A NEW Watch Every Year???

[sracer]

This is ridiculous. Whether they decide to wait a few years or only one year to release a new product has no affect on the one you purchased. And just because a product is updated every year, it doesn't mean that Apple expects everyone to buy one each year. Macs, iPhones, and iPads are updated every year, but most people only buy phones every two years, computers 4 or 5 years. Why should it be different for the watch? Not everyone will be on the same upgrade cycle, so offering frequent upgrades is better for everyone. The people who want to upgrade every year will be able to; Apple's not going to make it harder for people to throw money at them. Other people can decide to skip every year or two, which will be more typical.

It's not ridiculous. with most Apple products, they release new versions of the hardware annually. They don't simply rebadge the previous year's generation, but add/improve hardware. And with the improved hardware comes improved software.

We've seen with iPads and iPhones that Apple pushes people to upgrade their hardware to the latest software. Each update causes the device to perform less optimally than it did with the previous software.

Whether or not Apple will continue that behavior with the aWatch is yet to be seen, but given Apple's track-record it isn't ridiculous for people to be concerned.

 

[mtmac]

Apple has gone all in on this product with more options than they have on late generation established lines. To think they have invested this much energy into a product and then will not bother to do annual updates is naive. Likely the gold and ss watches will be upgradeable which will offset the cost of the upgrade and help initial generation adoption.

Time, day, date, Apple Pay, quick notifications/communications and taptic navigation are already the killer aps for me. Apple will have to upgrade to stay competitive, however this will be easier to skip generation(s). You're going to do far fewer things on your watch than your phone, tablet or laptop. As such, so many features are already included in generation 1. I could see upgrading when when it becomes fully independent or a substantial battery life gain. If a sensor could adequately monitor any health information relevant to me, I would upgrade. To stay competitive they will have to continually upgrade, but most consumers will upgrade more on their computer cycle than on their phone cycle.

 

[Tanegashima]

Just because apple will make a new one every year, doesn't mean you have to buy it.

----------

We've seen with iPads and iPhones that Apple pushes people to upgrade their hardware to the latest software. Each update causes the device to perform less optimally than it did with the previous software.

Whether or not Apple will continue that behavior with the aWatch is yet to be seen, but given Apple's track-record it isn't ridiculous for people to be concerned.

If you think that, then why don't you do yourself a favor, and stop buying things from that company?

 

[sracer]

If you think that, then why don't you do yourself a favor, and stop buying things from that company?

Ah, the ol' "Love Apple or Leave it" attitude. I'd like to have a simplistic worldview like that. No grey areas.

 

[UltimateSyn]

It's not ridiculous. with most Apple products, they release new versions of the hardware annually. They don't simply rebadge the previous year's generation, but add/improve hardware. And with the improved hardware comes improved software.

We've seen with iPads and iPhones that Apple pushes people to upgrade their hardware to the latest software. Each update causes the device to perform less optimally than it did with the previous software.

Whether or not Apple will continue that behavior with the aWatch is yet to be seen, but given Apple's track-record it isn't ridiculous for people to be concerned.

You want them to hinder the progress of technology so you don't get left in the dust?

 

[sracer]

You want them to hinder the progress of technology so you don't get left in the dust?

Have you been following this thread or just jumping in to defend Apple? I was responding to kmj2318 by pointing out Apple's general track record and how new generations of devices ultimately have an impact on the device that one purchased.

That is the balancing act that Apple will need to deal with. Update the hardware too frequently and too dramatically and the older generations will lose their usefulness more quickly. Update it too slowly and with too little improvements and Apple will find themselves far behind in a quickly moving (because it is new) field.

Apple seems to have hit the sweet-spot with the iPhone. I think that they are trying find it for tablets. They'll need to do something similar with the aWatch.