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Brave Ulysses
BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope.
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
 
2016-04-28, 15:57

Quote:
Originally Posted by kscherer View Post
You know what, you're right. You are as much entitled to your opinion as others are. However, you not liking your watch does not make it a terrible product. It makes it a terrible product for you. It being terrible for you does not make it terrible for others. With different use scenarios the folks I have talked to in person are in love with it, while you are not. I have the same explanation that I have for any product: Works for some, not for others. There is no such ting as "one size fits all". I have met people who could not figure out how to make a phone call on the original iPhone, where it could not get any easier on a device of that complexity. For them, it was a terrible product.



That's a bit of a reach, BU. I don't read Dalrymple. This comes across more as an unfounded accusation than a reasonable response. And yes, Gruber has had some negative things to say, primarily revolving around the inconsistency of the buttons and what they do. He has also raved about it, gone back and forth, etc. However, if someone needs Gruber (or Dalrymple) to tell them whether or not they want/need something, then I might suggest they get off the couch and take a walk down to the local Apple Store, try it out for themselves, and make a decision based on whether or not it works for them. It working (or not) for the likes of Gruber or Dalrymple (or you, for that matter) is of zero consequence to their own, personal experience.
You do realize these aren't special use cases right?

It's not like these products magically transform per user.

The issues i describe with the Apple Watch are real. The reviews from industry pundits are accurate but in some cases the positives (and the negatives) are embellished. i.e.: Dalrymple looking past all of the shortcomings because for whatever reason having the three rings on the watch face has made him feel the necessary motivation to lose a ton of weight. That's great... but THAT is a special case situation that attaches emotion to its evaluation of the product.

The latest round of critiques about buttons and third party apps and sluggishness and UI challenges.... those are all real and unfortunately they are unlikely to change. Apple put two hardware buttons on the watch that no one uses! Even worse.... no one ENJOYS using them. That's really the key with the Apple Watch. Apple Watch is at its best and most satisfying when you don't have to do anything with it. That's not just "for me". That is really what people enjoy about it, even if they don't realize it. There is potential in a device of that nature but Apple tried to have it be far too feature rich on Day 1 instead of doing what it does well.... REALLY WELL.

What does the Apple Watch do well?

1. Notifications (but the interface is really clumsy). They could have focused on Notifications and made them truly intelligent and feature rich but instead they are basically text messages without much intelligence.

2. Health tracking (pedometer, heart rate). They could have focused on this and made it have GPS and/or additional health sensors... this is what keeps people hooked on the device and this is where I see the most potential for future cult allegiance to the Apple Watch. Apple would be very wise to invest heavily in biometric sensors and do as much as they can with this. Those two hardware buttons? They should have been used for function rather than access to different interfaces. Those two buttons absolutely need to perform functions in the Fitness app. I do not see the reality of a touch screen not working in wet conditions (sweat) changing anytime soon.

3. NFC..... Apple Pay works.... but it could work SO MUCH BETTER. It needs to work without a phone. The NFC sensor also needs to be opened up to third parties. Right now they only have access to bluetooth. Huge potential in the Apple Watch becoming your wallet, your boarding passes, and your keys for your life. But Apple did very very little to get there. And these actions should not require interaction with the watch. it should just know the nearby sensor... load the correct app/pass/card/key and work.... this is how Apple pay on the iPhone use to work (maybe still does?).




and a distant 4th.... Siri. If they can get Siri to work fast and without an iPhone... then it becomes much more usable as a personal assistant... but the lack of audible feedback really makes Siri feel weird.... even if its fast it just doesn't feel right and it's not enjoyable to use. And the lag on the Apple Watch makes it so that when you are using it you feel the need to stare at the watch to make sure its working.... and if the screen turns off or if you move your wrist you fear that it will stop working and you will have to start over. There is nothing enjoyable about it. It's not that typical Apple innovation of taking several technologies, putting a sweet UI on it, and making it feel fun to use.... to the point where the technology and its limitations are invisible..... all of the limitations of the technology in the Apple Watch are very visible.

And that's it. Everything else really doesn't matter... photos app, music playing (i sometimes use), remote control for Apple TV, the stupid digital communication app that Apple made, third party news apps and games... it all doesn't matter... Apple should have ignored all of that for the Apple Watch rev 1. I hate invoking the "if Steve was around" thing but I really do feel that the Apple Watch suffered immensely from a lack of laser vision on what really made it a special product. What is the game changer about it? it's not looking at microscopic photo albums and scrolling through news headlines, all of which say you need to switch to your iPhone to continue reading. It's instead the 4 features I listed above.
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