“A lot of the post-game analysis surrounding the Apple Watch event in September centered on the showcasing of a list of features rather than the presentation of a clear case for why people need it in their lives,” Rene Ritchie writes for iMore.
“There was no iPhone-style ‘are you getting it yet?’ moment or iPad-style “better than both” argument. Yet the neither of those devices really sold based on those pitches. The iPhone had us at the interface and the iPad at the experience,” Ritchie writes. “Because of that — because we’ve seen amazing interfaces and enjoyed incredible experiences already — the Apple Watch will have to have us at something else. And that something else will be convenience.”
“Logging. Controlling. Authenticating. Alerting. Communicating,” Ritchie writes. “These are all important things. They’re things we need and want. But they’re also brief things. They’re intermittent and unpredictable things. They’re things that the Apple watch will be able to do more efficiently — maybe even better.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
At first I thought the headline was “Apple Watch Killer”.
I wonder how long ’til we do see that phrase in a headline?
Not for a while I hope!
I am buying 5 on day one.
I will buy 1, probably on day 50 or so.
As usual, I will wait and see if there’s any value in owning one and how well it holds up against daily rigors. I’ll have to weigh battery life. I’m a long-term Apple shareholder and can easily afford the two lower-priced models but I’d still like to see what value it offers to me. I may have to be careful wearing one lest I become some target for a watch-jacking which will undoubtedly take place in the notorious Big Apple.
Still a skeptic and a non customer of the Apple Watch.
Tim would do better to pull the engineers and have them develop something else.
I’m skeptical of your skepticism. Tim will de better by completely ignoring the clueless like you for a device that isn’t even out yet.
Have money, will buy – an Apple Watch that is. Apple’s watch offering will no doubt sparkle in it’s own unforeseen way.
iCal my comment. It will sell, but be far from a hit.
It is simply the answer to a question not being asked.
Sure but we will expect your inevitable embarrassment & apology of course later. 🙂
Because you know better than Tim Cook how to run Apple, I suggest you get in touch with Apple and apply for the CEO position.
Good luck. Let us know how it works out.
Never said I know better than Tim Cook. You did.
Nice straw man argument.
I stated my preference.
“… have them develop something else.”
WHAT something else? A “preference” should actually be something tangible. Get back with us when you have a friggin’ clue.
How about fixing iTunes sync? How about a Mac mini with decent Graphics and non soldered memory? How about a real Mac Pro tower that has internal memory slots like the previous model? How about fixing iTunes Radio?
Tangible enough, Sparky?
*Now* you’ve said something worthwhile. Still doesn’t mean abandoning the watch is a good idea, though.
“Tim would do better to pull the engineers and have them develop something else” is about as close as you can get to opining that you know better than Tim Cook without explicitly including “I know better than Tim Cook how to run Apple”.
Posit:
You look at a new car design and comment that it would have looked better if they had done (x) versus (y), are you saying you know better how to run a car company?
When you question a call made by a coach in a ball game are you saying you know better how to coach the team?
Stop the straw man argument. The thread is for opinion and just because I am not drinking the Kool-Aid on the watch does not mean I think anything about Tim Cook.
But you said they should quit making cars just because you don’t like the way it looks. Or that they should try baseball instead of playing the basketball game they are already in the middle of.
Who’s the straw man?
“I stated my preference.”
Yes, you did.
But you then extended it into statements about what Tim Cook should do and how the Watch will do.
On advising Tim Cook… how large a company do you run?
Another straw man. One does not have to be a firefighter to advise a person on fire to drop and roll. If you think only Tim Cook is capable of having an idea then you are quite a cynic. I am sure Cook is doing as he sees fit, but that does not preclude any opinion.
As large as Apple is today it is more than capable of developing many things simultaneously and is not taking care of business on stuff already on sale. Here at MDN look no further than the ongoing pain with iTunes syncing with iOS devices.
I was a skeptic of the iPhone too and a non-customer. I liked our use of our engineers. I liked it a lot!
ROFLMAO!!!
Watch. It’s kind of fun to type Watch. I know the keystroke and you don’t. Neener neener neener.
Oh please Crazy Old Man, share your wisdom on how to type Watch. I’ve always wanted to be able to do that.
Option-Shift-K =
How about in iOS?
There you got me. I haven’t tried to figure it out.
Watch = Engineering exercise that answers a question nobody is asking (See Mac Cube).
Or iPhone. How’d that one work out?
Everybody was asking for a better phone.
Apple made the move while everyone else was clueless how to do it.
I’m not the only one here who’s purchased a Pebble. I absolutely love it and the Apple Watch is going to be so much more than the Pebble. It won’t be for everyone, but for many of us, this will be a device that really adds a lot to our digital lives.
I love the Watch but am more excited by the Decoder Ring. It is out next.
I like cider!
Would that be hard cider or the kind the kids can drink?
I wish I could get that Apple Secret Decoder Ring in a jar of Ovaltine just like I got my first Captain Midnight Secret Decoder Ring. Not only would that be convenient but the associated sweetness would lend a subtle desire to licking my decoder ring all the time.
But now that I think about it, even though it would be sweet, using the Apple Secret Decoder Ring will mean needing the Apple Watch on my wrist, and that means needing the iPhone in my pocket, and just getting dressed with all that will make me late for every appointment.
You are old. I still drink Ovaltine but I don’t remember the last time I ever saw a Captain Midnight episode. I’d better head on over to Youtube and take a trip down memory lane.
Wow so they have got around to boasting as if they are the first to get this amazing revelation what I and others were pointing out some 8 months ago. That’s anal-hacks for you.
Apple Watch succeeds not simply because of convenience. Apple Watch enhances the iPhone user experience; it does NOT try to create a separate Apple Watch user experience, which is what every other smart watch product tries to do. By being integrally tied to an iPhone, Apple Watch allows iPhone to do MORE for the customer, and do things BETTER.
By allowing third-party developers into the game, the possibilities are nearly unlimited. It’s an always visible secondary screen, input device, multi-sensor, and haptic feedback, located on your wrist. Imagine the possibilities… What Apple builds in and “convenience” are just the starting point.
It’s only called “watch” because it replaces a dumb watch, just as iPhone is called “phone” because it replaces a dumb phone. I think the name limits the imagination of some people.
I agree. Everybody who was upset at the larger size of the iPhone 6 line should find some solace in the convenience and smaller size that the Watch will bring to the iPhone experience. For me, it’s not battery life but time it takes to charge. I literally envision the device in all aspects of life, activity as well as sleep time. For that reason, it needs to pull a day’s charge in a short few minutes while I may read or rest. Any other time, I want it measuring my sleep, counting my steps, or on my wrist to notify me of calls or be available to take Dow reminders or send texts. For a device that I really haven’t been so excited about, it’s really become exciting for me as of late. Guess I’m getting meticulous and lazy in my old age.
The ‘Apple Watch’ will only be as good as its BATTERY and the additional useful FUNCTIONALITY that comes with it. If there is no reliable battery life to depend on for at least a full working day of common sense use then I for one cannot see why I should go to the added expense of buying one. Another factor to consider is the short life of Apple products, namely deliberate … OBSOLESCENCE.
The entire fashion industry is predicated on new seasonal designs and that does lead to obsolescence; — decoration gets old fast and must be refreshed. Tech innovation follows a different pattern, one more aligned with function than form, but it too has its cycles. Apple, coyly playing with both at the same time, (no doubt with an industry-disrupting mindset), is conflating the calendars of both industries, introducing Apple Watch in September with a runway event, similar to apparel shows anticipating Spring.
Not in classic watches. When was the last time you saw a change in a Rolex watch design? Right. About the fifth of never. Come up with a classic design and you don’t have to change.
short life? My daughter is still using an iPhone 4. It works great and has been handed down over the years that iPhone is 5 generations old and still going strong. It was unveiled on June 7, 2010. How many android phones that old are still in use? Not many I would wager.
7
I was with you up until you said ‘the short life of Apple products’.
Yes, battery life is the eternal problem with ALL portable technology. Apple in particular has made strides forward. But we’re still pounding on the door of battery technology waiting for some sort of miracle breakthrough. Meanwhile, NO ONE wants a big clunky anything these days. To have the ideal battery that’s what you’re going to get. Big. Clunky. No thank you. Therefore, compromise.
There is no such thing as ‘the short life of Apple products’ as they have the longest life among their competitors on a consistent basis. This is one prime reason why Apple products actually cost LESS than comparable competitor products. That’s always been the case. I still happily run a 2006 MacBook on my LAN at home. How’s that for Return On Investment? I’m using it as a multimedia machine.
Where real obsolescence WILL happen is simply the pace of technological progress. (As long as other idiotic global depression isn’t perpetrated). Speed, software, battery life, GUI will all rapidly change with time, potentially making todays Watch look antiquated in three to five years. We’ll see.
Based on remarks made by Jony Ive, Apple intends to replace Rolex as an exemplar in both fashion and design. Perhaps they will fail. The chutzpah, however, is nothing short of breathtaking.
I really have to wait and see it in person. At first, I said I’d never buy a watch I had to plug in. But I’ve since bought a Fitbit and it was cheaply made for the few great features it offered. If the watch charges quickly and has good enough built in features with affordable apps and a quick charge time, I can envision myself enjoying it now that I’m trying to live a more active, healthy lifestyle. I need to see the charge time, price and built-in features though. I’m leaning toward the dark stainless steel in the meantime.