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Apple has a decade-long lead in wearables

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Re: Apple has a decade-long lead in wearables

#31

Post by amatecha »

emsy wrote: post #14
lettergram wrote: post #4

Pebble IMO was and still is the best wearable watch. I don’t think anything worked better largely due to the long battery life and generally the e-ink design. Had they added different wrist bands with smart tech in it, it would have gone even further. I don’t really think apple has a decade lead, what they do have is minimal innovation they’re competing with. AND more importantly, a brand and ecosystem. That being sa…

I had several pebbles (2 b/w and the colored one) and now have an apple watch. You don’t know what you’re talking about, the tech in the apple watch is years ahead. There’s much to criticize about the apple watch but it does the important things just so much better than the competition. I also never understood the focus on battery life. I put my watch on the charger whenever I go to sleep. If I forget it either still…

I mean, sure the Apple Watch is "years ahead". It not only came out two years later, but is developed by one of the most wealthy consumer tech/software companies in the world. Pebble was acquired by FitBit right around the time the second iteration of the Apple Watch was out, so there's really not much point in comparing the two in terms of technology.

Despite Apple Watch's merits over the Pebble, I still miss my Pebble watches. The thing I actually miss the most is the physical buttons, so I can switch the currently-playing song with my watch without having to look at it. Having nearly all interaction with the Apple Watch being a touch screen is one big downside IMO -- still something it hasn't really "beaten" vs. Pebble Watch :)

Re: Apple has a decade-long lead in wearables

#32

Post by rubicon33 »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #3

I didn't think I would like the Apple Watch as much as I do. I swear, add a camera, and I'll leave my phone at home. I know, it's not a mobile browser, not really much as a mobile messaging device — but that's fine. One one hand, I'm not your stereotypical phone user that is always engrossed in the black mirror but furthermore, the Apple Watch means I am even less inclined.

I'm in the same boat. I got the LTE connected Apple watch and I absolutely LOVE it. I leave my phone AND my wallet at home pretty much everywhere I go now. If I get a phone call, or a text, I answer it with my watch.

I have phone, text, apple pay, music (spotify, pandora), maps, and so much more. Probably the only thing I miss is a browser to google something. But that's pretty rare that I need that.

The best part is that all of these apps work natively, without the phone nearby, entirely over LTE or WiFi.

Seriously if you hate carrying around a big phone, get an LTE connected Apple watch. It's a game changer.

Re: Apple has a decade-long lead in wearables

#33

Post by TENACIOUSANT »

intellix wrote: post #22
JKCalhoun wrote: post #3

I didn't think I would like the Apple Watch as much as I do. I swear, add a camera, and I'll leave my phone at home. I know, it's not a mobile browser, not really much as a mobile messaging device — but that's fine. One one hand, I'm not your stereotypical phone user that is always engrossed in the black mirror but furthermore, the Apple Watch means I am even less inclined.

Feel like I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum. I hate wearing it and don't like wearing anything any kind of jewellery either. Only really wearing it for sleep tracking and I don't even do anything with the data. I don't really use it for time and I honestly can't think of any reason to use it for anything. The health stuff doesn't tell me anything is wrong with me and the notifications drive me insane vibrating…

Agreed on the haptics, a literal nightmare device with them enabled. But without I find it keeps me less tethered to the phone, and able to check on calls and messages during a conversation without breaking the flow

Re: Apple has a decade-long lead in wearables

#34

Post by maxerickson »

graeme wrote: post #11
cozzyd wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want to track your sleep that doesn't work so well

Everyone says this without trying it. I wear my Apple Watch to sleep. In the morning I shower and charge it. It is fully charged and lasts till next morning.

You missed their meaning. They meant that taking your watch off overnight to charge it gets in the way of sleep tracking.

Edit: People aren't reading carefully. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27321770 clearly means what I've stated and then the parent says that they must not have tried charging their watch at some other time.

Re: Apple has a decade-long lead in wearables

#36

Post by dgarrett »

Pxtl wrote: post #29
lettergram wrote: post #4

Pebble IMO was and still is the best wearable watch. I don’t think anything worked better largely due to the long battery life and generally the e-ink design. Had they added different wrist bands with smart tech in it, it would have gone even further. I don’t really think apple has a decade lead, what they do have is minimal innovation they’re competing with. AND more importantly, a brand and ecosystem. That being sa…

This. A smartwatch must be a watch first. A watch is small, always-on, and recharged rarely. Most smartwatches aren't - short batteries, screens that you have to shake to wake, and large.

A smartphone must be a phone first. A phone is large with a comfortable earpiece, has large easy-to-press physical numbers, and is plugged into the wall so it doesn't require recharging.

Re: Apple has a decade-long lead in wearables

#37

Post by salamandersauce »

emsy wrote: post #14
lettergram wrote: post #4

Pebble IMO was and still is the best wearable watch. I don’t think anything worked better largely due to the long battery life and generally the e-ink design. Had they added different wrist bands with smart tech in it, it would have gone even further. I don’t really think apple has a decade lead, what they do have is minimal innovation they’re competing with. AND more importantly, a brand and ecosystem. That being sa…

I had several pebbles (2 b/w and the colored one) and now have an apple watch. You don’t know what you’re talking about, the tech in the apple watch is years ahead. There’s much to criticize about the apple watch but it does the important things just so much better than the competition. I also never understood the focus on battery life. I put my watch on the charger whenever I go to sleep. If I forget it either still…

What is years ahead? It has a better SoC than competing watches for sure but what's the point? I wouldn't be surprised if the first Apple Watch has a faster SoC than my Fenix 5 Plus but other than the time it takes for it to make up a random running route I don't really care because the device feels snappy. My Pebble felt snappy too. I think other than EKG (don't care about that) my Fenix has all the same sensors, GPS, NFC for payments, HR monitor, accelerometer, altimeter, WiFi, bluetooth etc. I do wish it was a little more open like Pebble to get some of those weird little apps back though.

To me, a power hungry OLED touch screen seems like doing the important things wrong. It's harder to see in the sun, doesn't work with gloves or when it's cold, you need to actually LOOK at it to do something like pause music or change the album.

Re: Apple has a decade-long lead in wearables

#38

Post by krrrh »

I think people underestimate how big of a factor weight is going to be when it comes to face wearables. Apple’s lead in terms of performance/watt is so massive at this point, they’re going to have a few years where no other AR solution can even compete.

Re: Apple has a decade-long lead in wearables

#39

Post by paxys »

That is in general a ridiculous claim to make when talking about consumer technology. No company has a decade-long lead in anything. If there is sufficient economic motivation competitors will always catch up in a year or two. It happened for smartphones, tablets, TVs, speakers, headphones, cameras, voice assistants and just about everything else.

In case of the watch specifically I actually think there isn't enough motivation to innovate considering the space hasn't blown up like everyone expected. If you take headphones out of the picture wearables as a whole is still a relatively niche device category.

Re: Apple has a decade-long lead in wearables

#40

Post by maxerickson »

CoolGuySteve wrote: post #5

Around 10 years ago I wrote a Linux driver for the OCZ Nia, a super cheap EMG device. The Nia was actually a $10k medical device for paralyzed people to control computers with their face and tongue repurposed as a gaming input and sold for $120. While I'm certain the technology has advanced, what surprises me most is how basic these finger reading devices seem. They're basically some electrodes on your skin near majo…

The implementation shown in the video strikes me very much as an accessibility feature (which is a fine thing). By comparison, pressing the stateful stop button on my exercise watch is quick and straightforward.
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