Apple Watch has shown that Apple has lost its way

[grahamperrin]

Apple convincing customers: magazine viewpoints

'How Apple Will Convince You to Buy a Smartwatch –– NYMag'

This is an interesting article/opinion about the Apple Watch: …

Certainly thought-provoking, thanks, and I liked the scenario that the writer began to paint, but (sorry) I stopped reading at this statement:

"… Apple gadgets have always been, and will always be, pure fetish objects. … our decision to buy them always starts with the same thought: This looks cool and I want one."​

For me, the decision never began in that way.

The article's pigeonholing of people had failed, and there were catwalk-related articles to the right, so I scrolled up to see whether the article appeared under the 'FASHION' heading of NYMag. No. It's the sole article in an APPLE FANFIC category, whatever that is. It's part of the 'Daily Intelligencer', where articles on the same day include 'Teen Remembers Beloved Pet Rat by Turning Its Dead Body Into a Helicopter' …

Off-topic from Apple Watch but relevant to Apple appearing to lose its way: by coincidence I do have on screen a 2012 Computerworld article, Apple consistently convinces customers to upgrade OS X. The article was found but not used whilst I drafted a response to someone's post under a poll about the ugliness of pre-release OS X 10.10, Yosemite.

 

[petvas]

I do not share the opinions expressed in this article..

I really liked the things that Apple showed us during the keynote. The Apple Watch is the first watch I want to wear for years. I haven't had a watch for more than ten years, mainly because I find them too simple and cumbersome. The Apple Watch seems to do much more than showing the time, but it is beautiful, doesn't seem geeky at all and it promises to be a great user experience.
The communication stuff is not my thing though; I am not going to start sending my heartbeat to others, but it's not bad that the option is there..
I am more interested in the notifications, and I believe that the can offer an immersive experience, much more personal than standard notifications on a phone, especially when I am on the road. I don't want to take out my phone all the time to see my notifications. Having a watch for that is great. Add to that the Map and navigation capabilities, the 3rd party support and the fitness and health stuff, and you have a winner.
The Apple Watch was designed to be a watch people will want to wear. All of the above is just an added bonus!

 

[freelife2014]

I do not think so ,People do not even use it

 

[agaskew]

I do not share the opinions expressed in this article..

I really liked the things that Apple showed us during the keynote. The Apple Watch is the first watch I want to wear for years. I haven't had a watch for more than ten years, mainly because I find them too simple and cumbersome. The Apple Watch seems to do much more than showing the time, but it is beautiful, doesn't seem geeky at all and it promises to be a great user experience.
The communication stuff is not my thing though; I am not going to start sending my heartbeat to others, but it's not bad that the option is there..
I am more interested in the notifications, and I believe that the can offer an immersive experience, much more personal than standard notifications on a phone, especially when I am on the road. I don't want to take out my phone all the time to see my notifications. Having a watch for that is great. Add to that the Map and navigation capabilities, the 3rd party support and the fitness and health stuff, and you have a winner.
The Apple Watch was designed to be a watch people will want to wear. All of the above is just an added bonus!

This is just your opinion. Imagine a world where there other opinions too...

 

[bransoj]

This is just your opinion. Imagine a world where there other opinions too...

The same could be said about a lot of folk saying the apple watch is horrible, a let down etc...

 

[petvas]

This is just your opinion. Imagine a world where there other opinions too...

My opinion is not the only opinion...Why people here in these forums are so aggressive? Grow up...

 

[sk1wbw]

What are you talking about? They have lost their way because the Watch is neither beautiful nor innovative

Does the Moto watch stop working with payments when you take it off?

 

[sportello]

Actually the developers are still going full steam ahead on iPad stuff. I bumped into the Open Goldberg Variations project the other day. Wow. Bach's Goldberg variations, score, performance and all (and sync'd to the score as it plays, if you like). Never in my life could I have imagined back in the 1950s (LPs on a console player the size of a kitchen base-cabinet) that I'd be looking at that in my lifetime.

I'm excited about the Apple Watch, and I haven't bothered with a watch for about ten years. I'm likely to be an early adopter.

Oh, I know. I don't mean that people aren't using iPads at the moment. I just think it's clear that they are going to gain some more productivity-oriented features in the next year or so. As it stands, there isn't a lot differentiating iOS 7 on the iPad from its phone counterpart.

 

[sigamy]

I was going to type my own, but I read this comment over on Engadget and it's exactly my thoughts on the Apple Watch.

"I, too, have to disagree with your analysis. What you fail to address is the fact that almost all of Apple's products have not been "revolutionary" in terms of the functionality they've brought to the market. Their tablets, MP3 players, and smart phones have all merely been polished versions of existing technology. But they've brought them together in a marketable way, in a way that consumers are eager to embrace, and in a way that benefits the collective ecosystem of Apple products.

I disagree. The Macintosh was definitely revolutionary. Heck, even the Apple II was. The iPhone was also. Do you forget what "smartphones" were in 2007? Seeing an entire web page on a mobile device was revolutionary in 2007. Scrolling thru photos with your finger and pinch to zoom were also.

The iPod wasn't revolutionary in it's technology, but it was in usage and what it allowed people to do--seamlessly carry their entire music catalog in their pocket. The iPod led to digital downloads success (iTMS) and basically killed brick & mortar music retailers.

 

[LizKat]

Being able to read Tne New Yorker and The Economist on an iPad is so wonderful. Those magazine apps are killer.

I bet some app will turn up for the Apple Watch that I'll find just as amazing.

You know what, for someone my age (remembers when text editors like McSink ran in 20k) this is just an amazing time to be alive!

 

[Blakjack]

I disagree. The Macintosh was definitely revolutionary. Heck, even the Apple II was. The iPhone was also. Do you forget what "smartphones" were in 2007? Seeing an entire web page on a mobile device was revolutionary in 2007. Scrolling thru photos with your finger and pinch to zoom were also.

The iPod wasn't revolutionary in it's technology, but it was in usage and what it allowed people to do--seamlessly carry their entire music catalog in their pocket. The iPod led to digital downloads success (iTMS) and basically killed brick & mortar music retailers.

The iPod, iPhone and iPad weren't revolutionary in WHAT they offered. They were revolutionary in HOW they offered it. That poster I was assuming was speaking to WHAT those devices offered.

Before the iPad, we had smartphones that allowed us to browse the web, gave us apps, email, radio, documents, etc. but the iPhone showed how how those phones were doing it all wrong. The same goes for the iPad.

 

[Rogifan]

The iPod, iPhone and iPad weren't revolutionary in WHAT they offered. They were revolutionary in HOW they offered it. That poster I was assuming was speaking to WHAT those devices offered.

Before the iPad, we had smartphones that allowed us to browse the web, gave us apps, email, radio, documents, etc. but the iPhone showed how how those phones were doing it all wrong. The same goes for the iPad.

The iPod didn't take off until iTunes and bringing it to Windows. The App Store is what made the iPhone (and iPad) and even then iPhone sales didn't really skyrocket until iPhone 4 and coming to Verizon. IMO Watch OS is just another platform for developers and is really going to drive Apple's entry into the internet of things. I think there's more they haven't shown off yet that will integrate with HealthKit and HomeKit.

 

[Blakjack]

I disagree. The Macintosh was definitely revolutionary. Heck, even the Apple II was. The iPhone was also. Do you forget what "smartphones" were in 2007? Seeing an entire web page on a mobile device was revolutionary in 2007. Scrolling thru photos with your finger and pinch to zoom were also.

The iPod wasn't revolutionary in it's technology, but it was in usage and what it allowed people to do--seamlessly carry their entire music catalog in their pocket. The iPod led to digital downloads success (iTMS) and basically killed brick & mortar music retailers.

The iPod didn't take off until iTunes and bringing it to Windows. The App Store is what made the iPhone (and iPad) and even then iPhone sales didn't really skyrocket until iPhone 4 and coming to Verizon. IMO Watch OS is just another platform for developers and is really going to drive Apple's entry into the internet of things. I think there's more they haven't shown off yet that will integrate with HealthKit and HomeKit.

I COMPLETELY agree. Apple has done well with catering to its developers. They build devices developers want to make better. And I too believe that Apple is holding something back.

 

[Santabean2000]

This should have been the iWatch. Apple watch... pft.

http://9to5google.com/2014/08/27/samsung-gear-s-smartwatch-announced/

That actually looks good - and useful.

The iPod didn't take off until iTunes and bringing it to Windows. The App Store is what made the iPhone (and iPad) and even then iPhone sales didn't really skyrocket until iPhone 4 and coming to Verizon. IMO Watch OS is just another platform for developers and is really going to drive Apple's entry into the internet of things. I think there's more they haven't shown off yet that will integrate with HealthKit and HomeKit.

This has to be Apple's only real saving grace here. As a stand alone device the Watch is not much to get excited about.

I hate the fact that it's so dependent on an iPhone; there was nothing that was presented to suggest that it solved any problems.

 

[StoneJack]

I find it interesting that S Gear with 3G, Wifi and GPS can last up to two days, while Apple Watch as we know has 1 day life. Is Tizen (S Gear OS) so efficient or its just usual Samsung marketing crap? I found the S gear circle headphones very strange.

 

[Rogifan]

That actually looks good - and useful.



This has to be Apple's only real saving grace here. As a stand alone device the Watch is not much to get excited about.

I hate the fact that it's so dependent on an iPhone; there was nothing that was presented to suggest that it solved any problems.

It's not right now but it's a 1st gen product. 1st gen iPhone and iPad weren't that great either.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

“The best way to accomplish serious design -- is to be totally and completely unqualified for the job.”

— Paula Scher

 

[adnbek]

This is literally the worst thing I could have imagined. it looks bulbous and ugly, it is overpriced and it only works with an iPhone. On top of that it does Nothing differently or better than all these other smartwatches.

Oh - and did I mention that it will only ship next year? Oh on top of that they were too ashamed to tell people about the battery life.


I really, really, really wanted the Apple Watch to be something special. But this... just isnt it.

I feel really worried about Apple now.

Apple is doomed?

 

[StoneJack]

i think that essence of AppleWatch is Apple designed NikeFuelband, always tethered.

 

[Cashmonee]

It's not right now but it's a 1st gen product. 1st gen iPhone and iPad weren't that great either.

The first gen iPhone and iPad may not have been "that great", but it was clear, especially with the iPhone, that they were about to revolutionize the market. There was a clear path. The benefits were obvious. The watch isn't as clear. The benefits aren't obvious enough.

 

[Rogifan]

The first gen iPhone and iPad may not have been "that great", but it was clear, especially with the iPhone, that they were about to revolutionize the market. There was a clear path. The benefits were obvious. The watch isn't as clear. The benefits aren't obvious enough.

Maybe not but maybe there isn't anything that's going to do that right now. Not every new product has to be revolutionary.

 

[Cashmonee]

Maybe not but maybe there isn't anything that's going to do that right now. Not every new product has to be revolutionary.

Agreed. Which is why I don't buy the comparisons to previous products that were revolutionary. The iPod, iPhone, and, to a lesser extent, iPad, are not good barometers for Watch. Apple Watch does nothing that many other manufacturers haven't floated out there. Those three devices all entered markets filled with devices that we're missing something, and showed the world the right way to do it. The Apple Watch doesn't do that. In that sense, you can start asking if Apple has lost its way.

 

[monolithic]

For Apple, I'm guessing designing the watch wasn't much of a challenge. Maybe the UI was a challenge but for rest of the device they had experience of making iPods, iPhones, so not much of a challenge. I was expecting the classic iPod's click wheel to return, I mean click wheel kind of interface on the rim of the watch. The crown part was surprising.

The pairing of the iPhone is just obvious if it had to take calls and sms.