Demand for Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular stronger than expected, taking 80%+ of preor...

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  • Reply 21 of 43

    macgui said:
    I ordered one, mainly— just because. I may not activate the cellular part right away. Is it as easy to activate/deactivate as the iPad? I got the impression that it wasn't the same business model, more of a subscription than just buying chunks of time/data. Once activated, I highly doubt I'll flip it on and off.

    It's meant to be more of a backup for the times when I forget my phone, rather than a replacement. So it will be used more for notifications and the occasional GPS function, and maybe Siri, than making phone calls.

    I have somewhat infrequent to use my Watch to answer phone calls and am not really impressed although others are so there's that. LOL There's no privacy unless I'm using my AirPods and the Watch requires me to speak louder than my phone. I find it annoying and anybody else near me would, too. People who use talk too loudly on their phone or use the speakerphone really annoy me (even though cellphones themselves are partly responsible) and I really don't want to be One of Them.


    I think the AW plans are designed with a rebate to encourage you to keep your service for some amount of time - 3 or 6 month. After you use the feature a few times, the likelihood of turning it off are low - it's just a couple of trips to Starbucks a month.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 22 of 43
    qwwera said:
    For me, it’s the perfect replacement for my SE, which was my second phone.
    I was thinking something very similar...I have an SE and I may just get the LTE AppleWatch and pass on an iPhone upgrade. If I'm right my Se is going to be spending a lot more time sitting in my car- by itself! :)

    Best
    GeorgeBMacwatto_cobra
  • Reply 23 of 43
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Another prime example off how the real world often doesn't conform to Apple tech forum opinions.
    directhackerbb-15GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 24 of 43
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Ed789 said:
    Only one hour talk time! Also one cannot use the watch outside the country.
    You joined just to tell us that. Wow, thanks.
    directhackerbb-15pscooter63watto_cobra
  • Reply 25 of 43

    alandail said:
    It doesn't make any sense to activate/unactivate it. There are so many times/places I take my phone to now in case wife, kids, work, need to get in touch with me where I won't have to bring it anymore. Multiple times/day I won't need my phone with me anymore.
    Agreed, this is what I'm thinking also...At a minimum, I can see 'not' carrying the iPhone 'after business' hours. And as I said, previously not putting anymore money into a new iPhone. Currently I have an SE. As a trail runner it would be so cool to have LTE on the watch and not have to carry the iPhone. Of course, that depends on cell coverage.

    Best.

    bb-15GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 26 of 43
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member

    alandail said:
    It doesn't make any sense to activate/unactivate it. There are so many times/places I take my phone to now in case wife, kids, work, need to get in touch with me where I won't have to bring it anymore. Multiple times/day I won't need my phone with me anymore.
    Agreed, this is what I'm thinking also...At a minimum, I can see 'not' carrying the iPhone 'after business' hours. And as I said, previously not putting anymore money into a new iPhone. Currently I have an SE. As a trail runner it would be so cool to have LTE on the watch and not have to carry the iPhone. Of course, that depends on cell coverage.

    Best.

    Absolutely. This is what many of us have been saying since the original Apple Watch. It's time's like these that I really wish there was an I-told-you-so button on these forums, so that years later we could go back and point out how myopic some members are on this forum. Ha!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 27 of 43
    dachar said:
    I am surprised how quickly Apple has got to Series 3. If they continue improving at the same rate what on earth will they be introducing for Series 4, 5 and beyond?
    It is really amazing. :)

    I think back to wearing a Nike sensor on my running shoe, carrying a (heavy) iPhone, a Polar wristwatch and band around my chest.

    I currently run w/ just the first series 38mm AppleWatch but will upgrading to the 42mm GPS/Cellular. Can't wait! :)
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 28 of 43
    dachar said:
    I am surprised how quickly Apple has got to Series 3. If they continue improving at the same rate what on earth will they be introducing for Series 4, 5 and beyond?
    There is a lot of stuff that Apple can add over the next few years.

    The most basic issue is battery life. Don't forget that Apple needs this all to work with the 38mm case as well as the larger 42mm case. With improved battery technology and chemistry (it really is coming soon) they can probably improve battery power by 50% in a few years.

    With extended battery life you can get a lot of benefits.
    1. Smaller/thinner cases. The 42mm case is fine for my wrist but if they could get it a bit thinner I think it would improve the looks quite a bit.
    2. Always on watch faces. I think they could do this right now but I think they want to err on the conservative side and don't want to face criticism if a heavy user (long workouts or lots of calls and network use) runs out before the end of the day.
    3. More accurate heart rate monitoring. Right now there are 2 sensors for heart rate and the low power one is much less accurate. If you ever see a green light from under the case, that is the high-power heart rate monitor. They use it only in the heart rate app or during workouts.
    4. With regulatory approval, Apple can deliver an blood oxygen monitor and maybe even an non-invasive glucose level monitor.
    5. Better sleep tracking. I Have a sleep tracking app that I use with my  watch. But I suspect that the author was very careful to limit the amount of monitoring that it does. With better batteries comes a more robust sleep tracker.
    6. With more advanced medical tracking, it should be possible to automatically contact a care giver or emergency technicians if you are having a medical emergency. Right now, you have to be conscious and have some ability to move to activate emergency calls.
    7. More on chip processing for things like Siri and the new Siri face. Within a few years, Apple is likely to add their Neural Engine from the iPhone 8/X to the watch SiP (System in Package).
    8. With more storage, it will be possible to do life-logging. Track your movements about the day/week/month. Allow you to take voice memos to document interesting or important events. 
    9. Add camera support (could be a watch band). This would be helpful for the above life-logging system.
    10. With a camera, AR support can be extended to your wearable. Face your watch toward something or someone, and maybe get a bunch of information on the screen or through your AirPods. Maybe someday AR glasses will connect to your  watch.
    The next couple of generational CPU transistor die shrinks are almost certainly going to happen. Within 2 years we will be down to 7 nm and then a few years later (probably) we will be down to 5 nm. Shrinking beyond that might be expensive, difficult, and perhaps impossible without new materials that don't even exist right now. But until then each new generation will improve battery life and speed and allow more sophisticated components in the package. Every time Apple delivers more CPU performance, it is more likely to get better developer support. Right now it is pretty difficult to write sophisticated apps for the  watch. But if the performance/watt goes up enough, it becomes a lot easier.

    I'm very excited about the wearable category. I think this  watch Series 3 is going to be seen as the iPhone 3GS of smartwatches. The smart watch category is just starting. There is a long way to go. Should be fun.
    edited September 2017 directhackerwatto_cobra
  • Reply 29 of 43
    macgui said:
    I ordered one, mainly— just because. I may not activate the cellular part right away. Is it as easy to activate/deactivate as the iPad? I got the impression that it wasn't the same business model, more of a subscription than just buying chunks of time/data. Once activated, I highly doubt I'll flip it on and off.
    It has 50% more RAM than the non-LTE version. Might very well be worth having even if you never turn the LTE on.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 30 of 43
    The voice of the gal on the surfboard came through loud and clear. That alone is worth the price.
    Now if only we can select our own bands. I pre-ordered the 42mm stainless steel LTE model but preferred the Space Black version of the Milanese Loop. 
    Will have to buy it at the Apple Store.
    edited September 2017 watto_cobra
  • Reply 31 of 43
    adybadyb Posts: 205member
    I guess that the non LTE version has the same battery as the LTE version so assume that it will have better battery life than the advertised 18 hours as it doesn't have the additional circuitry to power? 
  • Reply 32 of 43
    Is there some information somewhere as to the likelihood or potential for an Apple Watch being used by a "nefarious actor" to get information from the phone to which it's paired?  If (for some, admittedly not very likely scenario) the Watch is lost, but the phone is not, what information can be seen on the watch?  Contact list?  Texts?  Email?  Nothing?
  • Reply 33 of 43
    My 42mm LTE will arrive Friday.  

    The only thing that probably has been addressed and I just haven't REALLY searched for is how this will affect "find my friend".  Will I need to switch back and forth between my phone and my watch location if I want to leave my phone at home?  I know I can do that for my iPads but always leave my phone as the location choice.  


    Edit: and just like that I found it in an FAQ:  :
    • Find my friend switches to your Apple Watch when you don't have your phone
    edited September 2017 GeorgeBMacwatto_cobra
  • Reply 34 of 43
    fallenjt said:
    qwwera said:
    For me, it’s the perfect replacement for my SE, which was my second phone.
    You know AW3 is only an extension of your main phone, not additional phone, right? It doesn't have its own number.
    Why would you want it to have a separate number?
  • Reply 35 of 43
    dachar said:
    I am surprised how quickly Apple has got to Series 3. If they continue improving at the same rate what on earth will they be introducing for Series 4, 5 and beyond?
    Additional sensors such as SpO2 & Glucose.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 36 of 43
    I think both Apple and the media are missing it when it when they try to lay out the specific reasons why one would want an LTE connection even without a phone:

    The original "car phones" back in the dark ages were primarily sold as safety devices to be used when something bad happened.   That need has only grown stronger -- so today people lug their phones pretty much everywhere.   The AW with LTE could change that equation -- and I think it will have a far greater and wider audience than predicted.

    One of those uses is to replace the old "LifeLine" for your grandma living alone:   Apple should resurrect the old:  "I've fallen and I can't get up!" routine.
    mac_128watto_cobra
  • Reply 37 of 43
    lmaclmac Posts: 206member
    So $399/$429 for the watch, plus $120/year for the contract, and you still need your iPhone plus its contract. I wish I was rich like you guys. I'll stick to my waterproof dumb watch for $40.
  • Reply 38 of 43
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,312moderator
    MacPro said:
    So I guess the red dot so many were moaning about isn't such a turn off after all.  

    ... Or perhaps sales of the red dot cover up are booming? ;)
    It reminds me of this:



    George: Who doesn't like cashmere? Find me one person in the world that doesn't like cashmere. It's too expensive.
    Jerry: Look at this. It's 85 dollars marked down from 600.
    George: Wow. Excuse me, Miss?
    Woman: Yes?
    George: How come this sweater is only 85 dollars?
    Woman: (showing the dot) Oh, here. This is why.
    George: What? I don't see anything.
    Woman: See this red dot?
    George: Oh yeah.
    Jerry: Oh it's damaged. (grabbing the sweater)
    George: (grabbing the sweater back) Well it's not really damaged. 85 dollars huh?
    Woman: There's no exchanges on this.
    George: You think she would care about the red dot?
    Jerry: It's hard to say.
    George: I don't even think she'd notice it. Can you see it?
    Jerry: Well I can see it.
    George: Yeah, but you know where it is.
    Jerry: Well what do you want me to do? Not look at it?
    George: Pretend you didn't know it was there. Can you see it?
    Jerry: It's hard to pretend because I know where it is.
    George: Well just take an overview. Can't you just take an overview?
    Jerry: You want me to take an overview?
    George: Please.
    Jerry: I see a very cheap man holding a sweater trying to get away with something. That's my overview.

    I had thought maybe the dot was on the LTE model to help the signal get through the metal casing like how they have some plastic/ceramic on some of their products and having it user replaceable could affect water-proofing. Maybe it is just a style thing and a way to differentiate the models. The edition models had custom options, Beyonce had a black dot:



    Red is an unusual choice to apply to every model as it's so high contrast but the wearer won't always see it:

    Image result for apple watch lte

    I always figured a cellular model would be desirable to have but I'm surprised that sales would be as high as 80%. If that's the case, Apple might not bother keeping the non-LTE model around (especially if some of the 20% are just avoiding the dot) in which case there would be no need to differentiate the models with the dot.
    GeorgeBMacwatto_cobra
  • Reply 39 of 43
    Have 1st gen - works for me till the changes are so awesome that i can't resist.
    iPhone X - 10/27/17 @ 12:00 am - this I will not miss!!
    GeorgeBMacwatto_cobra
  • Reply 40 of 43
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Marvin said:
    MacPro said:
    So I guess the red dot so many were moaning about isn't such a turn off after all.  

    ... Or perhaps sales of the red dot cover up are booming? ;)
    It reminds me of this:



    ROFL, brilliant.
    GeorgeBMac
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