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Garmin's –$40B Pivot

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Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#181

Post by timanderson »

jmull wrote: post #77
NoboruWataya wrote: post #14

Interesting article. My partner bought an Apple watch a couple of years ago and I was shocked at what a poor value proposition it was. Very expensive and wouldn't even hold a charge for a day. I guess you get used to it but having to charge my watch every day would drive me mad. Obviously there are things it will do better than a Garmin (and things it can do that a Garmin simply can't) but overall it didn't make sens…

From my perspective -- someone who wants the things a smart watch does -- I can't figure out what a Garmin is for. They don't really do the job of a regular smart watch and aren't designed for wearing all the time, so it becomes a secondary device you need to manage and charge separately, not to mention pay for. Meanwhile, an Apple Watch can do all of it. IME, the battery life of Garmin's isn't a game changer... if y…

A Garmin watch is absolutely designed for wearing all the time, even when sleeping. You might prefer not to for reasons of appearance or because there are features of some other smart watch that you like, but Garmin is fine for what I use it for and does notifications etc. The battery life was a game changer for me (as an Apple Watch switcher) since it's now something I just don't worry about whereas with Apple Watch it was a daily thing and it let me down on several runs too.

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#182

Post by cogman10 »

NoboruWataya wrote: post #14

Interesting article. My partner bought an Apple watch a couple of years ago and I was shocked at what a poor value proposition it was. Very expensive and wouldn't even hold a charge for a day. I guess you get used to it but having to charge my watch every day would drive me mad. Obviously there are things it will do better than a Garmin (and things it can do that a Garmin simply can't) but overall it didn't make sens…

There's really only 2 features my garmin forerunner lacks that would make it pretty awesome.

1. LTE connectivity. Being able to take calls, get texts, send out live track notifications from my watch would be really fantastic. I take my phone out on runs not because I want to use my phone, but because that's the only way I can do all that stuff.

2. Paired with LTE connectivity, music/podcast streaming. My watch supports downloading playlists before a run which is nice but (frankly) a bit clunky. I really want to just be able to kick off yt music or spotify and instead.

But honestly, if I had to give up my other features like long battery life to get either of those two then I'm good just not having them.

I had fitbit watches before my garmin and I love the garmin ecosystem. My wife has a pixel watch and really the two features above are the only things it does that I'd want from it.

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#183

Post by ray__ »

_mlbt wrote: post #166
cft wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a difference: I wear my watch, and I expect it to always work, and be accessible even at night

With the newer Apple Watches you can just use fast charging. I basically just charge it when I shower and do my night time hygiene routine and it’s ready to go back on my wrist to track my sleep and act as a silent vibration alarm in the morning so that I don’t wake my wife up early. The only time I run into battery life issues is when I go on a weekend camping trip.

Likewise–I pop it on the charger in the shower and occasionally at work if I'm at my desk. The alarms, timers, and reminders access (via Siri) more than makes up for the inconvenience of frequent charging. Notifications for messages and e-mails is just a bonus that sometimes ends up being a double-edged sword. The only downsides for me come on long bike rides, and that it is ugly (and getting too big, coming from a Casio F91-W).

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#184

Post by aeyes »

fiftyfifty wrote: post #146
NoboruWataya wrote: post #14

Interesting article. My partner bought an Apple watch a couple of years ago and I was shocked at what a poor value proposition it was. Very expensive and wouldn't even hold a charge for a day. I guess you get used to it but having to charge my watch every day would drive me mad. Obviously there are things it will do better than a Garmin (and things it can do that a Garmin simply can't) but overall it didn't make sens…

I've been using a Garmin Forerunner GPS watch for years, and what I've found I like the most about it is actually the Garmin Connect app on my phone. I don't think Garmin gets enough credit as a software shop. Connect is a great application for tracking your workouts over time. A fair number of runners even use Garmin's workout plans from the app. Even compared to running apps exclusively for iOS and Android I think…

For all runs except races and interval sessions I carry my phone in a Naked band. Works well for me and allows me to carry some other things like gels, tissues, keys, light...

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#185

Post by rm445 »

maskull wrote: post #2

I'm amazed apple has got by with a 3/4 day charge for 10 generations while garmin has had products with a 7+ day charge for years.

Once you give up sleep tracking as a feature, it doesn't matter too much as people can charge their watch nightly.

I'm very much on the other side of that decision - I find sleep tracking to be a killer feature, but you can see how Apple got away with it.

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#186

Post by lotsofpulp »

iechoz6H wrote: post #48
scarface_74 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With my Apple Watch, I don’t need my phone when I’m running, swimming or at the gym. I can receive and return texts, make and receive calls and listen to music either stored on the watch or streamed over cellular.

How do you receive calls without a sim? Or does it have a dedicated sim with a different number to your regular phone?

As far as I know, the watch’s eSIM technically has its own phone number, but the mobile provider does some backend stuff to make it look like it is using your iPhone’s phone number.

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#188

Post by mvdtnz »

NoboruWataya wrote: post #14

Interesting article. My partner bought an Apple watch a couple of years ago and I was shocked at what a poor value proposition it was. Very expensive and wouldn't even hold a charge for a day. I guess you get used to it but having to charge my watch every day would drive me mad. Obviously there are things it will do better than a Garmin (and things it can do that a Garmin simply can't) but overall it didn't make sens…

The first thing I do when I buy a Garmin watch (I have several) is turn off phone notifications. I simply cannot imagine why anyone would want them on. I tried for a decent amount of time but I just don't see the value in it, it's just aggravation I don't need. Not because of the implementation from Garmin, which is fine, but the whole concept.

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#189

Post by mvdtnz »

NoboruWataya wrote: post #14

Interesting article. My partner bought an Apple watch a couple of years ago and I was shocked at what a poor value proposition it was. Very expensive and wouldn't even hold a charge for a day. I guess you get used to it but having to charge my watch every day would drive me mad. Obviously there are things it will do better than a Garmin (and things it can do that a Garmin simply can't) but overall it didn't make sens…

I just don't understand how Apple, supposed masters of design and aesthetics, ever thought it was a good idea to release a square watch. It just looks so dumb.

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#190

Post by regus »

rufus_foreman wrote: post #165
regus wrote: post #139

I have a soft spot in my heart for Garmin. I am one of the few people left that still use Garmin's car GPS. I currently use the latest model, the Drive Smart 66. It is my daily driver (lol?). I recently went on a cross country road trip and this thing worked perfectly even when I was in the middle of the desert or driving through a canyon. It was nice to not rely on cell phone service for navigation on this trip. Alt…

>> Modern Garmin GPSs can get traffic data -- Counter Point: It requires a cellphone and it is not going to be as good as google maps They make versions that get the traffic data over FM radio, you don't need a phone with those. For example https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1240929 .

That's true, I was considering mentioning that but I wasn't sure if that feature is still enabled in the latest version. It is also not really dependable because you need to be in the right place in order to get the data, or at least that was my perception when using older GPS models.
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