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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

#11

Post by DarkTree »

I assume smart watches are still way too early in their development life-cycle to analyze whether or not they are useful as a product. Remember the original iPhone? It didn't have the app store. The first day I got my iPhone 6, I didn't have an internet connection and couldn't connect to anything. It felt almost useless. I think the difference with smart watches is that we already have the power/versatility of smart phones, in effect, we have already realized their great potential. We didn't have this standard when getting the first iPhone to compare it to. It's possible watches will have some type of evolution that is as great (but probably less) from the first iPhone to the 6S.

I don't see myself buying a smart watch anytime soon, but I said the same thing about buying a smartphone years ago.

Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform

#13

Post by meesterdude »

lemevi wrote: post #8
jbob2000 wrote: post #5

Everyone 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 Ap…

> 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.

How many notifications do you receive that it would come out to be worth it? Seems like cutting down on the notifications would yield a higher return than spending money on a pebble time, or any other smartwatch.

Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform

#14

Post by jbob2000 »

lemevi wrote: post #8
jbob2000 wrote: post #5

Everyone 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 Ap…

Perhaps this is where you and I differ, but I can honestly say there is no notification I have received in the last week, even month, that required my immediate attention. Every single one could have waited 5-10 minutes until I was able to pull out my phone. And my phone is generally on the desk in front of me, so I can see the notifications anyways.

I have to ask, what are you doing that it is so important for you to see the notifications immediately? I just have a hard time imagining what notification is so important that you need something vibrating on your wrist to tell you of it.

Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform

#15

Post by meesterdude »

DarkTree wrote: post #11

I assume smart watches are still way too early in their development life-cycle to analyze whether or not they are useful as a product. Remember the original iPhone? It didn't have the app store. The first day I got my iPhone 6, I didn't have an internet connection and couldn't connect to anything. It felt almost useless. I think the difference with smart watches is that we already have the power/versatility of smart…

> I don't see myself buying a smart watch anytime soon, but I said the same thing about buying a smartphone years ago.

But a smartphone solves problems. lots of problems. GPS, camera, email... it does a lot. A smartwatch has to solve different problems, or current problems better, to be useful. Whereas right now it's more fashion than function.

Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform

#16

Post by izacus »

profmonocle wrote: post #3

I 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.

I'm not sure what's wrong about that though - it's a device that does it's function well, what else was expected from a watch?!

Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform

#18

Post by nilkn »

mdorazio wrote: post #6

I'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 ju…

The watch is a pretty decent fitness tracker. Certainly better than an iPhone. It's more expensive than a FitBit, though the FitBit Surge is not cheap at $250.

Notifications are actually really nice. My phone has been on silent for months. When I'm at home, I never, ever have my phone with me anymore. Basically wherever I go I just put my phone down and forget about it because the watch is a sufficient proxy. Is it life changing? Nope, but it's definitely convenient.

I've taken phone calls through my watch when cooking before. That was actually really cool.

I think you're forgetting that it's also, well, a watch. I always find it silly how people underplay the fact that smartwatches are also just watches. In my case, I have the time, date, temperature / weather conditions, next meeting time, activity tracking, and the time of sunrise/sunset all available with a split second glance on my wrist. Again, it's not life changing, but it sure is convenient. The sport band is also way more comfortable than almost all traditional watches I've ever worn; I often barely notice I have it on.

I flew a bunch recently and I loved having my gate and terminal information for my next flight right on my watchface.

I don't regret getting the watch at all. It's been a really pleasant companion on my wrist.

I've never really understood why people are mystified by smartwatches. They're just watches that do more and provide more information. People wear them for the same reason they would wear any watch. They're not even that expensive. Maybe $350 sounds like a lot, but I can find you hundreds of Citizen quarts watches for that price or more. $350 is just not high in the watch world.

Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform

#19

Post by bamboo_7 »

meesterdude wrote: post #15
DarkTree wrote: post #11

I assume smart watches are still way too early in their development life-cycle to analyze whether or not they are useful as a product. Remember the original iPhone? It didn't have the app store. The first day I got my iPhone 6, I didn't have an internet connection and couldn't connect to anything. It felt almost useless. I think the difference with smart watches is that we already have the power/versatility of smart…

> I don't see myself buying a smart watch anytime soon, but I said the same thing about buying a smartphone years ago. But a smartphone solves problems. lots of problems. GPS, camera, email... it does a lot. A smartwatch has to solve different problems, or current problems better, to be useful. Whereas right now it's more fashion than function.

Of course, the original iPhone didn't have GPS nor a camera that could compete with any of the digital ones available at the time. I think the problem is that almost all of the 3rd party apps run very slowly on the iWatch. I _really_ want to know how close my Uber driver is by staring at my wrist, but right now it's no faster than opening my phone.

Re: Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform

#20

Post by vlehto »

rubidium wrote: post #7

It'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.

Show time, cost less than 100e and have battery life of 1 year. Just like my old watch.

I don't expect to get these. But you asked what I wanted.

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