WIRED Secret History of the Apple Watch

[mcz51221zz]

This article illustrates what truly seperates Apple Watch from the competition. The amount of resources and time poured into making it "just right" is something that everyone else hasn't done or possibly ever match in terms of effort.

It's the super picky, anal rentiveness of people like Jobs and now Ive, that produces great products. Obsessiveness can be a good thing sometimes!

I think that's what people don't get, is that it allows you to not be a slave to checking your phone all the time. It's kinda like your email. Being able to filter out the non-important stuff and reading the ones that matter is a great productivity and time management tool. The Apple Watch will do the same.

 

[Cory Bauer]

Great article, fascinating insights, although it obviously sanctioned by Apple PR and in some cases it shows (e.g. total ignoring of the battery life question).

What was the battery life question? I read the article and missed it.

 

[Pinksteady]

What was the battery life question? I read the article and missed it.

Because they didn't mention it

 

[DreamPod]

What was the battery life question? I read the article and missed it.

Yeah, what question are you expecting? We already know about battery life, Apple has been very clear about it, and there is no controversy or anything.

 

[Cory Bauer]

Because they didn't mention it

Lol, I thought that's what you were getting at. But I don't think there are any questions left regarding battery life.

Yeah, what question are you expecting? We already know about battery life, Apple has been very clear about it, and there is no controversy or anything.

Exactly.

 

[Pinksteady]

Yeah, what question are you expecting? We already know about battery life, Apple has been very clear about it, and there is no controversy or anything.

My point is only to acknowledge that it is not a coincidence that a) this is an article entirely sanctioned by Apple PR and b) it doesn't use the word "battery" once.

 

[Cory Bauer]

My point is only to acknowledge that it is not a coincidence that a) this is an article entirely sanctioned by Apple PR and b) it doesn't use the word "battery" once.

It doesn't mention health sensors once, either. Or the S1 chip. I think you're overthinking this one. There's no conspiracy here. The article is about design and interface, not the internals of the device. Battery life is 18 hours, and there's nothing more to say.

The article is full of enlightening information, and surprisingly in opposition to how Apple has marketed the Watch thus far; the design team reveals their goal was to "free us from our phones", yet Apple has deliberately avoided using that as a sales pitch in marketing materials or either of the two Keynotes.

 

[d4rkc4sm]

romanticized but still dumb. the watch will make you more chained/enslaved to your iphone

 

[Pinksteady]

It doesn't mention health sensors once, either. Or the S1 chip. I think you're overthinking this one. There's no conspiracy here. The article is about design and interface, not the internals of the device. Battery life is 18 hours, and there's nothing more to say.

The article is full of enlightening information, and surprisingly in opposition to how Apple has marketed the Watch thus far; the design team reveals their goal was to "free us from our phones", yet Apple has deliberately avoided using that as a sales pitch in marketing materials or either of the two Keynotes.

Yeah I was surprised by that too.

 

[Cory Bauer]

romanticized but still dumb. the watch will make you more chained/enslaved to your iphone

If you're a person that currently ignores their phone for hours on end, then yes, the watch would make you more chained/enslaved. But I don't think that's very many people. If you're a person who's constantly babysitting their phone in anticipation of time-sensitive notifications, then the watch will be freeing.

 

[mbhforum]

WIRED Secret History of the Apple Watch

One thing that I believe that really will have a positive affect if the watch succeeds is the home automation market. This market is there for the taking with Smartthings struggling with performance issues, Google fluttering around with Nest, .etc. If Apple can make the wearables market mainstream, it lends itself very nicely to the Home Automation market. Unlocking your doors, turning on your TV, turning on and off lights from your watch makes home automation easy to do. Apple can build upon HomeKit with third party hardware and their own Apple TV to revolutionize HA and the TV markets all at once. Then they set their sights on the car market. Their strategy to grow seems clear. I believe in them so much that I just bought 10k worth of stock today. Probably won't make much but I can see their stock reaching $200 at some point.

 

[bunnicula]

One thing that I believe that really will have a positive affect if the watch succeeds is the home automation market. This market is there for the taking with Smartthings struggling with performance issues, Google fluttering around with Nest, .etc. If Apple can make the wearables market mainstream, it lends itself very nicely to the Home Automation market. Unlocking your doors, turning on your TV, turning on and off lights from your watch makes home automation easy to do. Apple can build upon HomeKit with third party hardware and their own Apple TV to revolutionize HA and the TV markets all at once. Then they set their sights on the car market. Their strategy to grow seems clear. I believe in them so much that I just bought 10k worth of stock today. Probably won't make much but I can see their stock reaching $200 at some point.

We're already controlling our irrigation system, our lighting, and our thermostats via apps on iPhone. The Watch just makes this more convenient.

I see this being a big draw.

 

[mbhforum]

We're already controlling our irrigation system, our lighting, and our thermostats via apps on iPhone. The Watch just makes this more convenient.



I see this being a big draw.

I am a huge HA guy and have been holding out from buying a Pebble for the last 2 years for something better and I am glad I waited. My co worker has been controlling his Vera HA system from his Pebble and loves it. I use Smartthings and have everything from lights, locks, irrigation, blinds integrated. I can't tell you how great this will be when apps start coming out for the watch.

 

[chrise2]

How Samsung designs a watch:

- Give it more RAM
- Give it 20 cores
- Curve the screen
- Make the screen 4k even though its 1" big
- The battery life will be an hour, but that will be good enough


Next year
- Give it even more RAM
- Give it 40 cores

 

[Rogifan]

It doesn't mention health sensors once, either. Or the S1 chip. I think you're overthinking this one. There's no conspiracy here. The article is about design and interface, not the internals of the device. Battery life is 18 hours, and there's nothing more to say.

The article is full of enlightening information, and surprisingly in opposition to how Apple has marketed the Watch thus far; the design team reveals their goal was to "free us from our phones", yet Apple has deliberately avoided using that as a sales pitch in marketing materials or either of the two Keynotes.

One thing I didn't like about the article was Pierce referring to the iPhone and saying it's "ruining our lives" (or that's what Apple thinks). Sure Apple hopes the Watch will free people from constantly pulling their phone out of their pocket or handbag but I doubt any Apple executive thinks the iPhone is "ruining our lives". Of course its a fine balancing act talking up the Watch without it looking like you're talking down the iPhone. But it's something I think Apple has to nail.

 

[bunnicula]

I am a huge HA guy and have been holding out from buying a Pebble for the last 2 years for something better and I am glad I waited. My co worker has been controlling his Vera HA system from his Pebble and loves it. I use Smartthings and have everything from lights, locks, irrigation, blinds integrated. I can't tell you how great this will be when apps start coming out for the watch.

We're getting all our blinds automated now. Just got the first set going. Locks are next. I love HA. It's like I live on the Starship Enterprise!

 

[mbhforum]

WIRED Secret History of the Apple Watch

We're getting all our blinds automated now. Just got the first set going. Locks are next. I love HA. It's like I live on the Starship Enterprise!

We love our Somfy motors, but they are expensive. The problem with HA today is there is no affordable, user friendly hub available for the non-technical people. I am hoping Apple changes that with HomeKit one day.

 

[kdarling]

This article illustrates what truly seperates Apple Watch from the competition. The amount of resources and time poured into making it "just right" is something that everyone else hasn't done or possibly ever match in terms of effort.

Most dedicated engineers and designers do that kind of extra tweaking, but without bragging.

It's the super picky, anal rentiveness of people like Jobs and now Ive, that produces great products. Obsessiveness can be a good thing sometimes!

Or it can be bad. If you're trying to decide what vibration feels the most like something, to the most people, a group decision would be far better.

I think that's what people don't get, is that it allows you to not be a slave to checking your phone all the time. It's kinda like your email. Being able to filter out the non-important stuff and reading the ones that matter is a great productivity and time management tool. The Apple Watch will do the same.

Yep, that's why a lot of people have been using wearables for years.

 

[bunnicula]

We love our Somfy motors, but they are expensive. The problem with HA today is there is no affordable, user friendly hub available for the non-technical people. I am hoping Apple changes that with HomeKit one day.

Somfy over here, too. We're looking for more affordable outlets to purchase. My husband likes to install them himself.

Even if you're technical, there's still the affordability issue.

 

[goobot]

APPLE DECIDED TO make a watch and only then set out to discover what it might be good for (besides, you know, displaying the time). “There was a sense that technology was going to move onto the body,” says Alan Dye, who runs Apple’s human interface group. “We felt like the natural place, the place that had historical relevance and significance, was the wrist."

This is the problem with the apple watch, Steve jobs him self said this is what not to do when he saved Apple from failing in the 90's. You have to find a problem to fix, not create somthing and try to find what it could fix. The apple watch fixes nothing, it's cool but for the masses an irrelevant product.

 

[KauaiBruce]

This is the problem with the apple watch, Steve jobs him self said this is what not to do when he saved Apple from failing in the 90's. You have to find a problem to fix, not create somthing and try to find what it could fix. The apple watch fixes nothing, it's cool but for the masses an irrelevant product.

If this could get half the people I know to stop staring at their phones though lunch or dinner it will be a huge success. It is too easy to open the phone and get caught up in other things.

 

[Rogifan]

Hmm...

https://mobile.twitter.com/bxchen/status/583662201661030400
Re: Kevin Lynch the "bozo" - my understanding is he's brilliant, and Jobs tried to poach him. Flash vs Apple campaign was a marketing stunt

And Gruber is laughably claiming he didn't call him a bozo saying on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/gruber/status/583783154592440321?s=1
@zzarrillo To be very clear, I did not say he was a bozo, I said there was a case to be made that he was. Big difference.

Sorry John everyone knows what you meant. You can stand by what you originally wrote but Flash is dead, get over it.

 

[DreamPod]

This is the problem with the apple watch, Steve jobs him self said this is what not to do when he saved Apple from failing in the 90's. You have to find a problem to fix, not create somthing and try to find what it could fix. The apple watch fixes nothing, it's cool but for the masses an irrelevant product.

It fixes a lot, didn't you read the article?

 

[al256]

Hmm...



And Gruber is laughably claiming he didn't call him a bozo saying on Twitter:



Sorry John everyone knows what you meant. You can stand by what you originally wrote but Flash is dead, get over it.

He can dish out the claim chowder but can't handle it when someone serves up a bowl of his own chowder.

I listened to one of his podcasts about the Apple Watch but he'd rather use that podcast time to spend 30 minutes talking about baseball. It was a huge, waste of time.

 

[mojolicious]

Wired don't scrimp on the point size, do they? Anyway...

The interface would determine whether the Watch ended up displayed in a dozen museums or remembered as Apple’s biggest flop since the Newton.

...those two fates are by no means mutually exclusive. Surely the more successful the device, the less likely it is to end up in a museum within the next few decades?