MLB okays Apple Watch for use in the dugout, cell phones still banned
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:
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
To the batter's watch - one tap for fast ball, two taps for curve ball, etc...
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,"
One tap for fastball, two taps for curve ball, etc...
Finally...a real world use for haptic feedback.
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?
.
Either way, it is a sport model for a sport...why would he use the Edition?
Please. Fashionistas get the gold model, MLB coaches get the Sports model. Get it? Sports? MLB?
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.
Every single team is a billion dollar company.
Is it just me or did [@]chadmatic[/@] reply to himself?
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,"
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.
Source: http://www.imore.com/apple-watch-faq#pairing
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.
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.
Source: http://www.imore.com/apple-watch-faq#pairing
Maybe they will rethink the whole thing....
Until Watch2.0 comes out next month. Then the iPhone isn't needed.
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?"
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.