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Ultra broke after 1. fall
- Thread starter paganini007
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It's crazy how expensive AppleCare+ gets... After buying it for an iPad Pro and iMac I found it's not worth it for someone like me. The only exception I have is for the Apple Watch just because I've seen some fun damage on those.
Edit: This gentleman experienced the battery expansion issue that was covered under a repair extension program, but the chip in the sensor area made it an out of warranty repair from Apple, costing half a grand or so. He may have escalated it and received free replacement later, but it was interesting to see a ceramic model broken.
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Unrealistic expectations by product owners continues reign on Macrumors.
This is not unrealistic. Watches such as this should be able to tackle a harsh environment and some knocks. I do not have one of these toys, but if I dropped my running watch less than a couple of metres and it was broken I would be asking questions. Apple have been advertising the rugged nature of their phones and this is not a laptop! Surely it is realistic to expect similar performance from an outdoor sports accessory. The OP gives useful information which adds to people experience of this watch, people have just been abusive rather than adding to the discussion.
I would argue that being surprised about the glass back sensor housing sustaining damage when dropped on a stone surface, would probably constitute unrealistic expectations.
It is unrealistic to believe that glass does not crack/break, even if it is Gorilla, Sapphire or Ion-X, when dropped on stone/ceramic tile. It is still glass.
I doubt that back glass is even sapphire. That's probably just the screen.
OP—
Sorry your watch broke after one fall.
Sorry too for the posts that seem to blame you for dropping your watch.
Thank you for posting the helpful photo and information.
Sorry your watch broke after one fall.
Sorry too for the posts that seem to blame you for dropping your watch.
Thank you for posting the helpful photo and information.
I just canceled my order after seeing this. Durable 😤 Yeah right.
The fenders of a Jeep are just as likely to crumple in a highway collision as that of any other car - the Jeep's more "durable" design has to do with matters like higher ground clearance, four-wheel traction, firmer suspension, etc. I'm not even sure if they advertise superior rust resistance.
Everything is designed to suit a specific purpose and address specific design goals. If mountaineers and divers were more likely to expose the back of the watch to abuse than users of other models, then it's reasonable to consider a back of "standard" durability to have been a design flaw. However, the back is not exposed to higher levels of abuse than any other watch.
This accident was not the inevitable outcome of using the watch during vigorous outdoor activity. It was the possible outcome of using any model of Apple Watch. Argue for greater durability for all models? By all means. Argue that greater durability under specified conditions should result in greater durability under all conditions? Good luck with that.
You are in for some extreme disappointment heading your way.
Maybe I'll get my order a little sooner.
I wonder how many people even considered the durability of the back when they placed their order (making no assumption whatsoever whether it would be more durable)? My bullet point features are:
Larger/longer-lived battery
Larger, brighter display
Sapphire crystal (like the similarly-priced stainless steel)
Design of case/crystal enclosure to reduce exposure to chipping and to protect digital crown
Greater water resistance
better microphones
louder speakers
In other words, features advertised by Apple. I don't make assumptions about features/capabilities that aren't on the spec sheet.
But mostly it was the appearance. I like the look of chunky sports watches and do enough day hiking, whitewater, and other outdoor activities to not feel like a total poseur wearing it. But I haven't done extreme sports in around 25 years.
This will be my third Watch. Series 0 stainless, Series 4 aluminum, and now Ultra. Practically speaking, Series 8 has everything I really need. Ultra has a look that I really want, plus a larger, brighter display and the kind of battery life that will support all-day hikes. All the other bullet list items are nice to have, but not essential.
Desire also overcame practicality for the Series 0, based on the Milanese Loop and the sapphire display. The Milanese loop still looks great with my Series 4 aluminum, and it may even look OK with the Ultra (I'll find out - probably a matter of what watch face I pair with the band).
I went for practicality on the Series 4. The Ion-X Glass display is virtually scratch-free, however, there's a tiny crack in one corner - I whacked my arm against a door frame or some such, denting the aluminum enclosure just adjacent to the display, which then propagated to the display. That was enough to kill the resale value of the watch (and would make a now-necessary battery replacement impossible without also triggering a far more expensive display replacement), but you need a magnifier to actually see the damage.
Potentially the Ultra will be less susceptible to that particular risk, but the chance of that same bit of lighting striking twice is probably slim. It's always the unanticipated that comes back to bite you. I'll probably be less concerned about removing it before showering, too. I haven't snorkeled in years, but if I do... (no, no interest in getting a PADI certificate).
The thing about nearly anything is, it's durable until it isn't. Stronger display glass reduces the chances of a break, but hit the thing hard enough or at a particular angle, and it's still going to break. Water resistance, the same thing. They're nice features to have, but I've lived too many years with Murphy's Law to think that anything is impervious to damage. If military tanks were so durable, why do we see so many photos of smoking, mangled wrecks?
You do realise the Garmin Fenix 5 and 6 series sensors would crack without being dropped right? This was a massive issue with a large number of users effected. A quick search of the Garmin forums will reveal all.
Your doubt is incorrect. And I'm not posting this to argue a point. Just state the facts as presented.
"Ceramic and sapphire crystal back"
From: https://support.apple.com/kb/SP879?locale=en_US
Some impressive stuff listed on that page.
Doesn't surprise me how much hate and blame there is about this guy's experience. Everyone is an expert these days and backing up statements with actual facts or strong theories is a long gone expectation.
The glass on the back is the same sapphire as the front. The only way to make it hard to smash in a drop, would be to make it flat and have a ridge of titanium like the top side. And that would compromise the sensors and be unbelievably uncomfortable.
Rugged means you can drop it most of the time. Making excuses for Apple doesn't change the fact they are marketing a rugged product that isn't so rugged.
That's fine. It was an assumption, evident by my use of the word "probably" there. I never claimed it as fact, or to be an expert in anything. If it was wrong, I have no problem admitting that.
The irony is that multiple posters have actually posted facts in this thread & have either been ignored and/or accused of not contributing to the conversation, simply because they aren't offering consolation to the OP. The facts are that glass is capable of cracking, & the word "durable" is not synonymous with "indestructible".
The numerous posts making OP's situation out to be a watch durability issue are simply misguided at best & hilariously inaccurate at worst.
Looks like we are on the same page here.
Trophy trucks, used in off-road races like the Baja 1000, are incredibly rugged. They're built for ruggedness and durability in the most extreme conditions, and refined through thousands of hours of testing. They're the absolute peak of off-road racing performance and technology (and are resultantly horrendously expensive, with top-tier models costing $600K - $1M), yet racers still manage to bend, mangle and break them. Imagine spending a million dollars on a race truck and ending up broken down in the middle of the desert in Mexico.
"Rugged" or "durable" don't mean "absolutely unbreakable no matter what you do to them".
No it doesn't. If they had designed it to withstand accidental damage don't you think the marketing team would a big song and dance about it? It would be shouted out, "Look, its even strong enough to withstand accidental damage"... or, "Can be dropped from 5ft and still not break". Marketing teams from any business are famous for promoting special features. They certainly wouldn't remain quiet about it it that's for sure!
Rugged design is for while it's in use and that means on your wrist as before it is placed on your wrist, it can't record any data or work as intended either. Dropping it on the floor before it was in use is user error. Unless you're suggesting they deliberately dropped it?!?
Funnily enough, the times I've had something break when I've caused it, I've also felt really annoyed, upset and disappointed. Might even lash out at the company but really, deep down, I know I'm feeling those things about my own actions. Which is also silly, it's an accident and they happen and we just have to take ownership of it and move on.
The watch is 'rugged' it's just the wrong part of the watch that is not rugged. I remember there being a thread in MR about a youtuber hitting the face of an AW with a hammer and it did not damage the face of the watch (only after repeated hits). As the watch is meant to be worn I think Apple have focused on the correct area that would most likely face the most bumps and bangs. I just don't think Apple expected people to be careless and be dropping a very expensive watch. Obviously they have been proven wrong.
They offer Apple Care, Customer is 100% at fault and Apple replaces the Watch. Great company 
Why are you so desperate to apologize for Apples crap job at making an implied rugged device? You don't need to dig deep and say sorry to Tim. It's not your fault that you had unreal expectations. If someone buys this and it breaks being dropped...that Apples marketing being deceptive. It's constructed of fragile materials then touted as something that you can go adventuring with. Apple didn't make this watch for any of the people it claims it did. This is for the Porsche driving, crossfit shirt wearing, Starbucks drinking douche most of us work for. They want to advertise to the world they can afford better things than you and that they are living the action adventure lifestyle while you work for crap pay. That's who this is for. The rest of the target is the wanna bes that work for him and bought a car they can't afford to fit in. The last target is iPhone users that will buy anything Apple to be cool or nerdy.