The Apple Watch • Hacker News Board

Re: The Apple Watch

#201

Post by DigitalSea » Thu, Apr 09, 2015, 1:32 AM UTC

Is John Gruber ever non-biased in his pieces about Apple? Given his history with the company, I feel like with Gruber we never ever get the real deal. Every article on every Apple product announcement starts out feeling well-intentioned and non-objective, but then always seems to segue into a subtle praise piece. I am not hating on him, he still makes some great points and he puts considerable amounts of effort into analysis pieces. I just feel like with Gruber we would never see an article honestly telling us something Apple have released is bad.

> Also, though it sounds trivial, I enjoy the perfect 60 FPS smoothness of Apple Watch’s second hand — a smoothness no mechanical watch could ever match.

Based on a culmination of reviews and early preview articles I have read, videos and basically everything I have read about the Apple Watch this statement seems kind of ironic. The second hand might be smooth, but the very real performance issues people have encountered with the watch mean the rest of the Apple Watch experience is anything but smooth. What's the point of a smooth second hand if the rest of the experience is somewhat crippled and unusable?

I like the look of the Apple Watch and the very idea of it, but to an extent. It feels as though articles like Gruber's here are talking with reckless abandon, from the perspective that existing solutions aren't out there. From a user interface perspective the Pebble watch and Moto 360 especially are beautiful, well-crafted and smooth interfaces. Apple are not entering new territory nor are they introducing any ideas or improvements into the space (besides the physical appearance).

Lets not pretend that there aren't as equally good, if not, better smart watches out there. They might not have had the same amount of design and research put into them, but I think there is such a thing as over-engineering something. I am pretty happy with my Pebble watch, the battery life is great and so too, is the battery life.

I am by no means an expert, but I like nice watches and to me the Apple Watch will never match the build quality, feel and longevity of a nice traditional mechanical watch even if it is only from a battery life perspective.

Re: The Apple Watch

#202

Post by njloof » Thu, Apr 09, 2015, 1:38 AM UTC

Fuzzwah wrote: post #125

jkestner wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lots of folks upgrade phones every year or every other year. I question whether this is the bubble that geeks live in. Plenty of people don't know there are new phones to get until their old one breaks. In the case that someone's upgrading when their contract gives them a new phone, I can see more of a strain, but they rarely think of themselves paying $600 for a phone. To an extent, Apple is producing the Watch to o…

I'm interested how long the average phone lasts before it breaks in your pool of anecdotal people? My social circle sounds similar to yours. I have two phone junkie friends who seem to be moving to a new phone every year. Then a handful of geek friends who upgrade their phones at the end of their contracts, which is normally two or three version numbers higher. That leaves the majority who upgrade when their phones b…

Anecdotally, my last iPhone broke in a pool of anecdotal water.

Re: The Apple Watch

#203

Post by threeseed » Thu, Apr 09, 2015, 1:43 AM UTC

DigitalSea wrote: post #201

Is John Gruber ever non-biased in his pieces about Apple? Given his history with the company, I feel like with Gruber we never ever get the real deal. Every article on every Apple product announcement starts out feeling well-intentioned and non-objective, but then always seems to segue into a subtle praise piece. I am not hating on him, he still makes some great points and he puts considerable amounts of effort into…

It is ridiculous to say that Apple hasn't introduced any new ideas or improvements to the smartwatch space.

Re: The Apple Watch

#204

Post by njloof » Thu, Apr 09, 2015, 1:45 AM UTC

sebnukem2 wrote: post #16

If I had to choose between a dumb watch that never needs recharging (like my Citizen Eco-Drive) and a "smart" watch that doesn't even last a full day, I'd choose the dumb watch. Who the hell think that a watch that can't even function a day is an acceptable product? This just blows my mind. And yet, I'm pretty sure they are going to sell millions of them. I wouldn't want one if it was free.

My grandfather's watch only lasts a day between windings.

Re: The Apple Watch

#205

Post by DigitalSea » Thu, Apr 09, 2015, 1:48 AM UTC

threeseed wrote: post #203

DigitalSea wrote: post #201

Is John Gruber ever non-biased in his pieces about Apple? Given his history with the company, I feel like with Gruber we never ever get the real deal. Every article on every Apple product announcement starts out feeling well-intentioned and non-objective, but then always seems to segue into a subtle praise piece. I am not hating on him, he still makes some great points and he puts considerable amounts of effort into…

It is ridiculous to say that Apple hasn't introduced any new ideas or improvements to the smartwatch space.

What new ideas and improvements would those be? Honest and non-argumentative question. I mean of course besides the beautiful engineering (I like the appearance of the Apple Watch) and digital crown.

Re: The Apple Watch

#206

Post by vizeroth » Thu, Apr 09, 2015, 1:50 AM UTC

jkestner wrote: post #143

Fuzzwah wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm interested how long the average phone lasts before it breaks in your pool of anecdotal people? My social circle sounds similar to yours. I have two phone junkie friends who seem to be moving to a new phone every year. Then a handful of geek friends who upgrade their phones at the end of their contracts, which is normally two or three version numbers higher. That leaves the majority who upgrade when their phones b…

Good question. I think we're actually in the early stages of the cycle. Those people I don't think will upgrade for a while are still on their first smartphones, mostly iPhone 5. I've noticed significantly less breakage once they switched from dumbphones... they actually like and need their smartphone where a dumbphone was like any other phone - you lose some contacts and that's it. Obviously, that attachment has som…

In the time since I got my current phone (an S3), my wife's gone through 3 of them (though all S3s, and primarily through insurance replacement). The primary reason I haven't replaced my phone (as this is my third or fourth "smartphone") is because my carrier changed their hardware policies, making a new phone more expensive unless I move to an older phone (though I could still get a newer model than the S3 for a fairly low price). My particular S3 has been great, while my wife's have been less resilient.

As for anything really keeping me from upgrading, other than a slight fear that the new phone might not be as good as the current phone, I'm really not afraid of losing contacts or anything else. I think I've gotten to the point where the new models aren't really offering a compelling reason to upgrade (other than planned obsolescence as apps get more bloated and OS versions become unsupported).

As for the Apple Watch (and competitors), I think there are three primary demographics: 1. Boomers who look at it as the "Dick Tracy" accessory. 2. Those who like to wear a large, expensive watch primarily as a showpiece (especially since so many people stopped wearing watches when they started using their phones as a timepiece). 3. Those interested in the tech.

Re: The Apple Watch

#207

Post by calvin_c » Thu, Apr 09, 2015, 2:00 AM UTC

DigitalSea wrote: post #205

threeseed wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is ridiculous to say that Apple hasn't introduced any new ideas or improvements to the smartwatch space.

What new ideas and improvements would those be? Honest and non-argumentative question. I mean of course besides the beautiful engineering (I like the appearance of the Apple Watch) and digital crown.

Moving the space app centric is a pretty big deal for me at least. Even if it requires teathering to a phone, and with the performance issues, it's a big step above the notification centric nature of Android Wear. Plus the ability to run on wifi and stay connected with the phone.

Not saying the device isn't worthy of most of its criticisms, but let's not pretend this is and iOS-ified version of Android Wear.

Re: The Apple Watch

#208

Post by bennettfeely » Thu, Apr 09, 2015, 2:08 AM UTC

bitsoda wrote: post #21

Gruber's scenario with the two high school kids sending each other love taps, scribbles, and heartbeats was poignant. While the Apple Watch isn't for me, I can't begrudge those who decide to buy one. I think back to the late 90s and how I wouldn't have met my wife if not for IMing a screenname a mutual friend of ours passed along to me. The internet, a crappy eMachines desktop, and AIM made this possible. Technically…

> You’re 16.

And you, and your crush, each have both an iPhone, and an Apple Watch, both charged, both connected to the internet.

> You’re in school. You’re sitting in class.

Do, or will, many high schools actually allow students to use smartwatches while in class?

> You have a crush on another student — you’ve fallen hard. ... You’re afraid to just come right out and ask, verbally — afraid of the crushing weight of rejection.

But I assume you already have this crush's phone number or information in your contacts to send them a heartbeat or drawing?

Re: The Apple Watch

#209

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Apr 09, 2015, 2:09 AM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #166

bitsoda wrote: post #21

Gruber's scenario with the two high school kids sending each other love taps, scribbles, and heartbeats was poignant. While the Apple Watch isn't for me, I can't begrudge those who decide to buy one. I think back to the late 90s and how I wouldn't have met my wife if not for IMing a screenname a mutual friend of ours passed along to me. The internet, a crappy eMachines desktop, and AIM made this possible. Technically…

Gruber's scenario with the two high school kids was probably the worst thing he's ever written. There needs to be an annual 500-word short story writing competition, for best story turning on the sentence "But you both wore an Apple Watch". I say this as someone who generally admires John Gruber's ability to sell me on 1000-2000 word blog posts on Apple minutia purely on the strength and clarity of his writing. This…

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Re: The Apple Watch

#210

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Apr 09, 2015, 2:15 AM UTC

jkestner wrote: post #192

72deluxe wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, and hopefully weren't using an Android device?

People are already literally using your smartphone platform as a dating filter: https://medium.com/message/its-kind-of-cheesy-being-green-2c... I'm kinda harping on the difference between us and the general population in this whole thread, as some HNers don't get it, but I don't blame them - the behavior of other demographics constantly amazes me. We'd do well to observe more.

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