Apple Watch Event - Mon 09 Mar

[Jessica Lares]

A lot of people bought the 6th gen iPod Nano and put a watch strap on it. It makes perfect sense that they would add a music player to use with Bluetooth earphones. In fact, it was the one feature a lot of people really wanted for the next generation. They were all pretty sad when it wasn't just a refresh and an entirely new device that couldn't be used in the straps though. I still see these iPods being sold among people on Apple forums. Nobody really likes the 7th gen (except me it seems, heh).

You could load a few audiobooks and podcasts as an alternative too.

Most people will use it one hour or two at a time for this, and if you're really good with setting up stuff before you go out so you don't have to mess with it as it's playing, it won't drain the battery very much.

I really wouldn't compare a battery draining on a watch to the battery drain on a smartphone. The phone is like a computer where the amount of power you use, varies on what you're doing with it.

[murg]

Originally Posted by PeterT

Simple solution for those who want long battery life from the Apple Watch.... Buy multiple of them. One on wrist, one on charger, one charged waiting to go.

Don't forget one on the other wrist. And on each ankle.

I think I'll stop there...

[murg]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Like trying to buy something when you don't have the cash on you and your credit cards are at home.

Like a train/bus ticket to get home...

[zebradude]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Please present your evidence to support this claim.

Harry,

I was looking at your list of devices and saw that you have a iPhone 4. You will need a iPhone 5 or newer.....

FYI...

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by zebradude

Harry,

I was looking at your list of devices and saw that you have a iPhone 4. You will need a iPhone 5 or newer.....

FYI...

Pebble is compatible with iPhone 4.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by zebradude

Harry,

I was looking at your list of devices and saw that you have a iPhone 4. You will need a iPhone 5 or newer.....

FYI...

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.

[pwalker8]

After thinking about it for a few days, I would break the likely first wave Apple Watch buyers into 3 groups.

One are those who want to be in on the first wave of cool technology or will buy anything Apple.
The second are people who like the idea of an Apple watch, and plan to get it as a fashion statement.
The third are those who have a specific issue that it solves.

For me, it solves three problems. First, not having to pull my iPhone out of my pocket when I get a notification. The second is being able to not carry my iPhone around the house to avoid missing calls (also allows me to put the iPhone in a secure pocket rather than stick it in my shirt pocket where it tends to fall out when I bend over). The last is exercise monitoring.

IMPO, if someone is saying should I buy an Apple watch (people in the first two groups aren't asking that question), then I would simply ask, what problem are you trying to solve with it? In the programming industry we call this your use case.

[zebradude]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Spring Forward





Not only is it expensive ($349), but it's also really ugly.

The coolest takeaway for me was the research kit. Excellent concept and Vision!

[zebradude]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Spring Forward





Not only is it expensive ($349), but it's also really ugly.

I find it interesting that the most expensive Apple Watch is targeted towards the feminine gender...

is Apple saying that women are more shallow than men?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by zebradude

I find it interesting that the most expensive Apple Watch is targeted towards the feminine gender...

is Apple saying that women are more shallow than men?

I certainly get the impression (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that most women's watches are primarily sold as jewellery rather than as a means of telling the time. Most of them seem to have extremely small watch faces. From that perspective it does probably make sense to target the more expensive models (which are more expensive purely in the sense of being made of precious metals) at women.

[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.

[fjtorres]

Fifty Shades of Apple Watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WSM...w8hRvt3otRNnfM

[pwalker8]

Holman Jenkins of the WSJ has an interesting take on the purpose of the Apple Watch

http://www.wsj.com/articles/holman-j...286015?tesla=y

(google "Why the Apple Watch Exists" if you don't have a WSJ account)

Basically, his point is that the apple watch is designed to enhance Apple iPhone sales, rather than as a stand alone, next great thing product. According to him, the Apple Watch simply makes using an iPhone more convenient to use since you don't have to pull your iPhone out of your pocket or backpack all the time. So it's more of an incremental gap product rather than a ground breaking luxury product.

[fjtorres]

Zdnet thinks Apple has lost its religion on the Watch:

http://www.zdnet.com/article/has-app...tag=TRE17cfd61

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Zdnet thinks Apple has lost its religion on the Watch:

http://www.zdnet.com/article/has-app...tag=TRE17cfd61

That article makes some good points. Leave the functionality that belongs on an iphone or ipad on those devices and use the watch for what it will excel at: fastpay, keyless entry, health monitoring and notifications.