Underwhelmed by today's announcements

[meeebee]

I had such a low bar for today's announcements given the early indications that there would not be much for the AW. Apple still went under the bar. Come on, not even new watch faces.

There was such little mention of the AW, or the current ongoing beta, that you would think they are so pleased with the sales numbers. OTOH, they lowered the price, but I'm not sure that's such a good thing overall. It means that they couldn't sell enough at the higher price point.

I was so hoping for a little recognition, some new watch faces, and more indications on the direction they would like to take the product. Very disappointed.

 

[R740]

In addition to that price decrease, they could have offered at least some iTunes gift cards or so for customers who bought AW not a long time ago.
New watch faces and functions are expected when the release is x.0, not 2.2 in this case. watchOS 3 please be good!

 

[Cnasty]

I thought it was a great little package we got today. Watch OS 2.2 is getting some positive reviews of snappier interface structure, a ton of new band options all of which look fantastic to me, and a lower price for anyone looking to grab another one.

I think expectations were too high even if you say your bar was low because we knew we weren't getting much today as it was all about the iPhone SE and new Pro.

I for one am really enjoying all of these new options and excited for Watch OS 3.0 and new watch faces with the new employees that are working on them supposedly.

 

[skottichan]

In addition to that price decrease, they could have offered at least some iTunes gift cards or so for customers who bought AW not a long time ago.
New watch faces and functions are expected when the release is x.0, not 2.2 in this case. watchOS 3 please be good!

Not that long ago? It's been 11 months. This isn't like the original iPhone price slashing after the first 3 months.

 

[BlueMoon63]

I had such a low bar for today's announcements given the early indications that there would not be much for the AW. Apple still went under the bar. Come on, not even new watch faces.

There was such little mention of the AW, or the current ongoing beta, that you would think they are so pleased with the sales numbers. OTOH, they lowered the price, but I'm not sure that's such a good thing overall. It means that they couldn't sell enough at the higher price point.

I was so hoping for a little recognition, some new watch faces, and more indications on the direction they would like to take the product. Very disappointed.

Doesn't mean they couldn't sell at a higher price point as it appears they sold 14mm. Who knows. Lower price point is for a one year old version of the watch. Nothing else. Increase sales to add more to maybe upgrade or at least to own their watch.

I saw several ads for "Buy one Samsung Galaxy S7 and get one free". Do you think they are over priced or not selling? no... That is a beautiful phone and I don't own Samsung. It's market share, it's to get Apple users between upgrades.
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In addition to that price decrease, they could have offered at least some iTunes gift cards or so for customers who bought AW not a long time ago.
New watch faces and functions are expected when the release is x.0, not 2.2 in this case. watchOS 3 please be good!

Yes please. OS3 is the one I am expecting to include more watch faces though I would think they could add that to the store today.

I'm never sure how to handle price cuts when people bought a product recently. What is the cutoff for offering price match. 2 weeks? A month or two? It happens a lot when there are new products every year. All you can say is "oh well". I bought a sweater and 3 weeks later it was half off. They didn't price match after two weeks.

 

[WLS]

I was disappointed that there was no S version but I did like the new nylon Nato look band, nice and retro. The current solid plastic sport band looks ugly to me. I also like the $50 price cut. I am considering getting a BB open box one now and then when the second gen comes out in Sept getting that one on the BF sale. I can use the band of one i get this month and the charger to carry over useful accessories. That way I have one until November.

 

[Flow39]

I wasn't underwhelmed because I wasn't expecting them to blow the doors off 1 Infinite Loop. All I expected is what was rumored: iPhone SE, 9.7" iPad Pro, and Apple Watch bands. I thought it was a good start to the year, and I'm really liking the new watch bands. I may pick up a Black Nylon Strap.

 

[Brewc]

Have an AW but got swayed by form of the Samsung gear S2 and got one to try for 14 days at my phone provider. Set it up to use stand alone and use BT i'm getting calls to the watch but not texts. This is what the AW should be the round bezel for switching apps etc is it.
Hope there really is truth to A Samsung Gear app to make it compatible like was said a couple months back.

 

[MartyCan]

They did not put much in the Apple Watch part of the presentation. Price drop was nice and probably needed. New bands? Ya, I ordered one of the Nylon ones to try it out. I thought they were remiss in not mentioning that Watch OS 2.2 was rolling out with iOS 9.3. Maybe we were supposed to assume it would?

Anyway I did install Watch OS 2.2 and the performance improvement made it all worth it to me. Considerably snappier responses.

 

[sean000]

I was most excited about Night Shift on iOS 9.3. Nothing in the Watch OS update was terribly exciting (I don't really use the map), but I was pleased to see that the update noticeably improved performance. Each update has improved performance some, but my watch now feels snappier than ever.

I thought it would be cool if they announced a smart-band with additional sensors or GPS, but that's not something I would have bought anyway.

I am interested, and cautiously optimistic, about the possibilities for CareKit…and what future sensors may tie into that (whether those sensors are part of the Apple Watch or not).

 

[parseckadet]

ding ding ding ding! Three and a half hours. Who had three and a half hours after the event before someone used the word "underwhelmed" in a topic title in the betting pool? I'm honestly surprised it took that long, and had 30 seconds myself. Whoever the mystery winner is, congratulations!

 

[Mac2me]

They did not put much in the Apple Watch part of the presentation. Price drop was nice and probably needed. New bands? Ya, I ordered one of the Nylon ones to try it out. I thought they were remiss in not mentioning that Watch OS 2.2 was rolling out with iOS 9.3. Maybe we were supposed to assume it would?

Anyway I did install Watch OS 2.2 and the performance improvement made it all worth it to me. Considerably snappier responses.

Didn't know there was a Watch OS 2.2 released. Thnaks for mentioning that. And yeah, surprised it wasn't mentioned or I missed it during the event. Was it discussed in 9.3 presentation?

I did dowload iOS 9.3 to my iPP after the event but wanted to back up my iPhone before updating it's software. Watch will be next. Sounds like I should do that backup already. Thanks!

I do like Night Shift. Greatly reduces eye strain in dim light viewing.

 

[BradWould]

I'm not really sure what everyone else was expecting. 3 software updates, CareKit, a new iPhone (that ,based on rumours, was above most expectations), new watch bands, and a new iPad Pro with pencil support. What else was even a remote possibility? I wasn't on the edge of my seat but this was a solid event with solid announcements.

 

[swarlos]

I'm not really sure what everyone else was expecting. 3 software updates, CareKit, a new iPhone (that ,based on rumours, was above most expectations), new watch bands, and a new iPad Pro with pencil support. What else was even a remote possibility? I wasn't on the edge of my seat but this was a solid event with solid announcements.

Exactly and I blame this on the leaks nothing is exciting anymore because we know too much before the actual event and then complain about it because it was underwhelming! Just doesn't make sense.

 

[MartyCan]

Didn't know there was a Watch OS 2.2 released. Thnaks for mentioning that. And yeah, surprised it wasn't mentioned or I missed it during the event. Was it discussed in 9.3 presentation?

I did dowload iOS 9.3 to my iPP after the event but wanted to back up my iPhone before updating it's software. Watch will be next. Sounds like I should do that backup already. Thanks!

I do like Night Shift. Greatly reduces eye strain in dim light viewing.

I don't think you missed it. I think it was not even so much as mentioned.

 

[Totally]

Doesn't mean they couldn't sell at a higher price point as it appears they sold 14mm. Who knows. Lower price point is for a one year old version of the watch. Nothing else. Increase sales to add more to maybe upgrade or at least to own their watch.

When was the last time apple ever lowered the price of a product just because it has been out 11 months? Generally once there is a new iteration, they lower the price of the previous as in the case of iPhone or iPad. But the mac mini and mac pro have been out almost 2 and 3 years respectively and they still have the same prices as originally. An iPhone that has been out 11 months without a newer iteration is still the same price as it was at release. It's very rare apple lowers the price of a current generation product before a replacement is made.

I'd bet they lowered the price of apple watch because sales are underwhelming. Maybe 14 million was under the goal. From Wall Street's perspective, Apple Watch's sales have been underwhelming as far as I have read and understand.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

I'd bet they lowered the price of apple watch because sales are underwhelming. Maybe 14 million was under the goal. From Wall Street's perspective, Apple Watch's sales have been underwhelming as far as I have read and understand.

Don't be so quick to assume that. It could simply be a strategy to get those on the fence onboard and once they realize they benefits of the AW, they're more likely to opt for the more expensive SS models in the next iteration. They would have cut prices across the board (not just the Sport) if sales were underwhelming. Wall Street's perspective means nothing as they only react to a set number regardless of how impressive or underwhelming it is.

 

[deany]

I was disappointed that there was no S version but I did like the new nylon Nato look band, nice and retro. The current solid plastic sport band looks ugly to me. I also like the $50 price cut. I am considering getting a BB open box one now and then when the second gen comes out in Sept getting that one on the BF sale. I can use the band of one i get this month and the charger to carry over useful accessories. That way I have one until November.

really like the new 'Nato' style too. I have made my own 'Nato' but I do like apples new ones.
Looking forward to the $9.99 approx 'genuine' aliexpress knock offs!

 

[Newtons Apple]

What? I am still trying to figure out all the new features included in the AW 2.2!

 

[sean000]

I'm not really sure what everyone else was expecting. 3 software updates, CareKit, a new iPhone (that ,based on rumours, was above most expectations), new watch bands, and a new iPad Pro with pencil support. What else was even a remote possibility? I wasn't on the edge of my seat but this was a solid event with solid announcements.

Agreed... I have really enjoyed Night Shift on my iPhone, and the Watch OS update improved watch performance noticeably. I was also excited for the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro because I'm planning to replace my 4-year-old iPad 3 this year.

Sean

 

[caligurl]

I like night shift... was underwhelmed with the new bands and I had been excited... the bands were the whole reason for me even watching the keynote!

 

[BlueMoon63]

I like night shift... was underwhelmed with the new bands and I had been excited... the bands were the whole reason for me even watching the keynote!

I really like the new classic leather buckle bands. I ordered the gray one right away and if it is as nice as the original black and saddlebrown, I will get the midnight blue.

I don't really care for other pastel colors and the only reason I don't like the nylon is the straightness of the bands. Any watch (to me) either needs the band to fan out as it approaches the watch or the watch does the same so it flows. Just my liking. The nylon makes the connection to the watch look off to me and maybe just me.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

...the only reason I don't like the nylon is the straightness of the bands. Any watch (to me) either needs the band to fan out as it approaches the watch or the watch does the same so it flows. Just my liking. The nylon makes the connection to the watch look off to me and maybe just me.

I agree completely. The nylon strap looks kind of funny/narrow relative to the AW body, much like the Moto 360.