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How to Lose Friends and Alienate People: Apple Watch Edition

10 points by jkestner 11y ago

Thasc 11y ago
I got halfway through reading that, well enough absorbed, and then an invitation to subscribe popped up in the middle of my field of view and nuked my attention. When are those going to stop being popular?
- sneak 11y ago
  They became popular because they are effective. Expect more of that. Get uBlock Origin and default deny third party js requests. Greylist on a per-site basis. The uBlock docs tell you how, though it is somewhat buried. Click the lock after every change to persist settings (this bit me many times).
  - _rpd 11y ago
    > They became popular because they are effective. I believe this, but I'd like to read more about their effectiveness. Is there a particularly good article on the topic?
- wodenokoto 11y ago
  The only thing that stopped the pop-up window was the pop-up blocker. So I am guessing never. Unlike pop-up windows, these thing can, from a browser/adblocker point of view look like basically anything.
sneak 11y ago
I've had mine for about a week and I can confirm: this is pretty true. I am really good now about never pulling out my phone when in face to face presence with people; I can't say that about checking my (never before worn) watch. “the Apple Watch inherently combines two of the rudest things you can do among friends—check your watch and look at your phone—and suggests that you do them incessantly.”
cjoh 11y ago
I just don't buy this "Wearing the Apple Watch makes you a Pretentious Douchebag" argument. I bought it with Google Glass because it was ugly and pointed a camera at someone's face, all the time. But the iPod, the iPhone -- these were also expensive goods that cried out "pretentious consumer" at the time in comparison to alternatives. Many watches cost much more money than the sport/watch editions of the apple watch.
- sneak 11y ago
  It's not so much about the money as it is about switching one rude action (checking your phone) with another (checking your watch).
  - cjoh 11y ago
    Yeah, I'm a pebble wearer and have been for about a 2 years. You get used to it. What's happened is: people got lazy at their notifications on their watch. Then they bought the Apple Watch (or rather, journalists got a review unit), and then they get lots of notifications on their wrist rather than on their phone and they complain about all the notifications. Same thing happens with the Pebble and others I'm sure: you just have to take a minute and set up the notifications right so that your wrist buzzes when it's actually worthy of your immediate attention. When is that? For me it's when one of eight people call me, my wife texts me, or when I get an email from one of three people. Those are the things that make me go "ok, sorry person I am talking to, but this thing has happened and I have to check it out." These things happen maybe once or twice a day. Not once or twice an hour.
- glogla 11y ago
  > Many watches cost much more money than the sport/watch editions of the apple watch. True, but most people can't recognize "nice watch" and "omg look at me I'm rich! watch". Apple Watch is instantly recognizable.
  - seanmcdirmid 11y ago
    > True, but most people can't recognize "nice watch" and "omg look at me I'm rich! watch". Rich people know their own. Expensive watches ($40k and up found at Basel World) are meant as signaling devices to other rich people, not us lowly peons.
weavie 11y ago
> You have reached the limit of 5 free articles a month No Apple Watch needed..
- aninteger 11y ago
  Same. I don't ever read Newsweek. "How to lose readers and alienate people: The broken Newsweek free 5 articles a month edition"
ArekDymalski 11y ago
>it's "like having someone shout your name every 30 seconds, looking up and then having them reply 75 percent of the time with “nevermind.” The best metaphor for the flood of notifications I've ever seen.

10 points by jkestner 11y ago

Thasc 11y ago

I got halfway through reading that, well enough absorbed, and then an invitation to subscribe popped up in the middle of my field of view and nuked my attention. When are those going to stop being popular?

sneak 11y ago
They became popular because they are effective. Expect more of that. Get uBlock Origin and default deny third party js requests. Greylist on a per-site basis. The uBlock docs tell you how, though it is somewhat buried. Click the lock after every change to persist settings (this bit me many times).
- _rpd 11y ago
  > They became popular because they are effective. I believe this, but I'd like to read more about their effectiveness. Is there a particularly good article on the topic?
wodenokoto 11y ago
The only thing that stopped the pop-up window was the pop-up blocker. So I am guessing never. Unlike pop-up windows, these thing can, from a browser/adblocker point of view look like basically anything.

sneak 11y ago

I've had mine for about a week and I can confirm: this is pretty true. I am really good now about never pulling out my phone when in face to face presence with people; I can't say that about checking my (never before worn) watch. “the Apple Watch inherently combines two of the rudest things you can do among friends—check your watch and look at your phone—and suggests that you do them incessantly.”

cjoh 11y ago

I just don't buy this "Wearing the Apple Watch makes you a Pretentious Douchebag" argument. I bought it with Google Glass because it was ugly and pointed a camera at someone's face, all the time. But the iPod, the iPhone -- these were also expensive goods that cried out "pretentious consumer" at the time in comparison to alternatives. Many watches cost much more money than the sport/watch editions of the apple watch.

sneak 11y ago
It's not so much about the money as it is about switching one rude action (checking your phone) with another (checking your watch).
- cjoh 11y ago
  Yeah, I'm a pebble wearer and have been for about a 2 years. You get used to it. What's happened is: people got lazy at their notifications on their watch. Then they bought the Apple Watch (or rather, journalists got a review unit), and then they get lots of notifications on their wrist rather than on their phone and they complain about all the notifications. Same thing happens with the Pebble and others I'm sure: you just have to take a minute and set up the notifications right so that your wrist buzzes when it's actually worthy of your immediate attention. When is that? For me it's when one of eight people call me, my wife texts me, or when I get an email from one of three people. Those are the things that make me go "ok, sorry person I am talking to, but this thing has happened and I have to check it out." These things happen maybe once or twice a day. Not once or twice an hour.
glogla 11y ago
> Many watches cost much more money than the sport/watch editions of the apple watch. True, but most people can't recognize "nice watch" and "omg look at me I'm rich! watch". Apple Watch is instantly recognizable.
- seanmcdirmid 11y ago
  > True, but most people can't recognize "nice watch" and "omg look at me I'm rich! watch". Rich people know their own. Expensive watches ($40k and up found at Basel World) are meant as signaling devices to other rich people, not us lowly peons.

weavie 11y ago

> You have reached the limit of 5 free articles a month No Apple Watch needed..

aninteger 11y ago
Same. I don't ever read Newsweek. "How to lose readers and alienate people: The broken Newsweek free 5 articles a month edition"

ArekDymalski 11y ago

>it's "like having someone shout your name every 30 seconds, looking up and then having them reply 75 percent of the time with “nevermind.” The best metaphor for the flood of notifications I've ever seen.