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Apple Watch sales up over 50% since last year

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Re: Apple Watch sales up over 50% since last year

#241

Post by macavity23 »

CydeWeys wrote: post #132
bigiain wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I backed the first and every subsequent Pebble KickStarter. When they sold out to Garmin* and refunded my last order/pledge, I spent _some_ of that refund on a 1957 Russian Kirovskie Sputnik Commemorative mechanical watch. I know none of my Pebbles or any Apple Watch is going to still be keeping good time 70 years from now... (it gains just under a minute a day - resetting it off my phone's clock when I wind it in th…

How is the Apple Watch that inaccurate? Does it not have a quartz crystal in it? Even mediocre mechanical watches do better than a minute per day.

One of my favorite things about the Apple Watch is that it keeps uncannily good time. Put two next to each other and you'll see what I mean.

I always found it disappointing that even the best mechanical watches drift by around a second a day. I guess growing up with software has given me unrealistic mechanical expectations :)

Re: Apple Watch sales up over 50% since last year

#242

Post by Vinnl »

princetman wrote: post #164

I've been using my Apple Watch for 2 years now. It has proven to be an extremely useful for me just for the Apple Pay and Notifications alone. It causes a strange social issue though. If you're in a middle of conversation, glancing at your watch every now and again is a rude gesture. I have had to explain my habit several times and forced my self not look at it for every odd notification.

Funny, that's why I stopped wearing regular watches. I don't think I'll ever be able to go for a smartwatch. But then again, it might become accepted behaviour just like glancing at your phone during a conversation appears to have become.

Re: Apple Watch sales up over 50% since last year

#243

Post by nradov »

Steko wrote: post #99
Fezzik wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the health tracking features are the major differentiating feature for wearables. Fit people want to track their exercise and stay fit and the unfit (for the most part) want to get fit. These two groups are 99% of the population. And, as we're finding in the 21st century/age of plenty, fitness takes some work. This thread alone indicates wearable can be a big motivator for fitness. In addition, the health tra…

I agree with all points except when you assume 'wearables' implies 'watches'. Similarly to payments, the health benefits can be delivered with a much smaller device. If health is the main benefit than that big gorgeous battery-sucking screen is a waste.

If you want to go beyond just counting steps and track actual activities (running, cycling, swimming, hiking, golf, etc) then you need some kind of display with buttons or touch screen.

Re: Apple Watch sales up over 50% since last year

#244

Post by nradov »

Lio wrote: post #178
Fezzik wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the health tracking features are the major differentiating feature for wearables. Fit people want to track their exercise and stay fit and the unfit (for the most part) want to get fit. These two groups are 99% of the population. And, as we're finding in the 21st century/age of plenty, fitness takes some work. This thread alone indicates wearable can be a big motivator for fitness. In addition, the health tra…

This probably fits with the iPod narrative but for me the current Apple Watches just aren't good enough for sports use. What do I mean? Well specifically they lack ANT+ support so they won't work sensors I already own. E.g. Cycling power meters, heart rate monitors, electronic groupsets, etc. Some of those I could replace cheaply with Bluetooth alternatives but not all of them. In the future I'd like to look at thing…

I've been using the latest Garmin Forerunner 935 for a couple months and so far it's been reliable. We'll see how long it lasts. But realistically I think we're going to have to consider wearable devices as disposable after a few years.

Re: Apple Watch sales up over 50% since last year

#245

Post by nradov »

coldtea wrote: post #172
visarga wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Wearable Fitness Devices Don’t Seem to Make You Fitter" https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/20/upshot/wearable-fitness-d...

Yeah, you also need to move your ass. Diets don't seem to make people leaner either, but it's a multi-hundred billion industry.

Buying a fitness tracker is a way to signal to everyone that you care about fitness without actually sweating. Just like buying "athleisure" clothes or nutritional supplements.

Re: Apple Watch sales up over 50% since last year

#246

Post by nradov »

oe wrote: post #168
Steko wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mostly agree but I think smart ring + headset + big phone/small tablet is a better setup.

Having the option to not take your phone with you when exercising is nice and it's already possible.

Except if you go out running without your phone you can't call 911 to report a car crash or someone needing medical attention. Has happened twice for me and I'm glad I had a cell phone. Maybe the next generation smart watches will include LTE voice call functionality.

Re: Apple Watch sales up over 50% since last year

#247

Post by nradov »

azm1 wrote: post #235
seanp2k2 wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I almost sprang for the v1 Watch, but waited for the Garmin Fenix 5. It's a far superior product IMO. Garmin is actually really good at designing interfaces for small screens, and t has buttons instead of touch, which I wanted. The battery lasts almost a week (long enough that I don't think about charging it, I just kinda plug it in when I notice the battery indicator below a quarter, which happens not very often). T…

Fenix is too heavy.There is no way general public would wear something like that.

I have a Garmin Forerunner 935. It runs the same basic software as the Fenix but it's lighter and cheaper. Worth considering.

Re: Apple Watch sales up over 50% since last year

#248

Post by freehunter »

Eric_WVGG wrote: post #217

Every nerd I know (including the ones who own Apple Watches) mirrors the comments in this thread — poor text entry, slow, half baked. Every non-nerd I know who has one absolutely loves them. Last month, my parents came to visit and... - boarded their flights with the Delta app - paid for taxis with Apple Pay on their wrists - laughed at how much higher their “steps” were here than back at home - when my mother wound…

>when my mother wound up in an accident, used Hey Siri to call us from her hospital bed when she couldn’t reach her phone.

I actually experienced this same thing last winter, and it was a life saver. I was taking out the trash and slipped on some ice on my deck. I hurt my back pretty bad and cracked some ribs. I wasn't able to shout to my wife inside because of the pain, and I wasn't able to stand up because of the pain. I was only wearing a pair of shorts because I wasn't planning on being out long, but the temperature was below freezing and the wind chill was below zero. I had no shirt or socks on and only a pair of slippers to protect my feet, so laying out there until my wife got suspicious and came to find me could have had some pretty bad consequences.

I didn't have my phone on me, but luckily I was wearing my watch and was within Bluetooth range of my phone. I was able to get Siri to call my wife and have her come out and help me back into the house. Kind of a nice feature.

Re: Apple Watch sales up over 50% since last year

#249

Post by nradov »

onion2k wrote: post #162
Mahn wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wear a fitness tracker. If I'm gonna wear something on my wrist, it ought to do something that my phone doesn't, otherwise it's hard to justify the cost.

Your phone almost certainly has all the functions that your fitness tracker has - the advantage is that you don't always have your phone on your person. The same is true of a smartwatch - you get the some of the functionality of your phone without needing to have your phone on you.

No my phone can't track my swims or measure my heart rate or tell me if my running stride is uneven.

Re: Apple Watch sales up over 50% since last year

#250

Post by nradov »

criddell wrote: post #96
Mahn wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wear a fitness tracker. If I'm gonna wear something on my wrist, it ought to do something that my phone doesn't, otherwise it's hard to justify the cost.

I like to wear a watch, so I kind of wish I could get a fitness tracker (with heart rate monitor) that doesn't have a clock on it. I sometimes wear a watch and a fitbit and that just looks stupid.

You could try wearing a heart rate monitor chest strap under your shirt and carry a Garmin fitness tracker in your pocket.
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