While these may indeed be just the usual variants of the same models, this is exactly what I dislike the most about Tim Cook’s Apple. All the ‘Pluses’, ‘Minuses‘, XRs, 11s, ‘Pros‘, 9.7, 12.9, and so on. And then there’s older kit, such as Watch Series 3 or iPhone XR, still sticking around. They just can’t keep it simple nowadays.
Two current-generation iPhones (what is now called the Pro and a compact SE), two iPads (a smaller basic model and a bigger Pencil-enabled ‘pro’), some flexibly-configurable iMacs without any ‘pro’ or non-‘pro‘ sentiment. A clear and attractive line-up. Same goes for Beats, just do away with all the ‘pros’ and ‘non-pros’ cause it feels sooo cheesy. A few minimalistic, high-quality signature products widely sought after were exactly what gave the company its halo about a decade ago, the halo off which they now live.
Wish Apple had stayed in its cosy premium niche and not set out to earn all the money in the world.
While these may indeed be just the usual variants of the same models, this is exactly what I dislike the most about Tim Cook’s Apple. All the ‘Pluses’, ‘Minuses‘, XRs, 11s, ‘Pros‘, 9.7, 12.9, and so on. And then there’s older kit, such as Watch Series 3 or iPhone XR, still sticking around. They just can’t keep it simple nowadays.
Two current-generation iPhones (what is now called the Pro and a compact SE), two iPads (a smaller basic model and a bigger Pencil-enabled ‘pro’), some flexibly-configurable iMacs without any ‘pro’ or non-‘pro‘ sentiment. A clear and attractive line-up. Same goes for Beats, just do away with all the ‘pros’ and ‘non-pros’ cause it feels sooo cheesy. A few minimalistic, high-quality signature products widely sought after were exactly what gave the company its halo about a decade ago, the halo off which they now live.
Wish Apple had stayed in its cosy premium niche and not set out to earn all the money in the world.
No, that isn't Cook's Apple. First, because Schiller does the marketing. Second, because keeping the older models in the line-up has been SOP since Jobs introduced the iPhone 3GS. Third, Apple products have had designators like Plus in their names going back almost 35 years, with the Macintosh Plus:
The Pro designator has long been established as nomenclature for "higher performance", and there is nothing wrong with it nor cheesy.
Apple still dominates the premium niche of consumer electronics, not sure what you're on about. That they also have less-expensive offerings is great. Even the less-expensive offerings are more premium than the knock-offs.
Apple didn't set out to earn all the money in the world -- Jobs famously hoped for jus 2% of the smartphone market. They were rewarded with much higher sales volume, because people like the products they sell. Really like them. You're basically blaming the customers for liking & buying the products. That makes no sense.
While these may indeed be just the usual variants of the same models, this is exactly what I dislike the most about Tim Cook’s Apple. All the ‘Pluses’, ‘Minuses‘, XRs, 11s, ‘Pros‘, 9.7, 12.9, and so on. And then there’s older kit, such as Watch Series 3 or iPhone XR, still sticking around. They just can’t keep it simple nowadays.
Two current-generation iPhones (what is now called the Pro and a compact SE), two iPads (a smaller basic model and a bigger Pencil-enabled ‘pro’), some flexibly-configurable iMacs without any ‘pro’ or non-‘pro‘ sentiment. A clear and attractive line-up. Same goes for Beats, just do away with all the ‘pros’ and ‘non-pros’ cause it feels sooo cheesy. A few minimalistic, high-quality signature products widely sought after were exactly what gave the company its halo about a decade ago, the halo off which they now live.
Wish Apple had stayed in its cosy premium niche and not set out to earn all the money in the world.
No, that isn't Cook's Apple. First, because Schiller does the marketing. Second, because keeping the older models in the line-up has been SOP since Jobs introduced the iPhone 3GS. Third, Apple products have had designators like Plus in their names going back almost 35 years, with the Macintosh Plus:
The Pro designator has long been established as nomenclature for "higher performance", and there is nothing wrong with it nor cheesy.
Apple still dominates the premium niche of consumer electronics, not sure what you're on about. That they also have less-expensive offerings is great. Even the less-expensive offerings are more premium than the knock-offs.
Apple didn't set out to earn all the money in the world -- Jobs famously hoped for jus 2% of the smartphone market. They were rewarded with much higher sales volume, because people like the products they sell. Really like them. You're basically blaming the customers for liking & buying the products. That makes no sense.
Gotta crack open those history books.
I’m merely pointing out their line-up has become bloated. In actual fact, what Jobs did first thing when he re-joined Apple after his stint with NeXT was cut down on redundant products to focus on a few gems.
From a developer’s viewpoint, fragmentation means poorly-optimised software prone to bugs and exploits.
As for the customers, remember Jobs never relied on focus groups or cared about public opinion. Instead of setting new trends, Cook’s Apple cater A LOT to the crowds. Simply put, they care too much, which is gradually making them into a more traditional company that let the customers have the ‘high ground’. Jobs, however, firmly believed the customers could never ever know what they really needed before they were shown it. He had his team at Apple design great products for themselves, not the shareholders or reviewers or whomever Apple are trying to appeal to these days, because all those folks have little to no idea about technology. Their prime concern is to earn more and spend less, a pragmatic approach utterly detrimental to crafting great products.
P.S. J.D. Salinger once said, 'An artist's only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else's.'
Standing by for the Apple Watch Series 6. I do hope it’s a good upgrade over the Series 5 which was a very lacklustre release compared against the 4.
My Series 1 is feeling it’s age now!
Wait, you think the 5 was lackluster and you're wearing a Series 1?
Yes, I’d have upgraded my watch last year otherwise.
The Series 5 is essentially the Series 4 with an always on display. Some people obviously wanted that, to me personally it wasn’t a big deal.
The primary reason I want to upgrade my Series 1 is for cellular. I could buy a Series 3, but it will likely be on the scrap heap in terms of software support with Watch OS 8 and if I’m going to buy a new Apple Watch I want to maximise my investment and keep it for at least 3-4 years.
If you ask me as a nerd/fanboy I'm all for talking about "maximising my investment"; but if you're talking to the regular person me, or even the professional strategist me, then it's like this:
There is NEVER a good moment for maximising your "investment" in a tech product meant to be used, because it is never an investment. It's a product meant to be used just like that carton of milk or bread you statistically speaking buy X times per week; the timescale and usage is just different.
So the math always comes down to whether or not you need a certain feature, and if you can afford it. That's it.
Yes, if you are a professional of some sort, and you do use the product as part of what you professionally do, then technically speaking you could under certain circumstances talk about it as an investment; but practically speaking that's a red herring distracting you from the fact that it is an expense, that should only be valued based on if you need it and if you can afford it.
So I don't think you're looking for any type of "investment" at all, you are just sitting there and waiting for an emotional reaction that you want something; and you justify it by slapping red herrings about value on your decision after it's been made.
Personally I actually went from a series 0 to the 5. Mostly because I really needed the cellular option; but also because the ECG, the display, and fall detection. The latter perhaps a slight overreaction to an almost nasty fall that I had; so even though I'm not in the age group when I'd call it a must, I just felt that it's a very small amount of money considering what it could save me from if I actually end up in an accident.
Standing by for the Apple Watch Series 6. I do hope it’s a good upgrade over the Series 5 which was a very lacklustre release compared against the 4.
My Series 1 is feeling it’s age now!
Wait, you think the 5 was lackluster and you're wearing a Series 1?
Yes, I’d have upgraded my watch last year otherwise.
The Series 5 is essentially the Series 4 with an always on display. Some people obviously wanted that, to me personally it wasn’t a big deal.
The primary reason I want to upgrade my Series 1 is for cellular. I could buy a Series 3, but it will likely be on the scrap heap in terms of software support with Watch OS 8 and if I’m going to buy a new Apple Watch I want to maximise my investment and keep it for at least 3-4 years.
If you ask me as a nerd/fanboy I'm all for talking about "maximising my investment"; but if you're talking to the regular person me, or even the professional strategist me, then it's like this:
There is NEVER a good moment for maximising your "investment" in a tech product meant to be used, because it is never an investment. It's a product meant to be used just like that carton of milk or bread you statistically speaking buy X times per week; the timescale and usage is just different.
So the math always comes down to whether or not you need a certain feature, and if you can afford it. That's it.
Yes, if you are a professional of some sort, and you do use the product as part of what you professionally do, then technically speaking you could under certain circumstances talk about it as an investment; but practically speaking that's a red herring distracting you from the fact that it is an expense, that should only be valued based on if you need it and if you can afford it.
So I don't think you're looking for any type of "investment" at all, you are just sitting there and waiting for an emotional reaction that you want something; and you justify it by slapping red herrings about value on your decision after it's been made.
Personally I actually went from a series 0 to the 5. Mostly because I really needed the cellular option; but also because the ECG, the display, and fall detection. The latter perhaps a slight overreaction to an almost nasty fall that I had; so even though I'm not in the age group when I'd call it a must, I just felt that it's a very small amount of money considering what it could save me from if I actually end up in an accident.
Yep. Well said. It is all about the value proposition - what do you want/need at any given point. Choices are good. I very much liked my Series 0 AW until it sort of stopped working. The battery became a real issue after about a year. A 30m walk would drain the battery 40%, and getting through a whole day was a recurring problem. My Series 4 always has >50% at the end of each day.
I'm not looking for any new products, but I can say the one feature added to the Apple Watch that would get my instant attention is a snapshot camera on it at the top of the case. Yes, I know this is highly unlikely, but the world's best camera is the one you use, and I take snapshots, not photos. I miss many because reaching for, unlocking, pointing my iPhone misses the moment.
Standing by for the Apple Watch Series 6. I do hope it’s a good upgrade over the Series 5 which was a very lacklustre release compared against the 4.
My Series 1 is feeling it’s age now!
Wait, you think the 5 was lackluster and you're wearing a Series 1?
Yes, I’d have upgraded my watch last year otherwise.
The Series 5 is essentially the Series 4 with an always on display. Some people obviously wanted that, to me personally it wasn’t a big deal.
The primary reason I want to upgrade my Series 1 is for cellular. I could buy a Series 3, but it will likely be on the scrap heap in terms of software support with Watch OS 8 and if I’m going to buy a new Apple Watch I want to maximise my investment and keep it for at least 3-4 years.
If you ask me as a nerd/fanboy I'm all for talking about "maximising my investment"; but if you're talking to the regular person me, or even the professional strategist me, then it's like this:
There is NEVER a good moment for maximising your "investment" in a tech product meant to be used, because it is never an investment. It's a product meant to be used just like that carton of milk or bread you statistically speaking buy X times per week; the timescale and usage is just different.
So the math always comes down to whether or not you need a certain feature, and if you can afford it. That's it.
Yes, if you are a professional of some sort, and you do use the product as part of what you professionally do, then technically speaking you could under certain circumstances talk about it as an investment; but practically speaking that's a red herring distracting you from the fact that it is an expense, that should only be valued based on if you need it and if you can afford it.
So I don't think you're looking for any type of "investment" at all, you are just sitting there and waiting for an emotional reaction that you want something; and you justify it by slapping red herrings about value on your decision after it's been made.
Personally I actually went from a series 0 to the 5. Mostly because I really needed the cellular option; but also because the ECG, the display, and fall detection. The latter perhaps a slight overreaction to an almost nasty fall that I had; so even though I'm not in the age group when I'd call it a must, I just felt that it's a very small amount of money considering what it could save me from if I actually end up in an accident.
Yep. Well said. It is all about the value proposition - what do you want/need at any given point. Choices are good. I very much liked my Series 0 AW until it sort of stopped working. The battery became a real issue after about a year. A 30m walk would drain the battery 40%, and getting through a whole day was a recurring problem. My Series 4 always has >50% at the end of each day.
I'm not looking for any new products, but I can say the one feature added to the Apple Watch that would get my instant attention is a snapshot camera on it at the top of the case. Yes, I know this is highly unlikely, but the world's best camera is the one you use, and I take snapshots, not photos. I miss many because reaching for, unlocking, pointing my iPhone misses the moment.
After about 4 years my series 0 still had "all day" battery life; if I went easy on tracking my walks. So I did the charging at night thing.
I'd actually forgotten about the second most important reason for getting a new AW (honestly, it might have been the #1 reason); which was that I wanted to start tracking my sleep. and needed that extra battery life.
Unless I track super long walks (a summer thing) I simply charge my series 5 AW in the morning, while taking a bath etc; so it charges for perhaps a bit over an hour every morning.
Standing by for the Apple Watch Series 6. I do hope it’s a good upgrade over the Series 5 which was a very lacklustre release compared against the 4.
My Series 1 is feeling it’s age now!
Wait, you think the 5 was lackluster and you're wearing a Series 1?
Yes, I’d have upgraded my watch last year otherwise.
The Series 5 is essentially the Series 4 with an always on display. Some people obviously wanted that, to me personally it wasn’t a big deal.
The primary reason I want to upgrade my Series 1 is for cellular. I could buy a Series 3, but it will likely be on the scrap heap in terms of software support with Watch OS 8 and if I’m going to buy a new Apple Watch I want to maximise my investment and keep it for at least 3-4 years.
If you ask me as a nerd/fanboy I'm all for talking about "maximising my investment"; but if you're talking to the regular person me, or even the professional strategist me, then it's like this:
There is NEVER a good moment for maximising your "investment" in a tech product meant to be used, because it is never an investment. It's a product meant to be used just like that carton of milk or bread you statistically speaking buy X times per week; the timescale and usage is just different.
So the math always comes down to whether or not you need a certain feature, and if you can afford it. That's it.
Yes, if you are a professional of some sort, and you do use the product as part of what you professionally do, then technically speaking you could under certain circumstances talk about it as an investment; but practically speaking that's a red herring distracting you from the fact that it is an expense, that should only be valued based on if you need it and if you can afford it.
So I don't think you're looking for any type of "investment" at all, you are just sitting there and waiting for an emotional reaction that you want something; and you justify it by slapping red herrings about value on your decision after it's been made.
Personally I actually went from a series 0 to the 5. Mostly because I really needed the cellular option; but also because the ECG, the display, and fall detection. The latter perhaps a slight overreaction to an almost nasty fall that I had; so even though I'm not in the age group when I'd call it a must, I just felt that it's a very small amount of money considering what it could save me from if I actually end up in an accident.
Poor choice of words, perhaps. What I meant was getting the best long term value for my money. If I buy a new Apple Watch Series 6 the chances are I will hopefully get 4 years out of it with full software support. If I was to buy an Apple Watch 3 now I know it will likely get 1 more upgrade and no more.
As you say, it depends on personal circumstances, but this seems the best course of action for me. I prefer to buy once and keep for a few years.
Comments
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_Plus
The Pro designator has long been established as nomenclature for "higher performance", and there is nothing wrong with it nor cheesy.
Apple still dominates the premium niche of consumer electronics, not sure what you're on about. That they also have less-expensive offerings is great. Even the less-expensive offerings are more premium than the knock-offs.
Apple didn't set out to earn all the money in the world -- Jobs famously hoped for jus 2% of the smartphone market. They were rewarded with much higher sales volume, because people like the products they sell. Really like them. You're basically blaming the customers for liking & buying the products. That makes no sense.
Gotta crack open those history books.
From a developer’s viewpoint, fragmentation means poorly-optimised software prone to bugs and exploits.
There is NEVER a good moment for maximising your "investment" in a tech product meant to be used, because it is never an investment. It's a product meant to be used just like that carton of milk or bread you statistically speaking buy X times per week; the timescale and usage is just different.
So the math always comes down to whether or not you need a certain feature, and if you can afford it. That's it.
Yes, if you are a professional of some sort, and you do use the product as part of what you professionally do, then technically speaking you could under certain circumstances talk about it as an investment; but practically speaking that's a red herring distracting you from the fact that it is an expense, that should only be valued based on if you need it and if you can afford it.
So I don't think you're looking for any type of "investment" at all, you are just sitting there and waiting for an emotional reaction that you want something; and you justify it by slapping red herrings about value on your decision after it's been made.
Personally I actually went from a series 0 to the 5. Mostly because I really needed the cellular option; but also because the ECG, the display, and fall detection. The latter perhaps a slight overreaction to an almost nasty fall that I had; so even though I'm not in the age group when I'd call it a must, I just felt that it's a very small amount of money considering what it could save me from if I actually end up in an accident.
I'm not looking for any new products, but I can say the one feature added to the Apple Watch that would get my instant attention is a snapshot camera on it at the top of the case. Yes, I know this is highly unlikely, but the world's best camera is the one you use, and I take snapshots, not photos. I miss many because reaching for, unlocking, pointing my iPhone misses the moment.
I'd actually forgotten about the second most important reason for getting a new AW (honestly, it might have been the #1 reason); which was that I wanted to start tracking my sleep. and needed that extra battery life.
Unless I track super long walks (a summer thing) I simply charge my series 5 AW in the morning, while taking a bath etc; so it charges for perhaps a bit over an hour every morning.
As you say, it depends on personal circumstances, but this seems the best course of action for me. I prefer to buy once and keep for a few years.