Been thinking of this idea when watches could be a phone back in 2010, looking at the new iwatch and with the series 5 coming out with the app store on it now, would you ever consider ditching the mobile phone and deciding to use the iwatch or similar device as your daily driver? One thing I always never like to carry my phone in my pocket etc.
While I have been very interested in the prospect of a Apple Watch replacing my iPhone, it seems we are still a few generations away from that actually becoming a reality.
First, as far as I know the telco’s are yet to catch up, and it seems the current Apple Watch cellular plans are piggy-backing off the phone’s main plan to function (it is just an add-on at extra cost & a plan exclusive to the Apple Watch is yet to come).
Second, I think the technology still has a few years to become viable. The biggest issue being battery life, it seems the Apple Watch currently requires a charge every day, and if you added to it’s use all your phone duties, the current model’s battery would probably last half-a-day or less. Another issue being signal strength and reception (I have heard reports of Apple Watch’s cellular reception being sub-par and more of a novelty).
Hopefully with the progress of technology, in a few years we will be seeing a purpose-built smart-phone-watch which is reliably capable of performing as a phone (at least a few days battery-life + excellent cellular reception).
Improvements in other features will probably develop in future generations (camera etc).
At this stage the price of the Apple-watch will probably be similar to the iPhone, and there will be a genuine question as to whether it is worth getting an iPhone at all. And the next few years after will probably see a steady decline in iPhone sales (in a similar way to how smart-phones have affected the digital-camera market).
Yeah finding that I'm using less and less with my mobile, even on a trip, my Wife just take all the photos on her phone so really not a huge factor to have a camera on it and I do wear my Fitbit, quiet a lot but the idea getting an expensive Fitbit or Garmin isn't appealing any more.
Been watching a few videos on youtube but there all Americans but I found them interesting how they used it as their daily driver. I use my Macbook 12 a lot and still have my ipad but really think the mobile phone is something I could ditch in a few years time.
I really look forward in the next 3 to 5 years, the folding phones like the ones that Samsung and Huawei are trying to master, the actual phone or a watch phone will decide where we go and if there a choice I would be wearing my phone watch.
idea getting an expensive Fitbit or Garmin isn't appealing any more.
I agree. It seems the ‘newer’ models of fitness-watches are slow with innovations or progress. If anything I would expect better battery-life but it seems the newly-released models of fitness-watches are always very similar to the last model (maybe thinner and slightly lighter / more durable).
But with prices of the top model fitness-watches getting close to Apple Watch etc. I think if the Apple Watch could match the battery-life of a fitness-watch, and still have all that extra functionality it would be a easy-decision to get the Apple Watch.
Folding-phones IMO are a gimmick, and the only reason they have sort-of made it to market is just one company trying to out-pace the other by bringing it out first. Another example of this (which has sadly taken off) is wireless-charging, with the glass back adding quite dramatically to the Phones weight, and also making it more fragile.
Wireless-charging is still in its infancy IMO and there is too much energy lost in heat (slow to charge and lacking in efficiency).
I’m sure some currently use the wireless-charging feature, but IMO it needs to perform much better for the compromises in weight & fragility.
Skip the wireless-charging / folding-phone I say, and give us a lighter phone with better battery-life.
Edit: regarding Americans using Apple Watch as ‘daily driver’ I am sure there are compromises being made (with these compromises being a positive or negative thing).
First, as far as I know the telco’s are yet to catch up
What has the watch design got to do with the telcos?
You are right, it is the watches fault that it has trouble replacing a phone.
On the telco’s side it should be quite easy to implement a standalone plan for the watch.
I just wanted to point out that the Apple Watch is still yet to be bundled on its own with a phone-plan, like telco’s do with smart-phones.
When I go out to say the gym, or taking the dog for a walk, I tend to leave my mobile at home and just take my Galaxy Watch with me. Could it replace my phone entirely? No, I'm not going to try reading webpages on my watch. But in my scenarios the watch does what I need it to, make calls, do messages, stream music via bluetooth to my headphones, and also NFC payments if I need it.
The technology is getting there, but I don't think a watch will replace a larger screen device. Well unless it's like some futuristic movies/TV shows, where they have holo screen projectors and can read finger movement to imitate screen touch.
Yes, this exactly.
The older "featurephones" and "smartphones" were replaced by modern "superphones". These are still the best way to use your phone for now, and for the foreseeable future.
And the only thing that I could think of that will replace these current "superphones" is either folding tablets or as you described "superwatches". You would wear two bracelets on each wrist, and see content in a 3D Hologram. And you could manipulate the object using your palm/fingers from both hands. But that really is some futuristic tech. And to go even further beyond, we're talking about "superglasses" or "superlenses", or maybe just plugging our brains directly to the Internet like The Matrix as the human race evolves into fat blobs that you see on Wall-E.
I see the projected-screen being available in glasses (I think Microsoft is currently developing this), and tooth / ear implants for communications (military specifications trickling down to the public like with GPS).
With the glasses marketed as smart-glasses, with auto-tinting / auto-polarising and auto ‘privacy’ (sunglasses) mode when watching content / communicating through phone & messages etc.
Cellular absolutely DESTROYS my Apple Watch battery life. If I forget to bring my phone I lose about 20% an hour. I am in a very poor reception area though, so I think the watch is pretty much constantly searching for a signal at full power.
If the battery was the same for cellular vs Bluetooth I could definitely leave my phone at home. You’d have to be comfortable dictating messages though!
Cellular absolutely DESTROYS my Apple Watch battery life.
Thanks for sharing that. It is quite interesting since the reception is quite weak to begin with (I have heard in difficult places for cell towers, like close to the ocean the watch is just constantly dropping signal).
So my estimate is my original comment was too optimistic, 20% an hour is more like less than 4 hours battery-life (including other use).
Regarding dictating messages, it could be seen as a positive, as you would make the messages concise and straight to the point, then get on with whatever you were currently doing.
Except I always forget to say “full stop” or “question mark”… :(
My wife can usually work out what I mean though!
And I guess the ‘youth’ of today will have trouble with dictating multiple emoji’s.
@coxjon: I’m guessing the ‘sketch’ to write feature will register a smiley face etc? I imagine drawing a turd is much more difficult.
I did the opposite sold my Apple Watch 4 and just using phone.
If Spotify updated their watch app to support downloading songs and if I could use it on a prepaid service; then I'd be down for it.
Right now… If I wanted to use a 4G Apple Watch w/ my iPhone; I'd need to be on a plan, which I'm not keen on.