Half a year later, the Apple Watch feels like a stalled platform • Hacker News Board

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

#101

Post by vaishaksuresh » Thu, Dec 03, 2015, 11:55 PM UTC

pbh101 wrote: post #95

vaishaksuresh wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First, Not many people buy expensive mechanical watches. If they do, they already know that the time may be inaccurate sometimes. Second, Macbook Pro is not a great example since its primary purpose is not displaying time.

Similarly, I don't think the primary purpose/raison d'etre of the Apple Watch is to tell time. It certainly isn't what you're paying $300+ for.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. I think it is a watch with additional functions, not something else that also works as a watch. For me, any smartwatch's primary purpose is telling time. Everything else it does is secondary. Having said that, you shouldn't buy Apple Watch for just telling time. You're better off buying regular watch for that.

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

#102

Post by PhantomGremlin » Fri, Dec 04, 2015, 7:01 AM UTC

lectrick wrote: post #67

They need to get the battery life above "1 day". I think that's what's stopping MANY people. In my case, I almost need sleep tracking (diagnosed with a sleep disorder).

diagnosed with a sleep disorder

I think this is a great future market. It's quite unfortunate that, although the Apple watch has a pulse oximeter in it, the functionality is currently disabled. Reportedly because it would then be a medical device in the eyes of the FDA.

Good sleep tracking, just that one function, could conceivably sell millions of units.

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

#103

Post by jinushaun » Fri, Dec 04, 2015, 9:36 AM UTC

mst wrote: post #84

When the iPhone was about this mature, it didn't even have native apps yet. One presumes that the watch will become substantially more powerful and better utilised over time too.

Maybe it is just me, but iPhone in 2007 was revolutionary and mind-blowing. You had grown men crying and falling off their seats during the keynote. Before native apps, before GPS, before 3G—the iPhone blew people's socks and changed the world. The critics and skeptics were quickly silenced in 2007. People broke contracts and paid extra fees! People switched carriers and put up with bad voice quality and dropped calls to continue owning one. Millions put up with a slow buggy phone. People didn't have buyers remorse and return it en masse—they bought a new one each year! Year after year you had long lines at stores on launch day.

Does anyone else not remember this?!

From comments online, I find it really hard to believe that the world has collectively forgotten that. Did I live in a bubble, or is everyone else's memory of 2007 just way off? From what I remembered, it was outright mass hysteria.

The watch, OTOH, just doesn't excite people the same way. Critics and skeptics have not been silenced. It doesn't even excite their owners the same way. People are buying and returning the watches. Owners are defensive when talking about the watch, instead of the cult-like adoration and mass hysteria that followed the original iPhone.

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

#104

Post by ceejayoz » Fri, Dec 04, 2015, 2:43 PM UTC

vaishaksuresh wrote: post #93

ceejayoz wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's notable if its main competitor in the market (allegedly) doesn't.

What main competitor is not keeping time correctly? The main competitor for any smart watch is the regular watch. Specifically for the Apple Watch it is one of the many smart watches running Android Wear or the Pebble. I have never heard or seen anything to indicate these watches have a problem with keeping time. Now that I think about it, I don't think I have ever seen anything about Apple Watch having problems keep…

I'm not the one making the claim, and I too am dubious about the claim that Android Wear can't keep time.

If the allegation were true, though, it'd be a notable issue/feature in a comparison versus Apple Watch.

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

#105

Post by lectrick » Fri, Dec 04, 2015, 4:02 PM UTC

PhantomGremlin wrote: post #102

lectrick wrote: post #67

They need to get the battery life above "1 day". I think that's what's stopping MANY people. In my case, I almost need sleep tracking (diagnosed with a sleep disorder).

diagnosed with a sleep disorder I think this is a great future market. It's quite unfortunate that, although the Apple watch has a pulse oximeter in it, the functionality is currently disabled. Reportedly because it would then be a medical device in the eyes of the FDA. Good sleep tracking, just that one function, could conceivably sell millions of units.

Wow. I sincerely hope they're working on that! Seems like a silly distinction to make

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

#106

Post by thescriptkiddie » Fri, Dec 04, 2015, 4:23 PM UTC

maxerickson wrote: post #91

thescriptkiddie wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can already do that with the Pebble as long as I've got headphones on. I wouldn't mind the addition of a microphone for voice input (the new Pebble Time has this), but I definitely don't want a speakerphone on my watch.

I thought that only worked if you have your phone in your pocket?

Yes.

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

#107

Post by rchaud » Fri, Dec 04, 2015, 5:48 PM UTC

jakejake wrote: post #76

I find it ironic that the iPhone itself probably got a significant number of people out of the habit of wearing watches. Once my phone could tell me what time it was, that was the end of my watch-wearing days. Though, I never really liked them anyway.

Cell phones have always been able to tell time. I wore a watch all the way until I purchased my first dumbphone. I'm not interested in watches for accessorizing/aesthetic purposes, so as soon as it's primary function was supplanted by my phone, I ditched it.