Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform
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Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform
#2I really think apple missed on the aesthetics with this one: they should have gone with a round watch and used the rotating bezel (either physical or touch) for input, rather than a tiny crown. Even if it remained a niche product, which always seemed the most likely outcome, at least there would be some interesting design work to do with a circular UX.
I think that Ressence Watches (which are, ironically, mechanical) has done the most compelling modern watch design:
http://ressencewatches.com/watches/type-3
Something like the Type 3, with a touch-rotating bezel, would nail the smartwatch aesthetic the way that the iPhone 5 hinted at the platonic ideal of cell phones.
Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform
#3I feel the same way about Android Wear. I got my G Watch in 2014. I still like it, but I'm not doing anything with it that I wasn't doing the first week I had it.
Maybe it's the platform, or maybe there just aren't a ton of things I'm interested in doing on my watch.
Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform
#4Whew! I'm pretty sure I armchaired-critiqued the Watch when it first came out (basically, my reasoning was that unlike the iphone, ipod, and ipad -- there is not as much inherently appealing on paper about having a watch, because of its physical form factor, among other things)...so now I can be a little relieved that maybe I won't be a CmdrTaco/iPod meme 10 years from now :)
Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform
#5Everyone who wasn't wearing rose-tinted glasses knew this. Even when the pebble came out, I was skeptical. What can you do with an interface and battery that small?
It's too awkward to hold your arm out for the amount of time needed to meaningfully interact with it. They're big and clunky on small wrists, and the screen is way too small for people with big fingers. For the price you pay for one, you can get a really nice designer watch, which isn't limited by the lifetime of lithium-ion batteries.
It's just a silly gimmick, but so many people have buyer's remorse about it, that they forced themselves into the habit of using it.
Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform
#6I'm still trying to figure out what an Apple Watch does that my iPhone doesn't do better. Notifications might be nice, but if I'm sitting down my phone is generally on the table/desk in front of me, and if I'm on the go I probably have my phone out anyway, or can pull it out in about a second. Fitbit-type functions would be nice, I suppose, but I'd rather just get a Fitbit for a fraction of the cost.
A smart watch just doesn't seem to add anything significant in the way that smart phones did. Smart phone benefits over a laptop are huge, but smart watch benefits over a smart phone are quite small. I think we're just seeing the natural limitations of a product with this form factor.
Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform
#7It's a watch... what more do you want it to do than then text message, notifications, fitness tracking, and telling you Uber info?
That seems like a pretty full plate for a 42mm screen.
Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform
#8Everyone who wasn't wearing rose-tinted glasses knew this. Even when the pebble came out, I was skeptical. What can you do with an interface and battery that small? It's too awkward to hold your arm out for the amount of time needed to meaningfully interact with it. They're big and clunky on small wrists, and the screen is way too small for people with big fingers. For the price you pay for one, you can get a really…
I don't think my pebble time is a gimmick. Not having to fumble through my bag to pull out my phone on every other notification or to check the time makes the pebble worth it. It's not a gimmick, it's a time saver.
I also no longer have notification noises on, I just have a thing on my wrist that vibrates. Again, a not insignificant quality of life improvement.
If I used iOS instead of Android I'd probably have an Apple Watch instead of a PT, since that works better with that platform.
I don't really care about smart watches being a platform for apps. Maybe that has stalled, but it doesn't matter to me. I haven't found a single app for the PT I think is useful. It doesn't mean I don't find my PT useful. If I lost it today, I'd order another one without hesitation.
Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform
#9I really think apple missed on the aesthetics with this one: they should have gone with a round watch and used the rotating bezel (either physical or touch) for input, rather than a tiny crown. Even if it remained a niche product, which always seemed the most likely outcome, at least there would be some interesting design work to do with a circular UX. I think that Ressence Watches (which are, ironically, mechanical)…
I agree - although I thought this when I saw the pebble time round - combine that with the scrolling from pre-touch ipods and you have something much more tactical, and prettier.
But, the iWatch is more fashion than function, so I'm not surprised it's stalled. v2 or v3 might pose some more appealing features, but for now i'm iWatchless, and i'm totally fine with that.
Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform
#10[deleted]