theoretical one with out any interference).

Does Apple Watch connect to WiFi? If it did, then no problem. But I don't think it does.

 

[genovelle]

I don't get why Apple insists on locking down new products and features. Let developers take advantage of them now, it'll be opened up eventually anyway.

Because they know how to build an Eco system that people actually use. Wide open developments confuse end users because there is too much to learn. They end up just not being engaged.

 

[Vegasman]

Well Bluetooth has a range of 200 feet.

Is that also the range for something with a low powered antenna? I don't seem to get that range for things that are plugged in

 

[samcraig]

The answer is obvious - they've removed things that developers could/would use that would have people wondering why their Apple Watch only lasts an hour vs 19 hours.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Is that also the range for something with a low powered antenna? I don't seem to get that range for things that are plugged in

If you're talking about low power Bluetooth, it's not just a low powered antenna but a completely different spec that interoperates differently. The range is somewhere below 150 feet, typically, but the theoretical maximum is 330 feet just like Bluetooth Classic.

 

[Piggie]

The answer is obvious - they've removed things that developers could/would use that would have people wondering why their Apple Watch only lasts an hour vs 19 hours.

Exactly.

 

[Lepton]

It's not just about finishing an SDK. They already have that pretty much set - they are using it to develop their own standalone apps. I think it's much more about the first impression the watch will make on the public.

If developers could make stand alone apps from day one, there would be plenty of them - and many would be battery hogs. The battery is weak enough - with runaway apps, it would make a terrible first impression. So they limited it to their own carefully crafted apps, and third party apps that are limited in how much watch CPU they can use. Basically, aside from considerable Bluetoothing back and forth, the apps use no CPU at all.

Later, with careful limits on CPU, backgrounding and so forth, and after the public has a first good impression of the watch and battery life fears are somewhat tempered, third party standalone apps will be allowed, probably limited at first to the "big" developers with big demand and careful supervision, then general developers. By that time Watch 2.0 with better battery life will almost be ready.

 

[Raist3001]

If you want to continue enjoying quality, "just works" Apple products,.

You lost me at just works. Are you serious? Or are you just blind to the many aspects of iOS and OSX lately that just do not work?

I know, your probably one of those who has never had a problem and thus do not believe others have these real problems. Because for you, it just works.

 

[brendu]

Apple always starts small and slowly builds. And it's always proven to be a good approach for them. Totally expected.

It's so funny how people don't see that. The masses (aka not the people who browse macrumors) need technology to be simple and intuitive. Throw too much at them at once and they don't understand it and as a result abandon it. Apple knows exactly what they are doing. If you don't like how this product is going to work then don't get one. I for one see the immense potential it has and plan on enjoying it as soon as possible.

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You lost me at just works. Are you serious? Or are you just blind to the many aspects of iOS and OSX lately that just do not work?

I know, your probably one of those who has never had a problem and thus do not believe others have these real problems. Because for you, it just works.

All the more reason for apple to keep the watch locked down and feature poor for a bit. Make sure it does "just work" and then build on a solid foundation. I would hate to see the thing release as buggy as ios 8/OS X 10.10

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You bring up an excellent point, which as far as I'm aware Apple has kept quiet on, and it will be interesting if they explain this at their pre-launch gathering most are expecting to see.

Or if they carefully decide to deliberately not mention it.

What am I talking about?
The maximum distance the Watch can be from the iPhone and still function.

In your scenario, and for everyone else, in home life, this is a major, and I mean MAJOR point that will make a vast difference to how the watch functions for you day to day.

If the iPhone just had to be in the house somewhere, or downstairs where you are, or in the same room as you, or within a few feet of you.

That fundamentally changes how the watch will feel and work for many.

If for example the iPhone just had to be in the home/apartment somewhere, then the watch will be great, and you can just relax when wearing it at home.

If it however had to be within say 10 feet, then it's a mostly dead device whilst you are at home going about your day to day business.

Given how much of a difference in use and function this will make the watch I would hope Apple will explain this reliable distance it can be from the iPhone fully before launch

I'm pretty sure when you are on the same wifi network the phone and watch will work so it could be 5 feet or 500 as long as you're on the same wifi network. When you're not on wifi I imagine the range will be much less, more like 100 feet (about the cutoff for a strong Bluetooth signal). All speculation on my part though.