brucemc

Mike Wuerthele said:

appex said:

Nope and no way. Programmed obsolescence. All-in-one (AIO) computers like iMac are a huge aggression to planet Earth. Computers may last for seven years or less, whereas displays may last for more than 20 years. I am using an Apple Cinema Display 22-inch purchased almost 18 years ago and it works great. And it has been on an average of 15 hours a day, 356 days each year.

Stop the demonstrably false spam. I have warned you on this before.

If you post this again, in any other thread besides the ones you've already posted it in, I will ban you.

Really?  Finally?  But the guy adds so much value by repeating the same 2-3 posts all the time.... (sarcasm noted since many here lack such a detector...)

Thank god!  Hopefully this means less complaining from the hard core Mac side of the house, and stalls any further "Apple can't deliver" talk on the forums.

GeorgeBMac said:

macapfel said:

I think AppleWatch matured into primarily a sports accessoire. An excellent one. But I don't think it is overly attractive as only another watch. AppleWatch delivers highly attractive functionality for sport. But besides, I don't see much attractive features. The rest seems more gimmicks. Certainly nice once, but probably insufficient to make these attractive buy options. I definitely like the AppleWatch – as a great SportsWatch. I hope, however, Apple can develop AppleWatch beyond this.

Yes, marketing for the watch has clearly gone through a transition from tech gadget to fashion accessory to sports monitor.  But, it still serves well in all three roles.

But, now I see a fourth role for it that Apple hasn't even thought of (Or, if they have, they haven't mentioned it yet).   That's for seniors living alone:  Previously they were sold big bulky, ugly LifeLine type devices that carried a steep subscription fee for those "I've fallen and I can't get up moments".   The Apple Watch 3+Cellular would serve that function far better:  It would always be on the person because there would be no need to take it off (even in the shower) and there would be no subscription fee except the $10 carrier fee.  Plus, it would look far better and serve additional functions such reminders to take pills, etc, etc, etc....

But, getting back to your points:  Before I had the watch I agreed with you that as you say:  "I don't see much attractive features.  The rest seems more gimmicks".  But, the longer I have the watch the more I find those features less gimmicks and more a case of I wouldn't want to be without them.  The other day I forgot to put the watch on before I left the house and I sorely missed it until I got home later that evening.  No, now I believe those features are not gimmicks but, typical Apple features that make my life better.

Apple's marketing has certainly evolved from the early days (AW message was broader & not focused on a specific area), to AW series 2's message about fitness and health.  However, they have already changed approach with Series 3 to focus on the "freedom" of mobility.  40M songs on your wrist.  Still quite "sports / fitness" focused in many ads, but more about the always connected theme.  It is often the case that one has to focus the marketing message into one or two areas, but doesn't mean the product is only focused on those areas.

As an Apple Watch user for 2.5+ years, there are many (non-fitness) functions which have provided me with benefits that, while small, I would not call gimmicks.  Certainly makes AW far more useful than a basic watch:
- Apple Pay (the AW is the best way to use this)
- Setting timers via Siri (often while cooking)
- Music on the go (recorded playlists clearly prior to Series 3) without taking a phone
- Quick glance at messages / phone calls to determine if I need to pull out the phone
- Quick replies to messages
- Weather and calendar complications.  I check the temperature on AW about 20+ times a day (have become so used to it being there).
- * If I had a newer Mac, I am pretty sure I would greatly enjoy the automatic unlocking.

I have also certainly enjoyed the ability to change watch faces (though wish there were more & had more customization), and the swappable watch bands.  It keeps the product feeling more fresh.

Is it a must have?  No, and it will take longer than the iPhone to get there.  But I think we are only a couple years away before the Apple Watch (+ perhaps a smart band) becomes a really desirable product from a medical standpoint (detecting irregular heartbeats, capturing key information for doctors, intelligent reminders for medication and diagnostics, etc).  Approaching a must have for many then.  As you note above, for seniors living alone, it may already be such (if they are aware of it).

wemclaughlins said:

Finally played with one of these at Best Buy yesterday. I guess I could get used to the notch but the lack of a home button function was insane. It was extremely confusing to figure out where/how to close out apps and get back to the home screen. Yeah, I'll keep my SE and grab an SE -2 when it comes out. ...and for less than 1/2 the price of that fragile glass ornament.

To each their own.  I played with the X at an Apple Store last week, and found it quite simple to use.  It was no problem at all to do the "half swipe" to bring up multitasking - I don't know what all the complaining is about.  I think within a couple days of use I would be full-on good without the home button.

I hope they do it to keep the health of the product line, realizing that a certain number prefer the size, and it is necessary to have the entry (for Apple) models.  But I have moved on to the 4.7" (with iPhone 7 last year) and found it is fine for usability and pocket-ability.  I would not want to go back.  Looking forward in a year or 2 to join the "X" model line.