Okay, I looked at the Apple Watch and I change my above assertion that I will get one “eventually.”
I WANT ONE RIGHT THIS MINUTE!!!
I’ve never been an “early adopter” of any tech gadgetry ever. My first smartphone was a 5. I didn’t have an iPad until this year. I don’t even have a flat-screen TV yet! I’m not a luddite. I just don’t generally care enough to make these things a budgetary priority. But things will change with that watch, oh yes they will. I want that watch.
I’m actually going to have to figure out how to pre-order or whatever it is that one has to do.
Another unanticipated factor is that Apple Pay also works with the Apple Watch. A lot of people have correctly pointed out that wireless payments from the phone is relatively uncompelling since it takes about the same effort to pull out a phone as it does a credit card. However, if done right, wireless payment from the watch could provide a significantly better experience.
Neither the Android Wear nor the Pebble have NFC due to power and space limitations so it’ll be interesting to see if this is an example of Apple’s integrated supply chain making a meaningful difference.
I think Apple Pay was the most important announcement of yesterday’s keynote. From what I’ve heard, the watch will still require a 6/6+ to use it, but instead of using Touch ID, you enter a passcode that unlocks payment for as long as you continue to wear the watch (it uses the pulse sensor or something to tell that it’s still on you). If you take the watch off at any point, it will require reauthentication with the passcode before you can pay again. Using the phone requires Touch ID each time. So the watch makes using Apple Pay less complicated and faster than it already seems to be. That seems like a pretty decent value-add.
Based on the description of Apple Pay, sounds like the phone would need the secure enclave, which I think would limit it to the 5S or newer. I don’t recall ever hearing about that hardware feature in in the 5/5C. I guess we’ll know in a few months.
Never mind. Just looked at the Features page for the watch at apple.com, and it looks like the watch generates its own secure one-time payment tokens. I assume this means it has its own secure enclave, and doesn’t need the phone for the Apple Pay functionality. That is very cool.
The one thing I don’t like about it is that apparently the screen is off until some kind of action is performed. In other words, you can’t just tell the time by looking at it. Which misses the whole point of a watch!
I mean, the whole reason why I still wear a watch every day is so I can tell the time at a glance, without digging into my pocket for my iPhone.
I can see a use for this sort of thing for women. I imagine most women are like me and have to keep their smartphones in their purses, so I can’t feel it vibrate or anything. And “pull it out to tell the time” isn’t always as practical as if I always had a pocket.
The Apple Watch has stirred up a bit of internal conflict with me. The reason is because I am a gadget junkie and I must have the latest and greatest cool stuff from Apple, but… I also have a passion for Swiss watches, and I can’t imagine wearing anything else.
In the end I’m sure I will end up buying an Apple Watch, but it may end up being used mainly for running.
But then again, it would be so cool to have all of my emails and meeting times buzzing on my wrist. But then, I would miss the pleasure of wearing a fine mechanical device.
I suppose I ought to make sure whatever model I buy is pleasing to my wife, so that when she eventually takes it from me she is happy with the color.
It doesn’t look very good IMO and the interface looks cluttered and impractical. I dislike the idea of using the crown to zoom in and out.
From what I have seen the Android Wear interface is much cleaner and the Moto 360 looks quite nice, something I wouldn’t mind having on my wrist. At the other end of the spectrum a couple of the Samsung watches like the Gear S pack some interesting functionality without looking that good.
Ultimately it’s still an emerging category and it will probably take a year or two for something really good to come about. Perhaps Apple will come up with something better later but their first effort isn’t that compelling.
I quit wearing a wristwatch because I had a smartphone. For me it’s one or the other, but not both. Once the “smartwatch” is fully functional and self contained I’ll consider one, but not before.
I’m sure someone said the same thing about wristwatches vs. pocketwatches.
If I can stick my phone in my pocket (or purse, for the ladies) and do 75% of what I need without having to dig through to get it, I think it’s a winner. Price dependent, of course, but useful nonetheless.
I haven’t worn a watch of any kind since the early 90’s, when I got carpal tunnel syndrome and it became too uncomfortable, and even painful, to wear anything on my wrist. The Apple Watch would have to be super-awesome, and super-lightweight for me to consider trying it. So…want, but probably won’t get. My wrist is twinging just thinking about it.
I’ve been using an Android Wear watch (LG G Watch) for a month, and before that, I had a Pebble.
These watches are extremely useful as notification devices. Modern smartphones have gotten so large that it’s uncomfortable to keep one in a pocket all day. And if it’s not in my pocket, I have to keep the volume high (which is very disruptive in many situations) or risk missing notifications. Most notifications aren’t so time-critical, but some are (appointment reminders, incoming phone calls, and some text messages).
A smartwatch is always on my wrist, and I can always feel its vibration, even with my phone in the backpack or on the desk. And I only have to glance at it to see if it’s urgent or not - much quicker than taking a phone out of my pocket. (The only problem is, I have to be careful not to glance at the smartwatch while I’m talking to someone, or they’ll think I’m being impatient.)
The voice control capability is also neat, but still fairly limited. One I use all the time is to say “OK google, start Strava” - I can do that after I’ve already put the phone in the pannier. I can start/pause Strava recording from the watch too.
I actually think Pebble has the best approach, being a simple, minimal device with a long battery life and relatively low cost. But Android Wear has better integration with Android phones, and seems to work more smoothly without having to install third-party apps. From what I’ve read so far, the iWatch is more similar to the Android Wear watches than Pebble. (And obviously, Android Wear only works with Android phones/tablets, and iWatch only works with iPhones.)