MLB okays Apple Watch for use in the dugout, cell phones still banned

Posted:
in Apple Watch edited August 2015
Major League Baseball will reportedly allow coaches and team personnel to wear Apple Watches in the dugout during games --?while continuing to ban other electronic devices, including cell phones --?as long as the Watch is not used for communication.




The MLB home office was forced to confront the issue this week after Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost was spotted wearing his Apple Watch in the dugout during a game against the Cincinnati Reds. Yost received the Watch in question from Major League Baseball itself after managing the American League team in this year's All-Star Game.

While some overzealous publications initially reported that MLB had banned the Apple Watch after speaking with Yost, an MLB spokesperson told MarketWatch that was not the case. The league merely checked with Yost to ensure he was not using it to access scouting data or otherwise communicate with team personnel during the game.

"When you're away from your phone, all it is is a watch," Yost told the league, according to the Kansas City Star's Andy McCullough.

That will change with the release of watchOS 2, which will bring native apps and expanded Wi-Fi connectivity to the Watch this fall. There is no word on what MLB will do at that point, though the new capabilities may cause the Watch to fall under the league's electronic device policy.

While there is no official rule against electronic devices, then-MLB operations chief Sandy Alderson effectively laid down the law with a memo distributed in 2000:
Please be reminded that the use of electronic equipment during a game is restricted. No club shall use electronic equipment, including walkie-talkies and cellular telephones, to communicate to or with any on-field personnel, including those, in the dugout, bullpen, field and-during the game-the clubhouse. Such equipment may not be used for the purpose of stealing signs or conveying information designed to give a club an advantage.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20

    To the batter's watch - one tap for fast ball, two taps for curve ball, etc...

  • Reply 2 of 20
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member

    I would assume it won't be able to transmit anything without the phone nearby so should be good.  As he said "When you're away from your phone, all it is is a watch,"

    83
  • Reply 3 of 20
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by chadmatic View Post

     

    One tap for fastball, two taps for curve ball, etc...


     

    Finally...a real world use for haptic feedback.

  • Reply 4 of 20
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

    Can't beleive a billion dollar company like MLB gave him the cheapest model.


     

    Really? You can't believe they gave the on-field manager of a sports team a sport model? 

  • Reply 5 of 20
    sog35 wrote: »
    Just give all managers AppleWatches.  Solved.

    Can't beleive a billion dollar company like MLB gave him the cheapest model.

    .

    Either way, it is a sport model for a sport...why would he use the Edition?
  • Reply 6 of 20
    sog35 wrote: »
    Just give all managers AppleWatches.  Solved.

    Can't beleive a billion dollar company like MLB gave him the cheapest model.

    Please. Fashionistas get the gold model, MLB coaches get the Sports model. Get it? Sports? MLB?
  • Reply 7 of 20
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by chadmatic View Post

     

    To the batter's watch - one tap for fast ball, two taps for curve ball, etc...




    @chadmatic maybe you should read the headline again, it specifically says dugout only.

  • Reply 8 of 20
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    sog35 wrote: »
    Just give all managers AppleWatches.  Solved.

    Can't beleive a billion dollar company like MLB gave him the cheapest model.

    Every single team is a billion dollar company.
  • Reply 9 of 20
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    chadmatic wrote: »
    chadmatic wrote: »
     
    To the batter's watch - one tap for fast ball, two taps for curve ball, etc...

    <a data-huddler-embed="href" href="/u/134818/chadmatic" style="display:inline-block;">@chadmatic</a>
     maybe you should read the headline again, it specifically says dugout only.

    Is it just me or did [@]chadmatic[/@] reply to himself?
  • Reply 10 of 20
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by icoco3 View Post

     

    I would assume it won't be able to transmit anything without the phone nearby so should be good.  As he said "When you're away from your phone, all it is is a watch,"

    83


    How far away can I be from my iPhone before it disconnects?

    Traditional Bluetooth range is around 30-50 feet, but your Apple Watch has an advantage if your phone is connected to Wi-Fi. When you connect to a Wi-Fi network, your Watch will remain in contact with your phone anywhere in the building where you're covered by that network. For example, you can be upstairs in your bedroom and take a call while your phone is downstairs on the couch.

    Sourcehttp://www.imore.com/apple-watch-faq#pairing

  • Reply 11 of 20
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post

     
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by chadmatic View Post

     
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by chadmatic View Post



     

    To the batter's watch - one tap for fast ball, two taps for curve ball, etc...




    @chadmatic

     maybe you should read the headline again, it specifically says dugout only.




    Is it just me or did @chadmatic reply to himself?

    No. It was chadmatic.

    ;)

  • Reply 12 of 20
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post

     

    How far away can I be from my iPhone before it disconnects?

    Traditional Bluetooth range is around 30-50 feet, but your Apple Watch has an advantage if your phone is connected to Wi-Fi. When you connect to a Wi-Fi network, your Watch will remain in contact with your phone anywhere in the building where you're covered by that network. For example, you can be upstairs in your bedroom and take a call while your phone is downstairs on the couch.

    Sourcehttp://www.imore.com/apple-watch-faq#pairing


     

    Maybe they will rethink the whole thing....

  • Reply 13 of 20
    schlackschlack Posts: 719member
    i think the argument will be that before long, clothing will be a connected device, as will shoes, helmets, etc...so there is no escaping the trend
  • Reply 14 of 20



    Until Watch2.0 comes out next month.  Then the iPhone isn't needed.

  • Reply 15 of 20
    hexclockhexclock Posts: 1,243member
    <span style="color:rgb(39,158,188);font-family:franklingothicfscdregular;font-size:25px;letter-spacing:-1.3px;line-height:1em;">How far away can I be from my iPhone before it disconnects?</span>

    <p style="border:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);margin-bottom:25px;vertical-align:baseline;">Traditional Bluetooth range is around 30-50 feet, but your Apple Watch has an advantage if your phone is connected to Wi-Fi. When you connect to a Wi-Fi network, your Watch will remain in contact with your phone anywhere in the building where you're covered by that network. For example, you can be upstairs in your bedroom and take a call while your phone is downstairs on the couch.</p>

    <p style="border:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);margin-bottom:25px;vertical-align:baseline;">Sourcehttp://www.imore.com/apple-watch-faq#pairing</p>
    So you get on the baseball park's free wi-fi, leave your phone in the locker and you're still connected. Got it.
  • Reply 16 of 20
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Hexclock View Post





    So you get on the baseball park's free wi-fi, leave your phone in the locker and you're still connected. Got it.



    Technological Darwinism. Gotta love it.

     

    "My iPhone?, Oh it's way back on my desk in the locker room.... The WifI's free in here right?"

  • Reply 17 of 20
    Basically, MLB's policy is 15 years out-of-date, but because it is baseball they will take several years and multiple committees to change their policy and they will still screw it up. As say this as an avid baseball fan. Look at how they screwed up their rollout of instant replay by also changing the transfer rule, therefore pissing off managers, players and the fans because they literally changed the definition of what was an out.
  • Reply 18 of 20
    james hays wrote: »

    Until Watch2.0 comes out next month.  Then the iPhone isn't needed.

    When 2.0 comes out, then the ? Watch should definitely be considered as a prohibited device. But will it? Baseball takes a long time to get with the program, so who knows? Maybe teams will be able to get away with wearing them for a while yet.
  • Reply 19 of 20
    Also, you still get messages when the watch is connected to wifi alone. Even if the iPhone is left at home.
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