Watch vs. MS Band

[CharlieBrandt09]

I was all in and ready to buy the Apple Watch day one. After the presentation, I am not sure I can justify the purchase price vs the MS Band.

The Band might not be as flashy, but it seems to actually do "more" than the Apple Watch at this point, and less than half the price.

Does anyone here have experience with the Band an integration into the iOS eco system? I've read that after some recent major updates it's pretty smooth.

EDIT - I forgot to mention that I am weighing the options based on fitness tracker first, smart watch second.

 

[Runt888]

If you are mostly concerned with the fitness aspects, there are several other products that "do" more.

The real benefit of the Apple Watch is going to be seamless integration into the iOS ecosystem, and the amazing things that developers are going to come up with.

 

[BD1]

I looked at it but more reviews say HR accuracy is poor.

I tried an both a fitbit Charge HR and Mio Fuse. The Mio Fuse actually works quite well for HR accuracy. But is is basically a rubber band with no other features.

Charge HR is terrible. This is all during workouts. Walking around and sitting HR accuracy seemed to be fine.

Hopefully apple watch HR will be accurate during workouts. If not, I will return it. The Mio Fuse shows that you can get accurate HR on a wrist so hopefully apple will also.

I was disappointed not to hear more details of fitness features. The marathon runner section was at a very high overview.

 

[CharlieBrandt09]

If you are mostly concerned with the fitness aspects, there are several other products that "do" more.

The real benefit of the Apple Watch is going to be seamless integration into the iOS ecosystem, and the amazing things that developers are going to come up with.

I agree with that, I am just wondering how long the developers will take to get on board. If it is a product with a yearly refresh cycle, then I might wait for V 2.

I am very much on the fence.

The seamless integration is what appeals to me the most. Mostly all of my connect devices are Apple products.

I think I was just just hoping to be sold, and I haven't been...yet.

 

[BD1]

If you are mostly concerned with the fitness aspects, there are several other products that "do" more.

The real benefit of the Apple Watch is going to be seamless integration into the iOS ecosystem, and the amazing things that developers are going to come up with.

Which ones? I'm not challenging you but I have tried a number and have not found anything great that you can wear on your wrist, but maybe I missed one as new ones are being announced all the time.

Looking for more than basic step counting which the iPhone actually does quite well.

 

[CharlieBrandt09]

I looked at it but more reviews say HR accuracy is poor.

I tried an both a fitbit Charge HR and Mio Fuse. The Mio Fuse actually works quite well for HR accuracy. But is is basically a rubber band with no other features.

Charge HR is terrible. This is all during workouts. Walking around and sitting HR accuracy seemed to be fine.

Hopefully apple watch HR will be accurate during workouts. If not, I will return it. The Mio Fuse shows that you can get accurate HR on a wrist so hopefully apple will also.

I was disappointed not to hear more details of fitness features. The marathon runner section was at a very high overview.

Right, the details regarding the fitness tracking were pretty slim. I can't even recall one thing that we didn't already know.

I have also read that the HR monitoring from the Band has gotten better after updates. That could just be BS though.

 

[Runt888]

Which ones? I'm not challenging you but I have tried a number and have not found anything great that you can wear on your wrist, but maybe I missed one as new ones are being announced all the time.

Looking for more than basic step counting which the iPhone actually does quite well.

For example, the microsoft band has 10 sensors and GPS, hence it "does" more. Whether or not those senors are accurate or doing something useful is another thing entirely.

 

[gorkt]

I tried out the MS band. It has a lot of potential but it is very uncomfortable to wear and the HR monitor lags when running and can be pretty inaccurate. The best thing about it was the sleep tracking, but again, wearing it at night was uncomfortable. It also has fixed apps and only has room for nine apps. It does show notifications.

If you have an iPhone, the Apple watch is going to be worth the $149 premium, I think. The Siri intergration and the wealth of apps that will most certainly work with the watch at launch and in the future along with the customization potential and fitness apps make it a worthwhile choice.

 

[CharlieBrandt09]

I tried out the MS band. It has a lot of potential but it is very uncomfortable to wear and the HR monitor lags when running and can be pretty inaccurate. The best thing about it was the sleep tracking, but again, wearing it at night was uncomfortable. It also has fixed apps and only has room for nine apps. It does show notifications.

If you have an iPhone, the Apple watch is going to be worth the $149 premium, I think. The Siri intergration and the wealth of apps that will most certainly work with the watch at launch and in the future along with the customization potential and fitness apps make it a worthwhile choice.

You're probably right. I wonder if we will get any hands-on fitness reviews before pre orders open.

 

[BD1]

You're probably right. I wonder if we will get any hands-on fitness reviews before pre orders open.

Go to the techcrunch site and look at their hands on video. It shows a bit of the workout app. What I see looks good but would like to see much more.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

I looked at it but more reviews say HR accuracy is poor.

I tried an both a fitbit Charge HR and Mio Fuse. The Mio Fuse actually works quite well for HR accuracy. But is is basically a rubber band with no other features.

Charge HR is terrible. This is all during workouts. Walking around and sitting HR accuracy seemed to be fine.

Hopefully apple watch HR will be accurate during workouts. If not, I will return it. The Mio Fuse shows that you can get accurate HR on a wrist so hopefully apple will also.

I was disappointed not to hear more details of fitness features. The marathon runner section was at a very high overview.

My experience too w/ the Charge HR. I tried an MS band at the MS Store. HR seems off but I only had it on for a short time. Didn't really like it though it wasn't shaped for a wrist and felt clunky.

Apple really didn't say a whole lot about the HR functionality today. There was a lot of other details to announce though. I'm hoping as we get closer to launch maybe they'll have more in-depth detail on it apart from Christy Turlington's training.

 

[MH01]

I've decided to pre-order both and choose. I have great doubts I want to replace my daily watch with a digital one, as I currently wear a nike band, and maybe microsoft band can replace that, and I get best of both worlds.