

Apple's digital crown mess - ricw
http://ricw.svbtle.com/apples-digital-crown-mess

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dianeivy
Seems like as long as the hardware doesn't crash - apple can do no wrong in
the consumers' eyes.

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mands
Aesthetically it's great - but that user interface just seems incredibly
confusing to me. Perhaps it works when you use it in person. Does anyone know
how the Android Wear UI compares?

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JohnTHaller
In this iteration at least, Android Wear has taken an Apple (simple) approach
and Apple Watch has taken an Android-of-old approach (more complex). Android
Wear doesn't have an app launcher except for a buried start feature in the
options menu. Android Wear is not supposed to be used to launch apps. It's
supposed to be an accessory to your phone, showing you phone notifications and
allowing you to respond and address things that pop up. It is mainly
interacted with by vibrating and showing you a notification and swiping it
away. Or by talking to it by holding it up at the angle you'd look at a watch
and saying OK Google followed by "Text Susan I'll be 5 minutes late" or "When
did Georgia become a state" or "How do I get to the nearest post office". For
the final one, a single tap confirms that you want to enter navigation mode.
One of my friends loves his. I got one for developing but haven't used it
much.

The array of app icons and the crown on the Apple Watch makes it seem like
it's trying to take over functionality that is much better handled by your
phone with its larger, more mature UI. Perhaps the end goal is that Apple
Watch is supposed to be more of a standalone device, which is why it has
beefier hardware and a much beefier price tag (starting at $349 as opposed to
the $80 I got my LG G Watch for).

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tammer
I find it funny that in all of these critiques of the watch's complexity the
comparison is always to an iPhone/iPad.

Compare it to the type of watch the average consumer might buy. "Hold buttons
A & C for 8 seconds then press button B 6 times to set the alarm" etc. This
thing is lightyears ahead in terms of usability.

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donkeyd
Or compare it to a competitor, like Pebble. Pebble has 4 hardware buttons and
works very intuitively.

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tammer
I don't think Apple sees Pebble as a competitor. In terms of sales, you can
find their competitors right here.[1]

[1]: [http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-
Watches/zgbs/watches](http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Watches/zgbs/watches)

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donkeyd
So you really think they see a $5 quartz watch as a competitor for a $400
smart watch? Also, Pebble is "#1 Best Seller in Women's Wrist Watches" on
Amazon.

