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Getting a first generation Apple watch makes no sense
- Thread starter Aluminum213
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I was thinking of getting a TomTom multi-sport Cardio watch for running, cycling, swimming, etc. When I saw the Apple Watch, I thought I'd wait.
Like the OP, I don't like buying 1st generation products. Real world usage is the ultimate arbiter of what makes a device worthwhile, although if the watch lives up to the presentation, Apple will once again have re-defined a product category.
Like the OP, I don't like buying 1st generation products. Real world usage is the ultimate arbiter of what makes a device worthwhile, although if the watch lives up to the presentation, Apple will once again have re-defined a product category.
Yep. But only upgradable by Apple and at Apple prices
If offered no one could dispute this. After all only Apple will have the S2, battery and possible proprietary crystal lift needed. While the middle and latter could be reverse engineered the former could not.
The price would likely be less than a new Sport ($350) watch. Watch enthusiast are used to spending a couple of hundred a year on maintenance so it would just be a norm part of ownership.
N.A. for me since I'm going Sport and it will almost certainly not be upgradable (or worth it if it was offered).
Given how long this has been in the works, I'm not sure whether they will have annual update cycles. I'm not sure it would make sense.
People replace iPhones/iPads more often than they replace their watch.
If they do, however, you can probably go from first to second gen pretty cheaply. Like most Apple products, I imagine it will hold its value well.
People replace iPhones/iPads more often than they replace their watch.
If they do, however, you can probably go from first to second gen pretty cheaply. Like most Apple products, I imagine it will hold its value well.
While plausible we still have Moore's law at work on the Sx chip and sensor technology. Apple probably would like to offer monitoring like BP, sweat level, temperature,.... and longer batt life by improved chip performance.
Since the original aWatch is coming out early spring 2015 we could see gen 2 offered late 2016 to put it on the holiday session update cycle. After all fashion/jewelry sell best during this time.
My 2c is that we won't see the watch until ~September/October 2015. The fact that the press demos were unusable (and Apple *loves* hands on demos) suggests to me that the thing is nowhere near ready.
I became an Apple Fan with the iPhone 4s. Couldn't wait for the IPad. Pre-ordered it as soon as it was available. When the Mini came out, I ordered it without regret and passed Apple first gen to my daughter. Eagerly moved up to 5s when it was first available. Then to the 6plus and am loving it as much or more than previous items. I am VERY excited about the Apple Watch and will pre-order as soon as it is available. Yeah - there will probably be a better one in the not so distant future- but I don't plan to wait. 
If you are a fine watch collector and have at least 5 (most have more than this) then you are having about 1 serviced per year. This is just part of the expensive of the hobby.
For people who make good money then sure go ahead and buy it assuming that you always buy the latest and greatest. I'm positive that the second generation will have major improvements. For me, it needs to last at least 2-3 days without charge. Until then, my pebble steel and jawbone up24 will satisfy my urges.
That would be very liberal usage of "early 2015" for release.
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The only reason I am hesitant to buying the first gen is the lack of SIM card or the fact it needs to pair with an iPhone. Your dependent on 2 batteries at that point and I am sure that connection is going to be a battery drainer.
This is the way watches are these day. Go online and look at Invicta and other brands... they are huge on your wrist. They offer 70-100mm faces. They look like satellites dishes on your wrist.
That's like buying a calculator instead of an iPhone. The pebble does a few basic features and that's it. It'll be dead and gone at the end of 2015 and Apple and other bigger CEs wipe the floor. Yes, I have a Steel.
Right. It does have some attractive features though. The battery life won't be matched. There's going to be trade offs for sure.
It makes perfect sense if the product fits the user. Newer and faster doesn't invalidate the utility of the earlier generation of any Apple device.
A watch going dead in less then a days use without a charge invalidates everything
This is correct. Check out both Gruber article and thread. SS and Gold versions are going to be upgradeable. Gruber is offering the best leaks of any source, and currently he's been spot on.
I'm guessing this will have a 1-1/2 to 3 year upgrade schedule, although if extremely successful, it could be more often early on.
If $350 is worth it for you to have 2 years of a first gen product, it's a good deal. If you don't mind spending more for a refined upgradeable product, the ss and gold will be attractive to many, and as they are upgradeable, they will retain their resale better.
There may be a couple generations where it is this thick, as better battery technology is still a few years off. If you only like thin watches, then this isn't for you. But it's nowhere as thick as some mechanicals, and only a little thicker than the average mechanical. You probably need to try on the one you like best in both sizes to make a judgement for you. The way the bands attach minimize perception of the depth. I also think this version will become thinner in later upgrades, where the sensors do not stick out as far.
I accept that I will have to plug it in daily. Others call it a deal breaker? You plug in your laptop and phone every day (or more). Sure, I'd like to get 4 days on those devises too, but we all seem to put up with daily charging, so it's not really any different. If you want longer run time, this first gen product will allow you to run a larger battery if the later versions of the chip are reduced in size allowing a thinner new watch model. The same chip could run multiple physical models.
Apple has never entered a market with more than a few options, much less the hundreds of combinations, more options than any other product they've ever made. They've hired several key employees from the fashion market. This is there first wearable, and they've said that this is a very different project for them. Jony Ive predicted this to upset the Swiss watch market. This is the first time they've spent much more on the cases, than the technology it houses. A gold Apple watch in a leather charging case? 9 hours to machine and cut the ss link bracelet? Who's going to pay for all that for 2 years of use? So while I understand your apprehension of Apple producing their first truly upgradeable product, understand that Apple is doing a lot of other "firsts" with this watch. This is Apple at their best, revolutionizing the smart watch market.
If they couldn't achieve a day plus of battery this year than what's the chances of the second generation being better? Especially with Apple's obsession with thinness.
I think Apple will be more concerned in the next few updates with adding features, rather than being obsessed with thinness. It seems thin enough for most, but most want more capability, more sensors, more battery life, gps, standalone product, Android compatibility. They may offer a thinner version in the future, but you might have to choose between thinness and a more feature-laden model. The smaller you get, miniaturization becomes exponentially harder to achieve. Theirs a lot of stuff to go into a really small space.
The most aggressive battery advances I've read about offer some hope, but this is more than a few years away. Even if this is a crazy exaggeration, I'm guessing it still will offer huge gains over the current technology.
http://www.extremetech.com/computin...mes-more-powerful-recharges-1000-times-faster
The most aggressive battery advances I've read about offer some hope, but this is more than a few years away. Even if this is a crazy exaggeration, I'm guessing it still will offer huge gains over the current technology.
http://www.extremetech.com/computin...mes-more-powerful-recharges-1000-times-faster
in case you haven't noticed, this isn't a watch.
it does not just tell time or move needles around.
power requirements of a color screen device like this is obviously much greater than that of a mechanical device, which has gears and wheels.