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Garmin's –$40B Pivot

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Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#51

Post by ghaff »

kubb wrote: post #42

My Garmin has a flashlight, maps with navigation on device, altimeter, barometer, thermometer, GPS and other satellite navigation systems, it tracks pulse, sleep, etc. It's perfect for hiking and cycling, helps you find the right route, shows the altitude profile, etc. The form factor is perfect, the watch is light and comfortable. I'm still considering getting a next gen Apple Watch Ultra if the specs are good. Havi…

I have an Ultra that I use for hiking. But I mostly don't wear it day to day because of the charging effort.

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#52

Post by chikere232 »

infecto wrote: post #46
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…

People value things differently but the battery life is always interesting to me. Certainly if I was backwoods hiking I get it but for my day to day I only take it off post workout in the morning as I shower and get ready for the day. It’s charged so quickly that I throw it back on as soon as I am done.

It sounds like you have a good routine, but it's pretty nice to just have to charge once a week or something

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#53

Post by gausswho »

I picked up an Epix Pro during the holiday sales. Aware that they'd had a data breach, I was dismayed to find there is no way to get the data off it without using an app and that app won't even start without an account. Despite the settings, wouldn't show up as a storage device when connected (on Linux).

I noped right out. Reeked of surveillance capitalism. Shame because I did like the hardware. Is there a dumb watch that's got a good enough screen for hiking maps and the ability to SOS without sending Walmart and the NSA my realtime heart rate?

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#54

Post by Lio »

mathieuh wrote: post #7

I don't know if their other product lines are better but the software and user experience of their Edge 1040 cycling computer is atrocious. It has every feature you could think of and some you couldn't but I swear it was designed by someone who has never ridden a bike. Even the navigation isn't great. Most of the time when I get to a roundabout it wants me to exit at the first exit, then immediately perform a u-turn,…

I remember using a Garmin Edge 1000 to navigate through a city I don't know. I could see the street I should be on running parallel to where I was but couldn't find the correct turn to take me there.

Then the Garmin popped a big modal dialogue over the top of the map to tell me I was on the wrong street. Worse still a few spots of rain meant the screen locked and I couldn't dismiss the modal.

I came to the same conclusion, that the UI wasn't designed by some one that rode a bike.

I have to say they've got better over time though. I've had a Garmin 530 for a few years and an Epix 2 watch that I like much better. I love that the Epix can be operated with just the buttons.

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#56

Post by anderiv »

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?

Apple Watches have their own eSIM and they share a number with your phone.

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#57

Post by _1tem »

There's a lesson to be learned here for small bootstrapped SaaS founders. You can still succeed (as a lifestyle business) even when Big Tech has a competing product. Who would pay for email when Gmail is free? And yet FastMail does well. There are many, many, smaller companies that may not be VC-scale, and yet manage to build profitable, sustainable, businesses on top of a good niche product, even when competing against VC funded giants.

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#58

Post by ghaff »

KeplerBoy wrote: post #10
hx833001 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ultra has better battery life, most people don’t wear a watch while sleeping, so it’s easy to charge at night like you do with a phone anyway. It also enables you to do almost everything essential in terms of communication without a phone if you want to leave it. Garmin watches do not.

I thought the sleep tracking and resting heart rate tracking is one of the most important features of a smartwatch. pretty sure most garmin users wear them at night for these reasons.

I had a review copy of a separate sleep monitor band that you slept on top of from a company that I think Apple bought. Basically I thought it was mostly an interesting curiosity and (possibly) a reasonable first diagnostic step if you suspect you have sleep issues.

However, for me, the results looked reasonable most nights and for those nights when I didn't sleep well for whatever reason, I mostly knew that was the case without the device results.

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#59

Post by lopis »

Meta: For some reason, HN replaced the tilde in the title of the article with a dash, making it seem like Garmin did a negative 40B pivot, instead of approximately. Why is that?

Re: Garmin's –$40B Pivot

#60

Post by joeofbook »

scarface_74 wrote: post #9
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.

I can just leave my phone at home when I’m running or in the gym and get phone calls, send messages, and stream music from my watch. I have a stand by my bed that I just plop my phone, watch and AirPods on and they all charge wirelessly and use MagSafe so I don’t have to worry about placement.

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