I do. That is an actually original approach to smartwatches, which is far better than their lets-shrink-an-Android-phone approach. (How well it works is an unanswered question at the moment, and requires an implementation.) And that is all Tim Cook said he wanted from Samsung: for them to compete with their own ideas. If Samsung wins using their own ideas, they can have all the credit. And consumers will have meaningful choices, instead of: Genuine Apple product, Apple Clone 1, Apple Clone 2, etc.
Oh yes if Samsung brings their own ideas and everyone else does as well, is a win for us as consumers, things will just keep getting better and better. And about the clone 1,2... I just saw a galaxy s6 and it looks exactly like and iPhone 6 with the camera in the middle. I thought it was an iPhone 6 until I saw the camera, and the front.
So now it's released, can anyone explain me what the watch offers except being an extension/second screen for the iPhone?
Apple Watch as changing paridigm:
The Apple watch will disrupt by changing the expectation of what a wrist mounted accessory should be.
The Watch will deliver four key use cases well suited to a wearable device:
1. Notification and dispatch. This is what everyone has been talking about so I won't detail this use case.
2. Simple [lightweight] communications. For many, the concept of a smartphone as a phone (a real-time voice communicator) is becoming an anachronism. Many people use real-time voice communications only for short exchanges, to arrange a meetup or a quick check-in. These types of communications can easily be handled by the Watch, with longer conversations left to the smartphone. Apple's clever taptic communications (reach out and touch someone or send your heartbeat), the quick drawing app, and voice texts, all are lightweight forms of communication best suited for a wearable.
3. Simple actions. With the introduction of HomeKit, and with ApplePay and integration with the Internet of Things, watches will soon be expected to perform the functions of house keys, car keys, workplace access Fobs and swipe cards, credit cards, light switches, television and stereo remotes, heat and air conditioning controllers, security system controllers, garage door openers, printed airline tickets and other passes. Just as the smartphone replaced many stand-alone products, so too will the smart watch.
4. Tracking. Not just fitness and health tracking, soon watches will be expected to be able to input simple data into applications. From SalesForce to Facebook to employee rating to project tracking, status updates that are easily input will become a fourth, stealth use case.
The Apple Watch will not change the way people perceive fashion. The Apple Watch, and to a lesser extent, all smart watches, will change the perception of what a watch should do. And once that perception has changed, people will demand budget editions and luxury editions, utilitarian editions and fashionable editions of that new paradigm. It's then, soon, that all traditional watchmakers must shift, partner, or find a new way to make a living.
I know deferring to content on such a small screen is vitally important but I wonder if there might be a software update giving you the option to show the scroll bar before you start turning the crown - at least so one could use it while they're still figuring out when to use the crown and when not to. Unless it's always obvious when there's more content see?
That's a good idea!
The app running on the iPhone knows that the display has the potential to be scrolled (minimum row size and count of rows in a list) -- it just doesn't know in advance how long the list will be as each row could be a different size. But, they could give an indication that's close enough by displaying an approximate scroll bar.
Incidently, you don't have to use the digital crown to scroll -- you can use flicks, just like on the iPhone ...
In fact, fllicking or slow-dragging along either curved side of the display works just as well and doesn't block the display.
The watchmakers had their own digital crowns which controlled everything on the watch. Obviously, 15-20 years ago that meant adjusting things like alarms, stopwatch, countdown timer, date/time, world-clocks, etc. In a modern smart watch, the digital crown is able to control more things because the watch itself can do more things.
What I'm saying is that in terms of the idea of using a digital crown to control watch functions, there is no innovation here from Apple. It's simply an evolution of the digital crowns which existed years ago, applied to modern smart watch technology.
Nope. They weren't digital, they were electro-mechanical.
Nope. They weren't digital, they were electro-mechanical.
Sound pretty picky (and speculative) to me.
When old gen mice went from electrical to optical sensors a decade and a half ago not much changed in the hardware or the theoretical principles that made them work. Nobody whined, "This is a digital mouse. Those others are electro-mechanical." Nobody even noticed until later, when the ball was taken out and optical sensors were used directly on the mousing surface.
If you want picky, we can use your logic to say the "digital crown" isn't "digital" either. It's "opto-mechanical."
Nope. They weren't digital, they were electro-mechanical.
You are referring to the method of converting a mechanical movement into a digital signal. The older watches might have used an electro-mechanical system, whilst the Apple watch uses an opto-mechanical system. But the end result is the same - a digital signal, hence why in both cases it's a digital crown.
You are referring to the method of converting a mechanical movement into a digital signal. The older watches might have used an electro-mechanical system, whilst the Apple watch uses an opto-mechanical system. But the end result is the same - a digital signal, hence why in both cases it's a digital crown.
In essence, Gray Code is "digital" however it's generated
Also with a mechanical watch the crown may have a fair amount of resistance, requiring deeper knurling to ensure a secure grip. This applies double on dive watches where the crown must be screwed down tight after adjusting.
Aside from this I think excessively deep knurling serves no practical function on an electronic watch, and Apple's design aesthetic is minimalistic and modern rather than industrial or traditional.
That's an excellent point. My daily watch is an Omega dive watch, which has a substantial crown for the reasons you mention. And my other good watch is a 'Fleiger' (German aviation watch) with a large onion crown that was intended to be usable when wearing gloves. Like I said in my original post, I'm sure I'll get used to the digital crown.
You can argue over how innovative the design is, but as a watch geek, I love that Apple made the crown central to the UI, paying homage to traditional mechanical watch design.
I discover that I can see video messages on the ?Watch. Nice
How's the frame rate?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kit_C
You can argue over how innovative the design is, but as a watch geek, I love that Apple made the crown central to the UI, paying homage to traditional mechanical watch design.
True. I see it as more than just an homage, though. In the world of design, nostalgia for its own sake isn't generally considered a positive trait. What I love best is when a designer takes an old concept (which may be very familiar or very obscure) and applies it to an entirely new application where its use may be truly new or unique. The digital crown fits this description since it's not slavishly copying the appearance or function of a mechanical watch crown. But it's leveraging a clever and useful design from the past and repurposing it for use on a modern digital product.
One of my favorites is the folding, magnetic cover for the iPad. The inspiration?
True. I see it as more than just an homage, though. In the world of design, nostalgia for its own sake isn't generally considered a positive trait. What I love best is when a designer takes an old concept (which may be very familiar or very obscure) and applies it to an entirely new application where its use may be truly new or unique. The digital crown fits this description since it's not slavishly copying the appearance or function of a mechanical watch crown. But it's leveraging a clever and useful design from the past and repurposing it for use on a modern digital product.
One of my favorites is the folding, magnetic cover for the iPad. The inspiration?
Don't know anything about frame rates, but they were 240 fp slow motion videos and they play very well in my opinion.
And yes I like the idea that Apple didn't "reinvent the wheel" the just made it better. I like the crown it works great.
The frame rate of a video determines how smoothly it is animated. The TV standard is about 30 fps, and that's generally considered the minimum for video that doesn't look janky. I was wondering if video received on the Watch displays smooth motion.
The frame rate of a video determines how smoothly it is animated. The TV standard is about 30 fps, and that's generally considered the minimum for video that doesn't look janky. I was wondering if video received on the Watch displays smooth motion.
That's an excellent point. My daily watch is an Omega dive watch, which has a substantial crown for the reasons you mention. And my other good watch is a 'Fleiger' (German aviation watch) with a large onion crown that was intended to be usable when wearing gloves.
But here's the thing ... this doesn't matter for the ?Watch for several reasons:
1) The warranted operating temperature specified by Apple for the watch is 32f-95f degrees. That means the need for use with gloves is greatly diminished. The ?Watch is not intended for use by those in below freezing environments, nor excessive heat. They recommend that the watch not be exposed to direct sunlight, as it will cause overheating and temporary or permanent failure. This is a real problem in some parts of the world, especially during the Summer months. People in Phoenix are likely to have a lot of blank watch faces when using it outdoors in the Summer.
2) The watch must be strapped against flesh to operate efficiently. Some things requiring authentication will not be possible if the watch is not strapped tot he skin. In freezing cold climates, this will be a problem, since you won't likely want to expose your skin to the extreme cold. Most I know in extreme cold weather environments strap their watch on over a thermal base layer, if not over the actual jacket.
Let's face it, the ?Watch is not IPX8 rated for even any casual water use, so using it underwater is out of the question anyway. It's warranted for temperate climate use only, where most people won't be wearing gloves, or lose manual dexterity. So the digital crown is appropriate for the watch Apple has chosen to deliver at this point.
That said, has anyone thought about an aftermarket Digital Crown "enhancer" ring that would slide over the crown? I can see that looking pretty cool on the Sport. It could be just a rubber ring in a matching band color, or it could be a real brushed aluminum finish with a full on industrial feel. Man it's times like these I wish I had some disposable income to just go manufacture them and put them on the market ...
But here's the thing ... this doesn't matter for the ?Watch for several reasons:
1) The warranted operating temperature specified by Apple for the watch is 32f-95f degrees. That means the need for use with gloves is greatly diminished. The ?Watch is not intended for use by those in below freezing environments, nor excessive heat. They recommend that the watch not be exposed to direct sunlight, as it will cause overheating and temporary or permanent failure. This is a real problem in some parts of the world, especially during the Summer months. People in Phoenix are likely to have a lot of blank watch faces when using it outdoors in the Summer.
2) The watch must be strapped against flesh to operate efficiently. Some things requiring authentication will not be possible if the watch is not strapped tot he skin. In freezing cold climates, this will be a problem, since you won't likely want to expose your skin to the extreme cold. Most I know in extreme cold weather environments strap their watch on over a thermal base layer, if not over the actual jacket.
Let's face it, the ?Watch is not IPX8 rated for even any casual water use, so using it underwater is out of the question anyway. It's warranted for temperate climate use only, where most people won't be wearing gloves, or lose manual dexterity. So the digital crown is appropriate for the watch Apple has chosen to deliver at this point.
That said, has anyone thought about an aftermarket Digital Crown "enhancer" ring that would slide over the crown? I can see that looking pretty cool on the Sport. It could be just a rubber ring in a matching band color, or it could be a real brushed aluminum finish with a full on industrial feel. Man it's times like these I wish I had some disposable income to just go manufacture them and put them on the market ...
I think you might have missed the point Kit_C and I were making. We were commenting on someone else's criticism that the Apple Watch's crown wasn't knurled deeply enough. I pointed out that it was as knurled as it needed to be, considering its intended usage and in adherence to Apple's minimalist-modern design ethic. Kit_C concurred, citing his two mechanical watches and the reason why their crowns are shaped the way they are.
Bull. Anything could be cited as lame "proof" of the source of inspiration. A scored and folded cover for a sink is proof of precisely nothing. The form followed the function required of the Apple Smart Cover. Even I came up with a similar solution made of a different material long before the Smart Cover ever appeared and its function had nothing to do with a "tablet computer".
Is there a technical reason why Apple couldn't have put a touchID sensor inside the crown? If it's simply a size issue, perhaps v2 will be able to shrink the sensor enough such that it will fit? It seems like a perfect spot for it to me - and quite obvious - so I have no doubt they considered it (however briefly) and had a very good reason for not doing it in the v1 offering. Does anyone know what that very good reason might be?
Comments
Oh yes if Samsung brings their own ideas and everyone else does as well, is a win for us as consumers, things will just keep getting better and better. And about the clone 1,2... I just saw a galaxy s6 and it looks exactly like and iPhone 6 with the camera in the middle. I thought it was an iPhone 6 until I saw the camera, and the front.
So now it's released, can anyone explain me what the watch offers except being an extension/second screen for the iPhone?
The Apple watch will disrupt by changing the expectation of what a wrist mounted accessory should be.
1. Notification and dispatch. This is what everyone has been talking about so I won't detail this use case.
3. Simple actions. With the introduction of HomeKit, and with ApplePay and integration with the Internet of Things, watches will soon be expected to perform the functions of house keys, car keys, workplace access Fobs and swipe cards, credit cards, light switches, television and stereo remotes, heat and air conditioning controllers, security system controllers, garage door openers, printed airline tickets and other passes. Just as the smartphone replaced many stand-alone products, so too will the smart watch.
4. Tracking. Not just fitness and health tracking, soon watches will be expected to be able to input simple data into applications. From SalesForce to Facebook to employee rating to project tracking, status updates that are easily input will become a fourth, stealth use case.
That's a good idea!
The app running on the iPhone knows that the display has the potential to be scrolled (minimum row size and count of rows in a list) -- it just doesn't know in advance how long the list will be as each row could be a different size. But, they could give an indication that's close enough by displaying an approximate scroll bar.
Incidently, you don't have to use the digital crown to scroll -- you can use flicks, just like on the iPhone ...
In fact, fllicking or slow-dragging along either curved side of the display works just as well and doesn't block the display.
Convenience!
The watchmakers had their own digital crowns which controlled everything on the watch. Obviously, 15-20 years ago that meant adjusting things like alarms, stopwatch, countdown timer, date/time, world-clocks, etc. In a modern smart watch, the digital crown is able to control more things because the watch itself can do more things.
What I'm saying is that in terms of the idea of using a digital crown to control watch functions, there is no innovation here from Apple. It's simply an evolution of the digital crowns which existed years ago, applied to modern smart watch technology.
Nope. They weren't digital, they were electro-mechanical.
Nope. They weren't digital, they were electro-mechanical.
Sound pretty picky (and speculative) to me.
When old gen mice went from electrical to optical sensors a decade and a half ago not much changed in the hardware or the theoretical principles that made them work. Nobody whined, "This is a digital mouse. Those others are electro-mechanical." Nobody even noticed until later, when the ball was taken out and optical sensors were used directly on the mousing surface.
If you want picky, we can use your logic to say the "digital crown" isn't "digital" either. It's "opto-mechanical."
Nope. They weren't digital, they were electro-mechanical.
You are referring to the method of converting a mechanical movement into a digital signal. The older watches might have used an electro-mechanical system, whilst the Apple watch uses an opto-mechanical system. But the end result is the same - a digital signal, hence why in both cases it's a digital crown.
You are referring to the method of converting a mechanical movement into a digital signal. The older watches might have used an electro-mechanical system, whilst the Apple watch uses an opto-mechanical system. But the end result is the same - a digital signal, hence why in both cases it's a digital crown.
In essence, Gray Code is "digital" however it's generated
Also with a mechanical watch the crown may have a fair amount of resistance, requiring deeper knurling to ensure a secure grip. This applies double on dive watches where the crown must be screwed down tight after adjusting.
Aside from this I think excessively deep knurling serves no practical function on an electronic watch, and Apple's design aesthetic is minimalistic and modern rather than industrial or traditional.
That's an excellent point. My daily watch is an Omega dive watch, which has a substantial crown for the reasons you mention. And my other good watch is a 'Fleiger' (German aviation watch) with a large onion crown that was intended to be usable when wearing gloves. Like I said in my original post, I'm sure I'll get used to the digital crown.
You can argue over how innovative the design is, but as a watch geek, I love that Apple made the crown central to the UI, paying homage to traditional mechanical watch design.
I discover that I can see video messages on the ?Watch. Nice
How's the frame rate?
You can argue over how innovative the design is, but as a watch geek, I love that Apple made the crown central to the UI, paying homage to traditional mechanical watch design.
True. I see it as more than just an homage, though. In the world of design, nostalgia for its own sake isn't generally considered a positive trait. What I love best is when a designer takes an old concept (which may be very familiar or very obscure) and applies it to an entirely new application where its use may be truly new or unique. The digital crown fits this description since it's not slavishly copying the appearance or function of a mechanical watch crown. But it's leveraging a clever and useful design from the past and repurposing it for use on a modern digital product.
One of my favorites is the folding, magnetic cover for the iPad. The inspiration?
http://twitpic.com/45euq9
Don't know anything about frame rates, but they were 240 fp slow motion videos and they play very well in my opinion.
And yes I like the idea that Apple didn't "reinvent the wheel" the just made it better. I like the crown it works great.
Don't know anything about frame rates, but they were 240 fp slow motion videos and they play very well in my opinion.
And yes I like the idea that Apple didn't "reinvent the wheel" the just made it better. I like the crown it works great.
The frame rate of a video determines how smoothly it is animated. The TV standard is about 30 fps, and that's generally considered the minimum for video that doesn't look janky. I was wondering if video received on the Watch displays smooth motion.
Cool thanks! The video played smooth, no lagging.
One of my favorites is the folding, magnetic cover for the iPad. The inspiration?
http://twitpic.com/45euq9
That's fun.
Have Apple design folks spoken of this, or is it just a visual coincidence someone has pointed out?
Does the bath cover use magnets to snap into place?
That's an excellent point. My daily watch is an Omega dive watch, which has a substantial crown for the reasons you mention. And my other good watch is a 'Fleiger' (German aviation watch) with a large onion crown that was intended to be usable when wearing gloves.
But here's the thing ... this doesn't matter for the ?Watch for several reasons:
1) The warranted operating temperature specified by Apple for the watch is 32f-95f degrees. That means the need for use with gloves is greatly diminished. The ?Watch is not intended for use by those in below freezing environments, nor excessive heat. They recommend that the watch not be exposed to direct sunlight, as it will cause overheating and temporary or permanent failure. This is a real problem in some parts of the world, especially during the Summer months. People in Phoenix are likely to have a lot of blank watch faces when using it outdoors in the Summer.
2) The watch must be strapped against flesh to operate efficiently. Some things requiring authentication will not be possible if the watch is not strapped tot he skin. In freezing cold climates, this will be a problem, since you won't likely want to expose your skin to the extreme cold. Most I know in extreme cold weather environments strap their watch on over a thermal base layer, if not over the actual jacket.
Let's face it, the ?Watch is not IPX8 rated for even any casual water use, so using it underwater is out of the question anyway. It's warranted for temperate climate use only, where most people won't be wearing gloves, or lose manual dexterity. So the digital crown is appropriate for the watch Apple has chosen to deliver at this point.
That said, has anyone thought about an aftermarket Digital Crown "enhancer" ring that would slide over the crown? I can see that looking pretty cool on the Sport. It could be just a rubber ring in a matching band color, or it could be a real brushed aluminum finish with a full on industrial feel. Man it's times like these I wish I had some disposable income to just go manufacture them and put them on the market ...
But here's the thing ... this doesn't matter for the ?Watch for several reasons:
1) The warranted operating temperature specified by Apple for the watch is 32f-95f degrees. That means the need for use with gloves is greatly diminished. The ?Watch is not intended for use by those in below freezing environments, nor excessive heat. They recommend that the watch not be exposed to direct sunlight, as it will cause overheating and temporary or permanent failure. This is a real problem in some parts of the world, especially during the Summer months. People in Phoenix are likely to have a lot of blank watch faces when using it outdoors in the Summer.
2) The watch must be strapped against flesh to operate efficiently. Some things requiring authentication will not be possible if the watch is not strapped tot he skin. In freezing cold climates, this will be a problem, since you won't likely want to expose your skin to the extreme cold. Most I know in extreme cold weather environments strap their watch on over a thermal base layer, if not over the actual jacket.
Let's face it, the ?Watch is not IPX8 rated for even any casual water use, so using it underwater is out of the question anyway. It's warranted for temperate climate use only, where most people won't be wearing gloves, or lose manual dexterity. So the digital crown is appropriate for the watch Apple has chosen to deliver at this point.
That said, has anyone thought about an aftermarket Digital Crown "enhancer" ring that would slide over the crown? I can see that looking pretty cool on the Sport. It could be just a rubber ring in a matching band color, or it could be a real brushed aluminum finish with a full on industrial feel. Man it's times like these I wish I had some disposable income to just go manufacture them and put them on the market ...
I think you might have missed the point Kit_C and I were making. We were commenting on someone else's criticism that the Apple Watch's crown wasn't knurled deeply enough. I pointed out that it was as knurled as it needed to be, considering its intended usage and in adherence to Apple's minimalist-modern design ethic. Kit_C concurred, citing his two mechanical watches and the reason why their crowns are shaped the way they are.
...
One of my favorites is the folding, magnetic cover for the iPad. The inspiration?
http://twitpic.com/45euq9
Bull. Anything could be cited as lame "proof" of the source of inspiration. A scored and folded cover for a sink is proof of precisely nothing. The form followed the function required of the Apple Smart Cover. Even I came up with a similar solution made of a different material long before the Smart Cover ever appeared and its function had nothing to do with a "tablet computer".