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Is Apple Watch a dud?

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There are two fundamental problems with the Apple watch as I see it:

1). You still need to carry around your iphone if you want to use the watch.

2). It's a watch. I like watches... but I like my old watch more than the Apple watch and I'm not about to change it or wear both on each wrist. I'll wait for the star trek communicator version to come out.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

1). You still need to carry around your iphone if you want to use the watch.

People say this lots, but it's not meant to be a replacement for a phone, it's an extension of the phone. It really wouldn't make sense to not carry the phone with it.

Although it does have a few cases where you don't need the phone - you can work out without having your phone and still listen to music and track your heartbeat.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I think I would be just too embarrassed to be sitting in say a cafe somewhere typing on my macbook air, speaking on my iphone and then checking the time on my Apple watch.

It would be like those fashion victims you occasionally see, dressed up from head to toe in the same expensive designer brand... obviously cost a lot but so sad.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

...............Apple’s failure to come up with a compelling use to which the device could be put............

Quite.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I love mine. As a health tool it's outstanding, and there are a few apps that are actually worth loading. Maps is also quite convenient.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Yes, I agree that it is a dud for the most part.

The thing is that they have tried to do with a watch what they have already done with the phone itself by stuffing it full of features that people may or may not want. Making the watch work as an extension to the phone is, for the most part, pointless. What they need to do is to make a watch do something that people actually want a watch to do.

There are smartwatches out there that can actually work on their own as a phone but they tend to be far too big to actually be comfortable. There are fitness bands out there that are cheaper than a smartwatch. To date, the whole smartwatch business strikes me as being as pointless as 3D television.

It could be that this is the result of a new technology not ready for the market, partly because the technology needs work, partly because the various manufacturers haven't quite worked out what a smartwatch needs to be to satisfy consumers, partly because the cost to consumers is just too high. That is certainly true of the Apple product.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I quit my phone almost two years ago. Stopped wearing a watch 6 years ago.

I am happy.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Separate the watch and the phone. Doesn't mean that they can't work together, just that they can work independently. There's a saying in the tech sector: if ya want something to be standard, then set it free.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The Apple watch is really just an expensive accessory for the iPhone. As such the potential market for the device is hugely reduced. Make the watch work as a stand-alone device and sales might pick up.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'm curious if any of the detractors own one of the watches? It seems that those who have one are pretty satisfied. I know I like mine. It's not amazing by any means, but it's handy. From the comments though, it sounds like those who don't like it also don't own one.

As for uncoupling it from the phone, it doesn't really make sense. It's not a replacement for a phone. It doesn't have a keyboard, and even if it did, it would be way too small to use. The screen is too small for things you would do on a phone. And many of the apps are extensions of phone apps - not replacements.

That said, I can understand that people would think this way without having used one. So I'm curious, if the watch didn't require a phone to work, what sort of functionality would you want it to provide?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They said the horseless carriage was going to be a dud, Coke in cans, lots of things. This is ver. 1.0, just give it a minute. I'm sure there will be a "compelling use" by the time the 2nd generation rolls out.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Well, the industry is still in its infancy. What would help drive watches forward would be more and better sensors and better battery power. I assume within the next 5 years or so these smart watches will be almost as ubiquitous as smartphones are today

0 ( +0 / -0 )

“Why do I spend $400 for a screen on my wrist that allows me to do basically the same thing than my phone does?” - article

This observation was made months ago and it remains unchanged. Dumb product for people with more money than sense. Apple customers. If you really need to be that connected, get the Apple I-mplant, it replaces your brain with an insatiable need to buy Apple products. (total snicker)

0 ( +2 / -2 )

"They said the horseless carriage was going to be a dud,"

They said the Mac Cube was going to be a dud....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

From the comments though, it sounds like those who don't like it also don't own one.

Ummm, yeah.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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