I wish I had an Apple store closer to me. It's about an hour from me. Have to have real reason to go. I may make a trip to try it out though.
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Moto 360
- Thread starter mel823
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Ahh, gotcha. If you or anyone else here has any links to Android Wear demos that really show what the OS looks like and can do, I'd be interested to learn more.
That sounds like a touch of jealousy with a dash of haterade.
What should be discussed or said in the Apple Watch session that would be acceptable to you?
So here is a video from Pocketnow on YouTube. It's from when Lollipop came out for android wear. I think it's much better now, but it gives a general idea of how I works.
https://youtu.be/_RDd2TIKdiw
Also here is my watch face right now. I think it looks really cool, and adds a lot of info.
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Lol, no offense but that would drive me crazy. It looks like a gadget....not a watch. Way too many colors and numbers.
I'll check out that video, thanks!
No worries. I have another one for work, and nice events.
I know that first one is not for everyone, but I like the info it gives.
Well, its threads like these that make me want to stay clear.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1872912/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1867388/
Though I will say it seems to already be getting better, haven't been in that section in a week or so because its was just an abundance of attacks on anyone who didn't think the watch was the end all be all.
And no jealousy, I would love to buy one, but not spending over a thousand on the model I want. Though come June when they're more available, I may pick up a sport. In the mean time I can live vicariously through YouTube videos.
What exactly are you trying to get across in those threads? Did you actually read the content?
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Actually one thread is about a terrible review in USA Today. Not exactly a tech journal so I would expect nothing less than a sub-par review.
The other is about a twitter temper tantrum thrown by one of the Verge staff. It's sorta related to the Apple Watch I suppose
It pays to read the content and actually digest before using the threads as an example of whatever.
Actually one thread is about a terrible review in USA Today. Not exactly a tech journal so I would expect nothing less than a sub-par review.
The other is about a twitter temper tantrum thrown by one of the Verge staff. It's sorta related to the Apple Watch I suppose
It pays to read the content and actually digest before using the threads as an example of whatever.
Yes, and if you read those threads you would see a lot a vitriol thrown around, not only against the reviewers because they didn't love the apple watch, but also against those same posters from other posters. That type of bickering and name calling I don't like to read, hence why I said I've stayed away from that section because it was full of those types of posts, especially when the first wave of reviews were coming out. You had posters calling out the reviewers calling them names followed by other posters calling those poster fanboys.
Like the design or not, the Apple Watch build quality and materials far surpass anything else available so far. My wife's was delivered today (how's that for a tease) and it really is beautifully crafted. And while I've been critical about band pricing, interchangeability is so easy it's almost worth it.
I'm not even firing it up because as my wife is a wonderfully intelligent woman (all physicians are, right spinedoc?
Build quality and materials is important, as I've been loathe to give up my Submariner even though it's just a "dumb" watch that does nothing but tell time, solely for the reason that it has such nice build quality and has that heft and solidness. But for all the talk of the AW build quality one thing I'm amazed at is the horrid bezels when you turn it on. Like it or not the moto 360 completely blows it away in this regard. Why have this beautifully made watch which when turned on looks like it's from 2007? In all fairness though almost all android watches do the same thing, I think the moto is the only one to do this, although even they have the flat tire thing.
Anyhow I'm not really convinced, some things keep bothering me. The bezel for one. What keeps bothering me also is the price versus longevity. What happens when the inevitable new AW comes out in a year? There is a difference in owning a submariner for the past 15 years, and having to upgrade the AW every year. It's inevitable and certainly not endemic to Apple though. In reviews it also seems like the UI can't get out of its own way, but once again I haven't tried one in person. Of course android wear was somewhat bad when first released so we should give Apple time to refine it.
At the end of the day though I praise Apple for once again pushing the market. I don't think its pushing the market towards functionality though, more towards fashion and quality, but that's not a bad thing.
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Hmm, if I hear a smartwatch has "spinning" as in waiting for something to load that's a sign of failure right there. A smartwatch needs to be instant, no ifs or buts. The UI does seem kind of busy, it's interesting to see Apple have something convoluted like that. For the record I think android wear is a bit convoluted also, for example how you get to apps, but thankfully there are 3rd party launchers.
If apps are the reason smart watches are going to take off, I'm totally missing the point
Maybe it's because I'm not that interested, but notifications seem like the deal maker to me. I would like to avoid pulling the phone out of my pocket as much I admit. Along with the ability to leave the phone behind, which only a few models allow (none running actual android wear I believe?)
I really thought Apple would push cellular since their iPads have done so well, maybe someday. Lord knows they are charging enough to merit its inclusion. I guess I expected some killer unique feature , kind of like iMessage is to iPhone.
Maybe it's because I'm not that interested, but notifications seem like the deal maker to me. I would like to avoid pulling the phone out of my pocket as much I admit. Along with the ability to leave the phone behind, which only a few models allow (none running actual android wear I believe?)
I really thought Apple would push cellular since their iPads have done so well, maybe someday. Lord knows they are charging enough to merit its inclusion
. I guess I expected some killer unique feature , kind of like iMessage is to iPhone.
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I don't see any quality difference in their production. The Apple Watch is built by Chinese factories, just like most other watches. If anything, from teardowns the Apple Watch seems to more difficult to assemble correctly than most. They also show that the internal structure is nothing special. And we're already hearing people talk about loose buttons.
As for materials, we can buy virtually any 22mm wrist band for most Android Wear watches. So there's better choice and price range there.
The AW case itself is simply forged aluminum or SS, again same as most other watches. Apple does give a sapphire crystal on their SS, though, which only Huawei does on theirs so far, if that's a factor.
The biggest difference is the price. A 42mm aluminum Sport is $400. That's already high, but then add another $200 for stainless steel and sapphire. Even without adding in Apple's wrist band markups, that's the cost of two or even three Wear watches.
The upshot is, I think it's gonna be a lot cheaper updating to the latest Wear watches, than it will be to update my Apple Watch each year. Ah well, it's only money, right?
Ah. By "too much spinning", I meant the amount of times I had to spin the Crown to move between contacts in the circle. I expected to move pretty quickly between them, but it felt like a slipping car clutch, you know what I mean? I'd move my finger along the top and rotate it pretty far, and it would take another zip to actually move. Maybe it was the demo unit I used.
With recent smartwatches, I'd say the 2012 I'm Watch, running Android, from fashion conscious Italy went the true luxury route first. From their luxury collection brochure:
They have Sport models for $250, titanium for $900, and then they go into silver and gold, and even diamond encrusted, models from $2,000 to $20,000.
Going back much further, it was IBM back in 2000 that started the whole idea of "digital jewelry", where each piece was a fashionable part of the whole:
Indeed, this is a huge advantage for the Apple Watch.
However, if Apple wasn't terrified of direct competition, and actually opened up all their internal APIs, it is easy to imagine that many people would go for less expensive (and differently shaped!) alternatives.
Also, we already see GPS and NFC in the Sony Smartwatch 3. I bet we see more and more of this kind of thing in the coming year with other Android Wear devices.
As we all keep noting, competition is terrific for us customers.
Not going to disagree with pretty much all of this. And as I mentioned before, the watch OS seems a bit all over the place, very 'Samsung-y', for lack of a better adjective. Apple seems to have thrown everything but the kitchen sink under the hood (the kitchen sink in this case being cellular connectivity
), kind of 'does a lot of things, but no one thing exceptionally well' philosophy. There's no real consistency when navigating the UI, each button has two or three functions tied to it. Hell, Apple has released 'How to' videos ahead of the launch to help people become familiarized with the UI--that's not you're typical Apple.Here's my take on the bezels--and again, I'm not making excuses, just my own assumptions/observations. Yes, they're not slim but I think Apple had to make compromises, primarily concerning battery life. As it stand, I believe the Apple Watch has the highest pixel density. Sure, they could have pushed the display right to the edges but that would'be meant one of a few things--1) lower pixel density and thus, less crisp display 2) more pixels to maintain the same ppi and thus likely impacting battery life 3) a smaller watch with same sized display and number of pixels. Considering these choices, I'm guessing this was the optimal option. They have succeeding in mitigating the impact of those big bezels by having the display go right up to where the glass curves/falls off, using an OLED display that provides deeper blacks, and designing a UI that is predominantly dark/black so in many cases, you can't even tell where the bezels are.
As battery tech, cpu, and display tech improves, we'll see higher resolutions on bigger displays.
I'm currently rocking Golden Beauty and Chronos Time Master faces free from the Play Store.
Never feel the need now to get a new watch because I got tired of always looking at the same face.
Never feel the need now to get a new watch because I got tired of always looking at the same face.
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Agree, more options initially but the Apple Watch bands offer more flexibility and convenience. I'm very interested in using the fitness tracking elements of the watch but also will wear it to work and out at night. I'm not going to exercise with a leather band on and prefer to not keep the sport band on all the time either. Swapping bands on the Apple Watch takes all of 15 seconds and requires no tools. And in six month, there will probably be a huge amount of third party band options for the Apple Watch but you'll still be using tools to swap the bands on your Android Wear watch...if it even allows band swapping (i.e. Sony's watch). So there are trade offs both ways.
Well, I've handled quite a few smart watches (Moto, LG, Samsung, Sony, Pepple) and few feel as well crafted or substantial as the Apple Watch. Yes, it doesn't feel like a traditional mechanical time piece but it's closer than most. The Huawei and LG Urbane certainly look to be pushing design ahead for Android Wear--looking forward to seeing the Urbane next month. Unfortunately we have no specific timetable on Huawei's offering and whether it'll be immediately available in the US at launch. The other problem with both of those designs is they tend to lean more masculine--that's leaving out a pretty substantial portion of consumers.
Can't disagree here, the Apple Watch is pricey--will be interesting to see if it can maintain its momentum at these price point or will Apple need to bring the price down to attract more customers.
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Wow, that is gorgeous! If the 360 didn't have such strong hockey puck-like tendencies, that watchface would convince me to get one.
You can always get the LG Watch R or Urbane, or wait for the Huawei
The LG is great because you can set it to keep a bright version of the ambient watchface always on. Very nice for those of us who like to glance at our watches.
Btw, here's my LG and Moto, side by side. It's funny how the LG looks bigger when seen raw like this, but on my wrist it somehow seems smaller. Maybe because the wristband mounting is more traditional, and thus the eye only gets drawn to the lit face.
True, and as soon as I can get one of those Apple Watch band adapters, that'll give the best of both worlds.
...The other problem with both of those designs is they tend to lean more masculine--that's leaving out a pretty substantial portion of consumers.
This is a good point. So I'm betting that this will be the year we see more watches targeted at the ladies.
My older daughter has thin wrists, and none of the smartwatches seemed to look good on her. So I had high hopes for the non-Wear Omate Lutetia from those Kickstarter guys, but it turns out it's as big around as the Moto 360.
Still, it points the way towards what to expect, albeit hopefully much smaller than the Lutetia.
It's my own custom creation through WatchMaker app, a superb little app. The middle numbers are a stopwatch and a reset button, the left zero is the heartrate counter.
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I haven't had a chance to fondle the AW in person so I'm just going by reports. The high quality in the AW may just be the Apple reality distortion field. I would tend to believe it though as IMO the apple iphones are higher quality than most of the android phones I've used in terms of pure hardware. The only exception that I am confident in, even without having ever touched the AW, is the sapphire screen. Having a sapphire screen watch for the past 15 years that gets an insane amount of abuse, scratching, etc I can attest that it doesn't have the slightest hint of any scratching or damage, absolutely none. Sapphire needs to be on EVERY smartwatch from here on out and anyone who doesn't include it won't get my money.
Thanks for clarifying spinning, I got visions of the old beach ball of death spinning around.
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I have high hopes for the Moto 360 2 rumored for June. The supposedly leaked pics show it having lugs like the urbane making it look much more like a traditional watch. Also the supposedly leaked resolution points to the flat tire being gone. I really really have a feeling the Moto 360 2 is going to be a beast and the phone to beat in 2015. Between Motorola's incredible designs these past few years and Google's pushing android wear very hard I think the AW will become disappointing very quickly.