Why no inductive charging?

[WilliamG]

And if I did get the Watch and fell in love with it, and the Trollex didn't get worn for a year, wouldn't it be smarter to sell it? I can't bear that thought.

So the Watch brings with it a little anxiety for someone who's had a life long love affair with watches, and thought he had finally settled on one watch, something which many watch addicts will tell you is the ultimate goal of the wristwatch obsession, which many never reach.

If Apple had truly blown me away with their watch, I probably would have bitten. And I may one day, perhaps at V2 or V3.

That sounds to me like you want one but are scared of liking it too much. You're frightened of change.

Honestly? Get over it. Go buy one.

 

[Bromeo]

So the Watch brings with it a little anxiety for someone who's had a life long love affair with watches, and thought he had finally settled on one watch, something which many watch addicts will tell you is the ultimate goal of the wristwatch obsession, which many never

Isn't it funny how attached we are to items we wear. Mechanical watches are tech gadgets and wonderful studies in human ingenuity. I love my Rolex Air King that I've worn daily for well on fifteen years. The stainless steel case shows life's stories on it, and the sapphire crystal is as new as the day my employer gave me the watch. It keeps time plus or minus a second over 24 hours, and when worn daily, I never have to wind it and rarely have to adjust the time. The sweep second hand makes the quietest purr when holding the watch up to my ear. Just amazing technology, really. It's also a perfect size for my 160mm wrists.

Yet, I just packed the Rolex up for awhile. The 38mm Sport Watch (Space Gray / Black) is compelling. Conveniently, it is the same size and feel as my Rolex, if only lighter weight. The look reminds me of a Jacob Jensen watch I have in the drawer. As a software developer, I'm equally impressed with the software inside the watch as I am with he whir of mechanical springs, gears, bearing.

If I could recommend anything, it would be to give the AW a fair try. You may find the criticisms here are really nits that are far outweighed by the positives. On the other hand, the AW is a slippery slope. I guess I am cheating on my Rolex, but it's just a thing.

Nice photography, by the way. I pair my Rolex with a Leica M3 and M8. Maybe the AW is a bit like the first real digital camera... Sacrilege to those of us embedded in the rituals and creative constraints of film. Sadly my M3 rarely sees much action, but I sure ran a lot of tri-x and Kodachrome through it. The M8, quirks and all, has been workhorse.

 

[Bbqthis]

Wow, isn't a month of macrumors membership a little soon to be a rampant unofficial Apple apologist? Not that they don't desperately need every JoeRandomInternetMuscleman they can get, out here on the front lines, defending them from evil naysaying, nonsense spewing mauraders...

Apple surely treasures your anonymous unsolicited service in protecting their delicate position as a trillion dollar hegemony.

Because how long you've been a member of MacRumors is any indication of anything besides a pseudo-hierarchy to which you apparently subscribe to.

 

[BSben]

I don't think you have seen one in person to make this comment. The Moto 360 charging dock is both a very cool concept to give users a bedside clock and wireless charging combo (something 3rd party Apple Watch accessory makers are copying) and it is very small. I can easily stuff it in my front pocket if needed. And I would much prefer to travel with the Moto 360 dock that can take a beating and survive compared to the plastic Apple Watch sport charger that doesn't look like it would survive travelling in a backpack on a trip very well.

So you have tried the Apple Sport Watch charger then? Anyway back to what I said, the Apple one is way more portable. And the best thing is of course the watch itself.

 

[gr8tfly]

I posted too soon. My Moto 360 does not charge from the Apple Watch charging disc. While it does indeed detect the presence of the energy field, it either only pulls enough power to maintain charge and keep up with the bedside clock display power requirements, or none at all. The battery percentage remained constant while attached to the Apple charger, finally dropping one point after about ten minutes. If I unplug the Apple charger at the USB end, the Moto 360 drops out of charging mode, so it doesn't seem to be just a magnet sensor in the 360.

This brings up an interesting thought... So while I like the bedside clock mode in the 360 and kind of wish Apple had offered that as well, I realize now it in itself consumes power and would, in theory, slow down the charge rate. The 360 charges reasonable fast even with the display being lit. So I wonder if Apple Watch simply charges at a lower power output. After all, the Apple Watch has 66% of the battery capacity that the 360 has.

Have to go back and look at the communication protocol for Qi, but I would guess there's a preliminary handshake that, in the Moto's case, is enough for it to simply detect the charger's presence – but not to start an actual charge cycle.