Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I like this concept but I don’t think the scroll wheel is necessary. I can’t imagine it working well or lasting long. It would have made more sense in my opinion to put a Bluetooth speaker in the thing and playback controls (volume up down, track back and forward, play pause in the center) in a wheel shape reminiscent of the iPod. The real bummer is definitely that it can’t keep the watch unlocked. You can’t have Apple Pay cards on the Watch at all without a passcode, and adding and removing cards is a pain.
 
I would sincerely love a phone in this size and shape that runs watchOS. I want a dumbphone but they're all terrible.
I’m seriously considering a Light Phone. You seem like someone that might have already looked into this. What are your thoughts on it?

The website is thelightphone.com in case you aren’t familiar. They are coming up on the 3rd revision.
 
One of my thoughts/hopes with my first Apple watch was that I would be able to use it as an iPod on my wrist. I was wrong about that, since Apple inexplicably limits the amount of space one can store music locally on the watch, which is 5 gb. What was worse is that I had to go looking for the explanation (?) for the reason why so much of the music I wanted synced on my watch kept getting offloaded/deleted. When I learned the workaround was making a master playlist that could exceed 5 gb I knew I had hit my breaking point with Apple and their need to control how I use my device. Maybe/hopefully Apple has reversed course on the 5 gb limit with the latest watchOS, but I gave up over 4 years ago and haven’t bothered since. It’s still nice to have Apple Pay and notifications on my wrist, but I don’t bother upgrading anymore. What’s the point of having 64 (32 for me) gb of storage when Apple capriciously dictates how the owner can use it?

Yeah, the whole music situation on the watch is one of the first things that made me abandon it very quickly

Just a huge pain in the butt to use it how I wanted to
 
  • Like
Reactions: rocketbuc
It seems good to give extra use to an old watch but I’m wondering if I would have to unlock it everytime I wanna use it? Being that tiny it’s sucks typing the passcode.

iPhones had a feature to not lock within a certain amount of minutes but for the watch it seems no passcode at all would be the only choice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: applefan8254
I was just thinking the other day about how a new iPod would actually be pretty great right now. Basically just the seventh generation version but without a home button (iPhone X home navigation) and Wi-Fi for Apple Music. WatchOS might even be a good fit for it.

Maybe TinyPod will stoke some interest in such a thing.
 
One of those things when I am not sure whether this is a game changer, or just stoopid...
 
I’m seriously considering a Light Phone. You seem like someone that might have already looked into this. What are your thoughts on it?

The website is thelightphone.com in case you aren’t familiar. They are coming up on the 3rd revision.
I sort of dismissed it offhandedly due to price (the idea of a luxury feature phone seems a bit fanciful to me). Looking more closely, I would say that I like the small size and the headphone jack. On the other hand, I have reservations about texting on e-ink, judging from my experience using a Kindle (which is fantastic, but it's meant to be a book).

A slow and belabored experience would seem to conflict with the point of such a device to me, which is to be something you chuck in your pocket and forget about until you need to use it to for something. The Light Phone seems more like a conversation piece, if I'm being entirely honest.

But I may not be the target market for such a device, as I don't find myself addicted to my phone and I like having modern conveniences. Something like the Nokia 215 4G 2024 is my idea of the ideal phone, as far as size, shape, and build. I just wish it ran a modern OS / processor and were backed by a more reputable company.
 
  • Love
Reactions: mjs916
It seems good to give extra use to an old watch but I’m wondering if I would have to unlock it everytime I wanna use it? Being that tiny it’s sucks typing the passcode.

iPhones had a feature to not lock within a certain amount of minutes but for the watch it seems no passcode at all would be the only choice.
It suggests that you turn off wrist detection for this, which means no heart rate monitoring etc. (which wouldn’t be possible anyways). It will only ask for the passcode for things like Apple Pay.
 
I remember doing that. And I suspect that this is exactly why Apple killed off the iPod nano and began producing the Apple Watch.
The watch capable nano was killed long before we got the watch back in 2012. We got the larger 7th gen touch screen nano with a Home button before the watch was ever introduced or rumored. No doubt the 6th gen nano inspired some of what became the watch but it’d be a stretch to say it was killed because of it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Iwavvns
so, you are essentially using your AW in a rubbery/plastic case that has a mechanical inside that lets you use a scroll wheel (a la iPod) and basically turns the crown ... you could achieve the same result by just using the AW bare as is ...
That’s very true, but the ergonomics would be a lot better since you will be holding it in your hand. And I suspect the tapping and keyboard would also be easier when doing it with your thumb.
 
hmmm
But why should I use this if I can put the watch on my wrist? 🤔
 
Shuffles, yes. My nanos were on an armband; so not quite a watch.
It's been so long I can barely remember. Feels like a million years ago. An iPhone with the Music App and an Apple Music subscription would seem like science fiction back then. Hundreds of millions of songs in CD quality audio, streaming instantly, live radio stations with big name musicians as DJs, lyrics, music videos. I wouldn't have believed it would be possible so soon.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mjs916
I would consider turning the LTE back on my watch for this if the case also had an ability to add battery life. The reality of older watches is that they can’t hold up doing even a little navigation or a phone call without needing a boost if you’re going to be out with it all day. Plus you’d lose a lot of messaging apps, unfortunately. Cool idea tho, love being reminded of why I was excited about the AW in the first place as a minimal Apple mobile device.
 
I can understand the appeal (and in some cases, necessity) for a small form factor phone where the user can stay focused on their email, music, messages, and calls. There is 100% a market for a focused compact device like that.

However there is a flaw in the advertisement - none of the features (email, music, messages, call handling) are part of the actual product they're selling. These are all standard features of the Apple Watch that will work with or without their case. It's a very effective ad for the Apple Watch's built-in features but that's not what they're selling, what they're selling is a case that changes the form factor of the watch but doesn't actually add those features.

You could take the ad, replace the video with the watch being worn on the wrist and being used without the case, keep the same audio narration (but replace "TinyPod" with "Apple Watch"), and the ad would still make sense.

What I would love to see in the future though, if is Apple or a third-party makes a purpose-built product that can function standalone as a focused phone device. That would be great.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: austothemax
That’s a powerful form factor. It would be great for running, hiking, biking, outdoorsy stuff…

Watch the video if you’re skeptical.

I'm not really getting it. How is it great to have something else to carry instead of something out of the way on your wrist?
 
The only situation I would use this is when I a) want to wear a nice mechanical watch instead of the Apple Watch and at the same time b) would like to have a smaller "phone" with me than the regular iPhone. So a pretty cool solution for a very rare problem/scenario (for me).
 
Last edited:
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.