IMO, I think the wearable craze for premium wearables has/is fading quickly. Full-fledged smartwatches are simply not attractive to the normal consumer.
When you can spend $50 for an entry level wearable that lasts for a few days, reports the time, measures fitness activity, why purchase a $400 Apple Watch that only has the benefits of a screen and GPS (which your phone is for)?
I was never interested in any wearables, but now almost everyone in my family is. This Christmas most people bought Apple Watches. Not sure what the appeal is.
I havn't followed this segment much at all - what are the 50 dollar wearables that do all that? That would be far more in impulse buy territory, I think they have some utility, but not 350+USD utility.
That's not even a fitness tracker, it's basically a digital pedometer. Does it provide notifications? Voice control? Phone call support? Remote control of a phone camera? etc etc?
You're pointing to a bicycle and claiming it does the same thing as a Harley Davidson.
Good analogy, but remember that the vast majority of people already have a car (smartphone) that does everything a Harley can do but better. Ergo most people dont want to fork out big bucks Harleys. They do, however, want cheap bikes.
All I need a "smart watch" to do: Start/stop a run tracking app.
Optional extras (biggies): display time elapsed during run cycle between time/heart rate/pace show current time when not running (especially if insufficiently clunky) display phone number/name of whose calling
I might find other apps after purchase, but those are the issues I need. Pebble was launched primarily on runkeeper integration, but failed hard (especially hard is the start/stop functionality: being able to lock your phone and put it in your pocket would be key.
You are asking the wrong question :). The question (for people who already own iPhones) is why buy the watch when I already own the iPhone? Keeping in mind the reviewer makes a fairly extensive case to say that the watch is an extension of the phone and not a stand alone device. So the question is, what does the watch add to the overall picture? By the way, I'm a Samsung phone user (Note 5) but I'm not buying the Samsung watch either. So what does it add to the experience? What I'm mostly interested in is fitness tracking. I could see how such a thing, or a fit bit etc could be helpful to someone just getting started. But for those of us who have been at it (fitness) for a while - going on 20 years for me - all I need is a simple heart rate monitor and I don't even use that all the time. After a while you get to know what a certain heart rate feels like based on breathing and don't really need the readout except as an occasional check. On my bike, I need speed, distance and cadence in addition to hear rate. Speed and distance could be calculated from GPS data but cadence (rotations per minute of the crank arms) has to come from a sensor on the bike. The racers and others more hard core than me also measure their power output. I don't see anything like a smart watch being able to really replace a specialized bike computer. I also don't want one expensive device that isn't useful without also having a different expensive device.
Personally, I don't need all the data to track speed, HR and distance. I used to do triathlon and thos things matter bc I need to know how far and fast I am training.
But for the everyday user, where fitness is more for health reasons rather than athletic performance, it is a bit over kill.
Sure you can be the data geek to find out and graph how much training you've been doing. But the data is more to show than for actual athletic improvement.
During my triathlon era, we often joke that the time we spent tracking and 'analyzing' our data can be better spent putting in more hours to get the body fitter (and faster).
Right now, i am not training to race now. So i just run or exercise however I feel like it. The only data i track is my time and that you don't need any fancy gadgets.
While I agree that all the fitness tracking features are "a bit overkill", in the end of the day loads of people find them helpful. It's not really about the tracking data, it's about the reward system such data makes possible. From a psychological perspective, gaining rewards, however trivial, ultimately reinforces our behaviours. There is a whole industry of repetitive, reward based games that tap into this (Pokemon GO being the most successful example of late).
Fitness trackers, settings goals, gaining rewards, etc., are mostly based on a similar behaviour -> reward -> behaviour loop. While I'm sure we'd all love to be entirely self motivated and not require any external rewards, in the end of the day if those things help some people get up and active instead of hitting the snooze button again, or just staying in front of a screen, who really cares?
I would guess this has something to do with the big 'installed base' and longer life cycle for iPhones. Also because their owners are more likely to be well off (iPhone markets hare is higher in the us than India or afrika -- surprise).
And absolute sales is the decreasing, relative sales is. There is a shift, though, with some countries selling very few iPhones to the point where local app development for Apple becomes less of a priority (Spain is an example). This is of course a risk for Apple- if they loose their spot of top app development target or even become not-a-target they will fall in a vicious circle of people not buying their device especially for lack of apps and developers not developing for lack of users. They are not there yet is most of the world but in some regions, as I said- getting close.
And IMHO you have no idea what you are talking about. This is EXACTLY the same as the nonsense we heard when the iPhone came out: "why do I want a phone that can run a browser when my PC has a bigger screen? my feature phone already runs apps fine. and it's sooo expensive".
If you haven't used an aWatch you don't have a right to comment on it, it's that simple. Brandon actually left out a huge number of use cases. - He left out Siri -- I frequently use this especially for reminders "when I get home, remind me to pick up the alcohol swabs", "add soy milk to list Costco", "how many grams is 3.5 ounces".
- He left out notifications which again are really nice on the wrist.
- I have five different watch faces: sleepytime which tracks my sleep and uses big red numbers so less sharp when I see it in the dark; everyday which is dense with info - time, date (tap to get today's calendar events), weather, activity rings (small) next alarm, time in one other time zone; workout --- big activity rings, heart rate, button to get to workout app, battery left; space and time which allows easy access to Maps, where my friends are (Find my Friends) , and HomeKit control; and Photos (random photos of adorable baby animals that make my smile every time I see them). I swipe between all of these every day.
In the dock I have "Now Press Record" which records what it hears and stores it to the cloud --- ready in case I have an encounter with police or other bolshy authority. Next is the audio controller app. (Unfortunately the one BIG missing feature on aWatch today is decent handling of audiobooks as opposed to just music. Hopefully in WatchOS4 ...) Next the Nest Camera app. It doesn't do much (in particular it does NOT send you a snapshot of what the camera is seeing) but it DOES allow you very easily and quickly to validate that the camera is correctly armed when you expected it to be. Next Automatic (just gives direction to where you parked, but that's all you want on the wrist). Next Homekit which I, for now, primarily use to check out the temperature in my bedroom.
Some other subtleties the article missed. In addition to replying to texts via voice, you can also write one letter at a time. This might sound dumb but is occasionally useful for a short reply that needs to be exact. (Like giving a price or a time.) And with WatchOS 3 and Series 2 the device FEELS delightful in a way that Series 0 did not because the performance just wasn't there. Oh and Apple Pay is really convenient (modulo the on-going stores too stupid or too cheap to support wireless payments).
It's not all perfect. The one HUGE case that doesn't work well is if you want to go on an outdoor walk/run to somewhere you don't know, so you want both Maps and Workout to be active simultaneously. In this case both apps want to control the screen, there's no ideal way to flip between them and in one case their fighting landed up wedging my watch (that was with an older version of the OS so hopefully it's fixed now). There seems room for at least some special-case intelligence here to appreciate that this is a common situation and to handle it better.
As for how well they are doing, like other commenters on the internet, I'm starting to see them more and more. For the first year I never saw one in the wild, now I see one at least once a week, on the wrists of people like cashiers or waiters.
"If you haven't used an aWatch you don't have a right to comment on it, it's that simple."
Interesting logic. So nobody is allowed to have an opinion about anything they don't personally own or haven't experienced? I suggest you start out by telling all of the protesters who were never in a war that they don't have the right to an opinion. To all the folks protesting police for questionable behavior, if they haven't personally been shot then they have no right to an opinion. If you don't own a 2014 Ford Mustang, you have no right to have an opinion on it. To all the vegans who think meat is murder, if they've never had a steak they have no right to their opinion.
I bought a Series one for $190 on Black Friday. I like it quite a bit for that price, and I've tried other bands as well. I like that I can keep my phone on silent all day long, and I don't even have to dig it out of my pocket (or even have it on me) for many things. It's also compatible with my work's Outlook setup, so I have my calendar events right on the face. Having an extra motivator to be active is nice as well.
I get that these aren't for everyone, and I think $400 is too much, but I like the Apple Watch for what I use it for.
my wife just got a XiaoMi fit 2 for $200HKD. It got like close to 1 month of battery life(wtf), tells time, heart time, sleep tracking, vibrate with phone call and notification.
I don't have an issue paying $400 for a watch. I have plenty of those. They even do far less. The real issue is the lifespan. I can expect decades out of a quality traditional watch. A smartwatch I'm probably lucky if it lasts 3 years between battery issues and plain getting outdated. Its just another fairly large recurring cost. You have to pick and choose which tech products are worth keeping up with I guess.
It's all about Apple trying to convince you that your time an effort is such a valuable commodity, that you have to buy a $400 device to do 20% of what your $800 iPhone can do, just by looking at your wrist instead of the arduous and back-breaking task of pulling something out of your pocket.
Hence Brandon's comment in the article: "Being able to check the time, the weather, the date, and other information simply by raising your wrist is just a convenience, and it's nothing your iPhone can't do as well, but it's a convenience that I wouldn't want to give up now that I have it."
"IMO, I think the wearable craze for premium wearables has/is fading quickly" - It never was a craze. The whole "hype" around it wasn't customers clamoring for it, it was all generated by OEM's trying to create a new revenue stream... There simply was never the demand to match the hype. It's just not needed. Why would large volumes of people want to buy a product that is slower than their phone with a much much smaller screen that has some, but not all of the functionality they already have in their phone? Of course some people want it, but most couldnt care less.
-- Why would large volumes of people want to buy a product that is slower than their phone with a much much smaller screen that has some
umm, because they're convinced that the Dick Tracy stories from 1946 (see: the wiki) were actual history. also, such folks likely voted for Donald thinking that all those obsolete factories would be re-opened and give the $50K/year jobs. people believe what they want to believe, when it makes no sense at all (Mellencamp).
Key word = large volumes. OEM's are trying to create another huge market with huge revenue streams and it just isnt happening. I agree some people will buy them, and already have, but it will never be as big as OEM's are hoping it will... The screen is simply too small. The market has already proven that people want larger screens, even though Apple fans denied it for years until Apple invented large screened phones of course.
here is a reason why you will be very thankful to have one on your wrist:
"I was in a pretty serious car accident the other day. I was hurt, and I hit my head head against the roof of the car right above the door. My phone was in the cupholder because I had started some music playing, and during the accident my phone flew out and I wasn't sure where it went. Thanks to the apple watch, I was able to call 911 and my wife got a text that I had called 911 and sent her my exact location. After a couple minutes I was able to get up and out of the car, and off the highway, my watch even helped me find my phone before it was put on the tow truck."
Because the apple watch, unlike the $50 crap you mentioned tracks your heart rate, and steps "ACCURATELY". Something that most other wearables cannot do.
Notifications on your wrist before it rains? filtering out the most annoying notifications and only getting relevant ones on your wrist? health and fitness tracking?
Only the majority matters. Lowest common denominator. Race to the bottom. One brand, one operating system, one focus. One for all. One for all. One for all.
Would you say that about all wearables? Because this is Apple's version of a wearable. Fitbit and Garmin have theirs, too, and their prices range considerably. Watches in general run the gamut in price, from $5 cheapos to something only the wealthy can afford.
I knew a few that bought the initial version. None of them are still wearing it. Speaks volumes. I guess they got fed up having to tirelessly justify the reason for buying it.
Two of my coworkers (both engineers) have iWatches and I've seen them make use of the devices constantly. It's much easier for them to check messages and some emails from the watch instead of digging around their desks looking for their phones.
@Ninhalem - that's the scenario that Apple has been selling, but I'm not sure that enough people have trouble finding their phones or consider that a $400 problem.
I do continually, but then I spend a lot of time walking from place to place with a my phone quite deeply buried in sundry rucksacks etc.
They're actually very useful as a navigation companion on a genuine walk - the phone is great when you need to see the full map displayed, but you don't often need that.
@Qwertilot: Good to hear it's working for you. My phone is either next to me on a table/desk or in my pocket. I also haven't worn a traditional watch in more than two decades, so I was never in the target market for Apple's watch.
It is possible (I assume based on sales and what people give as their reason for not buying) that when Series 3 arrives Series 1 will be retained dropping to $150 and Series 2 drops to $250. Apple have done these sorts of two-year-old ultra-low-price retentions occasionally for iPhone (though right now I think they only retain one year back).
How would you know what my coworkers think is easy or not? Have you ever seen what a typical engineer's desk looks like? Looking at a watch is must faster than digging for the phone under a stack of papers. There's a certain stigma in the office when someone uses their cellphone, but looking at a watch is much more accepted.
I mean is that really a practical use case? My phone is either in my pocket or on my desk. There is no digging involved whatsoever. If it is on the desk it is under the monitor, where I don't put anything that could cover it.
I actually did that for a while! I called it my DataBracer. Obviously, it was more of a forearm device than a wrist device, but... I actually enjoyed the convenience, though it had to come off too often because I wanted a vertical display or to use the camera to be a truly good idea. It also wasn't as glance-able as a watch, since it had to be actively woken up. But I sure felt like I was living in the future, and that was the most important thing.
First thing I put on in the morning and the last thing I take off at night. An Apple Watch isn't necessary, but it's indispensable.
The only reason I haven't gotten a new model is because my original "Series 0" with watchOS 3 is more than up for the job. I figure I'll update my Watch at the same frequency as my PC, every 2–4 years.
It's funny, we're coming from a market with traditional watches which are used for decades and speaks volume about their desirability but when people use the same Apple Watch for more a year without updating to new HW it's considered a failure despite how much revenue is taking from the entire wristwatch market.
The iNag that requires an iPhone can be had for as low as $1100+ tax. Of course that is the smallest cheapest watch with the smallest cheapest iPhone (not counting the SE, if you are buying the "cheap iPhone you probably aren't dropping the coin for the watch). This is still a solution looking for a problem. This performs the same service as a $40 fitbit and a $10 mp3 player. We were told repeatedly that watches are fashion statements and people want to make that fashion statement but the deletion of the outrageously priced gold model says otherwise. People don't want a $12k piece of tech that is obsolete the day it's bought. They were cashing in on the Apple hype. It actually might make sense for someone 5+ years from now when these devices have staying power like today's phones, but it's beyond foolish as an early adopter.
Apple has lost their mojo. Minor iterations with their phones but nothing revolutionary, the failed iCar (or whatever they were going to call it), the failed watch, the failed iPad Pro, the decidedly non-pro Macbook Pro, failing to update the iMac for several years, Apple is a floundering directionless company right now. If it weren't for the iTunes store and their phones they would be really hurting as a company.
1000 nits. Yowza. Wonder how much power the screen takes at that brightness, and if/when laptops will get there. The new MBPs were impressive at 500 nits.
I can't believe I have to write this, but as a matter of transparency I have just deleted 4 comments. This is a technology news site, not a politics blog. Please leave the politics at home.
How do you know what sized market Apple was expecting? They sell about a million a month, coming to around $4 billion a year. That makes them the second largest watch company in the world (if you insist on comparing that way) and however you measure it, $4 billion is not a bad business.
I don't have any hard numbers for Apple expectations, but as a one time Apple stockholder I know they need to find a hot new product to fill the gap left by stalling iPhone and iPad sales. The latest numbers on the smart watch market (someone else linked it above) show that the whole market is already shrinking, so it's clear that this is not going to be Apple's next big cash cow.
The difference between you and Apple is that Apple is not so out of touch with reality that they imagine you can create a $25 billion business in a year... As I keep saying --- look at the iPhone sales patterns in the first few years for at least some marginal calibration with how the real world works.
You are applying false equivalence. Just because people wanted the convenience of having a communication device on the go, that means people will equally demand a superfluous piece of tech that performs no service that the user doesn't already have with their phone? Tell me shill, what does the watch do that couldn't be done without? Before cell phones people had to stop at a pay phone to communicate with someone. Unless you have to stop everything you are doing and seek out a clock somewhere (which you don't because the clock is already on your phone which is required for the watch) there is no equivalence. The cell phone met a demand, a demand that was already in existence but only the wealthy could afford (car phone). The apple watch meets no such demand, it is merely a luxury device that isn't even standalone.
AKA the quarter when everyone was waiting for the next release... Not very interesting. ESPECIALLY for the early adopter phase of the lifecycle, when EVERYONE who bought an Apple watch is keenly following when the next one will come out.
Christ you are blind. A "phone" is a pocket computer. A "watch" is a wrist computer. An Airpod is an in-ear computer. They're all damn computers, they'll gain functionality (and desirability) with the inevitable march of time.
You guys like to ha-ha about stupid Thomas Watson and his "market for five computers" or stupid Ken Olson and his "no reason anyone would want a computer in their home" but you think in EXACTLY the same way --- and with 70/40 more years experience you have a hell of a lot less of an excuse.
When you cannot provide logic I guess you resort to name-calling. Either he is the most die-hard dyed in the wool Apple supporter or he's receiving checks out of Cupertino.
-- They're all damn computers, they'll gain functionality (and desirability) with the inevitable march of time.
sure. if they plug into a wall socket and have big screens. wearables, of any kind, fail on both counts. batteries have not had, and have no foreseeable, order of magnitude increase in power density in many decades. as SEC filings say, past performance is no indication of future results.
I generally agree with the consensus that wearable tech devices don't have much momentum left at this point. Three of my coworkers purchased fitness bands and smart watches. Two of them quit wearing them after a couple of months. The third is planning keep this smart watch for the time being, but isn't certain a replacement is worth the trouble. Outside of my one remaining holdout coworker, I don't even know anyone that wears a watch of any sort and I haven't seen a smart watch in the wild outside of one of my coworkers.
I would say that certain industries tend to wear watches more than others nowadays, outside of the high end or collector market. I can tell you that where I currently work, everyone I know wears watches. But we also work outside a lot, work long hours and need to keep track of time the whole way through. I also have a few co-workers who collect watches. Of the two that I know how much they've spent, one has about 30k, another almost 100k invested in watches. Admittedly these are collections built over 10+ years. So I suspect that watches are a bit like physical books. Certain industries buy them more than others, and there are a few people who spend the vast majority of the money.
Lumping together fitness bands and smart watches, and even lumping together other brands with the Apple Watch seems like a willful attempt to evade the issue when the Apple Watch fans are all saying "Look, it is NOT just a fitness band or a watch or whatever"...
Your argument is like saying "I tried a Blackberry [or a RAZR]. Didn't see what the fuss was about. Obviously the iPhone is going to go nowhere".
Rather than bringing it down with criticisms, why not bring it up with thoughts you find constructive or useful? Quality according to your perception won't spring into being without collective positive efforts.
I think you're being generous. The reason to visit Anadtech is top-tier writing and deep-dive analysis. You (or I) may not always agree with the conclusions of that analysis, but that's OK. The data is in front of us, we can draw our own conclusions or compare against what's important to us.
The comments are USA Today level stupidity and trolls. Basement Nerds who get their feathers all ruffled whenever consumer-oriented tech gets play, or when specs don't win out to design, convenience, or form. A "good" product (loaded word, I know) should work to balance these elements into a package that speaks to engineering, design, and business prowess. But there's an extreme subset of the geek/nerd population that cannot allow the idea of "balance" between specs and anything else to exist, any more so than someone on the extreme left or extreme right of the political spectrum can abide by anyone who believes differently. It's just the sad reality of the audience that visits sites like Anandtech. We're supposed to be "smarter," and instead we're as big a bunch of trolls and misfits as the people visiting CNN.com.
Most people that used to come here for tech have moved on. It's now an Apple fan site first and tech as an afterthought. The user base just matches the site these days.
I use my Apple Watch all the time. For me it's a glorified notification tool and it means I can leave my phone in my backpack while tracking some health parameter. The only other thing I use it for is controlling my music while driving (very handy for a car without bluetooth controls like mine).
I think the biggest use case though is reminders and notifications for my business calendar and personal calendar. Seeing text and whose calling is also useful in letting me dismiss some things if they aren't important.
I see quite a few of them around my IT workplace. Series 2 was a nice improvement IMHO, but mostly that was WatchOS 3. Unfortunately what it lacks is more sensors, and better WiFi for things like WPA-2 E. It basically doesn't connect at my workplace unless the phone is in range. The range is pretty good though.
However, if the iPhone 8 / 9 isn't a major setup in hardware and iOS, I may go back to Android for the google integration. I hardly use the Apple stuff.
I agree. My first wearable was a Band 2. I loved the device other than build quality, so I tried a Fitbit Charge 2. It was then that I realized just how nice having notifications on your wrist can be, especially at work when you have other things going on all day. I find that I check my phone a lot less, especially during meetings or when I'm taking to another human being. I was a skeptic of wearable tech when it came out, but after a year of trying different devices, I've found that it can help you get through your day with less distractions, not more.
Email and WhatsApp triage, that's what I use my Pebble for. It saves a lot of time by letting me choose which notifications need urgent action and which can be left for later.
Any word on the process used for the S2? If I'm not mistaken the original watch core was 28nm. Chipworks has not updated their tear down with any new information.
Unfortunately we don't have any better information to share in that regard. Only the high-end competitive analysis firms like Chipworks have the tools to figure that out.
Apple allowed for plenty of room to "upgrade" from Samsung's 28nm LP process used in the original release. Apple's SiP is a fascinating/unique creation (more than 42 die for series 2) that doesn't have any peers in the consumer space and I'm looking forward to watching it's (slow) progress.
"often referred to as the iWatch before its release."
I can't count the number of times I've heard people call it "iWatch" even to this day, nearly two years later. I still hear people say "iTouch" instead of "iPod touch".
I haven't heard anyone say iPod in ages. I didn't think Apple still made them, but I guess they do.
Really, while I am thinking of it... the little square iPod Nanos would've made a great stepping-stone to a watch. They were already 3/4s of the way there anyways(and it looks like more than one person put them in a strap and used them as such). Revised model adds bluetooth, software update lets it play music off your paired phone and use the iPod headphone port as a headset...
Where is the kiss-ass Macbook Pro review? Apple has "fixed" the battery problems, now update your results and praise the gods. (I know Anandtech can't do a "bad" Apple product review ;)
On a more serious note, please do a battery life comparison between 13" non-touch vs 13" touch bar, I want to see the battery hit and the performance trade off. I don't care if it only lasts 3 hours, or breath-taking break through (30% improvement aka 4h), I just want to know the trade off (in relative terms) so I know what I'm buying into. I'm sure there are many people in the same boat.
Man, the "whole world" is picking against the "underdog", Apple T_T Don't worry, Anandtech is here to kiss ass and save the day ;) There are not enough money in the world that M$ and Google can spend to persuade Anandtech.
Jokes aside, can we expect Macbook Pro reviews coming soon? Please... Christmas gift?
I have to buy Mac, because I need xcode to write iOS apps. Don't want to deal with linux, I don't have the time and energy.
A lot of commenters dissing smartwatches should use a smartwatch for a few weeks before commenting. I know because I thought wearables were pointless until I got a Pebble. Now I can't ever go back to a normal dumb watch. It was a revelation to have a tiny computer strapped with so many apps strapped to my wrist. The Apple Watch is even more amazing because of the deep iPhone integration and its sensor suite.
And lastly, RIP Pebble, I hope the tech lives on somehow. I'll be using mine until it stops working. The always-on LCD makes it feel like a normal watch yet I can get by with charging it every 4-5 days, not like the daily charging needed by other smartwatches. Maybe Apple needs to have an always-on OLED screen like with Nokia's Sleeping Screen app on Symbian.
Simply: Another useless product that needs constant charging. If you have money and want something big on your arm, buy a Swiss made watch, at least you look good with that on!
I don't know. at some point folks, producers and consumers, will have to admit that the limiting point of all portable devices (watches, phones, laptops, etc.) is power. and there hasn't been a meaningful increment (much less a doubling) in power density in a battery in decades. until someone is smart enough to invent a new atom, the wall is staring you in the face. controlling a chip as node size shrinks, while reducing power demand by a bit, will in and of itself demand more circuits and power. WYSIWYG.
400 bucks gets you a nice vintage Omega and a true HRM sports watch, so no, gen 2 still isn't there in terms of looks and standalone functionality. I just don't see the value for the time being beyond the music controls.
After this article I looked at buying a series 2 Apple Watch but was shocked at how much the price came to.
£400 for the watch itself with a basic plastic strap and then another £149 for a leather strap with buckle.
So £550 all in. Wow. The cost of the strap is just ridiculous. (Optional, yes but then the whole thing is optional really as it's a nice to have, not an essential purchase).
Just can't justify spending that kind of money. I guess I'm just not their target market.
And that's despite owning a couple of mechanical watches that cost near that.
Wow, Brandon. This is an awesome review. Your comparison of the product development for iPod/iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch is very interesting. Helps me appreciate Apple's achievements in leading the way and building products that people don't know yet whether they want or not!
I look forward to huge strides in artificial intelligence. I don't know how the industry is going to monetise this development and earn a return on the huge investment that is likely required.
Apple doesn't lead the way, they follow and improve. Personal computers, tablets, smart phones, smart watches, we're all developed first by someone else.
I used an original iPhone and an iP4 and liked them very much. I've had a few iPads and still use a Mini2 and like it very much. The iWatch and smart watches in general still don't interest me. When I wear a watch, I prefer my mechanical automatic. Actually I'm surprised no one has developed a kinetic charging smart watch.
I'd love to get one of those, but there's always something more important/practical to buy for that sort of money. I kind of wish it could drop to about $200 however unrealistic that may be. I was also hoping for an improvement to single-threaded performance courtesy of a new CPU.
The original iPhone's two biggest drawbacks as I remember it were the lack of an app store for a full year (despite the vibrant homebrew scene) and its slowness. I remember trying a friend's iPhone 3G on cellular, and not finding it faster - the SoC was just not capable of loading pages fast. When I upgraded to the 3GS the difference was revelatory. Despite their drawbacks these were the two models I've had the most fun with - the App Store was an explosive hub for innovation, unlike the free-to-download money model of today, homebrew was huge, etc. The only thing I ever missed from my N82 was the camera.
The iPhone 3GS has to be *the* representative of the golden age of innovation for smartphones. Think about what Android handsets were back then. You can still use a 3GS today - I gave my old set to my s.o. when she had to replace the screen of her 6s; transferring her info from iCloud was seamless, and at first the 3GS was a bit of a shock for her, but after a day or so she came to grips with it and used the hell out of it for 10 days.
I kind of wish a similar boon of innovation would come to Apple Watch.
About sleep tracking: You would always have to charge a smart watch, even if it's once or twice a week, and the most practical time to do so would be when you're no using it, i.e. when you're sleeping. If they manage to implement a full charge that takes about 20 minutes and is safe to use in the long term, you could quickly charge your watch when you get back home from work, or when taking a shower.
I have a question that's really puzzling to me: My series 1 is connected to my watch (and wifi is turned OFF on the phone). I leave my phone at my worstation ... and I begin to walk from one building to another, through an underground tunnel that connects the two building ... a distance of 265 feet. The watch connection breaks in the middle of the tunnel (about 150 feet from the phone) ... but when I proceed out the other side of the tunnel, the watch-phone connection is re-established. Both buildings share the same wifi SSID and password (but, remember ... wifi is turned off on the phone). So, how is the connection established from the watch to the phone on the other side of the tunnel. Not only my watch, but others in the building experience the same thing. Does the watch truly use bluetooth or wifi for a connection ? And, if wifi is turned off on the phone, how is that possible ? I'm really just wanting to understand this ...
Odds are this late you want see it (or it's moot) but what's likely happening is the watch is merely reconnecting to a wifi network your phone has been on before (not connecting to your phone, since it's wifi is off). The watch itself can do a decent amount of things on just wifi (like receive messages, make calls if the phone had wifi calling on at one point before, check the weather and use 3rd party apps that support wifi connectivity and the like).
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I'm amazingly late to this thread, but it's possible the blue bias in the color measurements is a result of Apple pre-calibrating to compensate for the blue pixels ageing faster than red and green.
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negusp - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
IMO, I think the wearable craze for premium wearables has/is fading quickly. Full-fledged smartwatches are simply not attractive to the normal consumer.When you can spend $50 for an entry level wearable that lasts for a few days, reports the time, measures fitness activity, why purchase a $400 Apple Watch that only has the benefits of a screen and GPS (which your phone is for)?
Ironchef3500 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
+1GodHatesFAQs - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
I was never interested in any wearables, but now almost everyone in my family is. This Christmas most people bought Apple Watches. Not sure what the appeal is.Lolimaster - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Let the doctor tell them about the problem with their necks, fad gone.tipoo - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
I havn't followed this segment much at all - what are the 50 dollar wearables that do all that? That would be far more in impulse buy territory, I think they have some utility, but not 350+USD utility.
ianmills - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
xiaomi mi band 2 is $40 is a possibility https://www.cnet.com/products/xiaomi-mi-band-2/rev...name99 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
That's not even a fitness tracker, it's basically a digital pedometer.Does it provide notifications? Voice control? Phone call support? Remote control of a phone camera? etc etc?
You're pointing to a bicycle and claiming it does the same thing as a Harley Davidson.
Cygni - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Good analogy, but remember that the vast majority of people already have a car (smartphone) that does everything a Harley can do but better. Ergo most people dont want to fork out big bucks Harleys. They do, however, want cheap bikes.heffeque - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
This. Simply this.easp - Tuesday, January 3, 2017 - link
Yes, and most people had a computer that did everything a smartphone did, better, except fit in their pocket.wumpus - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
Can you program it at all?All I need a "smart watch" to do:
Start/stop a run tracking app.
Optional extras (biggies):
display time elapsed during run
cycle between time/heart rate/pace
show current time when not running (especially if insufficiently clunky)
display phone number/name of whose calling
I might find other apps after purchase, but those are the issues I need. Pebble was launched primarily on runkeeper integration, but failed hard (especially hard is the start/stop functionality: being able to lock your phone and put it in your pocket would be key.
michael2k - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
By that measure, why buy an iPhone when you've got $400 laptops and $99 Android phones?sadsteve - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Heh, I didn't buy an iPhone. My new laptop was $650 (had separate graphics card with 2GB memory) and my Android phone was only $29.Ratman6161 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
You are asking the wrong question :). The question (for people who already own iPhones) is why buy the watch when I already own the iPhone? Keeping in mind the reviewer makes a fairly extensive case to say that the watch is an extension of the phone and not a stand alone device. So the question is, what does the watch add to the overall picture? By the way, I'm a Samsung phone user (Note 5) but I'm not buying the Samsung watch either.So what does it add to the experience? What I'm mostly interested in is fitness tracking. I could see how such a thing, or a fit bit etc could be helpful to someone just getting started. But for those of us who have been at it (fitness) for a while - going on 20 years for me - all I need is a simple heart rate monitor and I don't even use that all the time. After a while you get to know what a certain heart rate feels like based on breathing and don't really need the readout except as an occasional check. On my bike, I need speed, distance and cadence in addition to hear rate. Speed and distance could be calculated from GPS data but cadence (rotations per minute of the crank arms) has to come from a sensor on the bike. The racers and others more hard core than me also measure their power output. I don't see anything like a smart watch being able to really replace a specialized bike computer.
I also don't want one expensive device that isn't useful without also having a different expensive device.
Ratman6161 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
PS: OK, I know this is a personal bias. But my first thought when I saw the picture at the beginning of the story was "it looks like a cartoon".Cliff34 - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
Personally, I don't need all the data to track speed, HR and distance. I used to do triathlon and thos things matter bc I need to know how far and fast I am training.But for the everyday user, where fitness is more for health reasons rather than athletic performance, it is a bit over kill.
Sure you can be the data geek to find out and graph how much training you've been doing. But the data is more to show than for actual athletic improvement.
During my triathlon era, we often joke that the time we spent tracking and 'analyzing' our data can be better spent putting in more hours to get the body fitter (and faster).
Right now, i am not training to race now. So i just run or exercise however I feel like it. The only data i track is my time and that you don't need any fancy gadgets.
rhysiam - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
While I agree that all the fitness tracking features are "a bit overkill", in the end of the day loads of people find them helpful. It's not really about the tracking data, it's about the reward system such data makes possible. From a psychological perspective, gaining rewards, however trivial, ultimately reinforces our behaviours. There is a whole industry of repetitive, reward based games that tap into this (Pokemon GO being the most successful example of late).Fitness trackers, settings goals, gaining rewards, etc., are mostly based on a similar behaviour -> reward -> behaviour loop. While I'm sure we'd all love to be entirely self motivated and not require any external rewards, in the end of the day if those things help some people get up and active instead of hitting the snooze button again, or just staying in front of a screen, who really cares?
Flunk - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Not that many people do, Apple controlled a shrinking 11.7% of the smartphone market as of Q2 2016.IDC: http://www.idc.com/prodserv/smartphone-market-shar...
KoolAidMan1 - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
And yet they still dominate app revenue, mobile ad revenue, mobile internet traffic, and smartphone profits.Whoever is buying those iPhones is using them a hell of a lot more than whoever is buying whatever else is out there, that much is clear.
jospoortvliet - Sunday, December 25, 2016 - link
I would guess this has something to do with the big 'installed base' and longer life cycle for iPhones. Also because their owners are more likely to be well off (iPhone markets hare is higher in the us than India or afrika -- surprise).And absolute sales is the decreasing, relative sales is. There is a shift, though, with some countries selling very few iPhones to the point where local app development for Apple becomes less of a priority (Spain is an example). This is of course a risk for Apple- if they loose their spot of top app development target or even become not-a-target they will fall in a vicious circle of people not buying their device especially for lack of apps and developers not developing for lack of users. They are not there yet is most of the world but in some regions, as I said- getting close.
ddriver - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
It has got to be the shortest lived fad so far.name99 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
And IMHO you have no idea what you are talking about. This is EXACTLY the same as the nonsense we heard when the iPhone came out: "why do I want a phone that can run a browser when my PC has a bigger screen? my feature phone already runs apps fine. and it's sooo expensive".If you haven't used an aWatch you don't have a right to comment on it, it's that simple.
Brandon actually left out a huge number of use cases.
- He left out Siri -- I frequently use this especially for reminders "when I get home, remind me to pick up the alcohol swabs", "add soy milk to list Costco", "how many grams is 3.5 ounces".
- He left out notifications which again are really nice on the wrist.
- I have five different watch faces: sleepytime which tracks my sleep and uses big red numbers so less sharp when I see it in the dark; everyday which is dense with info - time, date (tap to get today's calendar events), weather, activity rings (small) next alarm, time in one other time zone; workout --- big activity rings, heart rate, button to get to workout app, battery left; space and time which allows easy access to Maps, where my friends are (Find my Friends) , and HomeKit control; and Photos (random photos of adorable baby animals that make my smile every time I see them).
I swipe between all of these every day.
In the dock I have "Now Press Record" which records what it hears and stores it to the cloud --- ready in case I have an encounter with police or other bolshy authority. Next is the audio controller app. (Unfortunately the one BIG missing feature on aWatch today is decent handling of audiobooks as opposed to just music. Hopefully in WatchOS4 ...) Next the Nest Camera app. It doesn't do much (in particular it does NOT send you a snapshot of what the camera is seeing) but it DOES allow you very easily and quickly to validate that the camera is correctly armed when you expected it to be. Next Automatic (just gives direction to where you parked, but that's all you want on the wrist). Next Homekit which I, for now, primarily use to check out the temperature in my bedroom.
Some other subtleties the article missed. In addition to replying to texts via voice, you can also write one letter at a time. This might sound dumb but is occasionally useful for a short reply that needs to be exact. (Like giving a price or a time.) And with WatchOS 3 and Series 2 the device FEELS delightful in a way that Series 0 did not because the performance just wasn't there.
Oh and Apple Pay is really convenient (modulo the on-going stores too stupid or too cheap to support wireless payments).
It's not all perfect. The one HUGE case that doesn't work well is if you want to go on an outdoor walk/run to somewhere you don't know, so you want both Maps and Workout to be active simultaneously. In this case both apps want to control the screen, there's no ideal way to flip between them and in one case their fighting landed up wedging my watch (that was with an older version of the OS so hopefully it's fixed now). There seems room for at least some special-case intelligence here to appreciate that this is a common situation and to handle it better.
As for how well they are doing, like other commenters on the internet, I'm starting to see them more and more. For the first year I never saw one in the wild, now I see one at least once a week, on the wrists of people like cashiers or waiters.
negusp - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
But for $400? I made my argument against premium priced wearables.fanofanand - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
"If you haven't used an aWatch you don't have a right to comment on it, it's that simple."Interesting logic. So nobody is allowed to have an opinion about anything they don't personally own or haven't experienced? I suggest you start out by telling all of the protesters who were never in a war that they don't have the right to an opinion. To all the folks protesting police for questionable behavior, if they haven't personally been shot then they have no right to an opinion. If you don't own a 2014 Ford Mustang, you have no right to have an opinion on it. To all the vegans who think meat is murder, if they've never had a steak they have no right to their opinion.
Simple as that.
monopodman - Friday, December 23, 2016 - link
A world would definitely be a better place with fewer opinions from people who have no idea. But yeah, that's just a dream.MonkeyPaw - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
I bought a Series one for $190 on Black Friday. I like it quite a bit for that price, and I've tried other bands as well. I like that I can keep my phone on silent all day long, and I don't even have to dig it out of my pocket (or even have it on me) for many things. It's also compatible with my work's Outlook setup, so I have my calendar events right on the face. Having an extra motivator to be active is nice as well.I get that these aren't for everyone, and I think $400 is too much, but I like the Apple Watch for what I use it for.
amdwilliam1985 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
my wife just got a XiaoMi fit 2 for $200HKD.It got like close to 1 month of battery life(wtf), tells time, heart time, sleep tracking, vibrate with phone call and notification.
Midwayman - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
I don't have an issue paying $400 for a watch. I have plenty of those. They even do far less. The real issue is the lifespan. I can expect decades out of a quality traditional watch. A smartwatch I'm probably lucky if it lasts 3 years between battery issues and plain getting outdated. Its just another fairly large recurring cost. You have to pick and choose which tech products are worth keeping up with I guess.jaydee - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
It's all about Apple trying to convince you that your time an effort is such a valuable commodity, that you have to buy a $400 device to do 20% of what your $800 iPhone can do, just by looking at your wrist instead of the arduous and back-breaking task of pulling something out of your pocket.Hence Brandon's comment in the article:
"Being able to check the time, the weather, the date, and other information simply by raising your wrist is just a convenience, and it's nothing your iPhone can't do as well, but it's a convenience that I wouldn't want to give up now that I have it."
KoolAidMan1 - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
I see wearables everywhere now. The most common are Apple Watches and Fitbits.goatfajitas - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
"IMO, I think the wearable craze for premium wearables has/is fading quickly"- It never was a craze. The whole "hype" around it wasn't customers clamoring for it, it was all generated by OEM's trying to create a new revenue stream... There simply was never the demand to match the hype. It's just not needed. Why would large volumes of people want to buy a product that is slower than their phone with a much much smaller screen that has some, but not all of the functionality they already have in their phone? Of course some people want it, but most couldnt care less.
FunBunny2 - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
-- Why would large volumes of people want to buy a product that is slower than their phone with a much much smaller screen that has someumm, because they're convinced that the Dick Tracy stories from 1946 (see: the wiki) were actual history. also, such folks likely voted for Donald thinking that all those obsolete factories would be re-opened and give the $50K/year jobs. people believe what they want to believe, when it makes no sense at all (Mellencamp).
goatfajitas - Friday, December 23, 2016 - link
Key word = large volumes. OEM's are trying to create another huge market with huge revenue streams and it just isnt happening. I agree some people will buy them, and already have, but it will never be as big as OEM's are hoping it will... The screen is simply too small. The market has already proven that people want larger screens, even though Apple fans denied it for years until Apple invented large screened phones of course.jmke - Friday, December 23, 2016 - link
here is a reason why you will be very thankful to have one on your wrist:"I was in a pretty serious car accident the other day. I was hurt, and I hit my head head against the roof of the car right above the door. My phone was in the cupholder because I had started some music playing, and during the accident my phone flew out and I wasn't sure where it went. Thanks to the apple watch, I was able to call 911 and my wife got a text that I had called 911 and sent her my exact location. After a couple minutes I was able to get up and out of the car, and off the highway, my watch even helped me find my phone before it was put on the tow truck."
https://www.reddit.com/r/AppleWatch/comments/5jqig...
Valis - Saturday, December 31, 2016 - link
I totally agree, I haven't worn a wrist-something for over 15 years, or so. Don't think I will start now.ibex333 - Tuesday, January 17, 2017 - link
Because the apple watch, unlike the $50 crap you mentioned tracks your heart rate, and steps "ACCURATELY". Something that most other wearables cannot do.TheSerpentSays - Wednesday, March 1, 2017 - link
You're asking why people might want different things than you.Jumangi - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
What a pointless tech vanity device...Ironchef3500 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
+10WinterCharm - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
not vanity, just convenience.Notifications on your wrist before it rains? filtering out the most annoying notifications and only getting relevant ones on your wrist? health and fitness tracking?
And it looks nice.
Luxury device, yes. Vanity device? no. Pointless? absolutely not.
Flunk - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
And you didn't look at your phone screen at any time during that period? If so you're in the minority.The Garden Variety - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Only the majority matters. Lowest common denominator. Race to the bottom. One brand, one operating system, one focus. One for all. One for all. One for all.Jumangi - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
Yes if we all just lived in Apples "wonderful" walled garden then the world would be so much better....blah blah.Jumangi - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
All done by the smartphone already in your pocket. Yes its is completely pointless.monopodman - Friday, December 23, 2016 - link
Smartphones are pointless. I use my laptop to do computing and all I need a phone for is calling.KoolAidMan1 - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
Agreed. My Omega watch, that's a vanity device.Alexey291 - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
Hahaha 400 usd watch is luxury now? Oh boy.MonkeyPaw - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Would you say that about all wearables? Because this is Apple's version of a wearable. Fitbit and Garmin have theirs, too, and their prices range considerably. Watches in general run the gamut in price, from $5 cheapos to something only the wealthy can afford.jabber - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
I knew a few that bought the initial version. None of them are still wearing it. Speaks volumes. I guess they got fed up having to tirelessly justify the reason for buying it.Ninhalem - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Two of my coworkers (both engineers) have iWatches and I've seen them make use of the devices constantly. It's much easier for them to check messages and some emails from the watch instead of digging around their desks looking for their phones.sorten - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
@Ninhalem - that's the scenario that Apple has been selling, but I'm not sure that enough people have trouble finding their phones or consider that a $400 problem.Qwertilot - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
I do continually, but then I spend a lot of time walking from place to place with a my phone quite deeply buried in sundry rucksacks etc.They're actually very useful as a navigation companion on a genuine walk - the phone is great when you need to see the full map displayed, but you don't often need that.
sorten - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
@Qwertilot: Good to hear it's working for you. My phone is either next to me on a table/desk or in my pocket. I also haven't worn a traditional watch in more than two decades, so I was never in the target market for Apple's watch.name99 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Series 1 costs $250...It is possible (I assume based on sales and what people give as their reason for not buying) that when Series 3 arrives Series 1 will be retained dropping to $150 and Series 2 drops to $250. Apple have done these sorts of two-year-old ultra-low-price retentions occasionally for iPhone (though right now I think they only retain one year back).
damianrobertjones - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
No, sorry, it's not as I'm sure that they'd like to reply without it taking ages.Ninhalem - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
How would you know what my coworkers think is easy or not? Have you ever seen what a typical engineer's desk looks like? Looking at a watch is must faster than digging for the phone under a stack of papers. There's a certain stigma in the office when someone uses their cellphone, but looking at a watch is much more accepted.ddriver - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Get phone straps for the wrists - problem solved, much bigger screen, much better user experience, much more usability.ddriver - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
I mean is that really a practical use case? My phone is either in my pocket or on my desk. There is no digging involved whatsoever. If it is on the desk it is under the monitor, where I don't put anything that could cover it.Lord of the Bored - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
I actually did that for a while! I called it my DataBracer. Obviously, it was more of a forearm device than a wrist device, but...I actually enjoyed the convenience, though it had to come off too often because I wanted a vertical display or to use the camera to be a truly good idea. It also wasn't as glance-able as a watch, since it had to be actively woken up. But I sure felt like I was living in the future, and that was the most important thing.
solipsism - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
First thing I put on in the morning and the last thing I take off at night. An Apple Watch isn't necessary, but it's indispensable.The only reason I haven't gotten a new model is because my original "Series 0" with watchOS 3 is more than up for the job. I figure I'll update my Watch at the same frequency as my PC, every 2–4 years.
It's funny, we're coming from a market with traditional watches which are used for decades and speaks volume about their desirability but when people use the same Apple Watch for more a year without updating to new HW it's considered a failure despite how much revenue is taking from the entire wristwatch market.
fanofanand - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
The iNag that requires an iPhone can be had for as low as $1100+ tax. Of course that is the smallest cheapest watch with the smallest cheapest iPhone (not counting the SE, if you are buying the "cheap iPhone you probably aren't dropping the coin for the watch). This is still a solution looking for a problem. This performs the same service as a $40 fitbit and a $10 mp3 player. We were told repeatedly that watches are fashion statements and people want to make that fashion statement but the deletion of the outrageously priced gold model says otherwise. People don't want a $12k piece of tech that is obsolete the day it's bought. They were cashing in on the Apple hype. It actually might make sense for someone 5+ years from now when these devices have staying power like today's phones, but it's beyond foolish as an early adopter.Apple has lost their mojo. Minor iterations with their phones but nothing revolutionary, the failed iCar (or whatever they were going to call it), the failed watch, the failed iPad Pro, the decidedly non-pro Macbook Pro, failing to update the iMac for several years, Apple is a floundering directionless company right now. If it weren't for the iTunes store and their phones they would be really hurting as a company.
tipoo - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
1000 nits. Yowza. Wonder how much power the screen takes at that brightness, and if/when laptops will get there. The new MBPs were impressive at 500 nits.Ryan Smith - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
I can't believe I have to write this, but as a matter of transparency I have just deleted 4 comments. This is a technology news site, not a politics blog. Please leave the politics at home.sorten - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
This market is much smaller than Apple was expecting. I wonder if they'll put the effort into a 3rd generation.name99 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
How do you know what sized market Apple was expecting?They sell about a million a month, coming to around $4 billion a year. That makes them the second largest watch company in the world (if you insist on comparing that way) and however you measure it, $4 billion is not a bad business.
sorten - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
I don't have any hard numbers for Apple expectations, but as a one time Apple stockholder I know they need to find a hot new product to fill the gap left by stalling iPhone and iPad sales. The latest numbers on the smart watch market (someone else linked it above) show that the whole market is already shrinking, so it's clear that this is not going to be Apple's next big cash cow.name99 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
The difference between you and Apple is that Apple is not so out of touch with reality that they imagine you can create a $25 billion business in a year...As I keep saying --- look at the iPhone sales patterns in the first few years for at least some marginal calibration with how the real world works.
fanofanand - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
Except everybody has a cell phone, few people today wear a watch. Your analogy is poor at best.name99 - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
And in 2000 most people did NOT have a cell phone...The world changes, you know.
fanofanand - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
You are applying false equivalence. Just because people wanted the convenience of having a communication device on the go, that means people will equally demand a superfluous piece of tech that performs no service that the user doesn't already have with their phone? Tell me shill, what does the watch do that couldn't be done without? Before cell phones people had to stop at a pay phone to communicate with someone. Unless you have to stop everything you are doing and seek out a clock somewhere (which you don't because the clock is already on your phone which is required for the watch) there is no equivalence. The cell phone met a demand, a demand that was already in existence but only the wealthy could afford (car phone). The apple watch meets no such demand, it is merely a luxury device that isn't even standalone.Alexey291 - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
But most of them wore a watch.That's the thing. The world IS changing. Constantly. The watches are on the way out. Have been for a long time.
sorten - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
BTW, they only sold 1.6M in the second quarter.https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS416...
name99 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
AKA the quarter when everyone was waiting for the next release...Not very interesting. ESPECIALLY for the early adopter phase of the lifecycle, when EVERYONE who bought an Apple watch is keenly following when the next one will come out.
Compare with iPhone 1 first year:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/263401/global-...
fanofanand - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
I don't know how much Apple is paying you to troll (I suppose iSheep do it for free) but watches and phones are VERY different markets.name99 - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
Christ you are blind.A "phone" is a pocket computer. A "watch" is a wrist computer. An Airpod is an in-ear computer.
They're all damn computers, they'll gain functionality (and desirability) with the inevitable march of time.
You guys like to ha-ha about stupid Thomas Watson and his "market for five computers" or stupid Ken Olson and his "no reason anyone would want a computer in their home" but you think in EXACTLY the same way --- and with 70/40 more years experience you have a hell of a lot less of an excuse.
goatfajitas - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
Shave that neck son.fanofanand - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
When you cannot provide logic I guess you resort to name-calling. Either he is the most die-hard dyed in the wool Apple supporter or he's receiving checks out of Cupertino.FunBunny2 - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
-- They're all damn computers, they'll gain functionality (and desirability) with the inevitable march of time.sure. if they plug into a wall socket and have big screens. wearables, of any kind, fail on both counts. batteries have not had, and have no foreseeable, order of magnitude increase in power density in many decades. as SEC filings say, past performance is no indication of future results.
BrokenCrayons - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
I generally agree with the consensus that wearable tech devices don't have much momentum left at this point. Three of my coworkers purchased fitness bands and smart watches. Two of them quit wearing them after a couple of months. The third is planning keep this smart watch for the time being, but isn't certain a replacement is worth the trouble. Outside of my one remaining holdout coworker, I don't even know anyone that wears a watch of any sort and I haven't seen a smart watch in the wild outside of one of my coworkers.Ikepuska - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
I would say that certain industries tend to wear watches more than others nowadays, outside of the high end or collector market. I can tell you that where I currently work, everyone I know wears watches. But we also work outside a lot, work long hours and need to keep track of time the whole way through. I also have a few co-workers who collect watches. Of the two that I know how much they've spent, one has about 30k, another almost 100k invested in watches. Admittedly these are collections built over 10+ years. So I suspect that watches are a bit like physical books. Certain industries buy them more than others, and there are a few people who spend the vast majority of the money.name99 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Lumping together fitness bands and smart watches, and even lumping together other brands with the Apple Watch seems like a willful attempt to evade the issue when the Apple Watch fans are all saying "Look, it is NOT just a fitness band or a watch or whatever"...Your argument is like saying "I tried a Blackberry [or a RAZR]. Didn't see what the fuss was about. Obviously the iPhone is going to go nowhere".
osxandwindows - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Hate to say it, but this site's comment section is worse then BGR.Where are the interesting comments I used to see on every anandtech review?
BrokenCrayons - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Rather than bringing it down with criticisms, why not bring it up with thoughts you find constructive or useful? Quality according to your perception won't spring into being without collective positive efforts.The Garden Variety - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
I think you're being generous. The reason to visit Anadtech is top-tier writing and deep-dive analysis. You (or I) may not always agree with the conclusions of that analysis, but that's OK. The data is in front of us, we can draw our own conclusions or compare against what's important to us.The comments are USA Today level stupidity and trolls. Basement Nerds who get their feathers all ruffled whenever consumer-oriented tech gets play, or when specs don't win out to design, convenience, or form. A "good" product (loaded word, I know) should work to balance these elements into a package that speaks to engineering, design, and business prowess. But there's an extreme subset of the geek/nerd population that cannot allow the idea of "balance" between specs and anything else to exist, any more so than someone on the extreme left or extreme right of the political spectrum can abide by anyone who believes differently. It's just the sad reality of the audience that visits sites like Anandtech. We're supposed to be "smarter," and instead we're as big a bunch of trolls and misfits as the people visiting CNN.com.
KoolAidMan1 - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
Maybe the troglodytes that used to live in the DailyTech comments migrated here?goatfajitas - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
Most people that used to come here for tech have moved on. It's now an Apple fan site first and tech as an afterthought. The user base just matches the site these days.hechacker1 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
I use my Apple Watch all the time. For me it's a glorified notification tool and it means I can leave my phone in my backpack while tracking some health parameter. The only other thing I use it for is controlling my music while driving (very handy for a car without bluetooth controls like mine).I think the biggest use case though is reminders and notifications for my business calendar and personal calendar. Seeing text and whose calling is also useful in letting me dismiss some things if they aren't important.
I see quite a few of them around my IT workplace. Series 2 was a nice improvement IMHO, but mostly that was WatchOS 3. Unfortunately what it lacks is more sensors, and better WiFi for things like WPA-2 E. It basically doesn't connect at my workplace unless the phone is in range. The range is pretty good though.
However, if the iPhone 8 / 9 isn't a major setup in hardware and iOS, I may go back to Android for the google integration. I hardly use the Apple stuff.
MonkeyPaw - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
I agree. My first wearable was a Band 2. I loved the device other than build quality, so I tried a Fitbit Charge 2. It was then that I realized just how nice having notifications on your wrist can be, especially at work when you have other things going on all day. I find that I check my phone a lot less, especially during meetings or when I'm taking to another human being. I was a skeptic of wearable tech when it came out, but after a year of trying different devices, I've found that it can help you get through your day with less distractions, not more.serendip - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Email and WhatsApp triage, that's what I use my Pebble for. It saves a lot of time by letting me choose which notifications need urgent action and which can be left for later.name99 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
More important than any of the above, Brandon, where's the A10 article?Dead and gone forever? AnandTech decided to give up and wait until the A10X?
Ryan Smith - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Josh is working on that right now. Wifi testing has taken a bit longer than planned.name99 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
A strange argument given that the A10 is not a radio chip :-)But I assume you mean something like "iPhone 7 in detail; part 2". Good to hear it.
logos7 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Any word on the process used for the S2? If I'm not mistaken the original watch core was 28nm. Chipworks has not updated their tear down with any new information.Ryan Smith - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Unfortunately we don't have any better information to share in that regard. Only the high-end competitive analysis firms like Chipworks have the tools to figure that out.logos7 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Apple allowed for plenty of room to "upgrade" from Samsung's 28nm LP process used in the original release. Apple's SiP is a fascinating/unique creation (more than 42 die for series 2) that doesn't have any peers in the consumer space and I'm looking forward to watching it's (slow) progress.wave84 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Ryan, is there gonna be a Macbook Pro review or you are just skipping it this year?mrbofus - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
"often referred to as the iWatch before its release."I can't count the number of times I've heard people call it "iWatch" even to this day, nearly two years later. I still hear people say "iTouch" instead of "iPod touch".
Lord of the Bored - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
I haven't heard anyone say iPod in ages. I didn't think Apple still made them, but I guess they do.Really, while I am thinking of it... the little square iPod Nanos would've made a great stepping-stone to a watch. They were already 3/4s of the way there anyways(and it looks like more than one person put them in a strap and used them as such). Revised model adds bluetooth, software update lets it play music off your paired phone and use the iPod headphone port as a headset...
angrypatm - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Still overpriced, ugly and cheap looking with a rubber band (80's Swatch anyone) unless you spend stupid money, then it's just overpriced and ugly.boozed - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
"Building Towards Maturity"Faint praise indeed.
johnny-12 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
You didn't mention anything about the Apple Watch Series 1 (original watch with S2 SiP)amdwilliam1985 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Where is the kiss-ass Macbook Pro review?Apple has "fixed" the battery problems, now update your results and praise the gods. (I know Anandtech can't do a "bad" Apple product review ;)
On a more serious note, please do a battery life comparison between 13" non-touch vs 13" touch bar, I want to see the battery hit and the performance trade off. I don't care if it only lasts 3 hours, or breath-taking break through (30% improvement aka 4h), I just want to know the trade off (in relative terms) so I know what I'm buying into. I'm sure there are many people in the same boat.
amdwilliam1985 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Bloomberg: How Apple Alienated Mac Loyalists. http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIwm4CIoDERIP Mac
amdwilliam1985 - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
Oh no, Consumer Report got bought by M$ and/Google too.http://www.consumerreports.org/laptops/macbook-pro...
Man, the "whole world" is picking against the "underdog", Apple T_T
Don't worry, Anandtech is here to kiss ass and save the day ;) There are not enough money in the world that M$ and Google can spend to persuade Anandtech.
Jokes aside, can we expect Macbook Pro reviews coming soon? Please...
Christmas gift?
I have to buy Mac, because I need xcode to write iOS apps.
Don't want to deal with linux, I don't have the time and energy.
serendip - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
A lot of commenters dissing smartwatches should use a smartwatch for a few weeks before commenting. I know because I thought wearables were pointless until I got a Pebble. Now I can't ever go back to a normal dumb watch. It was a revelation to have a tiny computer strapped with so many apps strapped to my wrist. The Apple Watch is even more amazing because of the deep iPhone integration and its sensor suite.And lastly, RIP Pebble, I hope the tech lives on somehow. I'll be using mine until it stops working. The always-on LCD makes it feel like a normal watch yet I can get by with charging it every 4-5 days, not like the daily charging needed by other smartwatches. Maybe Apple needs to have an always-on OLED screen like with Nokia's Sleeping Screen app on Symbian.
mobutu - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
smartwatch is dead anywayhasseb64 - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
Simply: Another useless product that needs constant charging.If you have money and want something big on your arm, buy a Swiss made watch, at least you look good with that on!
FunBunny2 - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
I don't know. at some point folks, producers and consumers, will have to admit that the limiting point of all portable devices (watches, phones, laptops, etc.) is power. and there hasn't been a meaningful increment (much less a doubling) in power density in a battery in decades. until someone is smart enough to invent a new atom, the wall is staring you in the face. controlling a chip as node size shrinks, while reducing power demand by a bit, will in and of itself demand more circuits and power. WYSIWYG.zeeBomb - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
So... What's different?amdwilliam1985 - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
Everything is different, the world has been turned upside down if you're an Apple fans.If you're not, then move on along, nothing much to see here.
mycobacteriumaviumcomplexG5 - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
Who cares about Applewatch? Another article about something no one cares.A-Skate - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
400 bucks gets you a nice vintage Omega and a true HRM sports watch, so no, gen 2 still isn't there in terms of looks and standalone functionality. I just don't see the value for the time being beyond the music controls.Gigaplex - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
Is there any upgrade path for those who bought the ridiculous solid gold versions of the original?fanofanand - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
Nope. that's not how Apple does things. Fleece first, ask questions later.FunBunny2 - Thursday, December 22, 2016 - link
melt it down and have your dentist turn it into tooth bling???sandman74 - Friday, December 23, 2016 - link
After this article I looked at buying a series 2 Apple Watch but was shocked at how much the price came to.£400 for the watch itself with a basic plastic strap and then another £149 for a leather strap with buckle.
So £550 all in. Wow. The cost of the strap is just ridiculous. (Optional, yes but then the whole thing is optional really as it's a nice to have, not an essential purchase).
Just can't justify spending that kind of money. I guess I'm just not their target market.
And that's despite owning a couple of mechanical watches that cost near that.
Still though.... the cost of that strap.
Alexey291 - Saturday, December 31, 2016 - link
Its priced the same way any normal watch is. If you don't believe me have a look at the way the straps for them are priced.LordConrad - Saturday, December 24, 2016 - link
I prefer my LG Urbane as it works with both Android and Apple phones, and it looks like a real watch.Kien - Tuesday, December 27, 2016 - link
Wow, Brandon. This is an awesome review. Your comparison of the product development for iPod/iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch is very interesting. Helps me appreciate Apple's achievements in leading the way and building products that people don't know yet whether they want or not!I look forward to huge strides in artificial intelligence. I don't know how the industry is going to monetise this development and earn a return on the huge investment that is likely required.
Best wishes for 2017!
Kien
LordConrad - Thursday, December 29, 2016 - link
Apple doesn't lead the way, they follow and improve. Personal computers, tablets, smart phones, smart watches, we're all developed first by someone else.mrvco - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link
I used an original iPhone and an iP4 and liked them very much. I've had a few iPads and still use a Mini2 and like it very much. The iWatch and smart watches in general still don't interest me. When I wear a watch, I prefer my mechanical automatic. Actually I'm surprised no one has developed a kinetic charging smart watch.yhselp - Tuesday, January 3, 2017 - link
I'd love to get one of those, but there's always something more important/practical to buy for that sort of money. I kind of wish it could drop to about $200 however unrealistic that may be. I was also hoping for an improvement to single-threaded performance courtesy of a new CPU.The original iPhone's two biggest drawbacks as I remember it were the lack of an app store for a full year (despite the vibrant homebrew scene) and its slowness. I remember trying a friend's iPhone 3G on cellular, and not finding it faster - the SoC was just not capable of loading pages fast. When I upgraded to the 3GS the difference was revelatory. Despite their drawbacks these were the two models I've had the most fun with - the App Store was an explosive hub for innovation, unlike the free-to-download money model of today, homebrew was huge, etc. The only thing I ever missed from my N82 was the camera.
The iPhone 3GS has to be *the* representative of the golden age of innovation for smartphones. Think about what Android handsets were back then. You can still use a 3GS today - I gave my old set to my s.o. when she had to replace the screen of her 6s; transferring her info from iCloud was seamless, and at first the 3GS was a bit of a shock for her, but after a day or so she came to grips with it and used the hell out of it for 10 days.
I kind of wish a similar boon of innovation would come to Apple Watch.
About sleep tracking: You would always have to charge a smart watch, even if it's once or twice a week, and the most practical time to do so would be when you're no using it, i.e. when you're sleeping. If they manage to implement a full charge that takes about 20 minutes and is safe to use in the long term, you could quickly charge your watch when you get back home from work, or when taking a shower.
richiwalt - Monday, January 9, 2017 - link
I have a question that's really puzzling to me: My series 1 is connected to my watch (and wifi is turned OFF on the phone). I leave my phone at my worstation ... and I begin to walk from one building to another, through an underground tunnel that connects the two building ... a distance of 265 feet. The watch connection breaks in the middle of the tunnel (about 150 feet from the phone) ... but when I proceed out the other side of the tunnel, the watch-phone connection is re-established. Both buildings share the same wifi SSID and password (but, remember ... wifi is turned off on the phone). So, how is the connection established from the watch to the phone on the other side of the tunnel. Not only my watch, but others in the building experience the same thing. Does the watch truly use bluetooth or wifi for a connection ? And, if wifi is turned off on the phone, how is that possible ? I'm really just wanting to understand this ...Deelron - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link
Odds are this late you want see it (or it's moot) but what's likely happening is the watch is merely reconnecting to a wifi network your phone has been on before (not connecting to your phone, since it's wifi is off). The watch itself can do a decent amount of things on just wifi (like receive messages, make calls if the phone had wifi calling on at one point before, check the weather and use 3rd party apps that support wifi connectivity and the like).Aniklalani - Monday, July 3, 2017 - link
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Hamm Burger - Saturday, November 4, 2017 - link
I'm amazingly late to this thread, but it's possible the blue bias in the color measurements is a result of Apple pre-calibrating to compensate for the blue pixels ageing faster than red and green.