Apple Watch Event - Mon 09 Mar

[frahse]

Originally Posted by HarryT

My iPhone 4 is approaching its 5th birthday, and has done sterling service, but its battery life is shorting to get rather short now. I'll probably be replacing it with an iPhone 6 before too long.

3.5" display to !!

[rdfry]

Looks like a waste of money in this incarnation.

[Alohamora]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Traditionally, womens watches were much smaller and more stylized than men's watches.
The theory being that men need functionality (timers, calendars, etc) and daytime durability but that women only needed the watch at night, for socializing. And since women were "smaller and daintier" the smaller watches couldn't carry the added functionality.
Of course, watch designers being male didn't exactly give women many choices.

That started to change with digital watches and the switch to plastic at the low end. Plus modern marketting finally paying attention to what people actually do rather than what it is presumed they do. (Something corporate publishing still doesn't get.) Women who were forced to buy men and boys watches can now buy sports watches, chronometers, and diving watches in appropriate sizes as well as the primarily decorative stuff. Some companies don't even bother to distinguish; they just market the watches by size. And even if they don't, active younger women have no problem wearing the heavy traditionally "male" designs.

With smartwatches, where watchface size is critical to usability, the trend towards gender neutral watches will very likely dominate. The Apple watches aren't really all that different other than in size and weight. Especially the ones that will sell in volume.

As an older woman with thin wrists, the size of most of these smart watches make them a total non-starter with me. I just I don't hang with a young enough crowd either, but I don't know any woman who'd wear one of these monsters.

[Skydog]

Originally Posted by Alohamora

As an older woman with thin wrists, the size of most of these smart watches make them a total non-starter with me. I just I don't hang with a young enough crowd either, but I don't know any woman who'd wear one of these monsters.

Well, I am a woman with very small wrists and frequently wear a "monster." It has always been my major gripe that women's watches never offer equivalent functions of men's versions because of the reduced size. My ladies Breitling is a classic example. I use and need various functions and must strap a two-pound puck on my wrist if I want them. With the current technology it is certainly possible to produce a function-rich watch of a reasonable size but it all comes down to what will sell and women are the minority in this category.

[Skydog]

Originally Posted by Alohamora

As an older woman with thin wrists, the size of most of these smart watches make them a total non-starter with me. I just I don't hang with a young enough crowd either, but I don't know any woman who'd wear one of these monsters.

Well, I am a woman with very small wrists and frequently wear a "monster." It has always been my major gripe that women's watches never offer equivalent functions of men's versions because of the reduced size. My ladies Breitling is a classic example. I use and need various functions and must strap a two-pound puck on my wrist if I want them. With the current technology it is certainly possible to produce a function-rich watch of a reasonable size but it all comes down to what will sell and women are the minority in this category.

Moderator: Please delete this duplicate. Result of tablet shutdown from battery exhaustion.

[Barty]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Well, technically it is a lie. It doesn't last 18 hours. Can you show us how the numbers of real usage add up to 18 hours or even close?

I don't know how the watch battery will do, but from my experience the iPad does last as long as they say. My iPad 3 still goes about 8 hours, which is about what I get from my pretty new galaxy tab S.

[frahse]

Bad news for the Apple Watch "watchers."


Apple might cut Apple Watch shipments in half because it's having trouble producing the watch's screen

Reduced watch shipments

Also of interest is the use of a AMOLED screen. Perhaps the increased contrast will help people see the tiny little icons and pictures on the watch face.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by frahse

Bad news for the Apple Watch "watchers."


Apple might cut Apple Watch shipments in half because it's having trouble producing the watch's screen

Reduced watch shipments

Also of interest is the use of a AMOLED screen. Perhaps the increased contrast will help people see the tiny little icons and pictures on the watch face.

I tend to take such rumors with a grain of salt. They tend to be wrong a lot more often than they are right. We shall see come April 10th.

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by frahse

Bad news for the Apple Watch "watchers."


Apple might cut Apple Watch shipments in half because it's having trouble producing the watch's screen

Reduced watch shipments

Also of interest is the use of a AMOLED screen. Perhaps the increased contrast will help people see the tiny little icons and pictures on the watch face.

Looks a lot like a ploy to panic people into ordering one to me. I'd guess pre-orders haven't been as high as expected.

[vaughnmr]

Originally Posted by frahse

Also of interest is the use of a AMOLED screen. Perhaps the increased contrast will help people see the tiny little icons and pictures on the watch face.

I have the Asus Zenwatch with an Amoled screen, I think it works a lot better than the LCD displays on smartwatches.

While not an Apple product (sorry, not a fan), I'm really enjoying the Android Wear smartwatch. It does take a load off your phone, you can see notifications on the watch and read a lot of the emails and txt without picking it up. With medium use all day (6am to 7pm) I've still got 75% battery on the Nexus 6 phone and 55% on the watch, not too shabby. Tried a shopping list on the wrist this weekend and it worked pretty good, hated pulling out the phone out of my pocket to check a list. Weather radar on the wrist is neat. Added a stainless steel band for $25, really looks nice for a $225 investment.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I tend to take such rumors with a grain of salt.

Do you find it odd that we all take our rumors with a grain of salt? If I'm going to be forced to consume a rumor, I might prefer a few shots of Glenfiddich 18 first. After that, if Farfarello could possibly dip the rumor in leatherwood honey and a melted Goldkenn bar before he clapperclaws me and shoves that funnel between my lips. . . .

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

Looks a lot like a ploy to panic people into ordering one to me. I'd guess pre-orders haven't been as high as expected.

I doubt that given that pre-orders don't start until April 10th.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

Do you find it odd that we all take our rumors with a grain of salt? If I'm going to be forced to consume a rumor, I might prefer a few shots of Glenfiddich 18 first. After that, if Farfarello could possibly dip the rumor in leatherwood honey and a melted Goldkenn bar before he clapperclaws me and shoves that funnel between my lips. . . .

It's from an old Latin phrase. Depending on the story you believe a grain of salt is either a cure for poison, or is an additive to make the poison cure easier to swallow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grain_of_salt

[murg]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

It's from an old Latin phrase. Depending on the story you believe a grain of salt is either a cure for poison, or is an additive to make the poison cure easier to swallow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grain_of_salt

Oh. I thought it was to make potatoes edible...

[astrodad]

I have a Pebble watch and I love it. I can certainly see myself buying an Apple Watch (maybe not in this iteration) if the integration with the watch and phone is tighter than with the Pebble.