Apple iWatch Coming April 2015

[Steve Williams]

Being free of the phone for working out really appeals to me about the watch. Any impressions yet of the sleep apps?

I agree, To wear the watch while you work out and have it link via blue tooth with your phone also appeals to me

As for sleep apps, I am presently using one called sleep bot

 

[rockitman]

Since both knee replacement surgery last year I work out daily and have my iPhone 6+ always with me. The Health App BTW is always on so you don't need to activate it. I watch my steps taken, my walking and running distance taken and stair cases climbed. When I started last October I was doing 4000 steps per day, a little over a mile and 2-3 flights climbed. Presently I am doing over 12,000 steps per day, 7-8 miles taken and 11-12 flights climbed. As more health apps are written by developers these will integrate seamlessly with the health app.

BTW as far as charging the iwatch it is quite easy with a round cylinder with 3 metal connections that grasp the back of the watch. No batteries to replace.

I am going to buy the 42 mm iwatch in Space Black stainless steel with a Space Black link band

http://www.apple.com/watch/apple-watch/space-black-stainless-steel-case-space-black-link-bracelet/

Steve,
How long was your recovery for a dual knee replacement and able to drive a car ? My mother needs to have both knees and hips replaced. They are doing one side at a time..first surgery is on 3/30.

 

[Andre Marc]

Yes, I downloaded iOS 8.2 yesterday and it installs the iwatch app on your phone

I'm tempted!

 

[Steve Williams]

Christian

I was up walking within 2 hours of my surgery

As for driving I would say that I was able to drive by 2 weeks post op as I was driving myself to physical therapy. Make sure she does the physical therapy as it is very important. I am now 9 months post op right knee and 6 months post op left knee.

Hips are easier to recover from as compared to a knee

 

[Kingsrule]

The fact that the iWatch isn't waterproof is a deal breaker IMO......

 

[Steve Williams]

The fact that the iWatch isn't waterproof is a deal breaker IMO......

well as most watches are the watch is water resistant not water proof so unless you are an ardent swimmer and/or wear your watch in the shower it is just not an issue for me. For swimmers I can see this being an issue but not at all for me

 

[KeithR]

My Hublot watch has a 72 hour mechanical power reserve. As long as it's back on my wrist before then, it never needs manual winding. I don't use watch winders and have been wearing fine auto watches since 1999. I rotate my collection on my wrist so that they are all used on a monthly basis to prevent lubricant drying.

Yes, I've had a watch winder, unopened, for 10 years in my closet. Only watches with tricky complications really need one.

 

[Orb]

It functions as a phone via blue tooth integration. I have been favorably swayed. I love the health apps especially, as well as apps for the car and home. The world is a rapidly changing place. First off none of our kids wear watches as they all use their smart phones. No one wants a wrist device anymore if it is just to tell time (and poorly at that). The iWatch integrates your life with the world around you. It sends and receives texts and photos. It sends and creates reminders. In fact it does everything the iPhone does. You can even pair your iwatch with someone else's and you can draw pictures to share with them. Bear in mind that this is the first generation iwatch and refinement is sure to follow with newer models

And I bet it will be a security nightmare, well IOT is going to be but I appreciate scale and impact are considerations for how bad this can be.
As an example a hacker was prosecuted for making over $500k just using hacked NAS devices for cryptocurrency mining

Cheers
Orb

 

[Whatmore]

well as most watches are the watch is water resistant not water proof so unless you are an ardent swimmer and/or wear your watch in the shower it is just not an issue for me. For swimmers I can see this being an issue but not at all for me

I wonder how sweat-proof it is... a serious consideration if using it as a sports watch

 

[Steve Williams]

I wonder how sweat-proof it is... a serious consideration if using it as a sports watch

The iwatch sport is aluminum and the Iwatch is stainless steel. Both are non corrosive. I think your concern is a non issue

 

[PeterA]

The fact that the iWatch isn't waterproof is a deal breaker IMO......

Not waterproof and a short battery life. It is suddenly much less appealing.

So you have to take it off when you shower after a workout? Will you have to keep one eye on it from the shower so it doesn't get stolen out of your towel? A $20 digital sportswatch is waterproof but Apple can't seem to design a waterproof iPhone or iWatch. Perhaps there will be aftermarket LifeProof cases designed for your wrist and iWatch ruining the sleek ultra slim design of the device just like they ruin the look/feel and scale of the iPhone while adding $80 to the price.

 

[Steve Williams]

Peter

I'd like to find a$20 sport watch that is water resistant

FWIW I never wear any if my watches in the shower. Do you?

As far as charging the device it is all too simple. None of the issues you naysayers are making are yet to dissuade me.

 

[PeterA]

In fact it does everything the iPhone does.

Can you participate on, or even read, an audio forum with it? That is difficult enough with the iPhone.

 

[Orb]

If I am paying that much for a watch....
Can I get one with the voice of Scarlett Johansson
Just thinking of the film Her, I would probably buy one then
Other half would not be happy though.
Cheers
Orb

 

[PeterA]

Peter

I'd like to find a$20 sport watch that is water resistant

FWIW I never wear any if my watches in the shower. Do you?

As far as charging the device it is all too simple. None of the issues you naysayers are making are yet to dissuade me.

I wear a $35 "Ironman, Triathilon" plastic digital sportswatch made by Gshock or someone. I bought it at some sports chain mega store and there were some for less money. It is fully waterproof and yes, I do wear it in the shower and swimming. I wear my good Swiss watch when I go out to dinner or care about what I wear, and I take great pride in owning it. I am often on boats and the thought of falling in the water with my iPhone or a watch that is not waterproof is a complete deal breaker for me. But clearly, if these situations don't concern you, they are not going to dissuade you, nor am I trying to dissuade you or anyone. But these factors will dissuade others.

Don't worry, I'm not trying to dissuade anyone else. I'm just dissuaded by what I have read on this thread and frankly, I am quite surprised, as I was when I bought my iPhone 5 to discover that it was not waterproof. Those cases completely ruin the aesthetics of the very cool, ultra slim design in my opinion, and so I got rid of my case and my iPhone stays home when I go out on the water and it is pretty banged up and scratched, I have to say.

I'm sure this wrist device will be hot and sell well. It may even revolutionize how we interact with everything around us. Digital music sure changed things.

 

[Steve Williams]

Do you know of any smart phone that is water proof.

 

[PeterA]

Do you know of any smart phone that is water proof.

No, unfortunately I do not. I wish the iPhone was, though. It would make it even more appealing, IMO. But, there are many waterproof watches available. So, I'm left wondering if some vendors will offer a waterproof case for the iWatch like they do for the iPhone. It might look terrible, but it would make it more versatile.

Back to the boat thing: water is a real issue on a boat. These watches will get ruined quickly if they are dropped overboard or if the owner falls in the water. Perhaps that will simply be covered under the damaged/lost insurance that people will feel compelled to add to the tab when they buy one in the applestore.

Imagine all the kids hanging around the pool in the summer forgetting to take these devices off of their wrists before jumping into the water. My kids begged for iPhones in 5th grade and spent their allowances on LifeProof cases after their first phones were dropped on the ground or got waterlogged.

It will be very interesting to see what demographic buys these devices. My kids and their friends don't want to wear anything around their wrists. This may or may not change that.

 

[Steve Williams]

This is article is a few weeks old however most things at macrumors.com do in fact become reality.......they say the battery to the Iwatch will be replaceable

Apple Watch MagSafe Inductive ChargerNew details are still emerging about the Apple Watch following yesterday's big "Spring Forward" event in San Francisco, with a new report pointing to a completely replaceable battery for Apple's new wearable.

Following the event yesterday, an Apple spokesperson disclosed to TechCrunch that the Apple Watch "battery is replaceable." The big missing piece of information of course relating to how much the process will cost, if it will be done in both Apple's retail stores and online, and how long it will take.

There's still well over a month to the Watch's launch, so no doubt this will be another piece of information Apple fills out as the April 24 release date gets closer.
Well, when it comes to the battery at least, owners of Apple Watch will be able to extend its lifespan. An Apple spokesman confirmed to TechCrunch the “battery is replaceable”. Albeit, it’s not clear how much it will cost to send in your wearable to Apple to get it returned with a new cell in place.

The other potential obsolescence issue relates to the processor. It’s not clear whether Apple will offer any kind of CPU and/or RAM upgrade to existing owners. At the time of writing Apple had not responded to our request for clarification.
There had been much talk over the Watch's battery life leading up to the event, with Apple yesterday confirming all-day battery life with mixed usage for the device. This boils down, according to the company, to 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use, and a 30-minute workout with music playback via Bluetooth over the course of 18 hours.

As TechCrunch points out, given the Apple Watch Sport's target audience, the battery itself may face the most intense usage compared to the other models, which means its lower entry point makes more sense for yearly, or bi-yearly, upgrades.

A large amount of information came out of the Apple event yesterday, including detailed prices of the numerous versions of the Apple Watch, specific information on its battery life, and the pricing tiers of the various bands. The Watch will be available for pre-order April 10 and launch officially in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and United Kingdom on April 24.

Related roundup: Apple Watch , Tag: techcrunch.com

 

[rockitman]

Can you participate on, or even read, an audio forum with it? That is difficult enough with the iPhone.

I need 2x reader mags for regular computing. I think I would need a 5x stylus loop to surf the web with an iPhone. Maybe young eyes....are the target market.

 

[beaur]

Ask and yee shall receive;

https://www.lunatik.com/