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Apple Watch Series 3
- minimaxir 9y agoSo why does the LTE Watch have the red dot anyways? I asked on Reddit and no one has any idea: https://reddit.com/r/apple/comments/70homi/so_why_does_the_apple_watch_series_3_w_lte_have/ https://reddit.com/r/apple/comments/70homi/so_why_does_the_a... The most sensible theory is that it’s related to the LTE antenna, but Apple admitted in the Keynote the Watch screen is the antenna.
- alienreborn 9y agoProbably the classic syndrome of design being dictated by branding/marketing.
- 086421357909764 9y agoI suspect as much, how else can people visually differentiate your status as having Cellular on your watch. Thing is most people can't tell a difference between series 1, 2, and 3.
- m_st 9y agoTime to buy black nail polish... It sure is ugly.
- arielweisberg 9y agoI think it's so you can tell at a glance what generation watch you are looking at. They did a similar change series 1 to 2. There are people for whom that matters.
- minimaxir 9y agoThe non-LTE variants of Series 3 do not have the red dot.
- jhugg 9y agoRight… so if you’re up for some conspicuous consumption, you better shell out for the more expensive model.
- arielweisberg 9y agoYou are right the red dot might be the first time. The dial varies all over the map series 1, 2, 3, depending on finish and material. I can't discern a pattern that isn't just dependent on the finish of the watch.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- jhugg 9y agoIt’s because in many parts of the world, people won’t buy expensive things unless there is some way for people to know you spent a lot of money and have the newest thing. I hate the red dot too. Already ordered my WatchDots.
- eridius 9y agoExactly this. China is a great example. Many many people will buy the LTE model strictly for the red dot, with no intention of actually using LTE, because it's a status symbol. I'm really surprised Gruber doesn't get that. There was a post I saw recently, that I thought Gruber linked to but I can't find it anymore, about how Apple's strategy of taking old phones and selling them as the lower tier models is great because it means people can buy those phones and nobody can tell that they bought a lower-tier phone (because it looks like they could have just bought the top-tier phone last year and not gotten around to upgrading yet). This was also used to explain why the 5C was apparently a flop, because it was immediately obvious to anybody that a 5C owner bought the cheap phone. Status symbols are important.
- matrixtransform 9y agoIt's the same reason why earpods only come in white. It makes them stand out. White iPod headphones were a walking advertisement/status symbol for years.
- photojosh 9y agoI will buy AirPods the moment they come in black... so I'm guessing I probably never will. :)
- sirn 9y agoThey also further reinforce the status symbols of the top-of-line Watch by discontinuing Stainless Steel case in all editions except in the Series 3 LTE as well. Though, this also means that the Stainless Steel Watch is not available to purchase at all if your country don't have Series 3 LTE available.
- 9y ago
- AVTizzle 9y ago>> "When are you separated from your iPhone? When you’re exercising. What do you miss most when you’re away from your phone? Messages and phone calls." Anecdotal, but personally, this is one of the most refreshing and cherished qualities about my exercise time: it's ME time. No messages, no phone calls. Phone goes on airplane mode, and I'm in my own zone for those 60-90 minutes. After reading My Year with a Distraction Free iPhone* I took steps to drastically reduce notifications and social media apps from my phone (not as drastic as the article, but way quieter than before), and I feel happier for it. Maybe it's just me, but MORE notifications, messages, and calls to my wrist sounds like exactly what I don't want. * https://medium.com/time-dorks/my-year-with-a-distraction-free-iphone-and-how-to-start-your-own-experiment-6ff74a0e7a50 https://medium.com/time-dorks/my-year-with-a-distraction-fre...
- robterrell 9y agoI do like having a distraction-free iphone, but I also like to run and hauling a huge phone with me is stupid. But I like to run on the trails on Mt Tam and it can feel surprisingly remote quickly, so I want to keep the ability to make phone calls somehow. I am looking forward to trying the watch for just this use case. (Also, music while running!) I'm assuming I can turn off notifs on the watch just like on the phone.
- gnicholas 9y agoIn The Verge's testing, the cellular range was not great. I wish they'd done side-by-side testing with an iPhone. Something like: "if your iPhone has one bar, your Watch will have none. If two, then either one or none." https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/20/16334066/apple-watch-series-3-lte-new-features-review-2017 https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/20/16334066/apple-watch-seri...
- kpwags 9y agoAgreed. I have the series 2 and have started running without my phone since the series 2 can still track my runs without it. The one thing I kind of miss is listening to podcasts while running since I still would need my phone for that.
- m_st 9y agoMy wife ordered one, upgrading from her first gen model. The single biggest reason is GPS tracking while running without being forced to carry her iPhone 6S Plus. And the (much) improved battery life over her first gen model. She ordered the Series 3 with cellular, just in case it becomes affordable. But boy do we both agree that this red dot looks ugly. As Gruber mentions, we also worry that it won't work well with the otherwise really nice watch bands. Can't have it all...
- minimaxir 9y agoI have a Series 0, and will be upgrading to a Series 3 nonLTE (once Target/Best Buy offer discounts) since my watch is too slow to do anything other than serve notifications. (many of the new WatchOS 4 features are not present in the Series 0 either)
- m_st 9y agoMe too I had a Series 0. Then the battery inflated and cracked the display open about 3 months ago. Would have been about 200$ to repair, as it's out of warranty. Luckily I called Apple Care, explained the situation and got a free replacement unit. To my surprise I got a Series 1. The difference in performance is incredible. I'm now using apps like Bring! for shared grocery lists, OmniFocus and others much more.
- bpicolo 9y agoCan it be painted over, or does it serve a purpose?
- martijn_himself 9y agoA camera is the one thing I miss when I leave my iPhone at home and go for a run. I have no idea how a camera could work ergonomically on a watch. Maybe it’s just not feasible. But it is mildly frustrating when I’m out on a run and see something interesting that I’d like to photograph. Why can't you just enjoy that something interesting there and then? Do we really need to capture everything and share it with everyone? EDIT: slightly tongue in cheek but curious nonetheless.
- jonursenbach 9y agoHow am I supposed to enjoy something if I can't share it with someone else!?
- martijn_himself 9y agoYou could share it by talking about it.
- jonursenbach 9y agoI was being sarcastic. Should have put a `/s` on there I guess.
- martijn_himself 9y agoI put in the comment and I then I thought you probably were :).
- jhugg 9y agoHe doesn’t really need a watch either then? If you concede it’s a gadget review for something you don’t strictly need, why not indulge him?
- martijn_himself 9y agoI suppose so. I guess I'm just arguing this is a bizarre feature request. He is out on a run. Will it need a separate processor for image stabilization because he is running?
- JKCalhoun 9y agoA year or so ago I saw that the Apple Watch is a stealth product category. When Siri was capable enough to answer the things a Safari search would have provided me and when the watch got a cellular radio I might actually ditch my phone and just wear a watch. One down.
- albertgoeswoof 9y agoI don't think siri will be capable of that for a long, long time, if ever
- abritinthebay 9y agoSiri has been smart enough to do that for a long while now. Source: that’s my primary use of her.
- stepcellwolf 9y agoI will buy it only when they fix the issue swimming in an ocean and loosing your watch. It happens to me in an open ocean. First fix the wrist and then I'll buy a new one.
- TomSawyer 9y agoWere you swimming with a band that uses a magnetic clasp?
- xutopia 9y agoI have the band that comes with my watch and I lost it carrying luggage (thankfully someone found it and I got it back). It's easy to lose it.
- abritinthebay 9y agoI’ve swum in the Pacific, Caribbean, and Atlantic with mine. Travelled 1000s of miles with it. Never even fallen off, let alone lost. You’re doing something very wrong.
- alienreborn 9y agoVerge[1] (5/10), WSJ[2] has pretty negative reviews esp reg. battery and LTE reception and Apple acknowledged that problem in their statement. This has to be one of the worst reviewed Apple products in a while. However Wired[3] has good things to say about it and NYT[4] found it alright. 1. https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/20/16334066/apple-watch-series-3-lte-new-features-review-2017 https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/20/16334066/apple-watch-seri... 2. https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-watch-series-3-review-untethered-and-unreliable-1505905203 https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-watch-series-3-review-unt... 3. https://www.wired.com/2017/09/review-apple-watch-series-3/ https://www.wired.com/2017/09/review-apple-watch-series-3/ 4. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/20/technology/personaltech/apple-watch-series-3-review-cellular.html?mcubz=0 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/20/technology/personaltech/a...
- jhugg 9y agoIt says this has something to do with connecting to unsecured Wifi networks. That seems, amazingly, like something Apple testing might overlook. Who has unsecured networks these days? It also sounds like a bugfix that could come shortly and make the review seem pretty dated. EDIT: To clarify whoever is downvoting me, I’m not arguing that Apple shouldn’t have tested this. They really really should have. I just can see how they might not run across too many unsecured networks in their employee real-world tests.
- jhugg 9y agoGruber says what I said: https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/09/20/goode-apple-watch-lte https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/09/20/goode-apple-wat...
- makomk 9y agoPretty much every location with publicly-accessible WiFi has an unsecured WiFi network - places like malls, hotels, coffee shops, restaurants, pubs.
- leggomylibro 9y agoI was going to say...even this article's optimism seems disingenuous. >Battery life has been fine. “All day” is about right — charging at night, using it all day That does not sound anywhere close to 'fine' for a watch. I get annoyed at my Pebble Time's battery life from time to time, and it still lasts at least 5 days/nights on a charge.
- eugenekolo2 9y agoDo you guys actually read this website at the default size? The sites much more enjoyable at 150%...
- gnicholas 9y agoThis comment is somewhat less off-topic given Gruber's last footnote, where he urges readers to try Bold Text, which he thinks looks better on the small Watch screen. Considering his threshold for small text, this is really saying something!
- mturmon 9y agoI read it at 14pt, default is 11pt. Change default using link at bottom of DF homepage.
- eugenekolo2 9y agoInteresting. Thanks for the tip.
- js2 9y ago> But it lets you leave your phone at home when you go for a run, or in your locker while you’re at the gym, or in your hotel while you go to the beach, and not worry in the least that you’re out of touch. I'm a big fan of Apple. I own their stock, and I can count at least 10 Apple devices in my house at this moment. But the Apple Watch is not for me. I tried. When I go for a run, I want to be out of touch. The only reason I ever take my iPhone on a run is so that I can take pictures or that I can reach someone else if I have an emergency. Mostly I don’t take my phone and when I do, it’s in do not disturb mode. I'm a serious runner. I tried the first Apple Watch as running watch. It was inferior in that role to my Garmin at the time. But that Garmin wasn't a proper watch, it was really just for running. I liked the Apple Watch's fitness tracking features and that I could wear it all the time. But it just wasn't suitable for running with. So I would take it off when I went for a run and put on my Garmin, which means Apple didn't think I exercised at all. That was a bummer. When Garmin came out with the 230, I immediately bought it. It could replace my existing Garmin for running, it was the size of a proper watch, battery life that lasts a week or more, and fitness tracking. Notifications if you want them. I've since upgraded to the Garmin 935 and I love it. I don't see anything about the Series 3 that would compel me to purchase it. The touch screen is still an inferior interface to physical buttons if physical buttons will do the job. (In fact, the thing I hate most about taking my iPhone with me as a camera is that I can't take pictures with it when my hands are covered in sweat, which when I run, is mostly the case.) The ironic thing is that it's the Apple Watch which got me used to the idea of wearing a watch all the time, and that made me realize the important of physical buttons, and that I don't want notifications on my watch.
- taloft 9y agoAlso have a Garmin 735xt for the same reasons. Another big issue is battery life. Garmin can go for a solid week or more between charges, while Apple Watch is about a day.
- melling 9y agoCan someone describe the other benefits of a Garmin over an Apple Watch for jogging? I use my Watch for light jogging, monitoring heart rate, pace, and distance. Recently, I’ve been trying to increase days, and will up my mileage in a couple months, after I lose a little more weight.
- wyatte 9y ago> "When is the right time to ship a product? In particular, a hardware product? The answer, sometimes, is not when it’s done, but rather when it’s useful." Or rather when it's able to steal the last remaining privacy mankind holds. I'm sorry, but for me the cellar capability is the final straw and I will never buy one. I truly feel sorry for our newer generations who will suffer the consequences of us letting these organizations take that privacy so freely without even a fight.
- gallerdude 9y agoWith iOS 11 and watchOS 4, it feels like watchOS is taking aim for iOS, and iOS is taking aim for macOS. What’s Apple’s endgame here? The whole Mac Pro mini-crisis last year proved that professionals are a super loud minority, so they can’t flat out kill macOS. I think they’ll just make iOS more and more attractive, while they make macOS more... iOS-like? And in turn, watchOS is an added benefit to iOS that macOS won’t fully utilize. There’s some sort of uneasy tension here, I’ll be interested to see how it (slowly) develops.
- eridius 9y agoI don't think iOS is "taking aim" at macOS. But a lot of people do use the iPad as a primary computing device these days, and the new iPad features in iOS 11 are definitely aimed at making the device even better for these people. For the things an iPad can do, it should do them as best it possibly can. For the things an iPad can't do, or can't do well, there's always macOS. And making the iPad better at the things it can do well doesn't harm macOS in any way.
- matrixtransform 9y agoI notice that the watch now covers all 3 tentpoles from the original iPhone launch: a phone, an ipod with touch controls and an internet communications device. Of course, the iPhone is now marketed as a multipurpose computing device, a 4k video camera and an AR viewer, so things have moved on. It would make sense to me to add more power-user features to MacOS in future, rather than making it more iOS-like? Apple made that mistake with Lion and the app grid with folders and massive icons that can't be resized is crappy to this day. iOS won't be a MacOS replacement at least until all Apple's professional apps are available on it. Processing-wise they are probably only a couple of generations away from being able to support Final Cut Pro, Logic X and XCode, but interface-wise there is a huge amount of work involved in reinventing those apps as touch-first.
- spiderfarmer 9y agoWhy does Gruber refuse to make his website responsive? For someone so focused on the elegance of Apple’s products, it seems strange that he forgets that his website looks like a forgotten/neglected website from the early 00’s.
- goodroot 9y agoPhone anxiety is a weird, and, for me at least, irrational thing. I know that mankind survived for millennia without the ability to communicate with each other out of earshot. But once you get used to having your phone with you at all times, you get used to feeling that if anyone needs you, they can get you. Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular networking completely alleviates this anxiety. It is not a replacement for a phone, and is not supposed to be. But it lets you leave your phone at home when you go for a run, or in your locker while you’re at the gym, or in your hotel while you go to the beach, and not worry in the least that you’re out of touch. It alleviates the anxiety of leaving your phone at home by... further conditioning your dependence on interconnectivity? Blind logic is the dark-side of the reality distortion field. Applied differently: To help me with my alcoholism, I leave my 40oz at the hotel or in my locker-room. Now, I just sip on it from a smaller container filled with liquor that I keep on my wrist. If your phone generates anxiety, fix the issue.
- nfriedly 9y agoHah, that's a great analogy. Except now I want a watch-shaped flask...
- eridius 9y agoThe phone doesn't generate anxiety. Not having the phone generates anxiety. The Apple Watch series 3 with LTE fixes the issue. So what's the problem? Your comment seems to be implying that being used to always being available if someone needs to contact you is a bad thing (e.g. is the same thing as alcoholism). But why? Personally, I'm all for disconnecting, but even when I'm not available to anyone else, I still want to be available if my wife needs to talk to me. And even if I didn't have a wife, that doesn't mean it's unreasonable for other people to want to be available at any time. And finally, even if you want to disconnect regularly, you may still want to disconnect on your terms rather than being forced to disconnect because of the activity you're doing at the moment (e.g. going for a run).
- goodroot 9y agoThat is the implication. Alcoholism is an affliction wherein something that's fairly benign in small doses can be a significant detriment to the individual if consumptions falls out of balance. In this way, being ever-available and ever-connected is a bad thing; there's nothing intrinsically wrong with it in small and balanced doses, but in high doses it can cause significant neuroses through withdrawal. It follows that, just as alcohol is the cause of alcoholism, the phone _is_ the ultimate source of anxiety. It provides dopamine, you feel bad when you don't get it. An alternative angle is this: If you're an addict and you get withdrawal symptoms, having more of your substance does not alleviate your addition. The symptom of withdrawal, not having the phone, generates anxiety. By increasing the time that you're connected and removing natural/forced break periods, you're raising the threshold that you need to maintain to not feel anxious. In doing so, you've created a situation where it will be harder to make break time and when you do, it'll feel worse. Here's an excerpt, link at the bottom, of one of an increasing number of studies that describe the negative health impact of communication technology dependency: > The results indicate that depression, anxiety, and sleep quality may be associated with smartphone overuse. Such overuse may lead to depression and/or anxiety, which can in turn result in sleep problems. University students with high depression and anxiety scores should be carefully monitored for smartphone addiction. Yet, we want to sell everyone smart-watches so that they'll never miss a beat... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26132913 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26132913
- nfriedly 9y agoQuestion for Apple Watch wearers: is Siri on the Apple Watch the exact same as Siri on the iPhone? I ask, because it's not the case with the one on Android Wear - the watch version can't answer factoid-style questions ("What's the tallest building in Dayton, Ohio?"), can't identify songs, can't perform simple system commands ("Increase scree brightness"), etc. It's still convenient and useful, but it's just not as good as I had expected. I'm due for a phone upgrade sometime soon and starting to seriously think about switching from Android to iOS. Update: it looks like phone version has regressed and can't identify songs any more :(
- matrixtransform 9y agoSiri is much the same on the watch, except for when it can't answer a question - on the phone, it says "I found this on the web" which the watch can't do as it doesn't have a browser
- eridius 9y agoSiri on the watch is the same as Siri on the phone, the only real difference is Siri on the watch will often tell you that you have to continue the question on the phone (e.g. if the answer requires searching the web or something of that nature). Also, I haven't tested with iOS 11, but Siri on iOS 10 still recognizes songs just fine. I haven't tried recognizing a song with my watch though (and the question there is if the microphone on the watch is good enough to pick up the song well enough to identify).
- folksinger 9y agoI read this as, "Do you hate freedom? Buy yourself an Apple Watch and always, literally always, be shackled to someone else's priorities!" I realize this is not a charitable interpretation but I feel like it deserves a counter-narrative.
- 5_minutes 9y agoThough always well written, Daring Fireball’s articles are always sprinkled with some fanboyism, I do miss a real critical and objective voice in his writing. Because somehow the voice pretends it is. But actually the glass is always a bit more than half full, no matter what.
- joselreyes 9y agoYes, but he is consistent. So you can always read his reviews and peg it down a notch if you regularly slightly disagree with him. I don't mind biases in reviewers if they're consistent in their takes.
- ben_jones 9y agoI'd argue that writing is influential and can strengthens cognitive biases. If someone is poor and teetering on the edge of buying a luxury Apple watch they're going to be looking for that one shining article that goads them into doing it. When society accepts such influencers as role models and people to listen to / follow then we have a problem.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- cschep 9y agoI really like the automatic audio remote. I am a very happy AirPods user, but I missed being able to adjust the volume easily. Now I can glance at the watch and use the digital crown to change the volume, very slick!
- rconti 9y agoI just upgraded my iPhone to iOS11 and my Series 2 Watch to WatchOS4 (which 2+ goddamned hours, but I digress), and noticed that Sonos allows me to use my watch to control volume! I'm not sure what the various parameters are, but I fired up a podcast on the Sonos controller app on my phone, walked partay through the house, raised my wrist to check the time, and I had control for the sonos right there -- turned the crown, sure enough, volume went up! It was really cool. Hopefully the UX is intuitive enough that it won't be popping up all the time when i don't want it.
- sisk 9y agoPerhaps I'm in the minority but I've decided to purchase this precisely to stay connected while running. To be fair, it's not the during that I'm worried about, it's the after. I've never been able to get used to running with a phone (or really anything other than a watch, for that matter) so I'm always disconnected while exercising. I often, however, participate in races with a handful of other people and have learned that standing in a predetermined meeting spot after a race for an indeterminate amount of time isn't a great solution. When pebble announced the Pebble Core, I thought I'd finally found the answer to my problem: complete a race—having been completely disconnected—while still have the option to connect afterwards as a means of coordination. When that product was killed off with the sale of Pebble to Fitbit, I was back to hoping someone would fill that niche. This watch now makes that viable. Yes, it's an expensive price to pay (particularly as compared to the Core) but you only have to stand around windy, 20℉ weather in running shorts for an hour once before the price becomes of less consequence.
- sp332 9y agoSamsung's Gear S3 http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/gear-s3 http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/gear-s3 and the LG Watch Sport https://store.google.com/product/lg_watch_sport https://store.google.com/product/lg_watch_sport have LTE for $350.
- sisk 9y agoTotal valid. In my personal case, however, I rock an iPhone. If I'm spending "smartwatch" type-money, I want it to provide real smartwatch value which means tight integration. As much as I like the Android-based watches, there's nothing like first-party private API access.
- mikestew 9y agobut you only have to stand around windy, 20℉ weather in running shorts for an hour once before the price becomes of less consequence. Way off-topic, but if you’re standing around for an hour without going back to the car, putting on warm clothes, and coming back, technology is not the problem here. Grab your phone while you’re getting your sweatpants, BTW.
- smakkadoula 9y agoI suspect the person who wrote posted this blog isn't into fitness on any serious level beyond 'how many steps did i get in today'. The first and second generation Apple Watches were average fitness companions at best. Even the weakest Garmin did the job far better. More specifically, the accelerometer was just awful unless you run at one pace, forever. For anyone who is actually interested in tracking real-time their peformance there are too many cheaper alternatives to justfiy this thing for fitness. Apparently, this is not just my opinion: https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/02/apple-watch-review.html https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/02/apple-watch-review.html
- htmlcolor 9y agoOh, great, your article gives me useful information and a fresh perspective on the subject. http://uspstrackingmap.com/ http://uspstrackingmap.com/
- brentis 9y agoThis guy must get a monthly paycheck from Apple. He always comes out swooning over new Apple hardware despite everyone else slamming it. It’s a tired routine. This is coming from someone with more Apple devices than I care to mention and even last week bought a new iMac. My personal phone however, is a Pixel.
- ksec 9y agoI am still waiting on the report of W2 and Intel Modem. The first one i am hoping someday Apple will make their own 802.11ax WiFi Chipset for Router / Apple TV / Mac and iPhone. The latter because I am not aware of any Intel Modem that can be fitted inside a Apple Watch. It shows Intel aren't really far off in Modem space compared to Qualcomm if true.