5 ms·

This is probably off topic for the S5 release, but I keep sort of hoping for a smartwatch I don't have to wear as a watch. Because I wear a nice watch already.

by biztos 7y ago

This is probably off topic for the S5 release, but I keep sort of hoping for a smartwatch I don't have to wear as a watch. Because I wear a nice watch already. It only tells the time, but it's also jewelry. A lot of us still want a mechanical watch on our wrists. So where does that leave us if we also want what the Apple Watch offers, but aren't willing to displace our nice analog timepieces? Sure, I could make an Apple PocketWatch (and it's tempting, since iPhone is now available only in "big" or "huge") but one of the most interesting things is the sensors on your skin and vibration as notification. Maybe you could wear it on your ankle like a convict under house arrest?

lowboy 7y ago
Wear an Apple watch on the other arm?
- biztos 7y ago
  Or wear it right next to the mechanical watch? I can't remember the name but when I was a kid, there was a children's book with a gorilla that sold stolen watches, always had a bunch of them on his arm. That look might work, and then I could have a Garmin too in case the battery dies on my Apple.
  - EForEndeavour 7y ago
    Assuming you're being serious, this would look absolutely goofy as all hell (do you want to look like a goddamn kleptomaniac gorilla?), which is a dealbreaker for someone who wears watches as jewelry, i.e., someone who cares about watch aesthetics.
  - sonofhans 7y ago
    It sounds like you're thinking of Bananas Gorilla[1]. That got pretty real in high school when some kids wore half a dozen Swatches[2]. [1] https://everythingbusytown.fandom.com/wiki/Bananas_Gorilla https://everythingbusytown.fandom.com/wiki/Bananas_Gorilla [2] https://www.stay-tuned-to-sw.de/old_ad_lendl.jpg https://www.stay-tuned-to-sw.de/old_ad_lendl.jpg & https://www.stay-tuned-to-sw.de/old_ads.html https://www.stay-tuned-to-sw.de/old_ads.html
  - sdrothrock 7y ago
    I do this; I also wear the Apple Watch on the inside of my right wrist instead of the outside, since that makes it FAR more usable for train fare gates and Apple Pay in general. Whenever people ask about the two watches (and it has been EXTREMELY rare), I just point out how convenient it is. Also, check out Stormin' Norman Schwarzkopf: https://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/27/16866f394f281e17a80015e06f299e24.jpg https://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/27/16866f394f281e17a80...
  - dchest 7y ago
    Swatch Group founder Nicolas Hayek: https://i1.wp.com/beirutnightlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Hayek_L.jpg https://i1.wp.com/beirutnightlife.com/wp-content/uploads/200... Fidel Castro: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/46/c4/41/46c441dfbc92a5d0d74886b337276648.jpg https://i.pinimg.com/originals/46/c4/41/46c441dfbc92a5d0d748... Buzz Aldrin: https://hodinkee.imgix.net/uploads/images/1493225029494-v5fgz5va4q-d596010d4fc32c787aba78678e7bfc7e/OMEGA_GC_1733.jpg?ixlib=rails-1.1.0&auto=format&ch=Width%2CDPR%2CSave-Data&fit=crop&fm=jpg&q=55&usm=12&w=1200&s=dfa26465fb640e327889c16f27d08211 https://hodinkee.imgix.net/uploads/images/1493225029494-v5fg...
r00fus 7y ago
Can’t you just turn off the auto-lock and remove the straps? I think you can even get “amputated “ strap ends. Boom - timepiece.
- biztos 7y ago
  That's what I was thinking of for a PocketWatch more or less. Take off the straps, somehow attach a chain to the spring bars or whatever the Apple Watch uses. Probably needs more fashion-hacking than that, but as the phone is more stand-alone capable... one day I'm sure it'll have some ride-share apps built in, and at that point it'd be enough for a night on the town, right?
  - toufka 7y ago
    Those exist, and that's actually what's kind of fun about the watch - you can play with the strap structure: https://www.bucardo.com/collections/pocket-watch https://www.bucardo.com/collections/pocket-watch
Austin_Conlon 7y ago
Wear OS devices are often quite bulky, I think they'd be fitting for a house arrest bracelet.
rm445 7y ago
In the somewhat-related space of fitness trackers, there are alternatives to watches: keyfobs, ankle bracelets, rings. You get heart rate, sleep tracking, alarm clocks; I don't know if any do notification buzzes as well. I think companies will continue to explore this space because there's potential to find a big winner. But they're contending with the difficulty of miniaturisation on top of the challenge of usability. p.s. an idea that just crossed my mind was a smartwatch in a pen. Sure, pens are too easy to lose, but it could do some interesting things with input.
Razengan 7y ago
> a smartwatch I don't have to wear as a watch. AR smartglasses.
seanmcdirmid 7y ago
Sort of misses one of the biggest points of the Apple watch, it’s health features oriented around heart rate monitoring. I actually had no interest in this bauble until I realized it could seriously help me with my workouts.
Tepix 7y ago
Perhaps one day we'll get a wearable device that replaces the wristband of your existing watch.
pintxo 7y ago
Completely with you. I used to wear a vivosmart® HR+ [1] next to my mechanical. With the vivosmart rotatet 180° to wear on the inside of the arm, it was an acceptable look. But I was not happy with garmins privacy policy, so I stopped wearing it. Still looking for a replacement, ideally no display (even longer battery life, smaller), heart rate monitor, motion tracker and everything just pushed into iOS health app or a cloud-less app. In the meantime I will give the Apple Watch a chance. [1] https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/548743/pn/010-01955-36 https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/548743/pn/010-01955-36
michaelmarion 7y ago
I really wish Apple would make a standalone fitness tracker. (They'd rather upsell me a Watch, but, still...) Just give me all of the Health-related aspects of the watch without anything else. It doesn't even have to have a display — I can view Health data on my phone. I LOVE my Watch but there are circumstances where a mechanical watch is the way to go.

by biztos 7y ago

lowboy 7y ago

Wear an Apple watch on the other arm?

biztos 7y ago
Or wear it right next to the mechanical watch? I can't remember the name but when I was a kid, there was a children's book with a gorilla that sold stolen watches, always had a bunch of them on his arm. That look might work, and then I could have a Garmin too in case the battery dies on my Apple.
- EForEndeavour 7y ago
  Assuming you're being serious, this would look absolutely goofy as all hell (do you want to look like a goddamn kleptomaniac gorilla?), which is a dealbreaker for someone who wears watches as jewelry, i.e., someone who cares about watch aesthetics.
- sonofhans 7y ago
  It sounds like you're thinking of Bananas Gorilla[1]. That got pretty real in high school when some kids wore half a dozen Swatches[2]. [1] https://everythingbusytown.fandom.com/wiki/Bananas_Gorilla https://everythingbusytown.fandom.com/wiki/Bananas_Gorilla [2] https://www.stay-tuned-to-sw.de/old_ad_lendl.jpg https://www.stay-tuned-to-sw.de/old_ad_lendl.jpg & https://www.stay-tuned-to-sw.de/old_ads.html https://www.stay-tuned-to-sw.de/old_ads.html
- sdrothrock 7y ago
  I do this; I also wear the Apple Watch on the inside of my right wrist instead of the outside, since that makes it FAR more usable for train fare gates and Apple Pay in general. Whenever people ask about the two watches (and it has been EXTREMELY rare), I just point out how convenient it is. Also, check out Stormin' Norman Schwarzkopf: https://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/27/16866f394f281e17a80015e06f299e24.jpg https://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/27/16866f394f281e17a80...
- dchest 7y ago
  Swatch Group founder Nicolas Hayek: https://i1.wp.com/beirutnightlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Hayek_L.jpg https://i1.wp.com/beirutnightlife.com/wp-content/uploads/200... Fidel Castro: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/46/c4/41/46c441dfbc92a5d0d74886b337276648.jpg https://i.pinimg.com/originals/46/c4/41/46c441dfbc92a5d0d748... Buzz Aldrin: https://hodinkee.imgix.net/uploads/images/1493225029494-v5fgz5va4q-d596010d4fc32c787aba78678e7bfc7e/OMEGA_GC_1733.jpg?ixlib=rails-1.1.0&auto=format&ch=Width%2CDPR%2CSave-Data&fit=crop&fm=jpg&q=55&usm=12&w=1200&s=dfa26465fb640e327889c16f27d08211 https://hodinkee.imgix.net/uploads/images/1493225029494-v5fg...

r00fus 7y ago

Can’t you just turn off the auto-lock and remove the straps? I think you can even get “amputated “ strap ends. Boom - timepiece.

biztos 7y ago
That's what I was thinking of for a PocketWatch more or less. Take off the straps, somehow attach a chain to the spring bars or whatever the Apple Watch uses. Probably needs more fashion-hacking than that, but as the phone is more stand-alone capable... one day I'm sure it'll have some ride-share apps built in, and at that point it'd be enough for a night on the town, right?
- toufka 7y ago
  Those exist, and that's actually what's kind of fun about the watch - you can play with the strap structure: https://www.bucardo.com/collections/pocket-watch https://www.bucardo.com/collections/pocket-watch

Austin_Conlon 7y ago

Wear OS devices are often quite bulky, I think they'd be fitting for a house arrest bracelet.

rm445 7y ago

In the somewhat-related space of fitness trackers, there are alternatives to watches: keyfobs, ankle bracelets, rings. You get heart rate, sleep tracking, alarm clocks; I don't know if any do notification buzzes as well. I think companies will continue to explore this space because there's potential to find a big winner. But they're contending with the difficulty of miniaturisation on top of the challenge of usability. p.s. an idea that just crossed my mind was a smartwatch in a pen. Sure, pens are too easy to lose, but it could do some interesting things with input.

Razengan 7y ago

> a smartwatch I don't have to wear as a watch. AR smartglasses.

seanmcdirmid 7y ago

Sort of misses one of the biggest points of the Apple watch, it’s health features oriented around heart rate monitoring. I actually had no interest in this bauble until I realized it could seriously help me with my workouts.

Tepix 7y ago

Perhaps one day we'll get a wearable device that replaces the wristband of your existing watch.

pintxo 7y ago

Completely with you. I used to wear a vivosmart® HR+ [1] next to my mechanical. With the vivosmart rotatet 180° to wear on the inside of the arm, it was an acceptable look. But I was not happy with garmins privacy policy, so I stopped wearing it. Still looking for a replacement, ideally no display (even longer battery life, smaller), heart rate monitor, motion tracker and everything just pushed into iOS health app or a cloud-less app. In the meantime I will give the Apple Watch a chance. [1] https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/548743/pn/010-01955-36 https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/548743/pn/010-01955-36

michaelmarion 7y ago

I really wish Apple would make a standalone fitness tracker. (They'd rather upsell me a Watch, but, still...) Just give me all of the Health-related aspects of the watch without anything else. It doesn't even have to have a display — I can view Health data on my phone. I LOVE my Watch but there are circumstances where a mechanical watch is the way to go.