“I’ve been keeping an eye on the adoption of the Apple Watch Series 3 since its introduction last fall. From a development perspective the Series 3 is a delight to work with,” David Smith blogs eponymously. “It is fast, capable and LTE allows a wide variety of new applications.”
“This stands in contrast to the challenges of working with the Series 0 (or Apple Watch (1st generation) as Apple would call it),” Smith writes. “It is just slow and honestly a bit painful to develop for. Even basic things like deploying your application to the watch can take uncomfortably long amounts of time. In daily use the Series 0 is probably ‘good enough’ for many customers, especially with the speed/stability improvements added in watchOS 4, but as a developer I can’t wait until I no longer have to support it.”
“Which is why I’ve been watching the Apple Watch adoption curve within my apps (specifically Pedometer++ for this analysis) quite carefully,” Smith writes. “My personal hope is that this summer when we get watchOS 5 it will drop support for the Series 0 and free Apple to really push forward on what is possible for developers.”
“So far the data is looking promising that this dream of mine might actually be possible,” Smith writes. “The Series 3 is being adopted incredibly quickly and just last week became the most popular Apple Watch overall amongst my users with 33% of the overall user-base. The Series 0 is steadily falling, currently at around 24%.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Series 0 Watch users can’t expect it to be supported by current watchOS releases forever. Still, 24% is quite a high number to leave behind. The good news is that, compared to a Mac, an iPad Pro, or an iPhone X, new Apple Watches are relatively inexpensive, so Apple’s moving forward might spur an upgrade wave.
SEE ALSO:
IDC: Global wearables market grew 7.7% in Q417 and 10.3% in 2017 as Apple Watch seized the lead – March 1, 2018
Apple Watch dominates smartwatch market – March 1, 2018
Apple Watch sets new all-time record for wearables shipments; ‘Apple has won the wearables game’ – analyst – February 7, 2018
Apple Watch sales momentum is growing; unit sales now rival those of Macintosh – January 23, 2018
Apple Watch Series 3 shipments predicted to rise to 23-25 million in 2018 – December 14, 2017
Apple Watch: The war for wearables is over, and Apple won – December 12, 2017
Canalys estimates Apple shipped 3.9 million Apple Watch units in Q317, despite strong demand outstripping supply – November 14, 2017
Two weeks with Apple Watch, leaving iPhone at home – November 10, 2017
When Apple Watch surpassed iPod – November 8, 2017
Ten days in with Apple Watch Series 3: I’m amazed by how quickly it integrated into daily life – October 19, 2017
Why Apple Watch Series 3 is a game changer – October 19, 2017
First week with Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular): Connectivity makes for a truly smart watch – October 9, 2017
Macworld reviews Apple Watch Series 3: The wearable leader runs out to an insurmountable lead – October 6, 2017
Jim Dalrymple reviews Apple Watch Series 3: ‘Do yourself a favor and get one’ – September 20, 2017
Wired reviews Apple Watch Series 3: ‘For the first time ever, I love the Apple Watch’ – September 20, 2017
9to5Mac reviews Apple Watch Series 3: Unlocks new potential with LTE, dramatically improved Siri – September 20, 2017
Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple Watch Series 3 LTE models selling much faster than expected – September 18, 2017
Why the carriers must drop the Apple Watch LTE connectivity tax – September 15, 2017
How much Apple Watch Series 3 data plans will cost on Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint – September 14, 2017
Apple Watch, the world’s best-selling watch, can now work without an iPhone – September 12, 2017
New Apple Watch Series 3 delivers built-in cellular with powerful new health and fitness enhancements – September 12, 2017
I’m still rocking the “series 0” It still does what I need. Tracks my runs, unlocks my mac and front door of my home, quick short text replies, adjusting sonos stereo volume, and most of all, just showing time and weather and i’m still at around 40% battery life at the end of the day.
I’ve just been waiting for 3 things. Always on display, new thinner design, and larger display before I’ll buy a new one.
My wife, my children, and I all bought Series 0 Apple Watches. I upgraded this year to the Series 3 (SS which comes with LTE). I love having LTE and the faster performance. My family is still happy with their original watches and feel no urgency to upgrade. My Series 0 is being happily worn by a relative. Just because more Series 3s are being sold, and more people are upgrading, it doesn’t mean Series 0 will soon fall out of use. If I were a betting person, my wager would be on Watch OS 5 supporting Series 0.
I’m still waiting for Watch 3 with LTE to go on sale where I live. Come on, Apple (and local regulators)!
Tell that to those people who spent $10k + on the Gold AppleWatch