6 ms·

I really hope Garmin doesn't get bullied by Apple, and continues to exist. Between Google and Apple, Garmin is a notable competitor, I'd argue Garmin products a

I really hope Garmin doesn't get bullied by Apple, and continues to exist. Between Google and Apple, Garmin is a notable competitor, I'd argue Garmin products are superior too.

y-c-o-m-b 4y ago
I want to switch to Garmin because my Fitbit Charge 5 died after 4 months and the replacement they sent me dead after 2 days! I heard Garmin is superior in almost every way, but the only problem is there's countless reports of Garmin having poor sleep tracking; which is a feature I really need with my fitness tracker.
- nabaraz 4y ago
  I moved from Versa to Fenix, and haven't noticed much difference.
- capableweb 4y ago
  Poor sleep tracking in what way? I have a Garmin (<$300 one) I mainly got for sleep tracking and haven't noticed any problems with it. It tracks when I go to bed/wake up correctly, and seems me notice nights I sleep less (after drinking alcohol for example) well vs nights I sleep better (done lots of exercise in the day) properly.
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 4y ago
  > Garmin having poor sleep tracking; which is a feature I really need with my fitness tracker. Needs are required for life. You don't need sleep tracking, you want it.
  - ubercow13 4y ago
    No, need can be used in various contexts. You could say 'I need to do X in order to meet my personal goal Y.' Or you could say 'I need a product to support Z before I'd consider purchasing it.' GP didn't make it explicit but you can probably assume they were implying one of these contexts, rather than that they would die without that feature.
- post_break 4y ago
  Get the withings under mattress sleep tracker. You have to wear nothing, it just works, and the quantified scientist on youtube verified it's very accurate.
- nradov 4y ago
  Garmin smart watches are very accurate for tracking total sleep time. But as for details on sleep phases, who knows? No wrist device including Fitbit can be totally accurate for sleep phases. Regardless of how good the sensors and algorithms are, there just isn't enough clinical information available at that body site. The smart watches with blood oxygen saturation sensors can be useful for detecting sleep apnea. But that only applies to people with the condition. Why do you think you need sleep tracking? Is the data actionable? If we want to improve sleep quality then it's no big mystery what to do. Consume less alcohol and caffeine. Exercise more. Don't be obese. Don't eat a large, protein-rich meal late in the day. Go to sleep earlier. Keep the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. We all know what we ought to do, we just don't reliably do those things. Better sleep tracking won't fix a lack of discipline or give us more hours in the day.
nickthegreek 4y ago
How would Apple bully them?
- nabaraz 4y ago
  Crippling Garmin app on ios, subsidizing Apple watch Ultra to start a price war etc.
  - rgbrenner 4y ago
    has apple ever engaged in price wars? the 'premium' image of their products is pretty important to their position in the market, and their ability to maintain their high price margins. iOS app limitations though, I agree. Fits their pattern of behavior.
    - Fogest 4y ago
      When you artificially limit what competitors can do on your device it means you can keep your prices high. You don't really have to compete on price when you've already crippled the competition to the point of being much less useful. The other user mentioned specific examples such as the Apple Watch and how it's able to do a lot more compared to competitors like Garmin. I'd even argue products like Tile are another example. Spotify is still fighting with Apple to get some more "fair" competition. Considering how tight margins are in the music world, Apple being able to dodge the 30% Apple tax is a huge bump in their ability to compete. Overall the list could go on for days, I think you nailed it on the head that it would fit their pattern of behaviour. And they already seem to be following that pattern with their current line of watches and what they can do versus what a non-apple watch can do interaction wise with their phones.
  - mvexel 4y ago
    It already kind of is crippled, compared to the Android app. The Garmin iOS app doesn't (can't?) support sending a quick reply to an incoming text message from the watch, for example, something you can do when connected to an Android phone.
  - 4y ago
itronitron 4y ago
It's worth noting that not all GPS receivers honor all of the finer points of the GPS protocol/spec. Longer running companies such as Garmin may have a more rigorous implementation and be able to save their customers some headache in the future.
- kevin_thibedeau 4y ago
  Garmin fucked up with the GPS week rollover just like the rest of them.
krick 4y ago
Are their products usable without web-accounts? I'm thinking about buying a watch. Also, recently I bought Polar HR10 heartrate monitor and was unpleasantly surprised by the fact their Android app is also "signup required", for practical purposes. I mean, it does let you use it offline, but I never found a way to actually export my data (I suppose it should be doable in their web-app, though). And I didn't find any alternative HR-logging app for Android that would allow me to do that, so that I could use the product I bought the way I want. Well, nobody promised me I will be able to, but I still feel kinda robbed.

I really hope Garmin doesn't get bullied by Apple, and continues to exist. Between Google and Apple, Garmin is a notable competitor, I'd argue Garmin products are superior too.

y-c-o-m-b 4y ago

I want to switch to Garmin because my Fitbit Charge 5 died after 4 months and the replacement they sent me dead after 2 days! I heard Garmin is superior in almost every way, but the only problem is there's countless reports of Garmin having poor sleep tracking; which is a feature I really need with my fitness tracker.

nabaraz 4y ago
I moved from Versa to Fenix, and haven't noticed much difference.
capableweb 4y ago
Poor sleep tracking in what way? I have a Garmin (<$300 one) I mainly got for sleep tracking and haven't noticed any problems with it. It tracks when I go to bed/wake up correctly, and seems me notice nights I sleep less (after drinking alcohol for example) well vs nights I sleep better (done lots of exercise in the day) properly.
2OEH8eoCRo0 4y ago
> Garmin having poor sleep tracking; which is a feature I really need with my fitness tracker. Needs are required for life. You don't need sleep tracking, you want it.
- ubercow13 4y ago
  No, need can be used in various contexts. You could say 'I need to do X in order to meet my personal goal Y.' Or you could say 'I need a product to support Z before I'd consider purchasing it.' GP didn't make it explicit but you can probably assume they were implying one of these contexts, rather than that they would die without that feature.
post_break 4y ago
Get the withings under mattress sleep tracker. You have to wear nothing, it just works, and the quantified scientist on youtube verified it's very accurate.
nradov 4y ago
Garmin smart watches are very accurate for tracking total sleep time. But as for details on sleep phases, who knows? No wrist device including Fitbit can be totally accurate for sleep phases. Regardless of how good the sensors and algorithms are, there just isn't enough clinical information available at that body site. The smart watches with blood oxygen saturation sensors can be useful for detecting sleep apnea. But that only applies to people with the condition. Why do you think you need sleep tracking? Is the data actionable? If we want to improve sleep quality then it's no big mystery what to do. Consume less alcohol and caffeine. Exercise more. Don't be obese. Don't eat a large, protein-rich meal late in the day. Go to sleep earlier. Keep the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. We all know what we ought to do, we just don't reliably do those things. Better sleep tracking won't fix a lack of discipline or give us more hours in the day.

nickthegreek 4y ago

How would Apple bully them?

nabaraz 4y ago
Crippling Garmin app on ios, subsidizing Apple watch Ultra to start a price war etc.
- rgbrenner 4y ago
  has apple ever engaged in price wars? the 'premium' image of their products is pretty important to their position in the market, and their ability to maintain their high price margins. iOS app limitations though, I agree. Fits their pattern of behavior.
  - Fogest 4y ago
    When you artificially limit what competitors can do on your device it means you can keep your prices high. You don't really have to compete on price when you've already crippled the competition to the point of being much less useful. The other user mentioned specific examples such as the Apple Watch and how it's able to do a lot more compared to competitors like Garmin. I'd even argue products like Tile are another example. Spotify is still fighting with Apple to get some more "fair" competition. Considering how tight margins are in the music world, Apple being able to dodge the 30% Apple tax is a huge bump in their ability to compete. Overall the list could go on for days, I think you nailed it on the head that it would fit their pattern of behaviour. And they already seem to be following that pattern with their current line of watches and what they can do versus what a non-apple watch can do interaction wise with their phones.
- mvexel 4y ago
  It already kind of is crippled, compared to the Android app. The Garmin iOS app doesn't (can't?) support sending a quick reply to an incoming text message from the watch, for example, something you can do when connected to an Android phone.
- 4y ago

itronitron 4y ago

It's worth noting that not all GPS receivers honor all of the finer points of the GPS protocol/spec. Longer running companies such as Garmin may have a more rigorous implementation and be able to save their customers some headache in the future.

kevin_thibedeau 4y ago
Garmin fucked up with the GPS week rollover just like the rest of them.

krick 4y ago

Are their products usable without web-accounts? I'm thinking about buying a watch. Also, recently I bought Polar HR10 heartrate monitor and was unpleasantly surprised by the fact their Android app is also "signup required", for practical purposes. I mean, it does let you use it offline, but I never found a way to actually export my data (I suppose it should be doable in their web-app, though). And I didn't find any alternative HR-logging app for Android that would allow me to do that, so that I could use the product I bought the way I want. Well, nobody promised me I will be able to, but I still feel kinda robbed.