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

Aluminum213 said:
Wouldn't you rather read texts and notifications on a very small screen with severely limited controls?
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Yes. And if you want to see the Tesla info, do you want to see that in the office? In the living room? No, you will check that in the car, and when you parked it more then likely.

A feature? Yes
Useful? No
 
Wish they had better music in the video at least.

That would have been any improvement.

If is the first Apple watch, and as we know with any OS, there will be problems from day 1.

Apple has a few months up their sleeves to get this right..... assuming they can get it right,

Personally, i would wanna read all texts on a mobile phone thanks... You have your phone in your pocket anyway, so u may as well reach for it. Glaring at your wrist is only a slight convenience..

I can see where it will be a big hit, in fitness and health, but apart from that no one is THAT rushed off their feet are they that they can't glare at their mobile once in a while.... How about all the time ??
 
bdkennedy1 said:
Would people be too lazy to pull their phone out of their pockets and use that?
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I'm a big tech fan and all but, I really don't get this - sorry might just be me, but if I could unlock my car I would much rather do it on my phone. I might be an addict but I have my iPhone on me on all times, except when running (another drawback for the watch) and for 99% of the time the phone wipes the floor with the watch.

Bought a Jawbone Up24 for the same reason. I don't need a silly display on my fitness tracker. Just data sent directly to the big beautiful display I have with me all the time.
 
ArtOfWarfare said:
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.)
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If you truly believe that you are deluding yourself... both categories of apps serve useful purposes, and work better than the other under certain circumstances. As a result, neither will die. Will there be a shift (back) toward web apps? - very possibly. But to take such a polarized viewpoint is always misguided in reality...
 
handsome pete said:
That's exactly why I don't think it's very compelling at this point. Your example shaved what, a fraction of a second off of the alternate method? Is that worth dealing with another device every day? Wearing it on your wrist? Is it worth spending $350 or more for?

Of course those aren't issues for some. But they are just a few of the questions that any potential buyer will be asking themselves. I think the future of a device like this lies in its uniqueness. Taptic feedback, health sensors, etc. Things that the phone either can't do, or can't do well. I think that will drive a customer base. The minor added conveniences over the phone you already have should just be a bonus when it comes to the watch.
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But I wouldn't just be buying it to shave one second off my life. Everything the watch does will either be far, far more convenient than the corresponding action on the iPhone, or something unique to itself that the iPhone cannot adequately replicate (like the features you mentioned). And for the record, I imagine that it would shave multiple seconds in just one interaction using my example: digging the phone out, unlocking even with TouchID, navigating to the app, launching the app, and using the app takes longer than raising my arm, navigating to the Watch app, and using the Watch app's simple interface likely will. That's part of why Apple is brilliant for having developers focus so much on making their apps useful, simple, and designed for brief interactions. Smartphone apps are designed to be immersive, the opposite of these Glances, Actionable Notifications, and simple apps developers are creating.

But the fact of the matter is, if I shave a few seconds here, a few seconds there ... it adds up in a day, a week, a month, and a year. Don't underestimate the value of the added convenience, especially if I use it for things that would have been completely inconvenient for me to do with my phone and so I wasn't performing those behaviors to begin with. (For instance, even if it takes me longer to type, I find voice-texting and voice-dictation for texts to be more of a hassle. Apple Watch may change that usage pattern, resulting in a massive decrease in the time I spend typing away on my phone.)

So yes, the convenience aspects (and this has huge potential for convenience in almost every aspect) are an important part of the equation when considering the purchase of a device like this. I wouldn't spend hundreds of dollars on JUST the convenience. But to dismiss the draw of added convenience is to miss out on a major point of this device.

Again, I don't disagree with you that there are a lot of other great and compelling features for this device. But when you say the Apple Watch "does things the iPhone either can't do, or can't do as well," that's also a convenience thing. It's all part of the package of what makes this such an exciting product with so much potential to grow in usefulness.
 
DC Wallaby said:
But I wouldn't just be buying it to shave one second off my life. Everything the watch does will either be far, far more convenient than the corresponding action on the iPhone, or something unique to itself that the iPhone cannot adequately replicate (like the features you mentioned). And for the record, I imagine that it would shave multiple seconds in just one interaction using my example: digging the phone out, unlocking even with TouchID, navigating to the app, launching the app, and using the app takes longer than raising my arm, navigating to the Watch app, and using the Watch app's simple interface likely will. That's part of why Apple is brilliant for having developers focus so much on making their apps useful, simple, and designed for brief interactions. Smartphone apps are designed to be immersive, the opposite of these Glances, Actionable Notifications, and simple apps developers are creating.

But the fact of the matter is, if I shave a few seconds here, a few seconds there ... it adds up in a day, a week, a month, and a year. Don't underestimate the value of the added convenience, especially if I use it for things that would have been completely inconvenient for me to do with my phone and so I wasn't performing those behaviors to begin with. (For instance, even if it takes me longer to type, I find voice-texting and voice-dictation for texts to be more of a hassle. Apple Watch may change that usage pattern, resulting in a massive decrease in the time I spend typing away on my phone.)

So yes, the convenience aspects (and this has huge potential for convenience in almost every aspect) are an important part of the equation when considering the purchase of a device like this. I wouldn't spend hundreds of dollars on JUST the convenience. But to dismiss the draw of added convenience is to miss out on a major point of this device.

Again, I don't disagree with you that there are a lot of other great and compelling features for this device. But when you say the Apple Watch "does things the iPhone either can't do, or can't do as well," that's also a convenience thing. It's all part of the package of what makes this such an exciting product with so much potential to grow in usefulness.
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There is also the time it takes you to put on the watch and charge it each day.
 
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fredaroony said:
Sounds more like they released a product before all the API's were actually ready.
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Sounds like you don't know what you're talking about.

SDKs are the most important software there is.

The libraries must be clean, must be very well organized and documented, because changing breaks compatibility.

Apple has always been releasing APIs slowly, but well, and they should stick to that.
 
I think Apple is already aware of the limitations and also know pretty well that they are a setback for developers creativity but at the same time Apple cannot compromise the user experience especially when it's 1st generation and the hardware (battery) to be exact leaves no room for more functions that the devs could use in their apps.
 
Aluminum213 said:
More and more reason to skip this generation
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These types of comments are so ridiculous to me.

You have to have an agenda against the Apple Watch to even bother posting something like that.

I don't like the Samsung Gear. There. Ended. I will not go onto Samsung message boards to mock it. Makes no sense for me to spend time saying that I won't buy or use it. But you seem to want to spend time telling others about your opinions on an Apple board. Weird
 
DC Wallaby said:
But I wouldn't just be buying it to shave one second off my life. Everything the watch does will either be far, far more convenient than the corresponding action on the iPhone, or something unique to itself that the iPhone cannot adequately replicate (like the features you mentioned). And for the record, I imagine that it would shave multiple seconds in just one interaction using my example: digging the phone out, unlocking even with TouchID, navigating to the app, launching the app, and using the app takes longer than raising my arm, navigating to the Watch app, and using the Watch app's simple interface likely will. That's part of why Apple is brilliant for having developers focus so much on making their apps useful, simple, and designed for brief interactions. Smartphone apps are designed to be immersive, the opposite of these Glances, Actionable Notifications, and simple apps developers are creating.

But the fact of the matter is, if I shave a few seconds here, a few seconds there ... it adds up in a day, a week, a month, and a year. Don't underestimate the value of the added convenience, especially if I use it for things that would have been completely inconvenient for me to do with my phone and so I wasn't performing those behaviors to begin with. (For instance, even if it takes me longer to type, I find voice-texting and voice-dictation for texts to be more of a hassle. Apple Watch may change that usage pattern, resulting in a massive decrease in the time I spend typing away on my phone.)

So yes, the convenience aspects (and this has huge potential for convenience in almost every aspect) are an important part of the equation when considering the purchase of a device like this. I wouldn't spend hundreds of dollars on JUST the convenience. But to dismiss the draw of added convenience is to miss out on a major point of this device.

Again, I don't disagree with you that there are a lot of other great and compelling features for this device. But when you say the Apple Watch "does things the iPhone either can't do, or can't do as well," that's also a convenience thing. It's all part of the package of what makes this such an exciting product with so much potential to grow in usefulness.
Click to expand...

I'm all about convenience and have no problem paying for something but this watch is a complete waste of time and money. I have yet to see one thing that would make me want to purchase it. I can assure you that the entry price is not an issue at all. I just don't see 1 compelling feature of the watch coupled with awful (not certain at this time) battery life and a super thick frame. I'd rather have my Rolex. At least I don't babe to worry about the battery dying on a daily basis.
 
Gizmotoy said:
It's third party, which Tesla has taken a pretty hard line on recently (blocking or severely throttling). Tesla doesn't have an officially-supported API, so third party apps are always used at your own risk.
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I thought Tesla had an official app in the App Store for all owners…
 
tdale said:
Yes. And if you want to see the Tesla info, do you want to see that in the office? In the living room? No, you will check that in the car, and when you parked it more then likely.

A feature? Yes
Useful? No
Click to expand...
Scenario 1: You stop at a charging station and go into the nearby restaurant to get a bite to eat. Now, sitting at the table, you want to check quickly how much charge your Tesla has, and whether it's enough to get you home, or to your destination. So you get up, inform the waiter that you're not running out on the bill, you're just not lazy. You're going out to the car to see if it's fully charged, because you prefer to check it at the car, and not using the device on your wrist. Once you know whether it is ready, you know whether you should go back in and take care of your bill, or order desert or a cup of coffee.

Scenario 2: Your Tesla is parked outside in the sun in Death Valley in August. You go out to the car and start it, then you sit there for a minute or two with sweat pouring down your face, waiting for the temperature to adjust to something bearable. You smile, knowing you aren't one of those lazy people who starts the car while inside and lets the climate control do its thing before you come out.

Scenario 3. Your Tesla is parked outside in the cold, with a thin layer of ice on all of the windows ....

Got it. Not useful at all. The screen in the car is perfect for resolving those scenarios after you get to the car.
 
Col4bin said:
What a novelty. These things can all be done while inside the car. Why would I want to control the air conditioning or heat levels from my watch when it's right there within arm's reach?

Did it occur to you that it might be nice to have the car's temperature already set at a comfortable level when you get in on a particularly hot or cold day?
Click to expand...

Did it occur to you that you can use your iPhone or iPad to do the same thing? (Instead of using this gaudy, ugly and overly expensive watch.)
 
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