Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
This is probably an issue for another thread.
Yep, I just saw that. Deleted above and posted in the appropriate thread.

I am using iOS mail app on my phone to connect to Exchange. I have tried the Outlook iOS app on the phone, but I did not like it much there. I like it better on my iPad.
 
I also wonder if heat is a consideration. I have noticed that a charging watch can heat up, and keeping the display on would generate some heat as well. I'm sure the internal hardware can take the heat (we aren't talking desktop CPU/GPU temperatures), but maybe the seals would lose some integrity from prolonged heat? I remember trying on some watches at the Apple Store that were almost painful because they got so hot.

Sean
Good points, and I know many have mentioned OLED as being an potential issue as well, although one would think it would be easy enough to have the clock move ala screensaver mode. I would be surprised if Apple hasn't already thought about all of this though, it would be nice to get their take on it.
 
Apple may have already considered these things, and decided to implement it in such a way that minute motion activates the illumination. That doesn't seem to be an accident, as it's highlighted on their "Learn About watchOS 2" page. Using it, I can say it works extremely well, and serves as a nice addition for people who charge their Watch without a traditional stand accessory.

Again, how it currently functions isn't a bug or oversight, but here's to hoping they can add an 'always-on' option if it's not detrimental to the device itself.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ericgtr12
Again, how it currently functions isn't a bug or oversight, but here's to hoping they can add an 'always-on' option if it's not detrimental to the device itself.
Right, and I don't think an "always-on" option should even exist unless they can use a display technology that wouldn't suffer burn-in.

Once it's possible, and if it can be done while preserving battery life, I'd love it. The one complaint I have about the AW's role as a wristwatch is, I can't read it at odd angles like I can my other watches. I can be walking to work with a bag in my right hand and a coffee in my left (watch side), and to read a regular watch, I can tilt it towards me just a few degrees and look over my wrist without spilling the coffee. The AW, unfortunately, stays dark if I try the same movement.
 
Right, and I don't think an "always-on" option should even exist unless they can use a display technology that wouldn't suffer burn-in.

Once it's possible, and if it can be done while preserving battery life, I'd love it. The one complaint I have about the AW's role as a wristwatch is, I can't read it at odd angles like I can my other watches. I can be walking to work with a bag in my right hand and a coffee in my left (watch side), and to read a regular watch, I can tilt it towards me just a few degrees and look over my wrist without spilling the coffee. The AW, unfortunately, stays dark if I try the same movement.
Battery life shouldn't be an issue since nightstand mode only works when plugged in, isn't that the case? Additionally, if the clock face were to move slowly and slightly, this should avoid any screen burn.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rtdunham
Battery life shouldn't be an issue since nightstand mode only works when plugged in, isn't that the case? Additionally, if the clock face were to move slowly and slightly, this should avoid any screen burn.
Correct.

Perhaps they can incorporate the Motion wallpapers with such a feature (though they'd still need to move any static images, like clock digits). They don't work well as regular wallpapers in my testing, as they're either extremely laggy (new to the beta), or the screen goes black before the animation even gets going. Again, options.

As it stands, Apple's implementation of Nightstand Mode works flawlessly for me. I still don't think Apple was looking at it to be a full-on bedroom (or wherever you might be charging it) clock in that sense, rather more of a "Hey, here's a neat little feature for those of you charging the Watch on its side" kind of thing.
 
I have the beta installed and nightstand modes is easily my favorite feature besides the multi color face options.

I keep my watch on my nightstand on it's side with sport band, plugged in just like the picture on the watch os 2 page, the display does go to sleep after about ten seconds, but wakes up if I tap my nightstand. I like that way better than it staying on, or having to find and touch the watch screen in total darkness.

It wakes up if you tap your nightstand? Is it picking up the vibration, or does your nightstand move a little when you tap it?
 
If it's true, as I posted before, that this kind of screen goes bad over time, based on how much it is on, an obvious question would be "how much?".

After all, there is a huge difference between the mere minutes a watch screen would otherwise be one during an entire day and the roughly 8 hours just overnight.

My point being that while it might be nice to have Apple give us a choice, what if the watch screen would normally work well for 5 years, but using every night and on full time it was obviously worse after just 2 years?

I know a lot of people think folks will just upgrade every couple years, but I think it will be more like an ipad or moreso. Besides, you'd often still want to sell your old watch and if the screen gets bad in just a couple years, it isn't worth much.

And, anticipating the idea that this kind of screen in other devices does well for, say, 10 years of heavier use, it is also possible that Apple chose a design that is cheaper to save money because the screen normally wouldn't be used nearly as much.

I don't like some of the things Apple does to force users into limited or no choices, but it could be that there is a good reason for this. If degradation is severe, I bet most people who chose to leave the screen on would end up really ticked off later.

Now, if we just knew more about how well these screens hold up, that would be helpful.
 
Apple need to add a very sensitive proximity sensor on next gen AW, and allow automatically turn on when watch go into night mode, and off when is not in night mode. That way, we could just wave our hand in the front when display off in night mode to turn on display temporary.
 
Apple need to add a very sensitive proximity sensor on next gen AW, and allow automatically turn on when watch go into night mode, and off when is not in night mode. That way, we could just wave our hand in the front when display off in night mode to turn on display temporary.

It wakes up if you tap the surface (nightstand) it's sitting on, I think that's better than a proximity sensor since you don't need to see or know where the watch is in the dark.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Icaras
All accounts of WatchOS 2 so far state that the watch face goes to sleep in nightstand mode while plugged into the charger. It would be nice to at least have an option to leave it on, otherwise it seems pointless.

It's an OLED screen. Every time you turn on the display, it's getting dimmer and dimmer. You don't notice this of course.

If Nightstand Mode had the screen on for 8+ hours a night, it wouldn't do the screen any good.

Just touch your bedside cabinet and it'll come on.
 
It wakes up if you tap the surface (nightstand) it's sitting on, I think that's better than a proximity sensor since you don't need to see or know where the watch is in the dark.

You do know how hard it is for me to perfect tap on the surface in early morning in completed darkness, without either knock it off the night table or scratch my watch with table surface?
With a clear awake mind is fine, not when I am just wait up from the dream, and simply want to know what time it is.
I don't want to have to tap anything when I not full awake, but I also don't want anything light be on all the time in my bedroom also.
 
This feature is a complete waste of time. Why would use my watch when I have a perfectly good led clock by my bedside that I don't have to grope around in the middle of the night to switch on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ericgtr12
This feature is a complete waste of time. Why would use my watch when I have a perfectly good led clock by my bedside that I don't have to grope around in the middle of the night to switch on.

For people could sleep well with any backlight clock, night mode is probably not important.
But not everyone could sleep with always on clock next to night stand.
I would love a motion activate, like waving hand, time telling device for my night stand.
 
Of all of the reasons there is to get an AW, this is clearly not one of them. I couldn't imagine having to smack my nightstand to see what time it is.
 
OLED is a type of LED and doesn't suffer burnin.

Are you sure? I thought, over time, the output of oled pixels lessened. If certain pixels were on 24/7, they'd dim at a faster rate and so be a form of burn in.
 
This feature is a complete waste of time. Why would use my watch when I have a perfectly good led clock by my bedside that I don't have to grope around in the middle of the night to switch on.
cuz not every person on the planet is you with a led clock next to their bed
 
This would be the first ever nightstand clock that shuts itself off. Whether or not one agrees with this functionality (or lack of) it seems disingenuous to act like it's standard and we should not question it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rtdunham
This would be the first ever nightstand clock that shuts itself off. Whether or not one agrees with this functionality (or lack of) it seems disingenuous to act like it's standard and we should not question it.

I think the problem with your thinking here is that we're not talking about a nightstand clock. This a smartwatch with a cleverly implemented nightstand feature.

You need to think about it like the engineers that designed it, the display is off while you're wearing it except when you look at it, and that's the only time it needs to be on. Their thinking is probably that the display doesn't (or maybe can't for technical reasons) need to be on all night, only when you're looking at it.

I don't think there's a right or wrong, I personally like the way Apple have implemented it, but I fully understand the frustration of someone that wants to replace a conventional alarm clocks on all the time display.
 
My only question: do you really need to "smack" your night stand to wake the watch, or just tap near it like you would tap a computer keyboard?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Enygmatic
Exactly this. Light tap on the Watch, anywhere. I set my phone down next to the Watch (on microfiber rag) and the Watch illuminates. It's extremely sensitive.
Good. Not that I could see it anyway without my glasses, but the people who haven't tried OS2 seem to be freaking out about possibly having to bang on the nightstand.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.