5 ms·

Industrial Designer Explains Methods Shown in Apple Watch Manufacturing Videos

46 points by titanas 12y ago

cloudwalking 12y ago
Here's the primary source: http://atomicdelights.com/blog/a-glimpse-at-how-the-apple-watch-is-made http://atomicdelights.com/blog/a-glimpse-at-how-the-apple-wa... -- absolutely worth a read. Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9195042 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9195042
Animats 12y ago
All that manufacturing precision and it's not fully waterproof. Come on, Apple.
- kaolinite 12y ago
  It isn't a dive watch - the touch screen wouldn't work under water - so regular water resistance is fine (and industry standard). It's safe to be worn in the shower, that's enough for most people. Edit: having looked into it a little more (not very knowledgeable about waterproofing, I dislike dive watches), there's no such thing as a "waterproof" watch, just a watch that is resistant to water at certain levels of water pressure. Information about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Resistant_mark http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Resistant_mark
  - subnaught 12y ago
    Indeed, engineering is about tradeoffs.
  - Animats 12y ago
    No, "industry standard" for sport watches is 50-100 meter depth.[1] All Casio's sport watches can handle that. Rolexes are generally good to 100 meters. Apple's watch can't handle a shower, let alone a bathtub. There are touch screens that work when wet.[2] [1] http://www.casio.com/products/Watches/Sports/ http://www.casio.com/products/Watches/Sports/ [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVPku-xItv8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVPku-xItv8
    - kaolinite 12y ago
      Apple Watch has a water resistance of IPX7, that's the same as a Garmin, for example. It is fine in a shower. There's no point comparing it to other sport watches because unlike the Apple Watch, they can actually be used under water. A smart watch (at least one with a capacitive touch screen) cannot. Why make trade-offs (e.g. making it bulkier, perhaps) when there's no benefit? Addressing your second point, there certainly are touch screens that work whilst wet - however I suspect there will be significant draw-backs, such as responsiveness, colour clarity, etc. Again, I don't have the details but if Apple could make Apple Watch usable underwater without any compromise, I'm sure they would have. However, it would have been interesting if they had released the "Sport" model as a bulkier, water-proof version, leaving the regular Apple Watch as the dress watch. There certainly could be interesting applications for divers, etc. Edit: check out this review of the CAT phone you linked. http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/cat-b15/ http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/cat-b15/ "Very poor screen" and "The screen has been designed to operate when wet, too. You can't use it underwater, but it's fully functional when covered in flecks of water". As subnaught says, it's all about trade-offs.
      - SamReidHughes 12y ago
        You can't use typical sport watch underwater either -- the instructions say not to press any of the buttons.
    - jws 12y ago
      Watch depths on watches are basically lies. Look at the "Water Resistance Classification" table in the linked "Water Resistance Mark" Wikipedia page. 50m means you can barely submerge it. 100m is snorkeling. I learned this the hard way when I got a new 30m watch for a sailing trip and it died the first time I stuck my hand in water. Timex even used to print something like that table in the paper that came with the watch. So I'll upgrade my "lies" characterization to "shameless lies". (That said, I want Apple to do better, and I expect they will in the future. Underperforming on the first products would be a disaster. Better to under promise.)
      - 12y ago
  - Dylan16807 12y ago
    I would interpret "fully" waterproof as meaning that at the rated depth it won't leak, no matter how much you swirl it around and push the buttons, and that you can leave it there all day. Most water-resistant devices do not attempt this. You can put them under water, but if you bump them wrong you can ruin them.
- seanmcdirmid 12y ago
  Reminds me of http://www.theonion.com/articles/testdriving-the-new-smartphones,11308/ http://www.theonion.com/articles/testdriving-the-new-smartph...
- bluthru 12y ago
  Is there a watch with a mic and speaker that's waterproof?
amelius 12y ago
First, Apple bought all of these technologies, including their patents, shutting off the competition from using them. This is of course a sad fact. Second, all this precise machinery to come up with a watch that looks clunky, and nothing compared to a good vintage Swiss watch. It seems they are doing something fundamentally wrong. But despite all of this, the technology itself remains very cool, of course.
- threeseed 12y ago
  Apple acquired all of the technologies used in the production of the Apple Watch ? Call me crazy but I think they have just a little bit of experience at high end industrial design and electronics learnt through the production of the iPod, iPhone and decades of building Macs. Likewise absolutely no talented designers, materials experts or manufacturing gurus would ever be attracted to a company which prides itself on doing cutting edge work at a global scale. But hey I am sure Apple Watch won't sell at all and definitely won't be making money on those Edition versions.
  - sanoli 12y ago
    You're right, the watch is pretty much a miniature iphone. About its sales, that I don't agree much. I'd bet it won't sell much, won't see widespread use like the iphone/ipad. In a venn diagram it would share too much of the 'geek' part of the diagram with the Google Glass. You have to keep taking it off the wrist to charge, etc. Of course, what do I know

46 points by titanas 12y ago

Here's the primary source: http://atomicdelights.com/blog/a-glimpse-at-how-the-apple-watch-is-made http://atomicdelights.com/blog/a-glimpse-at-how-the-apple-wa... -- absolutely worth a read. Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9195042 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9195042

Animats 12y ago

All that manufacturing precision and it's not fully waterproof. Come on, Apple.

kaolinite 12y ago
It isn't a dive watch - the touch screen wouldn't work under water - so regular water resistance is fine (and industry standard). It's safe to be worn in the shower, that's enough for most people. Edit: having looked into it a little more (not very knowledgeable about waterproofing, I dislike dive watches), there's no such thing as a "waterproof" watch, just a watch that is resistant to water at certain levels of water pressure. Information about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Resistant_mark http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Resistant_mark
- subnaught 12y ago
  Indeed, engineering is about tradeoffs.
- Animats 12y ago
  No, "industry standard" for sport watches is 50-100 meter depth.[1] All Casio's sport watches can handle that. Rolexes are generally good to 100 meters. Apple's watch can't handle a shower, let alone a bathtub. There are touch screens that work when wet.[2] [1] http://www.casio.com/products/Watches/Sports/ http://www.casio.com/products/Watches/Sports/ [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVPku-xItv8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVPku-xItv8
  - kaolinite 12y ago
    Apple Watch has a water resistance of IPX7, that's the same as a Garmin, for example. It is fine in a shower. There's no point comparing it to other sport watches because unlike the Apple Watch, they can actually be used under water. A smart watch (at least one with a capacitive touch screen) cannot. Why make trade-offs (e.g. making it bulkier, perhaps) when there's no benefit? Addressing your second point, there certainly are touch screens that work whilst wet - however I suspect there will be significant draw-backs, such as responsiveness, colour clarity, etc. Again, I don't have the details but if Apple could make Apple Watch usable underwater without any compromise, I'm sure they would have. However, it would have been interesting if they had released the "Sport" model as a bulkier, water-proof version, leaving the regular Apple Watch as the dress watch. There certainly could be interesting applications for divers, etc. Edit: check out this review of the CAT phone you linked. http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/cat-b15/ http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/cat-b15/ "Very poor screen" and "The screen has been designed to operate when wet, too. You can't use it underwater, but it's fully functional when covered in flecks of water". As subnaught says, it's all about trade-offs.
    - SamReidHughes 12y ago
      You can't use typical sport watch underwater either -- the instructions say not to press any of the buttons.
  - jws 12y ago
    Watch depths on watches are basically lies. Look at the "Water Resistance Classification" table in the linked "Water Resistance Mark" Wikipedia page. 50m means you can barely submerge it. 100m is snorkeling. I learned this the hard way when I got a new 30m watch for a sailing trip and it died the first time I stuck my hand in water. Timex even used to print something like that table in the paper that came with the watch. So I'll upgrade my "lies" characterization to "shameless lies". (That said, I want Apple to do better, and I expect they will in the future. Underperforming on the first products would be a disaster. Better to under promise.)
    - 12y ago
- Dylan16807 12y ago
  I would interpret "fully" waterproof as meaning that at the rated depth it won't leak, no matter how much you swirl it around and push the buttons, and that you can leave it there all day. Most water-resistant devices do not attempt this. You can put them under water, but if you bump them wrong you can ruin them.
seanmcdirmid 12y ago
Reminds me of http://www.theonion.com/articles/testdriving-the-new-smartphones,11308/ http://www.theonion.com/articles/testdriving-the-new-smartph...
bluthru 12y ago
Is there a watch with a mic and speaker that's waterproof?

amelius 12y ago

First, Apple bought all of these technologies, including their patents, shutting off the competition from using them. This is of course a sad fact. Second, all this precise machinery to come up with a watch that looks clunky, and nothing compared to a good vintage Swiss watch. It seems they are doing something fundamentally wrong. But despite all of this, the technology itself remains very cool, of course.

threeseed 12y ago
Apple acquired all of the technologies used in the production of the Apple Watch ? Call me crazy but I think they have just a little bit of experience at high end industrial design and electronics learnt through the production of the iPod, iPhone and decades of building Macs. Likewise absolutely no talented designers, materials experts or manufacturing gurus would ever be attracted to a company which prides itself on doing cutting edge work at a global scale. But hey I am sure Apple Watch won't sell at all and definitely won't be making money on those Edition versions.
- sanoli 12y ago
  You're right, the watch is pretty much a miniature iphone. About its sales, that I don't agree much. I'd bet it won't sell much, won't see widespread use like the iphone/ipad. In a venn diagram it would share too much of the 'geek' part of the diagram with the Google Glass. You have to keep taking it off the wrist to charge, etc. Of course, what do I know