Quick Thoughts on Apple Watch
by Joshua Ho on September 9, 2014 8:16 PM EST
While I'm still unsure on what wearables should actually do, I managed to get some photos of the Apple Watch. Unfortunately I wasn't really able to find any units available for a hands-on, and as far as I can tell it wasn't possible to actually try any of the software yet. However, based upon what I've seen Apple brings at least a few great ideas to the table. The digital dial/crown is definitely one of them, as it opens up the door to all kinds of new possibilities for navigation that are currently either impractical or impossible for wearables that don't have this hardware feature. In addition, Apple's strong emphasis on personalization with two sizes, three editions, and six watch bands is something that all OEMs should pay attention to. Finally, the dedicated SoC for the Apple Watch is something that is absolutely necessary to enable a good user experience as space is so critical on these wearables. There's also no question that Apple has done a great job of focusing on industrial and material design, as it looks like all three versions of the watch have premium materials and excellent fit and finish. While it isn't clear what display is used, it seems likely that it's an OLED display judging by the amount of black in some of the watchfaces, although ambient lighting in the demo area made it hard to tell whether this was the case.
However, my reservations are largely similar to concerns that I have with all wearables. Ultimately, the Apple Watch must provide utility that's strong enough to make me turn around and get it if I forget it. As-is, I don't really think that even the Apple Watch has that level of utility, even if it is excellently executed. Of course, this is also based upon a demo unit that I wasn't able to touch or use.
Of course, a few concerns remain, mostly in the area of battery life as it seems that only the Pebble line of wearables can really deliver enough battery life to not worry about charging a wearable on any sort of regular schedule. At any rate, I've attached a gallery of photos below for those interested in seeing all the various combinations of watches that Apple will make.
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Impulses - Wednesday, September 10, 2014 - link
Latest iterations of Bluetooth get perfectly usable range and they're lighter on battery than anything. What alternative were you hoping for?milleron - Thursday, September 11, 2014 - link
Most of the watch faces in Apple's demo DID display the temperature on the main dial. They don't need a thermometer to do this as the weather app for your locale will be within a degree or two of the temp where you are -- i.e., including a thermometer would seem to be a waste of precious space in a device that needs to be small. Even if they did include one it wouldn't be as accurate as the weather app's display because both the phone and watch would be warmed by proximity to your body.savagemike - Tuesday, September 9, 2014 - link
I disagree about the digital crown. It is actually a horrible idea. Anyone who has experience with regular watches remembers using the crown to set the time/date/etc... Not a horrible thing but also not comfortable. Usually you'd take the watch off to do it to gain better access to the crown.Even with the textured edge everyone I see using this crown on the Apple Watch is still having to grip it fully and not just roll it from the top. That is a completely uncomfortable thing to do. It will be slightly easier because of how thick this watch is and how far up off the wrist it will sit judging by the band connection points. But that too is a problem and creates a usually less than loved watch.
Finally it makes things awkward for left handers.
This should have been a wheel which worked by rolling it - essentially like a wheel on a mouse. And it should have been positioned on the bottom of the watch face - above the band. That way you could easily thumb it along with your free hand. It would be protected from being operated too much or too easily by accidental engagement and it could have been worn/used on either wrist.
I'd complain about the lack of being able to use a regular watch band but I'm sure apple will sell conversion units that clip in and regular bands can attach to. I'm sure they'll be insanely priced as well. I'm guessing $39 for the pair.
Ultimately this will sell well but not in the huge numbers people expect of Apple products and it will come to be seen as something of a disappointment if not an outright flop.
The most clever thing they did was the haptic notifications. But that won't be anything for Android wear to easily copy and by the time this Apple product comes out Android Wear will already be iterating or close to it.
In the end the Apple Watch is capable of some neat things but most of them are not things people will want to do on a watch. Zoom in and out of maps? On a 1" class screen? When I have to have a phone with me to make use of that watch screen anyway? Who the hell is going to do that? Everybody will do it of course. Several time the first day and a few more to show off to people. Then never again.
Meanwhile no GPS on board. Severely hamstringing this thing to play on its own for a while with the phone at home. Like for jogging or the like. Android Wear seems much more flexible there.
Impulses - Wednesday, September 10, 2014 - link
I think ultimately no one has managed to make a case why the smartwatch should be a mass market device, and it's unlikely anyone will do so (tho just saying it will probably spur some brilliant dev to prove me wrong).I do see a big market for them by attacking certain niche usage cases. Very busy people who are on their feet all day (from hospital docs to warehouse workers) as well as certain sports would benefit immensely from even the functionality already available, just more refined.
I'm disappointed Wear hasn't been iterating faster tbh but I expect this will light a fire under their behinds. I do think they need to allow the OEMs to experiment a bit more. An athlete won't want the same watch as a doc for instance, specialized models shouldn't be discouraged. Having a variety of OEM trying different things should spur more innovation.
Impulses - Wednesday, September 10, 2014 - link
P.S. Hell, I don't think anyone ever proved tablets were a must have device, you can STILL do all the same things on a phone or a laptop. A tablet sure is convenient on the couch tho, or the backseat of a car, or...That kinda convenience/compromise is what smartwatches need to be aiming at... It's just the style and aesthetics matter that complicates things.
Speedfriend - Wednesday, September 10, 2014 - link
"from hospital docs to warehouse workers"Hospital docs don't wear watches and warehouse workers can't afford a uWatch (that's my new name for the iWatch, the ugly Watch!)
Now if you look what SAP is doing for warehouse workers to use Google glass, that is an interesting idea.
milleron - Thursday, September 11, 2014 - link
In fact, ALL of us hospital docs wear watches. The only time one would take a watch off is when scrubbing to enter an operating room. That said, there's almost nothing I saw in Apple's demo that would be useful to a hospital physician. That's not to say, of course, that some clever fellow won't come up with a medical app that would need to be accessed so often that the watch would provide a better or handier interface than the doc's phone or tablet.rhangman - Wednesday, September 10, 2014 - link
Agree about the crown. Just adjusting for daylight savings twice a year is annoying enough on a regular watch. Can't imagine using the crown multiple times per day. Surely having the forward bezel as a capacitive slider would have made more sense? Could zoom/scroll like the crown, also whilst not blocking the screen like using the crown, but far less annoying. Could have also made it round and used a rotating bezel (like on diving watches).melgross - Wednesday, September 10, 2014 - link
I disagree. The crown is a great idea. Touch screens on watches are just too small for every gesture mode. This makes a lot of things easier. If you watched the demo's, you'd see that. Sometimes, something old is better than something new.We can look at digital cameras to see that. In the beginning, people were ecstatic over the possibility of new camera forms due to the lack of film rolls and other large mechanical parts. We got some very odd cameras that got great reviews. But ultimately, digital cameras settled into the old forms, because they were the best.
I've got an Hp digital scope. It was one of the first. A great four channel model that I bought back in 1998. Cost $5,000. The controls are very digital. But the next generation, Hp went back to more analog like controls, because the engineers found the digital controls difficult to get used to. Now, all digital scopes have controls that look, and act analog, even though they aren't.
Same thing here.
So I see some guys, such as yourself just not getting that there are times when touch isn't appropriate. But I look back to these other things, and say you are wrong. Sometimes the newest isn't always the best. Look at the demo's. Don't just make assumptions.
savagemike - Wednesday, September 10, 2014 - link
I actually used those 'old things' on quite a few watches back in the day. That's why I'm saying it's a horrible idea. They are not convenient to use. I would typically remove the watch from my wrist to get unobstructed use of the crown. I was not alone in this.If there is an issue with touch or not it doesn't make the crown more workable. Not that it won't work. It will just be hella annoying.