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Apple Announces Apple Watch Series 2 With GPS, Water-Resistance and Faster Performance (theverge.com)
In addition to two shiny new iPhones, Apple has announced its second generation Apple Watch today, calling it the Apple Watch Series 2. The appearance is nearly identical to the original Apple Watch, with the exception of the new (optional) ceramic build material. The biggest changes can be found under the hood. The Verge reports: "The built-in GPS allows the device to perform mapping on its own, no phone required. The company also upgraded the processor in the device, now called the S2, and the display. The Series 2 has a dual-core processor Apple says is 50 percent faster than its predecessor, with double the graphics performance thanks to a new GPU. The display is now 50 percent brighter as well. The company also renewed its longstanding partnership with Nike with a special Nike+ version of the Apple Watch. It resembles a fusion of an Apple product with Nike's discontinued FuelBand fitness tracker, and it's designed for runners and workout junkies. The aluminum sport version of the Apple Watch Series 2 will start at $369, as will the Nike+ edition. The original Apple Watch is being rebranded as Series 1 and will start at $269, though it will come with the upgraded S2 dual-core processor. Preorders start on September 9th, while the watchOS 3 update will go live on September 13th."
This new model is so fast, it'll only take it half as long to be forgotten about.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Can it last a weekend without charging?
It's bad enough I have to charge my watch once a week.
I tend to like Apple products, but the Watch - all smart watches, really - just isn't where it needs to be for me to want one. They're too big, too clunky, way too expensive and way too limited. Plus having just one-day battery life (or worse... they haven't really said what "Series 2" owners can expect, which is a bad sign) for something you only look at sporadically is ridiculous.
This isn't an Apple problem, though - it's because the underlying technology is just not there yet.
I think I'll be sticking to a fitness tracker for the next few years - I currently have a Garmin Vivosmart, but I might get the new FitBit Charge 2. I get 90% of the utility (notifications, alarms, reminders, texts), week-long battery life, and pay less than half what a smart watch costs. Additionally, having a gentle vibration on my wrist to wake me up in the AM is superior to something blaring on my night stand - and is something current smart watches basically can't do, since they'll be charging and not on my wrist.
#DeleteChrome
Apple's first attempt at the smart watch failed because it was grossly over-priced compared to the competition. I love my Pebble time, but would never have bought it for >$150
I don't know-- if I wanted that sort of function, a few hundred dollars doesn't seem to be too much to pay-- spending some money on something I'd be wearing pretty much 24/7 seems a good use of funds.
My problem is that I don't see why I'd want one in the first place.
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
....and NO headphone jack.
Solving Unix problems since 1989...
Most people have their phone within GPS resolution 24/7 anyways.
its a 'show off' item for rich motherfuckers.
for them, they can afford to throw it out each year or two. they could care less how much it costs; its a hipster show-off item and apple full well knows it.
there is no need for this; its pure luxury and fashion statement. the fact that it sells at all means that buyers who fall for this are the 'perfect gullible market' that apple makes its money from.
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
How long has it been since you've daily had something on your wrist 24/7? For me it was a couple of decades, in which time after I picked up a smartwatch I found it fine during the day when walking around, driving, shopping, etc... but anytime I was at a desk typing I'd have to take it off because it simply wasn't comfortable hitting the desk, or worse me when using a laptop.
This aside from it occasionally riding up on my arm a bit and needing re-adjustment during the night, or getting caught on things. Not to mention being a rather expensive item at the end of a long arm which tends to bump into things through a normal day.
Help Brendan pay off his student loans
I'll be sticking with my existing AppleWatch for a while I think, the GPS is a nice addition but I prefer to run with my phone anyway so I don't really need that. Apple really understands who the watch is most useful for though, between the waterproofing and the GPS they have really improved things for fitness uses (which is also my primary use).
I think it was also a nice touch to include the faster processor in the older model non-GPS watch they continue to sell.
The more important announcement is really WatchOS 3.0 which also works on the older watches - it really improves usability, ditching the old "circle of friends" use of the side button in favor of your five top watch apps, and keeping them constantly refreshed with data so there's no launch delay. That will make a number of watch apps much more useful, along with the ease of switching watch faces and sets of complications for different tasks. So you'll see a large increase this year in really useful Watch applications, which will ramp up sales even further...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Smart watches will become as popular as Smart phones only when they become functional enough to completely replace Smart phones.
Until then, most people aren't going to bother carrying around (and recharge) two devices when carrying around one will do.
I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
So Apple will actually get people to actually wear a GPS now.
All Hail The True Masters
I really don't get this. People always bag on Apple for stuff like this but they have never shown any interest in spying on their customers. They are not in the ad business like some other mobile OS makers, and they have shown that they are not exactly friendly to governments either. Yes, it has a GPS because, surprise, users, particularly runners, asked for it. Begged for it. Yelled and screamed for it. Not because Apple wants to track your every movement. Untighten the tinfoil a bit.
I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
... but anytime I was at a desk typing I'd have to take it off because it simply wasn't comfortable hitting the desk, or worse me when using a laptop.
I always had this problem with any watch, but the Apple Milanese band (or the $21 knock off I got on Amazon) is the best watch band I've ever owned. Light, thin, breaths so no sweaty wrist ring, and completely flat across the bottom of the wrist so it doesn't bother me while typing. It's the first band in decades I can wear all day.
I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
Actually, that is a little interesting-- does the GPS on the watch work on its own, or does it only work if you carry the iPhone with you in bluetooth range?
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
They are not in the ad business like some other mobile OS makers
In all fairness, that only became true 2 months ago.
Yes, it has a GPS because, surprise, users, particularly runners, asked for it. Begged for it. Yelled and screamed for it. Not because Apple wants to track your every movement.
You're probably correct, given the above-quoted point you made, however, iAd was a full-time user of Location Services.
Untighten the tinfoil a bit.
Definitely agree there.
They have/had an ad network, but the are not an ad company the way Google is. They are also very strict about collecting user information when compared to other ad providers.
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Serious question: does this "watch" keep good time? It has GPS, so it should never display the wrong time but what if it loses power and can't get a solid GPS signal? Will it just blink "12:00" like a neglected VCR? Does it have an actual RTC in it or is it just updated by GPS often enough to not notice a time drift?
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
The GPS works on it's own in the new one (the old one relied on your phone for position data). A lot of runners really wanted it in the watch so they didn't need to carry their phone while running. So both they and the muggers can now rejoice.
I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
its a 'show off' item for rich motherfuckers.
Is a ~$300 high-tech item really a show off item? I mean, we're at the point now where pretty much anywhere in the country (and excepting fast food), a dinner for a family of 4 costs a minimum of $50, and probably a good bit higher. I'm not calling $300 pocket change, but I'm not sure it gets you into "rich asshole" territory either! (Hypocrisy alert, if I knew someone dropped $300 on a namebrand purse or some shit like that, I would call it a show off item!)
for them, they can afford to throw it out each year or two. they could care less how much it costs; its a hipster show-off item and apple full well knows it.
Most of the people I have met with Apple watches actually were road warriors---people who travel constantly for work. One guy liked it because he always stays at Starwoods and he can unlock his room via the watch. Another liked hers because she got so many text messages for work that she filtered the Watch to only get family messages, so she didn't have to constantly be pulling her phone out of her purse whenever it dinged. etc. Most of the other users I've met just seem to use it like a glorified FitBit. I actually have not seen or met a single hipster-type wearing one!
Full disclosure, I don't have one and don't particularly want on, but I don't think your characterizations are remotely accurate--they seem more driven by your own imagination of what a gross characterization of an Apple user is!
Absolutely true.
I don't wear a watch any more. I haven't since my phone had a clock on it (and yes, I had a cell phone before they had clocks).
The Apple Watch is cool. If I wore a watch, I'd probably get one. As it is, my iPhone does the job, I don't need a watch.
I use a Microsoft Band 2, and it has GPS built in. It REALLY drains the battery though. It is not something you want to use for anything more than a 1-2 hour cardio session.
its a 'show off' item for rich motherfuckers.
Is a ~$300 high-tech item really a show off item? I mean, we're at the point now where pretty much anywhere in the country (and excepting fast food), a dinner for a family of 4 costs a minimum of $50, and probably a good bit higher. I'm not calling $300 pocket change, but I'm not sure it gets you into "rich asshole" territory either! (Hypocrisy alert, if I knew someone dropped $300 on a namebrand purse or some shit like that, I would call it a show off item!)
The notion that the Apple watch is some kind of status symbol for "high net worth individuals" is ludicrous. Especially as a watch. Watches aren't expensive status symbols until they cost in the 5 or even 6 figure range.
At best (or worst), they symbolize one's status as a "true" Apple fan.
Is the iWatch still using a 24 hour day or has Apple improved on it?
How useful is a watch that you have to charge on a daily basis? I just find that to be a pretty high barrier to entry in terms of investing my dollars in a "hey look at me" gadget.
$75? I accidentally took my $10 eBay "Casio" A158W down to 35m and it was perfectly fine.
Real runners don't give a shit and just run.
I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
No word from Apple about whats going to happen with the Apple Watch Edition. Seriously if you are going to sell a $17,000 luxury item that will be obsolete 16 months after it is released you better have a good upgrade plan in place.
I will stick with my old school Casio Data Bank watch!
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Great, so it still does less than my phone and still looks like an 80's calculator watch. Some one please tell me, why does anyone buy these?
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How long has it been since you've daily had something on your wrist 24/7?
About a decade. I take my current watch off when I sleep. It took me a while to find one that I like, because most watches aimed at men seem to be designed to compensate for something and are huge and bulky. I have a very thin Skagen watch with a titanium mesh band, which weighs very little and doesn't catch on anything. I might be interested in a smart watch, but the current generation are a good 4 times thicker than my current watch, and if I carry a bulky thing on my wrist then I'm likely to knock it into things and break it.
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I keep seeing this statement - that the Apple Watch is for "rich people" - but strangely I see far more people that make less than I do wearing them.
Rich people buy actual luxury watches - not these things that will be unsupported and collecting dust in 3 years.
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One guy liked it because he always stays at Starwoods and he can unlock his room via the watch.
I think Starwoods need to improve their security if an Apple watch can open any of their rooms!
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Why does a watch device need to be high performance? It's a freaking *watch*.
Heaven forbid Apple actually did something useful and, say, increase the battery life so that the bloody thing lasts for more than a day between charges.
A conventional watch can go months, if not years, on a single battery. There's no excuse to put out a watch-like device that can't go less than a couple weeks between charges.
> Not me. I don't need it. Do you? Really?
Do I REALLY need it?
no.
But... I am upgrading from my Gear S2 to a Gear S3 Frontier because of the integrated GPS so when I go inline skating, hiking, jogging, etc. I can leave my S7 Edge at home and no longer have to worry about smashing it when an asshole driver cuts me off causing me to have to ditch, or when climbing rocks, etc.
Why use GPS? Accountability; I track my workout activities and on days when I feel like "I've had enough" and see I've only gone four miles... nope, not quitting time yet, keep my ass moving! :)
BTW the Apple Watch sucks, but it's good to see they're starting to copy Samsung in the watch arena, too. Why stop at phones? :D
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
Real runners don't shit and just keep running.
I have a Garmin Forerunner 920XT watch - and I love it. I use it for triathalons. It can track my workouts because it has internal GPS (that doesn't need a smartphone), it is waterproof so I can use it swiming (count strokes, and use GPS positioning for open water). I've always said the Apple watches were "cute" and flashy - but were completely ill-equipped for my purposes. Of all the people I train with - almost *everyone* has these newer high-end Garmin watches. *PLUS* you can do things like Bluetooth audio right from them. Now that Apple has made the changes with their new watches - at a price comparable to the competition - I think they are poised to litterally blow Garmin and FitBits high-end watch business out of the water. Where will it go from here? I think the next big step might be to add 3G/LTE Cell right into the watch - so it can be used for live tracking, and even for [crude] voice and text communication. (What happens if my bike falls apart in the middle of no where on a long ride? I have to carry my cell phone for such an eventuality).
I'll just keep my old slow watch, thankyouverymuch. There already isn't enough time in the day to get everything done that I need to do.