Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Apple Watch

apple.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

501–510 of 863 posts

Re: The Apple Watch

#501

Post by photojosh »

Kurtz79 wrote: post #326
3pt14159 wrote: post #55

Super disappointed with this. I was hoping for a bunch of sensors that fed my iPhone. Not something to discretely take meetings during a meeting. Here is what is missing for me: 1. Sweat sensor. 2. Insulin sensor. 3. Smarter/more accelerometers to intelligently automatically detect what I'm doing. For example, if I start lifting 50 lbs in a dumbell bench press it should know that! My iPhone should auto update a fitne…

I don't think you can get much more information than heart rate from a non-invasive device whose only input is the surface contact with your wrist. Electrical Skin Resistance ("Sweat sensor") would be possible to measure, but in my brief experience with it is very unreliable as the sole source of information, since you get the same physical response from many different causes.

https://www.trainbsx.com/insight <- I've got in on the Kickstarter. Measures blood lactate.

Re: The Apple Watch

#502

Post by zak_mc_kracken »

a_c_s wrote: post #480
wildfire wrote: post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm old enough to remember to spell, and remember when the first Mac came out. The response has always been the same; one segment pointing out problems, another pointing out how "visionary" the new thing is. If you are as old as you claim to be, and still fall foul of corporate machinations - then "sucks to be you". Next you'll tell us what your current corporate master told you to say. There a many things wrong with…

Counting Google's unreleased moonshot products as innovation seems like counting one's chickens before they hatch. It is easy to innovate in the abstract, much harder to fully realize a vision in the form of a product.

Innovation is innovation. Just because an innovation isn't a success in the market place doesn't mean it was not innovative.

Re: The Apple Watch

#503

Post by n09n »

personZ wrote: post #281
chipotle_coyote wrote: post #249

While someone else already made the reference to this quote, it's hard for me not to recall Commander Taco's (in)famous dismissal of the original iPod when I browse these comments. Personally I don't know that there's any watch that would really get me to start wearing watches at all again -- I never liked them that much to begin with. But this knocks down an awful lot of the criticisms I've had of existing smartwatc…

it's hard for me not to recall Commander Taco's (in)famous dismissal of the original iPod when I browse these comments You should also remember that he was hardly in the majority with those comments. Further he was technically correct, and the iPod succeeded because of a synergy with other parts of Apple's empire (notably iTunes). But what's really interesting to me is that Apple has clearly put a lot more thought in…

The reality distortion field and the ability to spin those negatives as positives are features, though.

A watch is primarily a piece of jewelry. How well it tells the time or does other things is much less important than how fashionable it is. Branding is one of Apple's strong suits, and you can't take that away by adding features as if consumer purchasing decisions are based on some kind of checklist-like RFPs like corporate drones are used to.

Re: The Apple Watch

#506

Post by foldr »

kweinber wrote: post #487
schrodinger wrote: post #421

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is that possible? GPS satellites are sending the same signal out to everyone, I don't see how they could possibly target a certain area.

Gps satellites all send slightly incorrect information... A separate radio signal correction is transmitted to correct it. That way, during wartime (or in high value target areas) the US can basically mess up enemy gps enabled weapons by broadcasting misleading satellite and correction data.

That doesn't answer the question of how they could make GPs inaccurate only in a specific area.

Re: The Apple Watch

#507

Post by n09n »

aetherson wrote: post #489
threeseed wrote: post #461

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't speak to Apple's intentions but it is what makes iOS fundamentally different to Android. It could be related to product marketing. People buy iPads for fundamentally different use cases than buying a phone (even a large one). Edit: Because I am being downvoted so heavily for this let me be clear. I don't agree with what Apple did only trying to explain it. I would imagine that Apple never expected to be relea…

Okay, can you give me an example of a ui element that would be usefully different on a 6" phone vs a 6" tablet?

Unlock screen. Inactivity timer. Lockscreen alert message. Wifi configuration. Notification center.

Re: The Apple Watch

#508

Post by wdr1 »

personZ wrote: post #281
chipotle_coyote wrote: post #249

While someone else already made the reference to this quote, it's hard for me not to recall Commander Taco's (in)famous dismissal of the original iPod when I browse these comments. Personally I don't know that there's any watch that would really get me to start wearing watches at all again -- I never liked them that much to begin with. But this knocks down an awful lot of the criticisms I've had of existing smartwatc…

it's hard for me not to recall Commander Taco's (in)famous dismissal of the original iPod when I browse these comments You should also remember that he was hardly in the majority with those comments. Further he was technically correct, and the iPod succeeded because of a synergy with other parts of Apple's empire (notably iTunes). But what's really interesting to me is that Apple has clearly put a lot more thought in…

> You should also remember that he was hardly in the majority with those comments. Further he was technically correct, and the iPod succeeded because of a synergy with other parts of Apple's empire (notably iTunes).

I think that's a very weak argument, as iTunes wasn't available for the PC market for years. The Mac market at that point was nascent and lots of people were buying iPods w/o the ability to use iTunes.

Re: The Apple Watch

#509

Post by gone35 »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #274
tdicola wrote: post #251

I worry this will be a massive target for theft. If someone sees you wearing an Apple Watch they know you have at least a $350 watch and $400+ phone on your person.

Not really a valid argument; a lot of people have their phone out at all times (or even just to check the time), which isn't even attached to their wrists like this one is. Second, at $350, the resale value on the black market is what, $50? $100 if you're lucky? Not sure if a robbery is worth that. Besides, how do people with expensive watches (Rolexes and whatnot) manage?

I think tdicola's point is that, unlike any other watch, having an iWatch in your wrist immediately signals you also have an iPhone 5 or higher tucked somewhere in that moment --since the watch, stupidly, only works tethered to an iPhone apparently.

As it happens, this kind of wealth signaling is a legitimate personal safety risk in many countries today, esp lower- to middle-income ones. In those countries, very few people can afford to wear expensive watches; and when they do, they just don't wear them around everyday in every public setting --more like for special occasions, private parties, meetings, etc. Note the risk is not just 'merely' mugging: it can also be kidnapping (you or your loved ones), 'doxxing' you and your family and emptying your bank accounts and so forth, or even extreme forms of assault --beatings, rape or death. So it's kind of a big deal.

iPhones, on the other hand, can be carried and used discreetly at all times, in non-conspicuous cases and using hands-free earphones --that is, until now, if you happen to be wearing a beaming iWatch right on your wrist, thus defeating the whole point.

Re: The Apple Watch

#510

Post by Terretta »

sundvor wrote: post #446
girvo wrote: post #398

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I own a Pebble Steel, and am quite interested in a Moto 360. I'm guessing you've tried the former too? What are your thoughts on the two? I'm trying to decide if I should switch my mobile back to Android and get a 360 instead of my iPhone + Pebble Steel :)

I have a Pebble Steel too, silver one, and if you've gotten used to the battery life of that, I have a feeling after reading Ars Technica's review that you'd find the Moto 360 less to your liking. I absolutely love the always on epaper screen on my Steel, plus how classy the whole device looks and feels - and the functionality it offers me. None of the new smartwatches have any appeal to me as having to charge them d…

Pebble Steel owner here since early shipments, and traveling without a charger is meaningful. The U i beats the rest! and the look does too.

That said, it seems like Apple has taken each category of wearable, advanced it in some meaningful way, and merged all of them, for a device more than a sum of the others. Really depends how it feels as to whether that's true.

I'm guessing these could get derided as "fondle-wear" because the interactions seem intended to be touchy-feely. Reaching out to "tap" someone, or "sketching" instead of texting your S.O., these offer a human/device bond of some kind. Clever.

Post reply on HN