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Apple Watch water proof/resistant?
- Thread starter Appledreamer
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You seem like you're one of those people who need a warning on coffee - 'Warning: contents hot'
You cannot be serious.
I would accept this line of thinking for a $50 Timex, but not for a $350 watch marketed as a sports watch. Maybe there will be some fine print to claim that even though all the adds show a person wearing this outdoors, its really only an indoor sports watch. Unlikely.
I would think that unless Apple posts some very specific water resistance specifications on the watch, manual or web they will have a hard time convincing people with actual sport watches to jump ship and replace their Suunto or Garmin. I bet they will have some IP rating in the least posted once the official tech specs are available for the general public. I am not entirely sure why they are so nebulous on the whole water thing. Push buttons, crowns and cases have been sealed to serious depths for decades. Its not like they need to reinvent the wheel.
This along with vibration/impact resistance are the things that have me still using my Seamster and Ambit even though the Ambit is long in the tooth. Well, battery life is also a concern.
I've never hesitated to swim with the cheapest Timex I've owned. I've never had an issue with them.
He's making a good point though.
A sport watch which is ruined if you get caught in a heavy rain storm would be pretty useless for most outdoor sports.
We don't exactly how water resistant the Apple watch is but I think they will need to release a bit more information and make it's limitations clear before it goes on sale.
You said, you have lost watches due to wearing them in the rain, and when they failed in the rain and you agreed you did wrong.
So you are saying you should not wear the Sports watch from Apple in the rain and if you do, Apple should not replace it?
Your words. Please clarify what you mean?
Apple have said it is water resistant, not water proof.
If you must have a water proof watch, look elsewhere.
If you want a watch to go swimming with, look elsewhere.
If there is a chance of you getting caught in a thunderstorm, and you can't trust yourself to take your watch off, then look elsewhere.
It's that simple.
If you must have a water proof watch, look elsewhere.
If you want a watch to go swimming with, look elsewhere.
If there is a chance of you getting caught in a thunderstorm, and you can't trust yourself to take your watch off, then look elsewhere.
It's that simple.
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But that was the CHEAPEST watch you have ever owned, that is quite different than a $350(at least) smart watch, by about 35x... I would hesitate if there was that much money on the line, and you should too.
What we know for sure is we really don't know for sure what the 
Watch water rating will be. We do know Apple is advertising the Watch as being at least safe with water. There is no way Apple would show the pic below, indicating water is OK if it was sensitive to water exposure. In all likelihood the weakest link will be the mic/speaker/armature. The case will probably be tight to ATM 3/IPx7. So probably the worst case scenario is that only the speaker/mic stop working and no water enters the case. Also Apple may have redesign the armature to a more water resistant component.
Again without an objective rating the terms water resistant and water proof are near meaningless. Hopefully Apple will provide an IP or ATM rating when the specs are released.
Watch water rating will be. We do know Apple is advertising the Watch as being at least safe with water. There is no way Apple would show the pic below, indicating water is OK if it was sensitive to water exposure. In all likelihood the weakest link will be the mic/speaker/armature. The case will probably be tight to ATM 3/IPx7. So probably the worst case scenario is that only the speaker/mic stop working and no water enters the case. Also Apple may have redesign the armature to a more water resistant component. Again without an objective rating the terms water resistant and water proof are near meaningless. Hopefully Apple will provide an IP or ATM rating when the specs are released.
Yes. If I wear the apple watch in a TORENTIAlL DOWNPOUR and it fails, then yes, I feel it is my fault and I have to pay the costs to fix it, not Apple. This is the same if my cell phone fails in a torrential downpour. I need to protect it in those rare cases. A normal sprinkle or a light rain, I expect the watch to work, and in those cases, Apple should stand behind their watch.
Hyperbole doesn't relly help your point. How much rain is a torrential downpour that apple shouldn't warranty and how much is a light rain that apple should? That's the question that's being asked.
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Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
Stop. Confusing. The. Issues.
1) How waterproof is the watch?
2) Will Apple replace my watch if it is water damaged under certain conditions?
Apple will have done a LOT of testing on Q1. Millions of people across the world will do a lot of testing on Q1. There are no exposed ports on the Apple Watch, so I'm willing to bet that it's pretty darned water resistant. It can probably take a down pour, it can probably take a shower, it can probably even take a "woah, I was thrown in the pool and then got right back out". Will there be individual fluke cases where the watch doesn't quite stand up as it should, sure. no doubt.
That being said, Apple would like to limit water exposure to the watch to minimize water damage opportunities. It's easy to say "Take it off for shower and swimming", but Apple understands you will have the watch on sometimes when it's raining. That's to be expected. Essentially Apple is more or less covering their butt by saying it's "water resistant" and to "take it off during the shower" to give them some leeway and set low expectations (in order to exceed them).
Regarding Q2, I would bet that Apple's official policy is "I'm sorry we do not replace Apple Watches for water damage". That being said I sure many will hear a lot of "but I think I can make an exception this once" especially if the individual has a good story (and especially if/while the watch remains a niche product).
Yes, I agree if the watch cannot even take rain then that's bad on Apple. I'm proposing that it's extremely unlikely that the Apple watch will be damaged by rain, but that Apple should not be expected to automatically replace it.
1) How waterproof is the watch?
2) Will Apple replace my watch if it is water damaged under certain conditions?
Apple will have done a LOT of testing on Q1. Millions of people across the world will do a lot of testing on Q1. There are no exposed ports on the Apple Watch, so I'm willing to bet that it's pretty darned water resistant. It can probably take a down pour, it can probably take a shower, it can probably even take a "woah, I was thrown in the pool and then got right back out". Will there be individual fluke cases where the watch doesn't quite stand up as it should, sure. no doubt.
That being said, Apple would like to limit water exposure to the watch to minimize water damage opportunities. It's easy to say "Take it off for shower and swimming", but Apple understands you will have the watch on sometimes when it's raining. That's to be expected. Essentially Apple is more or less covering their butt by saying it's "water resistant" and to "take it off during the shower" to give them some leeway and set low expectations (in order to exceed them).
Regarding Q2, I would bet that Apple's official policy is "I'm sorry we do not replace Apple Watches for water damage". That being said I sure many will hear a lot of "but I think I can make an exception this once" especially if the individual has a good story (and especially if/while the watch remains a niche product).
Yes, I agree if the watch cannot even take rain then that's bad on Apple. I'm proposing that it's extremely unlikely that the Apple watch will be damaged by rain, but that Apple should not be expected to automatically replace it.
What we know for sure is we really don't know for sure what the
Again without an objective rating the terms water resistant and water proof are near meaningless. Hopefully Apple will provide an IP or ATM rating when the specs are released.
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Apple specifically said the speaker is waterproof and that they encased all the electronics to protect them. So I think it will be more waterproof than some assume.
Well... What I got from Piggie's posts is that he thinks Apple shouldn't call it a "sports" watch unless it can withstand a torrential downpour. I'm not saying I agree with that view, but I do believe that is what he is saying.
This is like asking how much water will destroy the Wicked Witch of the West? A humid day, a drop of water, a sprinkle, a bottle of water or a bucket?
Somewhere in-between, but there is no EXACT amount.
As far as I know fitbit's are not waterproof. Microsoft band isn't either. Microsoft says its fine for hand washing and light rain but not to "immerse in liquids of any kind". So if fitness bands like that aren't waterproof it should not be surprising at all that Watch wouldn't be either. All we can do is wait for the device to be launched and see what Apple's fine print says regarding water resistance.
It sounds like you'd get upset at the McDonald's 'Pay with Lovin' promotion.
McDonald's asks you to kiss this girl next to you in return for a free meal, what is considered a 'kiss' - a warm thought, a kiss in your hand then a blow, a smack on the forehead, a kiss on the lips, or a 2 minute tongue tonsil war?
I don't subscribe to that. I'm just saying that Apple should be very clear about the water resistance of the Watch.
It's not like that. It's like asking what level of water resistance my somewhat costly smartwatch has, and asking for that answer to be specific.
You're not very good at analogies.
in their photos they show people using it while they sweat or have water on them, so I would imagine it will be water resistant, however not sure you can use it in a pool or lake, but I would think if your going to use this device for all types of Fitness they have to make it resistant at minimum.
The latch in all likelihood does not penetrate the actual case. At least anyone with half a brain wouldn't design it to do so. The weak links are the speaker/mic port (weakest IMO), the home button, the crown, the glass face and back. Aside from the speaker port the other aspects of the watch are easily sealable and other watch makers have been doing so for generations, even the Chicom copy cats. Also IP67 is a joke rating for a watch. Water proof to 15cm or 1 m makes it the I dropped my phone in tub rating. Although better than nothing and would survive shower / rain, sweat and a brief fall into water it's not all that comforting for a high dollar item.
Ironically, that's because even the cheap $50 Timex and corresponding Walmart specials are water proof to at least 50 ft.
In the end we will just have to wait and see what Apple announces when the watch clears the NSA vaults and its specs see the light of day. My thoughts when initially seeing the video were that they were targeting not only the fashion and style point types, but also the fitness folks. That means going up against not only the Fitbit Surge and like, but also against the Suunto Ambit and like owners. The first category is possible with a non water rated device as that area isn't all that durable. The second not so much. I'd ditch my Ambit for the Apple Watch as it in theory is less $$ and doesn't require a chest strap and does more. However, I'm not risking $350 if a spill out is a kayak, fall during a water crossing or other activity bricks the thing.
IPx7 is immersion to a depth of 1 meter (over 3 feet) for at least 30 minutes. I wouldn't call 30 minutes "...brief fall into water..." and no one has a 1 meter deep bathtub.
IPx7 would even cover almost any swimming activity.I had a Garmin 210 for almost 2 years that was IPx7 rated with no problems. I do extreme trail running and road run in all weather conditions (sweat, rain, mist, mud,...). I also showered with it 4 to 5 times a week and even swam in it a couple of times.
What I am saying, I feel is quite realistic.
and not beyond the scope of man, or Apple to test.
When serious sports people go out for a run or a cycle, it's not just down the shops, and they don't cancel their training is there is a cloud in the sky.
They may be out on a 10 or 20 mile run, or a 50 mile cycle.
They don't carry bags with them, wet weather clothing in a rucksack. They are dressed in the minimum sports wear they can be for weight etc etc.
There are the Sports Men and Women, who may wish to buy and wear an Apple sports watch to monitor their performance, and are the very people Apple are hoping to attract.
.........All ok so far are we ?.........
Now then, given this scenario, I would personally expect Apple's Watch to be able to stand up to being "Rained on" whilst they are on their training, be it for a hour, or be it for the entire day.
It rains, they get wet.
It rains, anything they have with them gets wet.
Do they carry mobile phones? I guess some do, though let's be honest, if you are doing serious training you are not going to be checking facebook or browsing MacRumours during your sessions.
It's easy to reasonable simulate a heavy rainfall. I'm sure many of us have watched "MythBusters" doing this very type of simulation.
All I am saying is, and I don't think this is unreasonable:
A Sports Watch sold by Apple (and showing pics as in this thread) should be able to stand up to the type of scenario I have explained above.
Without expecting these Sports men and women to have to take it off, lose their tracking/monitoring data, and place it in a bag they have to remember to carry with them, in case it gets too wet in the rain.
Does that all not sound a perfectly reasonable expectation ?
IPx7 is immersion to a depth of 1 meter (over 3 feet) for at least 30 minutes. I wouldn't call 30 minutes "...brief fall into water..." and no one has a 1 meter deep bathtub.
I had a Garmin 210 for almost 2 years that was IPx7 rated with no problems. I do extreme trail running and road run in all weather conditions (sweat, rain, mist, mud,...). I also showered with it 4 to 5 times a week and even swam in it a couple of times.
From my understanding IPx7 is a rating of up to 1 meter and 15cm minimum. 30 min @ 1 meter would be ok for shower, weather related stuff, the occasional fall and maybe a short swim. I still wouldn't be comfy doing water sports with it. However, till I hear definitive news I'm assuming the worst not the best.
For a WATCH IPx7 is a joke. For consumer electronics it's not bad.
Not sure about what your understanding is, but here is the International Protection code.
Also my Garmin 210 was not a "joke" and held up to 2 years of water/wet hell without a problem.
EDIT:While Apple may discourage swimming it is all but certain Apple will cover any water damage under warranty. There would be no way for Apple to refuse water damage without knowing HOW the
Watch was used. Apple could not tell if you were splashing water on your face (see Apple pic) or swimming in a lake if damaged.
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IPx7 is immersion to a depth of 1 meter (over 3 feet) for at least 30 minutes. I wouldn't call 30 minutes "...brief fall into water..." and no one has a 1 meter deep bathtub.
I had a Garmin 210 for almost 2 years that was IPx7 rated with no problems. I do extreme trail running and road run in all weather conditions (sweat, rain, mist, mud,...). I also showered with it 4 to 5 times a week and even swam in it a couple of times.
Now I'm hoping this will be the case.