Convenience — Apple Watch's killer feature

By Rene Ritchie
last updated

A lot of the post-game analysis surrounding the Apple Watch event in September centered on the showcasing of a list of features rather than the presentation of a clear case for why people need it in their lives. There was no iPhone-style "are you getting it yet?" moment or iPad-style "better than both" argument. Yet the neither of those devices really sold based on those pitches. The iPhone had us at the interface and the iPad at the experience. Because of that — because we've seen amazing interfaces and enjoyed incredible experiences already — the Apple Watch will have to have us at something else. And that something else will be convenience.

Before the Apple Watch was announced I wrote that I hoped it would excel at doing four things:

  • Logging: Collecting sensor-derived health and fitness data via HealthKit.
  • Controlling: Serving as an interface for accessories, especially home automation, via HomeKit.
  • Authenticating: Making, for example, mobile payments via PassKit (or whatever Apple replaces PassKit with).
  • Alerting: Relaying priority notifications.

Apple did all those and one better:

  • Communicating

With the Apple Watch, we'll be able to keep track of our steps, buy something with Apple Pay, pause or play our Apple TV, and let our family and friends know that we're out there and thinking of them.

Since most of those things are backed up by frameworks like HealthKit, WatchKit, PassKit, and HomeKit, we'll be able to do whole lot more as well.

We'll be able to share our stats with our coaches, show our boarding passes at the gate, choose the next power-up card we want to play, and turn off all our lights when we go to sleep.

All without needing to pull our iPhones from out of our pockets, purses, bags, or go get them from off the table or across the room.

Logging. Controlling. Authenticating. Alerting. Communicating.

These are all important things. They're things we need and want. But they're also brief things. They're intermittent and unpredictable things. They're things that the Apple watch will be able to do more efficiently — maybe even better.

I've told many of these stories before:

  • My mother wants an Apple Watch so she can get the iPhone 6 Plus, leave it in her purse, and not have to worry about missing messages or calls.
  • My sister currently uses a Pebble because her hospital's paging system runs on the iPhone but she doesn't want to carry it with her on rounds.
  • A friend who jogs is dreaming for the day he can leave home without having to carry his phone or his wallet.
  • A friend who's in meetings all day and can't check her phone — because, rude — is looking forward to the taptics triaging for her what's really urgent.
  • A buddy who's all-in on home automation can't wait to say "Goodnight, Siri!" and have everything lock down and turn off for the night.

That's how it works. Smaller, more personal things don't have to be as powerful or functional as bigger, less personal things. The iPad doesn't have to do as much as the Mac. The iPhone doesn't have to do as much as the iPad. The Watch...

When the iPhone launched in 2007 it wasn't fully independent. It required a computer but also enabled us to do things without going running back to our computer. Over time, it gained its independence and now we can do so many things some of us don't need to go running back to our computer at all any more.

The computer remains bigger and more powerful, but the iPhone is more personal and more portable. It's the best device there is for what it does because it's the device we have with us.

The Apple Watch will be the same. It will depend on the iPhone at first, but it will let us do just enough of just the right things that we won't need to go reaching back to our iPhones as much. And over time, who knows?

The iPhone will dominate for years to come, but the Watch will be even more personal, more portable, and it could end up being with us even more.

The Watch could be better at all the small, short, repetitive tasks that add up to a lot of time and effort. With short look, a long look, a glance, an extension, an app, it could be better by giving us just enough, and giving it to us just in time. And without having to reach for our phones.

"Saved you a click" is something of joke. "Saved you a reach" won't be.

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Rene Ritchie
Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.

111 Comments
  • Great article Rene. I think you need to get this to Apple. You've done a better job of explaining the why than Apple has (so far).
  • I agree. Sent from the iMore App
  • Good observation. I totally agree. He was able to analyze and summarize in just a few paragraphs something that would have been nice to hear in the keynote. Very informative, Rene. Thanks.
  • Apple has provided far more information that what was in the keynote. A keynote is time limited and this one was especially. All you have to do is look at Apple's site for this sort of information.
  • good read.
  • I was so excited for the apple watch but then Tim Cook mentioned charging it every night. My excitement turned to disappoint. I think I'll wait until the second generation but it's going to be tough to resist. The black sports edition looks killer Sent from the iMore App
  • Charging every night is one of the least concerning things, I think.
  • I use Pebble and i don't have to charge it for at least 4 days. Going back to charging everyday will be a big concern for me. The pebble does almost everything the Apple watch will be able to do expect NFC iPay payments.
  • Charging every day is the cost of a color screen and radios. Can't have everything :(
  • True .. I still prefer not to charge every day .. maybe with iWatch 2.0 will come 2 or more days of battery life.
  • I seriously doubt it given Apple's record with mobile. We could have iPhones and iPads with at 3 days charge by now if battery life was Apple's priority (at least 48 hours). Thinner and lighter is their goal, and will be all the more with the Watch, I believe. Eventually we'll get longer battery life, but I don't think for a few more years. But I would be very happy to be proven wrong!
  • I have a question not about charging Rene but about the GPS in the apple watch so, my question is that if I jog without my iphone but with only my apple watch would it track the distances that I've ran and can it track the locations that I've ran like from a map?
  • Can't answer on the Apple watch, but note that the Fitbit surge has independent GPS built in that will give you pace realtime and let you map your run on a map. So it's possible apple watch has, but that duplicates what's in the companion iPhone. Like you, an independent GPS is a key feature for me.
  • No GPS in the Apple Watch.
  • Perhaps if Apple didn't have such an aversion to OLED screens, they could squeeze some more life out of the thing. My LG R watch has one and I get almost 2 days of battery life out of it. OLEDs on a watch make perfect sense.
  • Agreed, I get almost 3 days on my Sony smartwatch 2
  • Technically all smart watches can do what the other ones do. In reality do you not think the massive number of apps that will undoubtedly come for the Watch will mean you can realistically do a lot more with the Apple Watch? Remember there were over 3000 iPad specific applications for the launch of the iPad, before anyone could buy them (not even developers).
  • In the days of wind up, you had to wind daily, sometime twice a day. I agree charging nightly, or once a day is a way of life now. I see no problems. It is "do I really need one" aspect. I stopped wearing a watch a long time ago. Again it will come down to the watch functions, and your needs. Great article.
  • Charging daily is only Apple's way of life. Ipad, iphone, now watch. There are better products out there.
  • Only with the iPhone you have to charge it every day but not with the iPad. Sent from the iMore App
  • Omonja, that is good there are other products out there for you.
  • Better products, like?
  • And it was awkward and inconvenient, and we got over it almost a century ago. Do we really have to go back in time for the sake of pretty design?
  • If you want to use it to track your sleep it's kind of a bummer...
  • You buy two so you have a day watch and a night watch. I'm sure they will sync smoothly, making it so easy to switch off from one watch to another. Will that be an unacceptably expensive solution? To some people. But the people who own several watches by choice won't be bothered by it.
  • The barging in such a small battery will probably only be a very short time. Maybe the time I a shower. Where you should take off the watch anyways because of the heat. Sent from the iMore App
  • Charging not barging. Sent from the iMore App
  • The heat? What about the wet? Is it waterproof?
  • Hole for the speaker, so it's water resistant. Cannot be dunked in water.
  • Tracking sleep with current tech is a sham, even in Apple Watch. I once compared it to a sleep study I had, and it was way, way off - no correlation at all.
  • There is no sleep tracking on the Apple Watch. At least it was never mentioned during the keynote or on the website last I checked. I think it is expected that you will charge the watch at night so sleep tracking is not a sham on the Watch because it doesn't exist. BTW I had a sleep study done too and I never understood how any watch could compare to that and track my sleep in a meaningful and accurate way.
  • But if it's charging at night how will it track sleep and be used as a silent alarm that doesn't wake my wife? This is a big concern for me. Sent from the iMore App
  • That's true. I hadn't even thought of that. Sent from the iMore App
  • Depends on charging time. Could charge in the evening before bed, wear to bed, use as alarm clock. Get up in the morning, plug in to charge while getting ready for day. Wear for the day.
  • I don't understand why people don't like 1 day battery life. Why not just charge it at night with your phone? Sent from the iMore App
  • I think one day battery life is fine. Anything more, and it won't be part of your daily routine, so it's likely to die before you remember to recharge every few days. I have this issue with a mantle clock today, because it runs down at odd times.
  • Seems like a good option for some people.
  • With continuity I don't need to have both my laptop and cell phone on me around the house or school. I can do my school work on Mac and if I get a phone call, answer it then and there without the need to take my phone out. Continuity is what gives me convenience now. For the prices they are asking for that Watch, I really fear how long their shelf life will be–I might as well by a good Swiss watch at those price points and not have to worry about obsolesce.
  • Sport is only $350. Even Edition will be less than the 5 figures most even poor-quality Swiss watches go for.
  • Excited for the Watch, but I don't think its right to compare it to multi-thousand dollar watches, as its useful life will practically only be a few years.
  • Why not? If the value of the  watch to me is telling time and taking my vitals. Why would I not want to keep it for 5-10+ years. Regular watches keep value depending on the craftsmanship and connection you feel with it. I have known people to where wrist watches long after it has stopped working. For them it becomes a piece of jewelry. If the high end  watch is solid gold and sells for 5k there would be a subset of people that would wear it as a standard watch. Apple is pushing it as a watch and fashion accessory first. both things that we keep for a long time. Even if we do not wear them everyday
  • But you do not KNOW the useful life will only be a few years... What if Apple had a program to trade in the $10k Edition watch (making up a price here) for just $200 when a new version comes out? Apple could easily recycle the materials, or possibly even just swap out the innards over time.
  • I have a question. For the one about running. If it is using bluetooth, unless you run relatively short distances, wouldn't the watch stop working? I mean yeah if you want to use it as your fitness tool it will collect the data, but I have a $90 Nike+ watch that can do that... Not seeing the draw for it in that regard.
  • It'd be like taking a wi-fi only iPad out for a run. Local stuff still works, connected stuff no longer updates. You can still log your activity, listen to music, use Apple Pay, etc.
  • So does this mean that I can run with only the watch and using gps to track my runs?
  • This is my biggest concern... and unless something has changed, I'm certainly positive the answer is you will need to bring the phone. The watch doesn't have built in GPS.
  • I’m not at all sold on the case for the Apple Watch. I’m not saying that no one would get anything out of the device, but in my particular situation I don’t see the value. I could write an article length reply on the reasons, but (sort of) briefly: Re: logging. It doesn’t do anything my phone doesn’t already do, with the exception of heart-rate logging, and… who really needs 24/7 heart rate logging? Unless you have a heart condition that requires it, this is not terribly useful information. If it could do blood pressure measurement, that would be a whole different story. And as a side note, the HealthKit integration is something that isn’t that compelling to me, primarily because HealthKit has proven to be a huge disappointment. I leapt into it with both feet once iOS 8 launched, only to discover that 1) the iOS 8 Health app has virtually nothing in the way of data analysis. Interested in your average systolic/diastolic blood pressure over a period? Health doesn’t know. Are there any daily patterns to your blood pressure? Health displays all the blood pressure readings for a single day on a single spot, so you can’t see. This would be such a big problem, but… 2) Health is Data Prison. It’s the roach motel of information: data goes in, but it doesn’t come out. If you want to do any kind of analysis at all, you would need to get the data into some kind of spreadsheet… but there’s no “export to Numbers” feature, nor does there appear to be any App Store app that will do this (it’s a sore spot for me because I have hypertension that’s proving very resistant to diet, exercise, and medication, and is requiring a bunch of measurement and analysis to figure out what’s going on). Controlling: I have a small house and minimal electronics to control. For me, home automation would be about avoiding the necessity to walk to the light switch, and I’m not spending a bunch of money for that. So the watch doesn’t help me. Authenticating: my phone does this just fine, and uses a thumbprint vs. a passcode. Alerting: 1) phone does this, and 2) my life is not so busy that I require something to tap me on the wrist to respond right now. Communicating: The cost/benefit ratio seems out of whack here, as you’ll still need to carry the phone on your person, or else not be able to communicate. To my knowledge the Watch doesn’t have much in the way of internal radios. The bottom line here is that to me, the Watch’s main function seems to be to avoid the need to take your phone out of your pocket, and I’m just not spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars for that. Some people will buy the thing for the fashion of it, and some because they will have more use for the functionality than I would. I’ll be interested to see what the sales figures actually are for the device, once it comes out.
  • Agree. For that price, not worth it at the moment. Now that could change, but for me the $349 price tag isn't worth it. Maybe with gen 2 or 3 that will change
  • $350 works out to $1 a day over the course of a year. Most people would pay $1 a day for convenience, if they understand it in those terms.
  • Unless I have the option of paying $1 a day that doesn't really matter. It's still an up front $350 investment on a product that truly isn't worth that much. We trick ourselves into thinking it is because it's from Apple and the little tasks like pulling out a mobile device and answering a call or viewing a text have apparently become too cumbersome. Sure I can view a text but typically I need to respond then as well in which case I'll pull my phone out anyway. I think the majority of people don't truly NEED this product. But of course they all WANT it and will spend the $350. I just don't see how it's worth it as of now.
  • You can do what I did, when I first saw the watch announced and knew I wanted not only the watch but a much better camera I looked at what I already owned and sold stuff, I have 250.00 already towards the watch and by the time September comes round when my contract is up I will figure out where that last 100.00 and tax will come from.
  • I will pick one for sure(sport edition) as I love to jog/run. Rene - Thanks for another great article! Very well explained. Sent from the iMore App
  • Don't be lazy, don't get what you don't need. Sent from the iMore App
  • Don't be lazy, don't get what you don't need. Sent from the iMore App
  • They need an app to deliver a gentle tap on the wrist when someone has more money than sense.
  • Need is such a subjective term. Who needs a watch? Glance at the sun over your shoulder, or look out the window, or check the clock on the wall. The Apple Watch is about fashion and convenience. If you don't care about either, it's not for you.
  • Forget about the charging nightly (which will be an annoyance, and render sleep monitoring apps useless), an  Watch is useless to me as long as it's so dependent upon having your phone on you as well. The gym on-base is right down the street from my house; I don't even bring either of these big ass phones with me now. Definitely not bringing them to the track, either. As far as the watch itself, I have no doubt that it will be very nice - overpriced, sure (subjective), but it will sell. The key, determining whether it's destined to fly or flop, remains the developers and what their imaginations let them do with WatchKit. A few good "Aha!!" apps and these things will fly off the shelves. Twitter, fish drawings, and "share my heartbeat" won't cut it. I have faith in iOS developers - they've been carrying the brand for years and to the top. I think I'll be sitting this watch thing out, though - at least Round 1. Sent from the iMore App
  • iPhone in 2007 was highly dependent on the PC. You couldn't sync a song, a contact, anything without it. Still, it was compelling.
  • Yes... and by many accounts, an overpriced, mediocre phone - lacking many features that were standard on competitors' devices. Just the jump to 3G was monumental. (The dependence on having a PC was, in many cases, an initial setup thing, depending on how often you updated your iPod. Not quite the same story with these Watches, as I'm understanding them.) Much like the iPhone, and to some extent the iPads, the usability and key feature set will likely increase exponentially between the first and second-generations of  Watch, which may mean 2016 is the year to pick one up. That is, of course, assuming these things have a similar upgrade cycle... which I DON'T foresee. Sent from the iMore App
  • As much as I'd like to own one, I can't justify spending $350 on a watch that will be outdated in a year. I can spend $350 on a normal watch that will be timeless depending on the brand. Good article though. Sent from the iMore App
  • It's only outdated if you feel the need to upgrade. I'm sure it's good for 2 maybe 3 years, but if you want a new one every year have at it. Posted from the amazing whatever device I can afford because I'm a broke college kid.
  • What's going to be outdated in a year? I know people who are still rocking an iPhone 4s.
  • The iPhone 4S is outdated. As will be the first generation Apple Watch in 2016. Sent from the iMore App
  • V59Didnt think of it that way. But even with more capabilities of the apple watch you would still choose a normal watch that tells just time and date over it for $350?
  • Yep. I collect watches. I just can't see spending $350 on this watch. I'm sure it'll be cool but I'm thinking long term. Plus that $350 version is the low end model right? I'd have to have one that's classier. Just opinion guys. Sent from the iMore App
  • It's sad that this "smartwatch" can't really do anything without a phone. Hopefully version 2 will fix this problem. I also don't agree that removing the security of Touch ID for Apple Pay is considered a feature (or maybe that is a sign of desperation to justify the product). Ultimately this article is a great example of the problem Apple has with the Apple watch; when someone to explain what the killer feature of that product is, that product is not going to do well. p.s. you need better photos, as the screens look like somebody put tape over them. ugh.
  • I would buy one but battery life for more than 5 days is a must for me! Sent from the iMore App
  • How/why is 5+ day battery life a "must" for you? Sent from the iMore App
  • Do you really go 5 days at a time without access to power on a regular basis?
  • Yeah, but nightly charging isn't a convenience.
  • Yeah that's what I want a $350. Remote for Apple TV .... What a joke!! Sent from the iMore App
  • I've been waiting for the Apple Watch since it was first rumored because a) I like watches, b) I like gadgets, c) I like convenience, d) I like music and e) I like fitness. Sure there are things that the phone can do that overlap with what the watch will be able to do, but the same was said about the iPad compared to the iPhone and the iPad took off like a rocket! I don't know if the Apple Watch will take off quite as quickly, but I'll let Apple worry about stocks and such. I just want something on my wrist that does more than tell time and look pretty, and I'm willing to bet a few hundred dollars that the Apple Watch is that something. Sent from the iMore App
  • USD 350 so as not to take out an iphone from the pocket. And Rene has to defend that!
  • I didn't get an iPhone, or a smartphone for that matter, until the 5s which was when I felt the tech had matured enough. I knew fully well since the first iPhone that once I get one, I won't be able to live without it. I think the Watch has, at worst, a fair shot at success but I won't get one either until a few generations down the road. The iPod didn't really take off until 4th Gen; I expect something similar for Watch.
  • It is amazing how people can find so much negativity in such a positive article! Sent from the iMore App
  • Rene, did I misunderstand? Are you saying that the iWatch will work without being connected to an iPhone? For some reason I thought all smart watches needed to be tethered to a phone for messaging to work. Sent from the iMore App
  • Messaging won't work but it will be able to play music into Bluetooth headphones and track movement. So no phone features but the watch will have its own standalone features that work without the phone. So yeah, pretty awesome. Sent from the iMore App
  • Enjoyed the article and very much agree. I am looking forward to adjusting my hearing aids without having to take out and unlock my phone.
  • I'm a train driver & must have my iPhone turned off while driving a train. During those hours of dead time while I wouldn't expect or want messages to come thru, will my Apple Watch continue to collect data or will it just drain its battery looking for a non existent blue tooth connection? Sent from the iMore App
  • It will drain, but I'll bet it will be pretty simple to switch Bluetooth off when your phone is off if you want to. Sent from the iMore App
  • You could just set your iPhone to Do Not Disturb mode, then the phone alerts will go silent (though interestingly if someone tries to call you twice in a row really quickly, it will let that call through for emergencies).
  • I wonder if the Watch will have an uplift effect on the smart watch sector generally? I was aware but entirely uninformed about these devices until the keynote. A watch is a must for me. I work in a setting where time is important and discretion is necessary. I'm commonly in a situation where I can't access my phone, even to check the time, hence the need for a watch. I find a smart watch compelling. Not only can I keep an eye on the time but check messages, set discreet alarms or other prompts, and so on. A boon for my work situation. The problem is we use Android at work. I don't want to buy something I can't use at both work and home (which is exclusively ). Pebble is ugly. Waiting to see what the MS watch does.
  • The MS Watch is the Microsoft Band.
  • "My sister currently uses a Pebble because her hospital's paging system runs on the iPhone but she doesn't want to carry it with her on rounds." Wouldn't she still have to carry the iPhone with her even with an Apple Watch?
  • Actually for paging and such I'm thinking you're right. Should be easier to keep her hands free but she'll still need to keep the phone with her. Sent from the iMore App
  • "A friend who jogs is dreaming for the day he can leave home without having to carry his phone or his wallet." Why does he have to carry his phone or wallet now?
  • Probably to listen to music and buy some Gatorade. Sent from the iMore App
  • "A buddy who's all-in on home automation can't wait to say "Goodnight, Siri!" and have everything lock down and turn off for the night." Why does he have to wait for the Apple Watch to do this?
  • He doesn't, but it would make talking to Siri more convenient. Sent from the iMore App
  • The thing is, I see very little advantage of the Apple Watch over other smartwatches. Disclaimer: I have a Pebble. The point of a smartwatch to me is that any action done on a smartwatch should be faster and/or easier than taking out your phone to do it, and that counts for music control, notifications, and of course, checking the time.
  • Yeah, I plunked down $150 for the Pebble also. Quite pleased with it, but I was always planning to upgrade to the Apple Watch if/when it came out, because I knew that Apple would add some killer features if/when they got in the game. 2 key things the Apple Watch does that the Pebble doesn't: play music to Bluetooth headphones without need of a phone, and check heart rate. Apple Pay is a bonus too. The way it works, with a touch screen and a dial ("digital crown") seems more user friendly and capable of more functions as well. I know that there will be bugs/issues with the first iteration, and I will be okay with that because I am confident that it will do many things well. Sent from the iMore App
  • I can't conceive that the Apple Watch will be a success. On the contrary I am convinced that it will be a first big flop for Apple. As with recent Apple products it's a me too product (like the iPhone 6 and 6+) but a very unimaginative one. If one gets over all the fuss about the looks of it, this watch is a retard when compared with the latest announcement from Samsung (the Gear S). Samsung figured out how to give smart watch wishers independence from smart phones. The Gear S is an extremely innovative and complete smart phone worn on the arm. By the time the Apple Watch hits the streets Samsung will have released an even more polished product. It looks very bad for Apple, the pile of money they are sitting on does nothing to replace Steve Jobs.
  • I thought the Gear S could only be linked to Samsung phones? As an iPhone user I haven't seen a compelling compatible product yet. But I may be wrong about compatibility.
  • Unfortunately reviews for the GearsS have not been good. So not sure how Samsung has it figured it out in their 3rd revision (?) The jury is still out on the  watch as well. Pebble at this point is more popular than the gear Watches, showing removing rye function from the watch only does not make a hit product. It's a sum of it's parts that if you nail, will have people. Buying
  • Good stuff!
  • The thing will be the price! I own a pebble and does what I want because it last a week without charging! Also it's just a message extension which the Apple watch will be with a bit extra but 400$ vs 100$ pebble? Sent from the iMore App
  • Convenience??? Convenience is exactly why I'll buy either a Fitbit surge or UP3. As in the convenience of not having to take it off in the shower and more importantly, not having to take it off every night to charge. It's amazing to me the people who stopped wearing watches when they got iPhones are even thinking about this as a convenience. And I have a six plus (and macs, and iPad), so I'm well into the ecosystem. If they can get it to a minimum of 4 or 5 days, it would be worth it. I would rather not go with Jawbone because of their absurd privacy policy - Apple will definitely be better on that front. But, until they can get the flagship model of their smart watch into the 4 day plus zone, I think apple should consider a reduced form version that gives far better battery life but gives up whatever features are making it so much less efficient than some of the health trackers.
  • Nope. I like features, and I have an outlet right next to my bed. I'm sure future gens of the Apple Watch will last longer on a single charge, but I'm happy to be an early adopter. I'll post here about it once I get it in response to iMore articles about it so you can read about its awesomeness from your iPad. ;) Sent from the iMore App
  • Another minor convenience factor...hardly worth mentioning, but...you can glance at your wrist to find out what time it is.
  • Another tech site I frequent pointed out the versatility of the Apple Watch compared to competitors. You know, the iWatch is the only device that allows you to share your heartbeat, or a sketch the size of a postage stamp. Who needs convenience when you have that?
  • Some people probably need proof they have a heart ;-)
  • It can't be a coincidence that apple releases a pair of larger iPhones with the introduction of the  watch. 'Yes, we have given you these big screen phones. But now we have this watch that would handle most of your glanceable and some actionable information from your phone. No you don't have to feel the need to pull out your 'large' phone.' Thinking of the timing and the similar design aesthetic both the iPhone 6 and  watch have ( curved edge of glass). These were designed and meant to go together
  • Agreed. And loving it. Sent from the iMore App
  • If they come out with golf software like the Garmin golf watch it will be worth every cent.
  • Amazing article Renee! Maybe u should slow down before apple takes u from us lol
  • Until this comes out, I'm holding my judgement on it. Ver 1 of any new device is usually terrible.
  • GREAT article. Lovers will each buy apple watch to send discrete Taptic "coded" "I-miss-you" taps to each other throughout the day while at work or driving (i.e., tap out "1-4-3"). Another message will be, "hear my heart beating for you?" School kids will be enraptured to send each other little drawings or notes. Like Rene says, a lot of apple watch appeal with be in new, intimate, extremely personal one-on-one communication no one has yet to experienced, first hand. This will help widen the moat and deepen the eco system. Apple fans will clamor to get what Jony Ive has said is the most PERSONAL product that Apple has ever made.
  • I'm not a watch wearer, and I was non-plused about the idea of Apple watch, especially the ginormously big deal deal many were making of it, including Wall Street FUDkers. However, when it was actually released I realized how important this product could be for Apple, and perhaps, even me. NOW: I want one, and I'm still not a watch wearer. However, there are three hard-to-believe strikes against the Apple watch that will have to be addressed before I can even consider plunking down a significant fraction of my hard earned salary for one:
    1) It's got to be seriously water resistant. I will not be wearing it for bling, I will be wearing it to track my daily health, (in addition to using as an extension of my phone for other personal needs). In short, when I come back from a longs bike ride on a hot sticky day I've got to be able to do basic things, like rinse it off, or even drop it in a glass of distiller water, because if I can't, it's going to get icky real fast. This seems basic for a device that is meant to be health tracker, and there's nothing in Apple's product description that gives me the confidence to use it and care for it in this way. 2) It's got to be charged everyday, really?! 3) And since number 2 is true, that means I have to purchase a separate [non-Apple] product to use as a sleep monitor. I'm really amazed (and not in a good way) that Apple chose to make these compromises in its initial product release. This rarely happens with me and Apple products, but: At first I was like, "whatever", to all of the watch hoopla, then I was like, "oh wow!", and now I'm like, "what the hell, I want one but can't have one because it absolutely will not work for me". Someday I think it will work for me, but based on the direction they've already taken it will be quite a few iterations before it's there. And if it, in fact, does take off in the market of the bling-minded, then ther's a very real chance it will never get there.
  • I think a separate sleep-monitoring device is a good idea anyway, none of the fitness bands now do that well. It's not like anyone I've ever known wears a watch to bed anyway - when I used to wear a watch I did not, and my wife who still wears a watch does not now. So I am not too sad to have to charge the watch at night... I am still hoping for an ~2 day life from the Watch on release though.
  • Great Article! Convenience, succinct!
  • I'm hoping that a developer will create an app that will send notifications out to selected people in case the user's heart rate drops below a certain point or gets erratic in the event of a heart attack or any significant arrythmia. My gf's Dad and a very close friend of mine have heart issues and I know that I would all be more at ease if we got automatically pinged in case of an emergency. In the case of my friend, she had a random heart attack in her mid-30s and we're lucky that someone found her in a parkade and called an ambulance otherwise she would have died. There are way bigger and potentially life saving implications of what Apple is offering and I'm totally on board.