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Apple's Smartwatch Draws Competition And A Very Bad Review (businessinsider.com)
Apple's share of the smartwatch market actually started declining in 2016, dropping down to just 52.4% (down from 63%), according to Business Insider. And following up on Apple's first drop in earnings in over 10 years, Slashdot reader Zanadou shares a Gizmodo's latest story about the Apple Watch.
"I stopped wearing it two months ago, and I'm not sure if I'll ever wear it again. That's because it doesn't really do anything that anyone needs, and even when it does, it doesn't always work like it's supposed to. Here are some things I learned over the past year of strapping the screen vibrator to my wrist."
The article describes wanting to try a new form factor, but ending up confused by the watch's two-button interface (where the buttons perform multiple functions). Gizmodo's writer complains that "there's literally no comfortable way to actually use it," and while he did appreciate things like the time-of-sunrise feature and the ability to read text messages on your wrist, most Apple Watch apps "just end up being a shell of the iPhone app". And worst of all, it was difficult to use the watch to actually tell time, since "the screen doesn't always turn on when you raise your wrist like it's supposed to."
"I stopped wearing it two months ago, and I'm not sure if I'll ever wear it again. That's because it doesn't really do anything that anyone needs, and even when it does, it doesn't always work like it's supposed to. Here are some things I learned over the past year of strapping the screen vibrator to my wrist."
The article describes wanting to try a new form factor, but ending up confused by the watch's two-button interface (where the buttons perform multiple functions). Gizmodo's writer complains that "there's literally no comfortable way to actually use it," and while he did appreciate things like the time-of-sunrise feature and the ability to read text messages on your wrist, most Apple Watch apps "just end up being a shell of the iPhone app". And worst of all, it was difficult to use the watch to actually tell time, since "the screen doesn't always turn on when you raise your wrist like it's supposed to."
News Flash! This is the beginning of end of Apple, I tell you! Where is John Sculley! Actually, Apple's history is littered with stuff that never quite made it, that's the way it works. And, many say that Apple's "drop in earnings" is simply due to the fact that most of what they do sell is not crap, so people replace it less often. Even with Apples "drop in earnings", they are at no risk of financial disaster. Disclaimer, I own an iPhone 5s which still works just fine for me, but in general I can not afford any of the other flashy baubles from the Apple line-up...
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Apps take too long to launch to be useful, but features such as calendar display, notifications, find my phone, ApplePay, temperature make it worth putting on every work day.
I was impressed, kinda, by the Pebble, which doesn't have either of these problems, but it still never jumped out as something I'd definitely use. The iWatch is more expensive, you can't glance at it to tell the time, and it needs to be made part of an evening ritual of charging. All for the ability to reduce the number of times you take your phone out of your pocket.
Beyond "Yes, but it's Apple, you're always wrong about Apple" I don't see why this was ever thought to be a thing people would desperately want.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
The Macalope has already deconstructed this bit of click-bait. http://www.macworld.com/article/3061053/ios/over-the-top-making-your-apple-watch-diatribe-stand-out.html
Agreed. I bought a Seiko years ago after doing a rough calculation of how much cheap breakable watches had cost me over a period of time. I still wear it ever day, and it does what a watch should, it tells time.
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
If it doesn't work for you then fine, I actually find it quite handy. (note that it's nowhere near perfect though but the real issues have been discussed before (battery life being the biggest)).
My test of usefulness was a week long trip I took for business and forgot to grab it on the way out. I missed being able to figure out what phone call to ignore or answer, seeing the next meeting or the text I just got without dragging the phone out of the pocket all the time is where it's a time/effort saver for me.
I can see if you are one of those people who get hundreds of notifications a day then it might be a pain but I only have family and work setup to buzz the watch. So if I get buzzed more than a couple times an hour that is unusual. Everything else I check when I have time.
It reminds me of the first apple phone, I came from using a palm treo so it wasn't an evolutionary jump for me (I also a couple windows devices). The first apple phone really didn't do much. Apple is frustratingly slow to market with features.
I probably won't buy v2 of the apple watch, I'm saving up for the next Garmin Forerunner (9xx) if it is a big enough jump from my 910XT but I do wear the apple watch daily and like it.
I got a Casio Cosmo Phase since the time and date are always visible, along with the solar system simulation (makes it easy to know which planets are up after sunset and before sunrise to know if you'll take out your C9.25). Battery lasts for several years, it is actually waterproof (can do swimming and snorkeling) not just splash-resistant like the Apple Watch, it has the basics you'd want from a watch like multiple alarms, count-down timer, stopwatch, a very responsive button interface and I can tell you it is resilient as it has been working great for me since 1989!
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
Mobile phones made "dumb" watches obsolete despite being a bit more inconvenience when you want to know the time
I really wish the market didn't seem to agree with you. It's another case where my taste doesn't at all match the market. I'd rather like to buy a portable CD player or MP3 player, but the things I've seen on the shelves labeled MP3 players want to attach to your computer, and don't seem to have any provision for either a usb stick or a CD...so I assume that this means you need them plugged in while you're using them. Of course, you could use a smart-phone and some blue-tooth ear-buds...
I haven't tried to buy a watch in a couple of years, but the last time I looked I couldn't find any that weren't either expensive jewelry or unusable. This causes me to expect that in not too long I may be needing to rely on my phone for the time, but it won't be by preference.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
Those guys are nothing but the whiniest blog out there.
Yeah, I see slashdot closing the doors by the end of 2016 if this is the quality of freaking articles we are getting now.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I got a Casio Cosmo Phase since the time and date are always visible, along with the solar system simulation (makes it easy to know which planets are up after sunset and before sunrise to know if you'll take out your C9.25). Battery lasts for several years, it is actually waterproof (can do swimming and snorkeling) not just splash-resistant like the Apple Watch, it has the basics you'd want from a watch like multiple alarms, count-down timer, stopwatch, a very responsive button interface and I can tell you it is resilient as it has been working great for me since 1989!
The fact is, many many people, me included, have swum/showered with their Apple Watch for well over a year [1]. Even swimming in the ocean is totally fine as long as you wash it afterwards.
The reason Apple didn't say it's good for swimming is that the UI simply doesn't function when you swim with it (also not sure if the defined apps are designed to support swim tracking).
[1] http://furbo.org/2015/07/14/a-...
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Maybe the Gizmodo hipsters should give the watches to me. They have the attention span of a gnat.
My Lamborghini has been great so far. The only downside is the Hyundai engine.
Cost £20. Tells the time, has an alarm. Done. Anything else I can do much better on a phone or laptop. Smart watches are a solution looking for a problem.
It's hilarious that someone is complaining that an Appl product has too many buttons
I found it interesting that Apple's 'digital crown' concept apparently isn't very comfortable to use while my Android Wear watch (an LG G Watch R) is perfectly serviceable with just a single button (to wake it up) and the rest of the UX being driven via the touch screen itself. (The apps you open most often are always at the top of the list, so getting to my groceries app is a simple swipe left and a tap.) Similarly, it's screen is always on, so the most basic function of telling the time is always right there, no matter whether the accelerometer noticed me raising my wrist or not.
Of course, it does suffer from the same 'what can you do with it' problem that the Apple Watch does. Apart from dismissing notifications, using voice commands to set Google Now reminders or start the occasional timer/countdown, there really isn't that much useful functionality to benefit from. App-wise, I really only use two: one to track my groceries (Bring!) and one to tell me I've left my phone somewhere by alerting me of the Bluetooth connection loss (Cerberus).
Sell the strap as an accessory, but build an entire Apple store around that alone. With a genius bar, whose only assistance will be about donating those dollars to help feed the poor, you know, jest us folks stuck with three-year-old computers.
WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
Have gnu, will travel.
It's a niche device at best. Apple tried to create a market for something where there was almost no real demand, and they failed.
A "... a shell of the iPhone app" is probably the kindest way to describe it. Limited functionality, limited use case, limited operational range...it was mostly a status symbol for people who had $400 to blow. I've yet to see a review where the reviewer said it was a truly useful or life-changing gadget, or failing that, something they couldn't do without. Most of the reviews I've seen can be summed up as, "Meh".
I'd bet the vast majority of these things that were bought are languishing in dresser drawers or gathering dust on shelves somewhere next to the owner's Pet Rocks and NoPhone Zeros.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
On a biophysics basis, I'm expending at least 20x less energy when weight/distance (aka work) is calculated, each time that I use the watch.
Zowie...and what are you doing with all those calories you saved? Storing them on your hips or around your stomach?
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
As a brand new product category for the company and a revision A product, nobody buying the Apple Watch on launch day *really* knew what they were getting. Sure, we saw the Keynote presentation and the marketing material. But there's no substitute for actually using a product yourself for a while on a daily basis, to form an educated opinion.
Like a lot of people, I think I primarily wanted the watch because I realized Apple had a long track record of selling products that wound up being real game-changers. (When the first iPod classic came out, I didn't see why I cared that much about it either. But when I got my hands on one, it was interesting enough that I wanted to own one. And eventually, it became the definitive mobile music playing device. To this day, I still use one in my Jeep because the factory stereo has nice support for it.)
In reality? Yeah, it's maddening when you flick your wrist to look at the time and the watch doesn't light up. I've learned I can almost always get it to "wake up" and show me the display if I tap on the screen though -- and that's becoming second-nature now. It pretty much stinks when it comes to running 3rd. party apps. They're too slow and usually too clumsy to get around in. There are a FEW exceptions (usually programs where the watch app is appropriately used as a remote control with just 1, 2 or maybe 3 buttons for options you want easy access to toggle). But as a rule? If they expect you to scroll around the watch face and/or manipulate the "crown" -- it's just not worth bothering with. It's not THAT tough to just take your phone out of your pocket and go to it for the better user experience.
It's pretty decent at things like taking my pulse and doing basic fitness tracking. It's great at showing me the next thing coming up on my calendar, every time I check the time. It's handy when I need to see a text message without touching the phone (like when driving).
So all in all? I can justify wearing and keeping it. But it's not that amazing. Just ok.
It means you aren't in the crowd that would appreciate a Rolex. Its like showing up for a fast food job in a 3-piece suit- so out of place as to not be recognized for what it is.
On the flip side wearing an apple watch to the Rolex set is like wearing a cheap poleyester suit when every one else is wearing $5,000 suits that are hand tailored for that social event.
Exception and Corollary: The high money tech crowd *might* eat up your smart watch. The big money lawyer and finance guys will look at you like you are wearing a polyester suit.
An aside:
In business: Suits are a form of war paint. Expensive suits, matching belts and shoes, tie tacks, cuff links, watches, impeccable grooming and cologne are all part of the war paint. If you don't show up looking like you are on your A-game: People won't take you seriously and you have to work that much harder to be treated seriously. The best analogy is your suit gets combo bonus when everything is at the same tier and matches. Apple watches do not get combo bonuses with the clothing set the Rolexes get combo bonuses with. If you show up without all your combo-bonuses in place you will be treated like you deserve to be at the kiddie table.
Architectural plans are like computer source code with a couple of differences: You only compile once.
Shouldn't even respond to a trolling AC, but just had to point out how stupid you were in case you were serious - an Apple Watch Stainless Steel Band can be had for $30 if money is a primary concern...
That's what happens when you ship millions of units and open something like bands to third parties, tons of cheap options. But you already knew that, right?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I don't like how it requires an iPhone. I'd like a stand alone smartwatch. Also, they are heavy, big, and power hunger. I will stick with my old school Casio Data Bank 150 watch. :P
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
The Apple ][ is an awesome piece of technology that nobody needs.
The Motorola Dynatac 8000 is an awesome piece of technology that nobody needs
The Psion Series 3 is an awesome piece of technology that nobody needs.
None of this stuff is actually necessary.
"Well, good luck finding a judge that doesn't run a bestiality site."
Personally, I have no interest in the Apple Watch. I really just don't like wearing watches in general, let alone digital "smart watches".
My wife was looking for a fitness device, and bought, tried, and returned two that were horrible. I got her an Apple Watch and after 6 months she still loves it. The kicker - she HATES most technology, and is about the opposite of a "gadget person" as one can be.
Not surprisingly, the Gizmodo "reviewer" barely mentions anything about the fitness tracking, etc, capabilities (effectively nothing, really). Sure, there are other devices that do fitness cheaper, but if a tech novice (which, really, is the majority of ACTUAL consumers) thinks the Apple Watch did it better than the others, maybe Apple really doesn't (and shouldn't) give a shit what a Gizmodo technerd thinks.
But why take my word for it - estimates are that the AW sold about 12M units in 2015, which adds up to about $6B and 60%+ of the smart watch market. Swatch did a bit over $8B revenue last year, and Rolex $4.5B. But yet the AW is a failure??
aka, when the startup watch division of your company makes more money last year than Rolex
I can see Steve Jobs launching the prototype watch mockups into the wall yelling, "Why the poop would I want to wear a brick on my arm? This isn't elegant, this isn't design, this is a committee who put everything that popped into their heads into a single thing." "Boil this thing down until it is slim and does what people want. Not all these stupid menus."
I can see him then making a rule. "Only use the watch for features where people glance at their phones; time, weather, notifications, minimal navigation. If it more than a glance then we don't put it on the watch."
But instead they allowed the "creatives" to do whatever they wanted without any reigning in their stupider ideas. Many of the ideas such as incorporating the heartbeat or the apple pay should have waited until the technology was a few generations in and those features could be added to the super slim long battery lived watch.
Apple is clearly a company that has had one home run every few years with a new product that soon eclipses the former products as they go into the sunset. Macbooks are a big market, just not a terribly big one for apple, yet in their day they were king. The iPhone was certain to meet the same fate. So while the watch could have been great, it certainly wasn't going to eclipse the iPhone. Thus Apple seems to have forgotten this little factoid. Build something that can eclipse the iPhone. Maybe that is what they were trying with whatever car project they have going. Maybe it will come out and blow everyone away. The critical bit being that I hope they have more than one high risk project in the works.
If Steve Jobs had any one superpower it was that he didn't accept other people as having genuine expertise no matter how much they were at the top of their field. He knew that it was too easy for them to get caught up in group think, or to think that their shit smelled better than others just because of their qualifications. Thus he was perfectly happy to call the top experts in any domain an idiot if what they were proposing didn't make sense. He was also happy to demand that they do things that went against every industry norm that they understood, and could justify all day long. I don't see anyone at Apple willing to call Ivy an idiot for his ugly flat designs, or his stupid fat crappy battery watch. He is the expert you know.
My only real exposure to the Apple watch has been reading these types of stories about it, but this is the first time that I noticed their market share. Out of the many entries in the smart watch category, they have more than half? How can that possibly be considered a failure?
I have had a first generation Pebble for a while, and really everything that folks write about the Apple watch reminds me of my Pebble experience: It's neat for seeing messages on your wrist, but--after a while-- remembering to charge it in the context of not really being useful has led me to stuff it in the drawer.