The 2 models do not make any sense to me. Why are they releasing 2 models at the same time?
For the same reason they still sell 16GB iPhones: price segmentation.
Apple's lineups are getting way too bloated. They need to get back to simplicity. If Apple does decide to sell an updated gen 1 watch hopefully it will just be one model and not all the SKU's we have now.
For the same reason they still sell 16GB iPhones: price segmentation.
Apple's lineups are getting way too bloated. They need to get back to simplicity. If Apple does decide to sell an updated gen 1 watch hopefully it will just be one model and not all the SKU's we have now.
As far as I can tell there is one watch now and there may be 2 next year. I think people can handle it.
More than likely they will release the Apple Watch 2 and keep the original around at a discounted price, much like they do with iPhones and iPads. They might have different watch band configurations, but I would put money that's how the lineup will look for the Christmas season.
And, similar to iPhone SE, they could upgrade the CPU of the first watch to increase its usable life span.
They need to improve the entry-level experience, just like they did with the SE, so that new customers will embrace Apple and appreciate the benefits, rather than always complaining it's slower than their Android which cost half as much.
Why are rumors being reported as fact now? At least in the headline, why?? Throw in the "2H" and I flipped! I thought I had either missed a keynote or Apple had aired a surprise announcement and surprise launch!!
1) They've been doing this since as long as I've been a member, and with increasing frequency.
2) Is "2H" such a common shorthand for "2nd half of the [calendar] year" that it can be used without any explanation? I know several posters here know what it means, and I know that many others are intelligent enough to decipher it's meaning from the context, but I don't think it's a good choice for wide-ranging audience in terms of English proficiency, technical knowledge, and history with Apple.
Plus, now Kuo has gone back to being called "well-connected" after a period of this not being used. I find the kowtowing to Kuo insulting, personally. It's like saying "Ladies and gentlemen, introducing comic genius Gallagher!"
The 2 models do not make any sense to me. Why are they releasing 2 models at the same time? Or are they going to release the 2 in 2017?
Think a bit about it, what watch manufacture has only one watch in its line up? Seriously did you expect there to be only one Apple Watch for the rest of time. I can see them marketing several distinctly different models in the coming years. I would expect the equivalent of the watch Dicck Tracy use to wear in the comics by the end of the decade.
Anecdote Warning: I recently tested my Apple Watch to see how well it does in a wilderness situation where my iPhone was disconnected (and off since there was no cell reception in the mountains), and I was able to get over 3 days of use with the Watch in Airplane Mode. If I turned it off once I got to camp for the evening I figure I could have gotten at least a couple more days out of a single charge.
If I turn my Watch off completely and then back on (mainly to reset some odd issue), I lose at least 20% of the battery charge in the process, just with a single restart. I wouldn't recommend turning it off overnight if you're goal is to conserve battery.
My guess is the battery reading wasn't correct before you turned it off to resolve some OS or app not working properly.
The biggest drawback was the Activity app's Move and Exercise results were incorrect. I was getting 0/30 Exercise minutes despite a near constant pace for 6–8 hours per day with a steady heart rate in the 130bpm range the entire time. My Move goal was being achieved from the constant walking, but it was surely much lower than it should have been. I'm sure this will be taken into consideration in the future—especially considering that I was doing this in the backyard of their last three macOS naming conventions (Yosemite, El Cap, and Sierra).
- - -
Does a barometer need to work alongside the accelerometer to account for "floors climbed"?
I get frustrated by that as well. Sometimes I get 0 minutes of exercise even though I hit the Move goal. But, I can start an "other" workout and just sit there watching the grass grow and my Exercise minutes start to go up. Also, if I walk into work at a quick enough pace I'll get 2 or 3 minutes of Exercise. So, at the end of the day with 4 trips in and out I can already have about 10 minutes of Exercise. BUT, when I get home and take the dog for a walk I have Siri start an Outdoor Walk and I'm out for 45 minutes and my Exercise goal barely moves. I don't get it.
1) That "Other" workout trick also works for getting you your standing hour.
2) I wear watches on my left arm and I apparently push a shopping cart with my left hand, most of the time, which means I get zero steps in stores where you use a shopping cart. I bet I lose a good 2k steps of walking when I'm in CostCo.
This rumour of "better waterproofing resistance" tells me that they will finally be adding water-based exercises as workout options. I say that because the thing is already water resistance enough that I use it for swimming frequently without issue (because of the many tests I saw last year when it first debuted).
It may be resistant, but Apple says "Submerging your Apple Watch isn't recommended.":
Perhaps they want to be able to remove this disclaimer with an even more water-resistant model.
Sure, their goal is to be able to make work in more places that people are active, but they need to cautious here for the sake of their profitability, hence my comment. Once you say it can be used for a water activity 'in' water (like swimming) you're stepping into a very deep pool of possibilities, both figuratively and literally. That's why I'll be both happy and surprised if they do say you can use it for swimming and include swimming as a workout option. And, again, Watch works perfectly fine for swimming laps now with its IPX7rating.
Apple Watch S with shrunken processor and improved water resistance, Apple Watch 2 with GPS, barometer, larger battery and more powerful S2 SoC?
Apple is pretty good at the segmentation game, so I am sure they will have them well differentiated. I would expect only the Sport model to remain for an updated Apple Watch 1. Good point by Mac_128 that a reason to upgrade the processor is to ensure a better UE for newcomers to the AW.
I am likely to be skipping the AW 2 (never been an upgrade every year person on anything) - still enjoy my AW 1 every day - but likely to get the AW 3 version in 2017. And yes, I expect Apple to have a new version every year. For a new product (and really, new product category), they need to iterate every year to keep momentum and define this category.
Perhaps they want to be able to remove this disclaimer with an even more water-resistant model.
Sure, their goal is to be able to make work in more places that people are active, but they need to cautious here for the sake of their profitability, hence my comment. Once you say it can be used for a water activity 'in' water (like swimming) you're stepping into a very deep pool of possibilities, both figuratively and literally. That's why I'll be both happy and surprised if they do say you can use it for swimming and include swimming as a workout option. And, again, Watch works perfectly fine for swimming laps now with its IPX7rating.
Yes, improved water resistance will be great, but I don't expect Apple to do much more than say it is improved & speak to its rating (IPxy). If Apple ever said it was good for water activities, then it would have to be "very" waterproof to deal with the idiots that would do everything under the sun to try and break it...
The biggest drawback was the Activity app's Move and Exercise results were incorrect. I was getting 0/30 Exercise minutes despite a near constant pace for 6–8 hours per day with a steady heart rate in the 130bpm range the entire time. My Move goal was being achieved from the constant walking, but it was surely much lower than it should have been. I'm sure this will be taken into consideration in the future—especially considering that I was doing this in the backyard of their last three macOS naming conventions (Yosemite, El Cap, and Sierra).
- - -
Does a barometer need to work alongside the accelerometer to account for "floors climbed"?
I get frustrated by that as well. Sometimes I get 0 minutes of exercise even though I hit the Move goal. But, I can start an "other" workout and just sit there watching the grass grow and my Exercise minutes start to go up. Also, if I walk into work at a quick enough pace I'll get 2 or 3 minutes of Exercise. So, at the end of the day with 4 trips in and out I can already have about 10 minutes of Exercise. BUT, when I get home and take the dog for a walk I have Siri start an Outdoor Walk and I'm out for 45 minutes and my Exercise goal barely moves. I don't get it.
it's possible to hit your Move goal via non-strenuous walking, which wont move the needle on Exercise goal, which is based on either: 1) starting an exercise in Workouts, or 2) elevated heart rate during motion (ex, fast walking to the car or whatever). when you select the "Other" workout it's going to take your word for it that you're doing something that actually qualifies as a workout.
If they're going to add a barometric sensor, I wish they would add an ambient temperature sensor, too. Cheap Casio watches have had both sensors for ages.
Since it will be almost 24 months since the Apple Watch was first announced (though only ~ 16 months since first shipments), I would hope that Apple has a very good upgrade on offer for AW2. A barometer and GPS are solid sensor additions, and of course a major improvement in processor should be a given, as well a both a bigger battery and more power efficiency in existing components.
Still hoping / expecting a bit more: - Improved screen & glass - Improved taptic engine - Smart band connector (?) - opening huge opportunities in future - Larger size option (46mm)
GPS, no, that can't be true. I was told that GPS isn't needed at all, in fact, that you had to be crazy to even think such a thing. Just like mirroring apps from you iPhone, that can't be wrong.
But seriously, I do think the AW will be right in the future, it will take 10 generations from now and Apple might not be the first, but it will eventually emerge.
Comments
MayB by 1H17 the rest of us will b ^ 2 speed N teh fancy abb'v'S.
As far as I can tell there is one watch now and there may be 2 next year. I think people can handle it.
1) That "Other" workout trick also works for getting you your standing hour.
2) I wear watches on my left arm and I apparently push a shopping cart with my left hand, most of the time, which means I get zero steps in stores where you use a shopping cart. I bet I lose a good 2k steps of walking when I'm in CostCo.
Sure, their goal is to be able to make work in more places that people are active, but they need to cautious here for the sake of their profitability, hence my comment. Once you say it can be used for a water activity 'in' water (like swimming) you're stepping into a very deep pool of possibilities, both figuratively and literally. That's why I'll be both happy and surprised if they do say you can use it for swimming and include swimming as a workout option. And, again, Watch works perfectly fine for swimming laps now with its IPX7rating.
I am likely to be skipping the AW 2 (never been an upgrade every year person on anything) - still enjoy my AW 1 every day - but likely to get the AW 3 version in 2017. And yes, I expect Apple to have a new version every year. For a new product (and really, new product category), they need to iterate every year to keep momentum and define this category.
Yes, improved water resistance will be great, but I don't expect Apple to do much more than say it is improved & speak to its rating (IPxy). If Apple ever said it was good for water activities, then it would have to be "very" waterproof to deal with the idiots that would do everything under the sun to try and break it...
...verses not-so-well connected:
Still hoping / expecting a bit more:
- Improved screen & glass
- Improved taptic engine
- Smart band connector (?) - opening huge opportunities in future
- Larger size option (46mm)
I was told that GPS isn't needed at all, in fact, that you had to be crazy to even think such a thing.
Just like mirroring apps from you iPhone, that can't be wrong.
But seriously, I do think the AW will be right in the future, it will take 10 generations from now and Apple might not be the first, but it will eventually emerge.