

Smart watches are dumb - sxates
https://medium.com/@brianscates/lets-be-honest-smart-watches-are-dumb-ec3b2bdb0d73

======
eclipxe
One of the problems the author mentions - iMessage received and a notification
coming to iPhone, iPad, Watch at the same time - actually doesn't happen.
Apple was smart enough to ensure the notification only goes to the watch if
the other devices are not active (and the watch is being worn). If you are on
the phone, you get the notification there and not on the watch. It's beautiful
and one of those little things that make a big difference.

Overall though, I completely disagree with the author's sentiment.

>Why am I browsing stocks on my watch? My phone is a better device.

I much prefer glancing at my watch to quickly check a stock I care about. I'd
say this is one of the killer features for me.

Also the point about email "way better on the phone". Well yes, it is - but it
is also time consuming. I get anywhere from 200-300 emails a work day - I find
myself much more efficient with the email coming to my watch - most I can read
a couple of lines and decide if I need to concern myself with it or not. That
is a huge time saver. Quick glance at my wrist and then I continue with my
day. I also enjoy being able to quickly triage incoming mail without having to
deal with my phone.

~~~
mathgeek
Is this new or only if you own a Watch? Because if I'm on my MacBook and an
iMessage comes though, I get it on all five devices (computer, iPhone, iPad,
and the two other iPhones in our family that use the same account).

~~~
natch
If you ever see anything whatsoever that can be improved about how things work
on Apple platforms, it's always good to file an enhancement request through
Apple's bug reporter site: [http://radar.apple.com](http://radar.apple.com) or
[http://bugreport.apple.com](http://bugreport.apple.com) (both links end up at
the same place).

And if that's a bit too techie for you with all the form fields that are
designed for developers, there's a consumer-friendly site that similarly
allows you to submit suggestions including enhancement requests at
[https://www.apple.com/feedback/](https://www.apple.com/feedback/) .

~~~
mathgeek
Completely agree. I've been an iOS developer for about five years now, and
they really do respond to radar reports. One of the better companies on that
front.

------
kenrikm
Having used a Pebble before and now an Apple Watch I can understand why the
author feels this way looking through the lens of a former Pebble user.

However the best things about the Apple Watch are not the notifications but
the few killer communication features that no other smart watch had/executed
this well before.

Just A few examples:

20 minutes ago my wife got a phone call from her mom and her phone was in the
other room, instead of running to answer it she just answered it from the
watch and continued doing what she was doing while she talked.

When I'm away from my desk at work or my wife is not near her phone, we can
just send a gentle tap to let each other know we need their attention.

My wife will often ask me questions that only require a yes/no answer and the
watch makes it super easy to answer.

I'm not sure the Apple Watch would be so useful for a single person but for
couples, communication is the killer app.

~~~
eclipxe
Absolutely! The author states:

>Hence the heart beat transmitter, which is simply a cute gimmick that nobody
will use more than once

I use this feature with my wife at least once a day. It's a great way to
quickly remind someone you're thinking of them in a special way.

~~~
exodust
Sounds like a great honeymoon feature. I don't own a smartwatch but I imagine
the notification noise, especially the vibration kind would become annoying
after awhile, and even those special heartbeats will need the volume down.

------
therealarmen
The author mentions the Withings Activite as a viable, albeit less "smart"
alternative to the iWatch, and I just had to chime in -- the Activite is one
of the best devices I've ever owned. It's beautiful, useful, and
inconspicuous. And no, I don't work for Withings.

Those of you in the market for a smartwatch (or any watch really) should check
it out:
[http://withings.com/us/en/products/activite](http://withings.com/us/en/products/activite)

~~~
Animats
8 months of battery life, and talks Bluetooth. Someone got low-power right.

~~~
lawry
That is exactly what struck me as well, I guess BLE 4 doesn't consume near
that much energy as some people (me) think it does. So probably it's the
display that consumes the most amount of energy. And since this device also
has no notification feature it means most of the time there is no connection
to your device.

This is good news to me though, means when I finally come around to making
devices/projects I can use BLE and still have good battery life! Now just find
a BLE 4 module that's cheaper than the ESP8266.

------
biftek
Maybe I don't use my iPhone as much as others, but most of my time is spent
reading NYTimes/Instapaper, checking the weather, time, and email/iMessage.

And aside from reading articles, the watch has replaced most of my phone
functions. Calls have been answered; text messages have been dictated via
Siri; weather, time, and calendar are all on the modular face and extended
views are a tap away. Not to mention the the heath perks, like heart rate
monitoring and activity goals.

If I could use the watch with out my phone tethered I would probably leave my
phone behind in a lot of instances. It's lighter, less distracting, and the
stuff I care about is more accessible.

------
issa
I'm firmly in the "I don't get it" camp. I'll be amazed if this catches on,
but I won't try to yuck anyone's yum. If it works for you, go for it.

~~~
natch
I'm always surprised at people who don't try something, but then draw
conclusions based on their ignorance. I've found that often in life I don't
get something until I try it.

Not dissing your attitude though... you aren't really drawing conclusions from
what I can tell, you're just saying you don't get it at this time. That's
pretty normal for most people, and there's nothing wrong with it. Nobody has a
duty to get this stuff other than, say, mobile developers, or those working in
fields it directly affects.

There have been a few people who have tried Apple watch, and have given it up.
But even those people I think are drawing conclusions based on ignorance,
because they are assuming that new apps coming out shortly won't make the
device more worthwhile.

~~~
issa
I'm definitely open minded enough to try it in the future if something about
it becomes appealing. But I'm not clear on what exactly that new information
would be... I mean, I've worn a watch for much of my life, and I was happy to
stop once I had a phone that could tell time.

I spend most of my days online, so having another "notification" source sounds
like a negative, not a positive.

I haven't heard anything the iWatch does that I would find useful...yet.

------
dasil003
I'm going to ignore the bad assumptions based on the author never having used
an Apple Watch, and address the heart of the matter: are smart watches "the
next big thing"?

By the standards people use for Apple where the 2007 release of the iPhone, of
course not. Very few products can completely rebuild the largest tech market
in their image overnight. No other Apple product has done it—that's why so
many pundits were disappointed with the iPad's performance as a new product
even though it was orders of magnitude more successful than any previous
tablet and made the category relevant in a way people had been trying for
almost a decade prior. The Apple Watch just can't pack that much punch,
because it's basically just an extension of your smart phone, not a new
category. Frankly, I was the opposite of the author, I haven't warn a watch
since I was a kid, and I didn't see the appeal of any of it.

However after receiving one as a gift, I have to say that I am subtly
impressed with it. I don't think it's a life-changing device the way a smart
phone is, but it can definitely has unique utility. The first thing the author
gets wrong is the idea that it's all his phone apps and notifications shrunk
down onto his wrist. Yes, a lot of apps rushed to release Watch functionality
for launch day, but frankly, you don't want to look at most things on your
watch. What you want is to show only the most essential notifications, and the
apps which have something you might want to glance at. If you're receiving
email notifications on your Apple Watch god help you, that is the path to a
new level of distraction (I'd argue you don't want those on your phone either,
do you really want to give the world more opportunity to distract you?). My
advice on setting up the watch is to first _turn off everything_ and then add
the pieces you want one by one.

In the end I've found quite a few small but practical conveniences which are
going to keep me wearing the watch for a while: taking a phone call from my
wrist when I'm sitting the car and don't want to fish into my pocket; telling
siri something on the fly; responding to a text message with boilerplate
responses; haptic feedback for turn-by-turn directions when cycling; having an
"urgent" level of notification so that I can pay less attention to my phone
without completely shutting off a given lower-priority notification; reminder
to stand up and walk around once an hour; and last but not least, checking the
time is actually more convenient when you don't have to pull a phone out
regardless of how adept we have all gotten at that maneuver.

~~~
ghshephard
Great comments - but one bit of feedback on the iPad as dissapointing -
[https://9to5mac.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/cumulative-
shipm...](https://9to5mac.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/cumulative-shipments-
months-since-launch-ipad-iphone-ipod_chartbuilder.png?w=704) shows that 57
months in (the age of the iPad so far), the iPad has sold more units than the
iPhone at the same time. The issue is, growth has actually started dropping.

So - the iPad started out stronger, but then stalled, whereas the iPhone
started out "slow", but then started accelerating.

I have to believe that the iPhone 6+ put the breaks on a lot of people's
purchase of the iPad. I never used my iPad while I had the 6+, but then, when
I left (sob) my 6+ in a cab, I found myself using my iPad again more
frequently.

~~~
snogglethorpe
The issue, as I understand it, is that pads don't seem to have the same sort
of constant upgrade treadmill as phones. Many people seem to think their ipad
(or whatever) is fine for what it does, and just don't have any reason to get
a new one, whereas people seem to feel ansy if their phone isn't the latest
and greatest model...

I suppose this is an interesting example of the "planned obsolescence" issue,
where what's probably a _good_ thing in a general sense—people keeping a
product for a long time and getting good use out it rather than chucking it
out and buying a new model after a few years—is not a good thing for the
actual manufacturer..

~~~
mercer
Agreed. I'm a power user when it comes to any gadget I own, and yet I'm still
happy with my original iPad mini. I use it all the time for reading, browsing
and even the occasional bit of work.

Sure, sometimes I wish it had a bit more memory so that it would not have to
reload apps as much, and sometimes I wish I had a retina screen, but none of
that is reason for me to upgrade (yet).

~~~
snogglethorpe
Heh; I have exactly the same model (got it unexpectedly for free!) and exactly
the same feelings about it. Does need more memory, but super solid otherwise;
it's a keeper!

------
bryanlarsen
The OP's problem is not with the watch. "But 9 times out of 10, I still had to
pull my phone out of my pocket to respond" He's responding to 9 out of 10
notifications? Craziness. I respond to much less than 1 out of 10 emails.
Those other 9 times I've been interrupted for only a couple of hundred
milliseconds which is short enough that my flow hasn't been disturbed. That's
the killer feature of a smart watch IMO.

~~~
viraptor
I read that as "But 9 times out of 10, [when I wanted to respond to
notification,] I still had to pull my phone out". Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm
also surprised anyone would respond to 90% of notifications - 90% of my
notifications don't even have a way of responding to them (app update, nearby
fire, calendar reminder, your order's been shipped, etc.)

~~~
saurik
I could use the "nearby fire" one (building across the street that is prone to
arson): what app are you using for that?

~~~
viraptor
Located in VIC/Australia, using the official CFA app (data from
[http://warnings.cfa.vic.gov.au/#list](http://warnings.cfa.vic.gov.au/#list) )

------
ghshephard
I'll buy an Apple watch the instant somebody makes an App for it that reminds
me I've left my iPhone behind when I get out of a cab, leave a restaurant,
etc...

The ROI on that function alone will pay for it in about 7 months the way my
luck has been recently...

~~~
diego_moita
Both the AppleWatch and the Pebble (with an extra app) do that already.

~~~
ghshephard
Seriously? How on earth is this not one of the major features that is used to
market the Apple Watch. I've read about 30 reviews, and I don't recall a
single one even hinting at that capability.

Am I the only one who leaves his phone behind?

~~~
ProAm
That's one of those lessons you only learn once.

------
wdr1
Honestly, I've been pretty happy with my Apple Watch.

It's a lot of small things.

I use my phone a lot less; something I didn't expect.

As an engineering managers, I attend a lot of meetings. It's super convenient
to just glance at my watch to find out which conference room I need to head to
next. Get a silent taptic alert lets me know we need to start wrapping things
up.

When I get a text, I can glace & see if it's something urgent or not. Much
less disruptive than taking out my phone.

Traveling this weekend, I found it helpful at the airport. Passbook
integration is nice. I just tap & my Southwest UPC boarding code is right
there. I can even scroll it up a bit to show I'm TSA Pre at security.

The countdown clock is nice when grilling.

Battery life so far hasn't been a problem for me. The biggest test for me was
on the ~4 hour flight mentioned above. I failed to put the _watch_ in airplane
mode, but it lasted from ~8:30am to midnight. I did have a low battery alert
at end, but it didn't die.

The remote app is convenient for controlling Apple TV. (At home, I empty my
pockets into a dish, so I usually sit down, then realize I have to go fishing
for the Apple TV remote or my phone.)

Things like camera & the iTunes controller I haven't used, but I could see the
point. I sometimes have my phone outside by a bluetooth speaker to power music
for BBQs, etc. Being able to control it remotely is nice. Obviously, not an
everyday thing, but nice when you need them.

Of course it's not perfect. I've had it spontaneously reboot once or twice.
Not all my wrist movements trigger the screen display. It can lag in
responsiveness every now & then. A lot of third party apps were clearly
created in a emulator & people are still figuring out the space.

The biggest question to me boils down to the price point. If it was a $100,
no-brainer. This is a homerun, everyone will get one. But for $400? Harder
question. Honestly, I'd be inclined to say that's what is going to limit its
appeal, but then I remember thinking that exact thing about my original iPhone
& original iPad.

~~~
exodust
Sounds like you're still in the honeymoon phase, if I may be so cynical.

Your first example mentions "when I get a text, I can glance and see if it's
something urgent or not".

In reality, truly "urgent" messages are rare. Most people incorrectly call
"important" messages, "urgent". If you're using your phone or other devices
anyway at regular intervals in the day, "important" messages will be covered
along with the rest. This is more efficient that dealing with messages in a
granular per-message workflow. Sure, some people really do get urgent texts,
like "website down" etc, but those people are IT support staff.

What I mean is, the examples you mention can and often are covered by other
devices that you're already using. Apple TV, again... when it comes to
browsing or searching for things to watch, your phone or tablet will need to
come out. I find it difficult to imagine you would not bother getting your
phone for the rest of the evening because "it's in the dish with your keys and
you have your apple watch"... I don't buy that! I think you retrieve your
phone from the dish at some point.

Countdown clock is not a smartwatch feature, you can get that on a regular
watch. Not sure why you'd mention that as a plus for a $400 Apple Watch. For
kitchen countdown clocks, nothing beats those cheap k-mart fridge magnet
timers. Batteries last for ages, and they're always ready to go, dedicated to
the task, you don't need to "open the countdown app".

Controlling bluetooth speaker: Most of the time you want your playlist
visible, or browsing list of songs. For that you'll need a phone. For skipping
and volume, yes the watch would be handy, but... again, you're supposedly
using a smartphone as the source music device, so the apple watch just gets in
the way. And if someone else at the BBQ connects their phone to the speaker,
suddenly your watch is no longer paired with the speaker.

~~~
wdr1
> In reality, truly "urgent" messages are rare. Most people incorrectly call
> "important" messages, "urgent".

Perhaps triage is better. My wife texts me to know our son's doctor is fine.
Not urgent, nice to know.

> What I mean is, the examples you mention can and often are covered by other
> devices that you're already using.

That's true. But that was also true when I got the iPhone & iPad.

> Countdown clock is not a smartwatch feature, you can get that on a regular
> watch. Not sure why you'd mention that as a plus for a $400 Apple Watch.

Just a way I used it that's different from what I did with my watch before.
(My prior watch was a self winding Hamilton.)

------
sudioStudio64
I actually like the analog parts of analog watches... the complications, as
they are called. Its amazing engineering and design... Its one area where I
just dont see the improvements as, well...improvements. Watches are actually
beautiful objects.

I'm not a luddite...I just think this is a solution looking for a problem.

~~~
Zancarius
I have to agree. Part of me wonders if this is a
generational/cultural/personality thing. Perhaps some of us are in that age
group (or culture/subculture or personality...) where smart watches seem
_alien_ (or frivolous). I've always loved watches, particularly analog watches
for similar reasons to you, but I also suspect I'm _definitely not_ in the
target market for smart watches. You might not be either.

I also have a special fondness for ultra-thin watches which are sometimes hard
to find even as analog watches, so there's that.

While I won't be parting with my archaic time pieces any time soon, it'll be
interesting to see where the technology goes.

~~~
mercer
> I'm not a luddite...I just think this is a solution looking for a problem.

> I have to agree. Part of me wonders if this is a
> generational/cultural/personality thing.

I think it's a universally human thing. Most of my friends thought the iPhone
was 'cool', but they didn't really see a good reason to get one to replace
their 'dumbphone'. Most of my friends also didn't see the point of an iPad,
because surely everything you can do on it you can do (better) on your phone
or computer.

Now most of my friend's can't imagine life without a smartphone, and a number
of the most vocal anti-tablet friends even have iPads.

This is in no way proof that the apple watch will turn out to be such a thing,
but I just want to point out that 'a solution looking for a problem' was said
about Apple's now-successful devices, and it's been said before about
everything ranging from the telephone to microwave ovens.

I suspect the watch will be more like the iPad than like the iPhone though.
Much more useful and popular than many of us think, but not (yet) a device
that will be useful to everyone. And I think Apple is fine with that.

------
droopybuns
An LG smartwatch was given to me as a thank you for a thing I did. I was a
smartwatch hater. Under no circumstances would I have bought one for myself. I
have begrudgingly come to appreciate some features of the concept.

I use Bluetooth headphones almost all day. Being able to see who was calling
me without taking my phone out of my pocket is embarrassingly helpful. I
appreciate that this is incredibly douchey. BUT it is reality. being able to
stay sitting while making a decision to answer a call is actually useful.

Also, voice recognition has evolved to the point where I can respond to other
people's texts without having to remove my phone.

So while I agree that they are not generally useful today, I do think there
are opportunities that can come within the constraints of smart watches. Much
like pechakucha can force better presentations.

~~~
noisy_boy
Disclaimer: this is just an observation and not criticizing your use case.

Of the 6 people sitting around me owning Androids and iPhones, all keep their
phone on the desk (either tethered to the charging cable or just lying there)
instead of keeping in their pockets. I would think that with the growing
preference for larger screensizes, keeping a 5.5 inch phone in the pocket is
not very convenient for sitting or having to take it out (not to mention
accidentally accepting/rejecting calls while taking the phone out)..

------
brenschluss
You can actually tell that the author hasn't used an Apple Watch before, and
is evaluating the watch based on hearsay and a list of functionality, rather
than how it feels to use one.

------
darkxanthos
I have a different perspective. I recently bought a Garmin Fenix 3 GPS/semi-
smart watch. Before I had this I didn't get the entire category at all. Now I
still don't get the Apple watch but I DO understand more of what's coming.

Coupled with a heart rate monitor I can see a zillion interesting metrics
about my exercises (including cadence and ground contact time). When I'm
hiking I have a GPS map that I follow to show me how to get back to where I
was. All the standard GPS features, plus I now get notifications when someone
texts or calls and it's so much less inconspicuous to check the messages on my
watch.

While I'm running I can just leave my phone in my pocket and control my music
on my watch. Also the watch is always showing the time (it works well in light
so the backlight is usually necessary).

I don't need my bike speed computer anymore now that I have this watch as
well. One less thing to futz with.

A key thing that makes this watch work so well where my last GPS watch failed
is the battery life. It can go around a full week without charging so it can
easily last through a day of use. Several if I can't get to a charger.

I don't have the other features of the iWatch but they don't really appeal to
me. All I can say is that this watch is one of the better electronics
purchases I've made. There's definitely SOMETHING to this category of devices.
I don't think Apple's got it quite yet though.

~~~
dankoss
I agree. I bought a Vivoactive to replace my Fenix 2. I love the battery life
and the fact that it's small and tough enough to wear all day, every day. The
smart features were secondary but they've become more useful over time. I take
for granted that the transreflective display is always on.

If Apple puts GPS and full waterproofing into Watch v2, Garmin is pretty much
done with the category because they don't have a comparable developer
community. I considered it, but the SDK is really limiting right now.

------
bennesvig
The watch excels at glances. Anything that can just be glanced at performs
better on the Apple Watch. An example is turn by turn directions. It's much
easier to get them via the Apple Watch than look down at the iPhone.

> The Apple watch has to be activated to show you the time, while the Pebble
> always shows the time.

If the display was always on, it would be distracting, especially in dark
environments (movie theater, concert, night time in general).

> The Apple Pay integration is interesting, but that hasn’t really panned out
> as something people really want.

Apple Pay on the Apple Watch is the easiest and fastest method of payment I've
used. Simply double-tap a button and hold your wrist next to the reader. It's
even faster than Apple Pay on the iPhone (and I can't drop my Watch), which
makes paying with a credit card feel as slow as writing a check.

If every retailer offered Apple Pay, I would use it every time. It's
especially convenient if I happen to forget my wallet.

That said, I hope the Apple Watch will eventually track sleep. I haven't found
a good replacement for sleep tracking since Wake Mate shut down.

~~~
pcl
_Anything that can just be glanced at performs better on the Apple Watch._

I'm assuming you're comparing to a phone here. My analog watch is way better
at glances than an Apple Watch -- I can just look at it to tell what time it
is.

~~~
eclipxe
Telling time is <5% of my usage for my watch. My next appointment, current
activity level, and favorite stock price are much much more important to me at
a glance and no analog watch will tell me that.

~~~
pcl
Not I. Discreetly keeping an eye on the time without fumbling with a device is
my most common watch need.

------
Zooper
This is how you fix smart watches: cup your hand and place it over your ear.
Can you hear your friend's voice in your cupped hand as concentrated sound
hits it from the smart watch's strap? Can you reply to a mic in the wrist
strap? Did a call pick up when you made that gesture? No? Then you haven't
made it simpler than pulling out a phone.

------
PublicEnemy111
Does anyone else have the feeling smart watches are a consumer created
category? Meaning the public expected smart watches to be the next big thing
after the smart phone so they became a self fulfilling prophecy. I mean, they
really don't have much utility outside of fitness

------
diego_moita
I use a Pebble and also have an LG G Watch (Android Wear).

Not all smartches are "dumb", only the good ones. Normal watches are also
"dumb": all they do is tell the time and show off as dad's jewelry. Most
smartwatches try to do too much "smart" stuff stuff but end up doing badly the
dumb watch part.

I am referring to the Android Wear, Samsung-Tizen and Apple Watch. They are
horrible because they don't even do right the "dumbness" of normal watches:
they're easily not visible in bright light, are bad at telling the time
(screen is off most of time, doesn't always turn on easily), are not
waterproof, battery lasts just one day...

The Pebble is ugly as a cheap toy, but does the watch job decently and a
little more. This little more is not essential but it is very convenient.

~~~
jordonwii
I was under the same impression until somewhat recently. If I'm going to buy a
watch, I want it to be a watch first, and "smart" second, and I was convinced
that only the Pebble did that. I tried the original Pebble for a while - but
lately I've been pleasantly surprised trying Sony's Smartwatch 3.

\- Its screen is always on, and always readable to me - I'm not sure about
this, but I think it has a variant of the Pebble's e-paper screen. I know Sony
makes Pebble's screen.

\- It has the highest IP water-resistance rating out of the Android wear
watches (IP68, which is supposedly suitable for swimming), although not quite
as waterproof as the Pebble.

\- The battery can also easily last through a full day and night, in my
experience, with about ~30% remaining for the next day. That's even less of an
issue given that the battery can be charged up fully fairly quickly (can't
quantify that any further at the moment, but it's always been pretty quick for
me).

Now, if you swim, like you mentioned you do, then the waterproofing thing
might be a dealbreaker. But other than that, this Android Wear watch is almost
on par with the Pebble as a "watch", and you get a bunch of added benefits
(like GPS, which is great for running, better Android integration,
touchscreen, polished voice interaction, etc.). IMHO, if you're just looking
for a watch that's got some extra features, then the _original_ Pebble is
great just because it's so cheap. But, if one's willing to spend more like
$200 (Pebble Time), it's not much of a competition, unless you _really_ value
the extra battery and waterproofing.

Edit: clarity.

~~~
orillian
Sony Smartwatch 3 uses a transflective LCD display which is fairly old tech.
But one that for a long time had little to no color option. It was rather
expensive to make TFT type displays transflective, and other things won out.
Like OLED and just brighter LCD's. Sony is the first to bring it back in any
significant way for new tech.

I do hope more device manufacturers take a look at this tech again, as it has
some very useful applications. If Sony's Smartwatch 3 is any indication, the
pricing is finally becoming more affordable to do this type of thing with full
color.

I just really don't like the look of the Sony Watch so I'm waiting for
something else.

