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Exactly. I put off buying a GPS watch because I wanted to see what Apple was going to offer. Answer: Nothing. I really cannot imagine a more useless product

Exactly. I put off buying a GPS watch because I wanted to see what Apple was going to offer. Answer: Nothing. I really cannot imagine a more useless product than this watch. It requires an iPhone and seems to essentially serve as a small, remote interface for your phone. And how do I navigate that small interface? With an even smaller "digital crown." I hate trying to set the time on my watch, and now they expect me to interact with something more complicated using a tiny, rotating nub? Imagine a typical scenario. You are walking down the street and suddenly need to navigate somewhere. How many minutes are you going to waste playing with that little nub and resizing things on the screen before finally pulling out your phone and just using that. The only argument for this watch is that it might be helpful for those times when pulling out your phone is just too onerous. I regret that I do not have the type of lifestyle where that is a serious limitation.

pilsetnieks 12y ago
I'd wait and see how it actually works - for example, with the navigation scenario, it's far more likely that you'd choose your destination on your phone which will then handoff the navigation to the watch. Thus, no need to constantly look at the phone while you're walking + haptic feedback to guide you along the path.
- bobochan 12y ago
  Siri could be the big savior here. I'm actually very happy with my iPhone's voice recognition and Siri's performance. Another gripe, the "digital crown" is on the opposite side of the watch for me. It could be an impediment of being left handed, but having it on the right hand side of the watch increments the awkward factor for me.
  - pilsetnieks 12y ago
    Yeah, I agree on the leftie thing. They most likely won't make a leftie variant but I do think that they could make it rotatable.
  - smileysteve 12y ago
    It seems like it's reasonable for it to switch orientation with the easily switchable bands. The 'crown' nub would then be on the bottom left of your right arm.
    - bobochan 12y ago
      Doh! Of course you are probably right. Hopefully the display (like an iPhone) can determine its orientation and adjust.
      - tomelders 12y ago
        I'm guessing it takes it's orientation from the strap.
  - porsupah 12y ago
    Apparently, the orientation of the display will be a matter of setup configurability: http://www.slashgear.com/wheres-our-left-handed-apple-watch-09345501/ http://www.slashgear.com/wheres-our-left-handed-apple-watch-... "So, it turns out the Apple Watch really works TWO ways. Apple tells us on initial setup, you can choose to have the watch face orient itself for use on the right wrist, making it friendly to lefties. The watch bands are also swappable, so your band isn't facing the wrong way. Good news for everyone involved, but like most things in life, Lefties will still have to deal with a right-handed design -- the crown will be on the bottom of the left side of the watch when on the right wrist."
  - 72deluxe 12y ago
    Is Siri really good? I only ask because I spent a significant portion of today's commute shouting "OK GOOGLE" repeatedly at my phone, only for it to misunderstand what I was saying. And I speak with a flat English accent.
lhnz 12y ago
Whether this will be useful all rests on the quality and differentiation of the haptic feedback. For example, imagine walking down the street towards your destination and feeling the right side of the watch vibrate to signal that you should turn right. If your watch can communicate contextual information related to your intention and local then it will be superior to (1) wearing a socially inappropriate device like the Google Glass, (2) being called out to by a device, (3) fumbling in your phone in order to then open the correct app. Apps that correctly use haptic feedback should be able to silently and subtly give users superpowers without forcing them to clumsily interact with a product. I actually wrote about the benefits of this back in 2012 [0], though I was talking about phones and notification fatigue back then (and not leveraging Future Interface style stuff.) [0] http://sebinsua.com/your-thigh-as-an-interface-from-your-phone-to-your-mind http://sebinsua.com/your-thigh-as-an-interface-from-your-pho...
- tolmasky 12y ago
  The overriding feeling I had during this keynote is that every feature that I found cool in the watch I would much prefer on my phone. Cool watch app? Wait, actually that would be cooler and more usable on a big screen... Haptic feedback? Agreed, awesome idea, but no reason it can't be on my phone and buzz my leg instead of my wrist.
  - Kurtz79 12y ago
    I think interface wise Cook has the right of it when he says they didn't just strap a reduced iPhone on the wrist. It's clear that they spent a large amount of time and effort with the haptic feedback and the crown. But functionality wise... well I completely agree with you. I can't see anything a smartphone cannot do, better and more efficiently, with the exception of the heart rate sensor. Some functions in particular seem very awkward to me: I cannot see a reasonable way of using it as a phone or an audio player, in public, without bluetooth earphones. With mobile phones, mp3 players and smartphones the value proposition was clear, but what is the killer application for smartwatches ? That said, I would be far from surprised if they sell like hotcakes.
snowwrestler 12y ago
I think the idea is that you would raise the watch to your face and say "Siri, directions to closest Starbucks". The little dial is not the only way to interact with the thing.
LeoPanthera 12y ago
> Imagine a typical scenario. You are walking down the street and suddenly need to navigate somewhere. "Siri, give me walking directions to the nearest Starbucks."
- dockd 12y ago
  Isn't the whole scenario far fetched? Does anyone really wander around and then suddenly have an urgent need to be somewhere (other than a restroom :)? The only thing I can think of that might make me suddenly need to go somewhere is a message/reminder...from my phone.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
humannature 12y ago
"It requires an iPhone and seems to essentially serve as a small, remote interface for your phone." This is basically the same as the Android watches (Samsung Gear Live, Moto 360, etc). All the smart watches have this problem. They are just a subset of your cellphone, but require your cellphone to be w/ you to work. All it does is save you from reaching into your pocket/purse for your phone. But Apple has done a great job with it and might be able to make it succeed.
_red 12y ago
>Imagine a typical scenario. You are walking down the street and suddenly need to navigate somewhere. How many minutes are you going to waste playing with that little nub and resizing things on the screen before finally pulling out your phone and just using that. Reminds me of a joke I heard: A local school board was trying to find ways to increase the efficiency of their schools. A local computer programmer had come to the board meeting with a proposal. He suggested that each desk be equipped with a small button, that via wireless technology would light up a small panel on the teachers desk. That way if a student wanted to ask a question, they could simply press the button which would light up say spot A17 on the panel. Then using a quick lookup sheet the teacher could then see that desk A17 is where John was sitting. The teacher could then look up quickly and say, "John...you have a question?"
- gnarbarian 12y ago
  I like the watch idea personally. Say you're riding your bike and you receive a text message. in order to see what's going on you will probably have to stop and take the phone out of your pocket. with a watch you can simply look at your wrist quickly.
  - enord 12y ago
    Apparently you can record video with your iPhone 6 while on a bike so Apple clearly have different use-cases in mind.
  - Bostwick 12y ago
    As a daily bike commuter around Boston, this idea terrifies me. Multitasking is extremely dangerous while biking. There are already enough bikers out there who choose to distract themselves with earphones and music while biking. Reading a text message while weaving in traffic is a recipe for disaster. When you're on a bike, be on the bike.
    - gnarbarian 12y ago
      I am a daily bike commuter in Anchorage where we have tons of dedicated trails. I can ride all the way to work 7 miles and I only have to cross a couple streets. This would be fine. better than pulling my phone out of my pocket while riding (which is what I do now)
ngd 12y ago
You cannot imagine a more useless product?
a_c_s 12y ago
Zero minutes. Once start walking your route, feedback will be given via haptic feedback to let you know which way to turn so you won't have to look at it again. (Source: the keynote)
soneil 12y ago
I think a lot of what they're aiming at is rethinking a lot of the scenarios where you're trying to directly replicate how you use your phone, on your wrist. So to take your map scenario. Here's how it currently works for me. Take the phone out, pull up maps, figure out where the hell I am, where I'm trying to get to, and then plot a route between the two. Yes, that's going to work a whole lot better on a phone. But what comes next? Following the route from A to B with the phone held flat in front of me like it's some kind of divining rod. And this is where rethinking the actual interaction starts making a difference. Having the phone push cues instead of walking somewhere I'm unfamiliar with my nice expensive divining rod held out ..
Bud 12y ago
How many minutes are you going to waste playing with that little nub Zero minutes and five seconds. The watch has Siri. You say "directions to X". Boom. Done.
robotresearcher 12y ago
> now they expect me to interact with something more complicated using a tiny, rotating nub? Did you ever use a Blackberry? Tiny rotating nubs are really good.

pilsetnieks 12y ago

I'd wait and see how it actually works - for example, with the navigation scenario, it's far more likely that you'd choose your destination on your phone which will then handoff the navigation to the watch. Thus, no need to constantly look at the phone while you're walking + haptic feedback to guide you along the path.

bobochan 12y ago
Siri could be the big savior here. I'm actually very happy with my iPhone's voice recognition and Siri's performance. Another gripe, the "digital crown" is on the opposite side of the watch for me. It could be an impediment of being left handed, but having it on the right hand side of the watch increments the awkward factor for me.
- pilsetnieks 12y ago
  Yeah, I agree on the leftie thing. They most likely won't make a leftie variant but I do think that they could make it rotatable.
- smileysteve 12y ago
  It seems like it's reasonable for it to switch orientation with the easily switchable bands. The 'crown' nub would then be on the bottom left of your right arm.
  - bobochan 12y ago
    Doh! Of course you are probably right. Hopefully the display (like an iPhone) can determine its orientation and adjust.
    - tomelders 12y ago
      I'm guessing it takes it's orientation from the strap.
- porsupah 12y ago
  Apparently, the orientation of the display will be a matter of setup configurability: http://www.slashgear.com/wheres-our-left-handed-apple-watch-09345501/ http://www.slashgear.com/wheres-our-left-handed-apple-watch-... "So, it turns out the Apple Watch really works TWO ways. Apple tells us on initial setup, you can choose to have the watch face orient itself for use on the right wrist, making it friendly to lefties. The watch bands are also swappable, so your band isn't facing the wrong way. Good news for everyone involved, but like most things in life, Lefties will still have to deal with a right-handed design -- the crown will be on the bottom of the left side of the watch when on the right wrist."
- 72deluxe 12y ago
  Is Siri really good? I only ask because I spent a significant portion of today's commute shouting "OK GOOGLE" repeatedly at my phone, only for it to misunderstand what I was saying. And I speak with a flat English accent.

lhnz 12y ago

Whether this will be useful all rests on the quality and differentiation of the haptic feedback. For example, imagine walking down the street towards your destination and feeling the right side of the watch vibrate to signal that you should turn right. If your watch can communicate contextual information related to your intention and local then it will be superior to (1) wearing a socially inappropriate device like the Google Glass, (2) being called out to by a device, (3) fumbling in your phone in order to then open the correct app. Apps that correctly use haptic feedback should be able to silently and subtly give users superpowers without forcing them to clumsily interact with a product. I actually wrote about the benefits of this back in 2012 [0], though I was talking about phones and notification fatigue back then (and not leveraging Future Interface style stuff.) [0] http://sebinsua.com/your-thigh-as-an-interface-from-your-phone-to-your-mind http://sebinsua.com/your-thigh-as-an-interface-from-your-pho...

tolmasky 12y ago
The overriding feeling I had during this keynote is that every feature that I found cool in the watch I would much prefer on my phone. Cool watch app? Wait, actually that would be cooler and more usable on a big screen... Haptic feedback? Agreed, awesome idea, but no reason it can't be on my phone and buzz my leg instead of my wrist.
- Kurtz79 12y ago
  I think interface wise Cook has the right of it when he says they didn't just strap a reduced iPhone on the wrist. It's clear that they spent a large amount of time and effort with the haptic feedback and the crown. But functionality wise... well I completely agree with you. I can't see anything a smartphone cannot do, better and more efficiently, with the exception of the heart rate sensor. Some functions in particular seem very awkward to me: I cannot see a reasonable way of using it as a phone or an audio player, in public, without bluetooth earphones. With mobile phones, mp3 players and smartphones the value proposition was clear, but what is the killer application for smartwatches ? That said, I would be far from surprised if they sell like hotcakes.

snowwrestler 12y ago

I think the idea is that you would raise the watch to your face and say "Siri, directions to closest Starbucks". The little dial is not the only way to interact with the thing.

LeoPanthera 12y ago

> Imagine a typical scenario. You are walking down the street and suddenly need to navigate somewhere. "Siri, give me walking directions to the nearest Starbucks."

dockd 12y ago
Isn't the whole scenario far fetched? Does anyone really wander around and then suddenly have an urgent need to be somewhere (other than a restroom :)? The only thing I can think of that might make me suddenly need to go somewhere is a message/reminder...from my phone.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]

humannature 12y ago

"It requires an iPhone and seems to essentially serve as a small, remote interface for your phone." This is basically the same as the Android watches (Samsung Gear Live, Moto 360, etc). All the smart watches have this problem. They are just a subset of your cellphone, but require your cellphone to be w/ you to work. All it does is save you from reaching into your pocket/purse for your phone. But Apple has done a great job with it and might be able to make it succeed.

_red 12y ago

>Imagine a typical scenario. You are walking down the street and suddenly need to navigate somewhere. How many minutes are you going to waste playing with that little nub and resizing things on the screen before finally pulling out your phone and just using that. Reminds me of a joke I heard: A local school board was trying to find ways to increase the efficiency of their schools. A local computer programmer had come to the board meeting with a proposal. He suggested that each desk be equipped with a small button, that via wireless technology would light up a small panel on the teachers desk. That way if a student wanted to ask a question, they could simply press the button which would light up say spot A17 on the panel. Then using a quick lookup sheet the teacher could then see that desk A17 is where John was sitting. The teacher could then look up quickly and say, "John...you have a question?"

gnarbarian 12y ago
I like the watch idea personally. Say you're riding your bike and you receive a text message. in order to see what's going on you will probably have to stop and take the phone out of your pocket. with a watch you can simply look at your wrist quickly.
- enord 12y ago
  Apparently you can record video with your iPhone 6 while on a bike so Apple clearly have different use-cases in mind.
- Bostwick 12y ago
  As a daily bike commuter around Boston, this idea terrifies me. Multitasking is extremely dangerous while biking. There are already enough bikers out there who choose to distract themselves with earphones and music while biking. Reading a text message while weaving in traffic is a recipe for disaster. When you're on a bike, be on the bike.
  - gnarbarian 12y ago
    I am a daily bike commuter in Anchorage where we have tons of dedicated trails. I can ride all the way to work 7 miles and I only have to cross a couple streets. This would be fine. better than pulling my phone out of my pocket while riding (which is what I do now)

ngd 12y ago

You cannot imagine a more useless product?

a_c_s 12y ago

Zero minutes. Once start walking your route, feedback will be given via haptic feedback to let you know which way to turn so you won't have to look at it again. (Source: the keynote)

soneil 12y ago

I think a lot of what they're aiming at is rethinking a lot of the scenarios where you're trying to directly replicate how you use your phone, on your wrist. So to take your map scenario. Here's how it currently works for me. Take the phone out, pull up maps, figure out where the hell I am, where I'm trying to get to, and then plot a route between the two. Yes, that's going to work a whole lot better on a phone. But what comes next? Following the route from A to B with the phone held flat in front of me like it's some kind of divining rod. And this is where rethinking the actual interaction starts making a difference. Having the phone push cues instead of walking somewhere I'm unfamiliar with my nice expensive divining rod held out ..

Bud 12y ago

How many minutes are you going to waste playing with that little nub Zero minutes and five seconds. The watch has Siri. You say "directions to X". Boom. Done.

robotresearcher 12y ago

> now they expect me to interact with something more complicated using a tiny, rotating nub? Did you ever use a Blackberry? Tiny rotating nubs are really good.