Why is it a HUGE issue if Watch dies during day?

[bbeagle]

I understand we'd all like the battery of the watch to be better.... but why is this a HUGE issue?

If the battery gets too low, only the time will display - you won't get notifications, or anything else..... but you WILL have the iPhone with you! You'll still get all those on your iPhone.

You won't really be missing anything, you'll just go back to the inconvenience of using your phone again.

Yes, it will be annoying, but it's not like you're stuck with nothing.

 

[Pinksteady]

I understand we'd all like the battery of the watch to be better.... but why is this a HUGE issue?

If the battery gets too low, only the time will display - you won't get notifications, or anything else..... but you WILL have the iPhone with you! You'll still get all those on your iPhone.

You won't really be missing anything, you'll just go back to the inconvenience of using your phone again.

Yes, it will be annoying, but it's not like you're stuck with nothing.

I agree, the power save 72 hour watch-only mode swung it for me - once it enters that mode, it does just as much as my current watch does, so long as I charge it within a few days. That's totally fine with me. Do the competitors also offer this functionality?

 

[bbeagle]

I agree, the power save 72 hour watch-only mode swung it for me - once it enters that mode, it does just as much as my current watch does, so long as I charge it within a few days. That's totally fine with me. Do the competitors also offer this functionality?

The Moto 360 has this feature:

Motorola has added a new mode to the 360 which should see it gain a little more usage time, just before it runs out of power completely. It’s called Smart Battery Saving, and when the battery reaches 15 percent, it automatically switches off Android Wear’s Ambient Mode ready to make the most out of the last remaining power. Ambient Mode is already a power saving feature on its own – it dims the screen, and removes fancy graphics when the watch is idle – so this just makes it that little bit more effective.

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/wearables/moto-360-software-update-battery-saving/#ixzz3WdWQKm9P
Follow us: @digitaltrends on Twitter | digitaltrendsftw on Facebook

 

[Mascots]

I agree, the power save 72 hour watch-only mode swung it for me - once it enters that mode, it does just as much as my current watch does, so long as I charge it within a few days. That's totally fine with me. Do the competitors also offer this functionality?

Because of this, the watch will potentially never "die" during a standard day's use, so I'm not concerned because while it would be nice to get notifications in this state, I can always go old school if I need more than the time and whip out the ol' phone.

Though I would be bummed about the lack of metric collection during that period, I think it will be a nonissue.

 

[mightyjabba]

Do we know what the watch face will look like in the low-power mode? Is it just some generic time display, or will it be the face we've chosen?

 

[Cory Bauer]

The Apple Watch defaulting to simply telling the time when the battery gets low is a very smart feature; you'll never have to feel like an idiot with a dead electronic device strapped to your wrist. I think defaulting back to being simply a Watch is akin to the Mitch Hedberg joke about escalators:

An escalator can never break: it can only become stairs. You should never see an Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order sign, just Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience.

 

[Isamilis]

I think, the question should be, "Why is it no issue if watch dies during day?" instead.
Of course, because of watch will become another baby that we have to take care and baby sit every day, not like conventional watch, where you can just wear and forget.

I understand we'd all like the battery of the watch to be better.... but why is this a HUGE issue?

If the battery gets too low, only the time will display - you won't get notifications, or anything else..... but you WILL have the iPhone with you! You'll still get all those on your iPhone.

You won't really be missing anything, you'll just go back to the inconvenience of using your phone again.

Yes, it will be annoying, but it's not like you're stuck with nothing.

 

[KauaiBruce]

You reminded me of my old Rolex. If I did not wear it over the weekend the self winder would run out and I would have to set it. In case people have never seen them, you can actually get a winder for those self winding watches which is essentially a machine that swings them back and forth.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I understand we'd all like the battery of the watch to be better.... but why is this a HUGE issue?

If the battery gets too low, only the time will display - you won't get notifications, or anything else..... but you WILL have the iPhone with you! You'll still get all those on your iPhone.

You won't really be missing anything, you'll just go back to the inconvenience of using your phone again.

Yes, it will be annoying, but it's not like you're stuck with nothing.

I do not consider it an inconvenience to use my phone.

I actually prefer it!

 

[Multiverse223]

Because of this, the watch will potentially never "die" during a standard day's use, so I'm not concerned because while it would be nice to get notifications in this state, I can always go old school if I need more than the time and whip out the ol' phone.

Though I would be bummed about the lack of metric collection during that period, I think it will be a nonissue.

The phone collects the same metrics unless the watch is in workout mode. In which case the watch collects pace, distance, and heartrate.

 

[Cory Bauer]

I think, the question should be, "Why is it no issue if watch dies during day?" instead.
Of course, because of watch will become another baby that we have to take care and baby sit every day, not like conventional watch, where you can just wear and forget.

If you get in the habit of charging it every night, no babysitting will be required. In fact I'd wager so long as you do that, hardly anyone will ever run out of battery during the day unless they're deliberately trying to run the thing down for testing purposes. And as bbeagle is pointing out, the worst-case scenario is that your Apple Watch defaults to simply functioning as a traditional watch.

 

[OllyW]

You won't really be missing anything, you'll just go back to the inconvenience of using your phone again.

Might as well not bother getting the Watch in the first place.

 

[Newtons Apple]

If you get in the habit of charging it every night, no babysitting will be required. In fact I'd wager so long as you do that, hardly anyone will ever run out of battery during the day unless they're deliberately trying to run the thing down for testing purposes. And as bbeagle is pointing out, the worst-case scenario is that your Apple Watch defaults to simply functioning as a traditional watch.

I predict that it will run out of power at first, for some users, when you are still playing around. You know many will not be able to keep their hands off of their new tech.

After that period ends it should make it though the day for a "normal" user.

 

[Mascots]

The phone collects the same metrics unless the watch is in workout mode. In which case the watch collects pace, distance, and heartrate.

I just tend to leave my phone around instead of carrying it with me, so I'm looking forward to getting more accurate results with the Watch. Near death, especially after getting accustomed even more so to leaving my phone around, would impact the gains.

But then again, like others have said, that's kind of a worst-case scenario that both my watch is dead and my phone is away from me so I'm not really worried.

 

[Cory Bauer]

I predict that it will run out of power at first when you are still playing around. After that period ends it should make it though the day for a "normal" user.

True. I'm sure plenty of people will play with their watches non-stop the first few days, which is to be expected! Then like every time there's a new iPhone, they'll be here complaining that their battery only lasted 5 hours while constantly web-surfing on a very weak LTE signal from their underground concrete bunker

 

[Armen]

Honestly, I'd be happy if the watch and my phone had the same battery life. Makes charging easier.

 

[Trent0341]

I understand we'd all like the battery of the watch to be better.... but why is this a HUGE issue?

If the battery gets too low, only the time will display - you won't get notifications, or anything else..... but you WILL have the iPhone with you! You'll still get all those on your iPhone.

You won't really be missing anything, you'll just go back to the inconvenience of using your phone again.

Yes, it will be annoying, but it's not like you're stuck with nothing.

A huge deal? Not really... but would it prevent me from buying it? Absolutely. What's the point of the watch if I lose functionality during the day. I already have watches that can tell time and a few other complications.

Why would you buy a "smart" watch for a partial days use? I need it to reliably last a day. A huge deal? No. A deal breaker? Yes.

That being said I'm planning on buying one and I am confident that it will last me all day. Anything less and I won't be buying gen 2.

This watch would be an utter failure if most people don't get a full days use out of it.

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Honestly, I'd be happy if the watch and my phone had the same battery life. Makes charging easier.

Exactly... it's just a routine to get into. If lasted 48(36?) hours I'd have to remember to recharge it every other day. This would just end up being everyday anyway so I didn't forget (same goes with a week). I'd rather just get in a routine.

 

[ditzy]

I think if it does not last the whole day that would be a major issue. I don't want to be carrying dead weight, which a none functioning watch would be. And while I do think that the watch is good value for money, I would feel like it was mocking me, if it stopped working before the end of the day.

 

[Uccle]

Might as well not bother getting the Watch in the first place.

This.

If Apple really wants the watch to be a game changer and for it to be truly integrated in our lives we have to be able to trust it. Trust that it will notify us of important messages, events, calls, etc. If you can't trust it completely, it will never be that intimate companion they tout.

The first time I miss an emergency call/text because the watch died will be the day the watch comes off. So, yea, for me it is potentially a big deal, but we'll have to see how it all comes together in real life.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Honestly, I'd be happy if the watch and my phone had the same battery life. Makes charging easier.

Apple would like that too but with today's battery chemistry and accepable watch /thickness/sizes, they had to use software to conserve power. Even this will not be enough for some.

 

[bbeagle]

If you can't trust it completely, it will never be that intimate companion they tout.

The first time I miss an emergency call/text because the watch died will be the day the watch comes off. So, yea, for me it is potentially a big deal, but we'll have to see how it all comes together in real life.

When phones first came out, their battery life sucked... lasted 1/2 a day for people who were constantly using them. I think this will be the same for watches in the first few years.

 

[KauaiBruce]

This.

If Apple really wants the watch to be a game changer and for it to be truly integrated in our lives we have to be able to trust it. Trust that it will notify us of important messages, events, calls, etc. If you can't trust it completely, it will never be that intimate companion they tout.

The first time I miss an emergency call/text because the watch died will be the day the watch comes off. So, yea, for me it is potentially a big deal, but we'll have to see how it all comes together in real life.

I agree but it makes me wonder how we will know we went into power saving mode. I would assume the watch gives us one last emergency warning that it is going into power saving time only mode. At that time I would start watching the phone for notifications again.

I like that it sounds like if we have the watch on that there will be no phone notifications. I know from the pebble it is annoying to get them on both. I can only imagine this could be a setting.

I also like that it looks like emails read on the watch are marked as read on the phone. The online demo showed that you can force touch an email to mark as unread so it is easy to see an opened and read email is handled. Love it.

 

[madsci954]

I don't get the issue either. I need 7-8 hours a night for sleep, less than and I can't function fully. That means 16-17 hours I'm awake and I know inwont be wearing my Watch that long, probably 14-15 hours more realistic.

18 hours of average use, and me personally will be below average use, is plenty for me (my opinions do not reflect those of others).

 

[Uccle]

When phones first came out, their battery life sucked... lasted 1/2 a day for people who were constantly using them. I think this will be the same for watches in the first few years.

True enough although I never had the original iPhone last for less than a day so I'm hoping the same will be true of the watch. On the other hand, I wasn't as dependent on mobile devices when the iPhone came out as I am now

 

[mightyjabba]

The first time I miss an emergency call/text because the watch died will be the day the watch comes off. So, yea, for me it is potentially a big deal, but we'll have to see how it all comes together in real life.

The thing is that I've missed quite a number of calls, texts and emails when I couldn't feel or hear my phone in my pocket. I think the watch should greatly improve on that situation. It seems a little silly to give all that up because it ran out of battery at some point.