Apple Watch
 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/..._campaign=news

After months of rumors and dozens of fan-created images of what an Apple watch might look like, the tech giant will show us what it's been working on today, when it's expected to unveil a new smartwatch at a splashy event in Cupertino, Calif.

We'll be updating this post with news from Apple today, including tweets from NPR's Laura Sydell, who's at the event at the Flint Center.

That's ****ing ugly.

Looks like its made from play doh.

All the jr high girls will have one by Christmas.

Oh, I thought this was gonna be about a new iPad or something... It's literally a watch. Looks kinda cool.

How long until the thing works with your iPhone to accept phone calls and texts?

Edit: never mind. Reading be fundamental and shit. Lmao

Wow, Apple continues to underwhelm.

So basically we have a slightly bigger iPhone and a much bigger iPhone both of which have NFC payments... something Android has had for 3+ years now. Nothing at all exciting here.

Next we have the Apple Watch which doesn't really do anything different than the other wearables out there. The expectation was that Apple would finally make a wearable that LOOKED GOOD. I'll admit that it isn't terrible looking but it's a DISTANT second to the Motorola 360... which costs $100 less.

I do like the increased scratch resistance of the Apple watch but with sapphire glass you better not drop it because anything over a 3 foot drop and you are looking at a shattered face. (unless they did some crazy magic to change that aspect of sapphire glass)


btw.. here is the Moto 360

http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn....tch-580-90.jpg

I've had my eye on the Moto 360 for a while now - it's a damn classy looking watch. I agree that the Apple watch isn't anything special, but I think it looks nicer than the square watches that Samsung and LG have put out so far. Combine that with the fact that there's no cross compatibility, and I bet that the Apple Watch will sell reasonably well.

Of course, I haven't convinced myself that $250 for a watch is worth it in general let alone $350. It'll be interesting to see how many people are willing to drop that kind of dough on a watch.

Jr high girls are blotting themselves over this shit right now.

The compatibility issue is the only thing that should save Apple on this one. I doubt anyone is going to switch platforms over a watch.

The real issue is that Apple seems to be content to play catch up these days. When was the last time they did anything remotely innovative? I like to piss on the Apple fanboys out there but Apple failing this hard isn't good for anyone. I hope they get their shit together.

Except they claim the watch isn't coming out until after Christmas...

Too lazy to start a new thread for this... has anyone seen the new Intel MICA? Smartwatch? Bracelet?

http://liliputing.com/wp-content/upl...intel-mica.jpg

Other than this confusing thing, Intel has been knocking it out of the park lately. Their push into wireless everything is interesting as hell. The plan is to replace all wires. Wireless charging, display, etc...

wtf. Is that geared towards women then?

So this "watch" is basically an iPhone, minus the phone, that can strap to your wrist.
Do not want.

Yeah, I'd agree with that. I still am not so combative as to say that Apple isn't an attractive option for people anymore, but I can't think of anything they've done in the last year or two at all that hasn't been basically just adding features that other phones have had already.

Who knew Jobs meant that much to Apple. :)

I think it's only attractive to people who like iOS.

I really can't think of any other reason to get one.

Apple is like Beats (no wonder they bought them). Both companies charge a ridiculous amount of money for products that are inferior to other products that are cheaper but may not be as "beautiful."

Thus concludes Kyle's annual meh reaction to Apple's new lineup.

I would be interested in the iwatch if it would replace the iphone. If it had a phone and could send and receive texts and do light web tasks. Then I would be first in line. I don't enjoy doing many other tasks on a little phone screen... or even having to carry a phone around at all.

To me, wearable tech needs to constitute an improvement over something I already have. I don't want an additional device I need to carry around. I want something that replaces what I have without losing any function I consider essential.

I don't think we are all going to feel we "need" smartphones that much longer. We are surrounded by wifi or nearby computer terminals at work or schools most of the time. We can get to computers in minutes or seconds if we need to do a heavier computing task. Voice rec and some time to mature will have wearables to the point where we don't feel like we need 4 different kinds of devices around.

I was following this presentation on snapchat. Believe me, the Jr. High, Sr. High crowd is acting like a watch of any kind of never existed before. To their age group, it probably didn't.

If you're an Apple guy, I'd be interested to hear why you'd be excited about today's announcements. I'm not antagonizing here. I'm sincerely interested. I tend to agree with Kyle's take. I'm not an Apple "fan", but not a hater either. We have plenty of diversity in my household when it comes to tech products, including 3 iPhones and 2 iPads.

My 15 year old will be all over the new iPhone, but fortunately doesn't seem to care about an iWatch.

At this point when I watch an Apple keynote I just see Courtney Love...

That's what Apple understands that so many techies don't get (and it drives their little logical/mathematical brains nuts). Actual quality of product and such is secondary to narrative for a huge portion of today's consumer market.

Watches!
Bigger screens!
NFC payments!

iPhone 6 plus. Yes please!

Hah. That reminds me of this video that hit youtube recently where someone took Courtney Love's voice and guitar playing and isolated it, dropping the rest of the band. It's pretty hilarious.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/v-xUwDARVb4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Full story here, with accompanying video contrasting what the song sounds like for the audience:
http://www.stereogum.com/1704026/iso...playing/video/

Holy hell, I could play better guitar than that and the extent of my training begins and ends with Guitar Hero. And let's not even discuss her "singing".

Since smartphones screens have grown to become the size of a small tablet, I suppose we can expect the watch screen to grow to become the size of a small smartphone.

Meh. I guess I just don't get it. I like my phone, but there's a lot of stuff I just don't like doing on it because the screen is too small. I can't imagine why I would want something even smaller.

Yes, nothing exciting but they will sell a metric **** ton of the iPhone 6s as the Iphone 4 holdouts roll into new devices.

I think they came way to high on the price point for the watch. It will be interesting to see the adoption of it.

Good ****ing grief. That sounds like my grandma after her 11th cigarette of the day....

It is so innovative!

My guess is that their margins on that watch are lower than just about any other product they make. It's just expensive as hell to design anything with any amount of power that small.

I think it's going to be more a question of the category's value as a whole rather than whether Apple's version is worth it.

I agree. I like the concept and briefly looked at the Samsung Gear, but then I looked at the price tag and determined the novelty wasn't worth it.

*sigh*

Yup. Every day starts with a turd that was yesterday's best meal...

The MOTO 360 is the best "deal" right now and also the best looking but $250 is still a bit high. Of course at that price it sold out within 3 hours of launch so who knows.

So...Apple shows up with an overpriced product that does nothing new and pretends that they've created a breakthrough. I am now patiently awaiting the Apple buggy whip for my iHorse drawn carriage.

So... no different than the last few years.

There will still be mile long lines with people waiting for 3 ****ing days to buy one.

Didn't even have to open the thread to know what his reaction would be. It's not groundbreaking, but it's not terrible. Either way, he'd be shitting all over it.

I said almost the same thing you just said. So I guess you are shitting all over it too?

It's not terrible, it's just another in a long line of failures to innovate from Apple the last few years. While that was enjoyable to me at one time it is now a genuine concern. I will however continue to shit all over you fanboys.

I'm not rating this from a Android vs Apple tech standpoint. I'm just ready to get a new, larger phone with a better processor, 2x the storage, and cool new biometric features from the coprocessor.

It's definitely an improvement from the last iteration. It's just lagging about a year or so behind the competition in tech terms. I just expected at least ONE truly innovative feature from Apple so that other companies can steal it. Having one less innovator in the marketplace is bad for everyone.

You'd be surprised. It isn't hard to drop that kind of cash on accessories. I mean there's no way I am going to do it, but it isn't hard.

I agree. Initially I started with Apple after I dumped crackberry because all the android based systems were so all over the place with quality and feel, and nothing (at the time) could compete with battery life. Then when I switched, I was GODDAMNED busy and didn't want to switch.

It's a far different environment now a days. If I were switching today, it would likely be an android device.

Disagree. I'm virtually never around wifi.

Pretty early to be making too many declarations about the watch. No word on battery life, no explanation of how tethered it is to a phone and no word on price beyond "starts at $350".

What I saw from their demo was pretty slick though and you can expect that developers will prefer to develop for the Apple watch over the Android stuff because there will be a bigger potential market.

Should be interesting to see what happens in the spring.

Where is Apple claiming to be an innovator?

I guess I don't understand smart watches..

why the **** do you need one of those when you have a smart phone?

So it's not as obvious to cops when you text while driving.

Bring snacks. The line is going to be really long.

LOL WUT?

I develop for both and it's not even close. Moto360 works with 80% of the world's smartphones, Apple Watch works with less than 15%.

Although the Apple crowd has more disposable income so in that regard you have a higher % of potential buyers. You may see a spike based on Apple's marketing machine which blows everyone else away. But if people decide smart watches are a must have item, all Apple is doing is paving the way for Android devices to yet again take over. The main issue is that right now smart watches (of any flavor) aren't particularly compelling devices.

Speaking of paving the way. Apple's adoption of NFC (finally) has many predicting a huge boon for Google Wallet. When Android people see the Apple marketing of NFC they will want it. At which point Google, Samsung and others will wake up and point out to them that they already have it and have had it for years.

No. The problem is that when you never give them any credit, it's difficult to take anything you say as a legitimate criticism. If everything they do doesn't measure up to X company's product, then it's a failure for you.

Noting that you're an Apple hater does not make me a fanboy. If I were a fanboy, I'd be buying this watch sight unseen.

However, I would point out that we haven't really seen what software capabilities it has, and that's something we need to see before we can really judge it substantively. If its "health" features aren't any better than my $80 Withings pulse, then it's worthless to me. Most people already have their phones out most places they go, so any time I could look at a watch to tell me something, I'll probably already be looking at my phone, rendering that part useless. That's a problem I have with ALL of these watches. They need to do something innovative, and so far, none really do.

Cuz you can strap it on your wrist.

I agree. Nothing too compelling about any of them.

The NFC thing is hilarious. Our retail store's POS company that we use sent out an email after the keynote talking about what NFC means for us as customers of theirs now that Apple has it.

The whole NFC thing has largely flown under the radar until Apple does it. I realize that they don't have market share. That they make devices that are far behind the curve. That they don't innovate. Yet... when they do something.. it becomes the market standard and pushes the mainstream there.

I think that's really the reason that the apple haters hate them. Apple bashers are the hipsters of the computer world.

I'm sure they'll be just as meticulous in their iPay security as they are with the security of photos.

I personally like my Gear Fit a lot. I'm constantly complimented by it and it provides several useful functions.

iWatch might be something I will look into, but only after the 3rd or 4th generation. No way I am getting one the first generation.

will it be as awesome as my iPad, when after being prompted to install an update (yet again), the ****ing thing just went immediately into something where the screen just sits there with an iPod logo and a power cord icon.

awesome.

****in' apple.

LEAVE APPLE ALONE!

LMAO......

http://www.theonion.com/articles/fea...c=productivity

Tim Cook announced Tuesday the release of Apple’s long-rumored watch, the latest in wearable technology. Here are some features of the new device:

• 13-megapixel camera enables users to take crystal-clear pictures of wrist
• Allows wearers to start and stop the flow of time
• Discreet, but not so discreet that anyone would mistake it for a regular watch
• Comes in a variety of colors and styles to express your personal submission to the planet’s dominant tech company
• Adjustable ticking volume
• All the convenience of a traditional watch that needs to be charged every 12 hours
• Built-in thinkpiece regarding the increased connectivity yet simultaneous isolation of the millennial generation
• Small size and intricate circuitry able to drive twice as many Chinese workers to suicide as iPhone
• Makes it easier for muggers to see whether or not you’re carrying an expensive electronic device
• Another screen to throw into your current rotation of things you look at

Completely true on NFC. Two big reasons for this. #1 Android doesn't have a single company behind it that is motivated to drive adoption. Closest you have is Samsung and they are all over the map and pretty much suck at marketing. #2 Apple kicks everyone else's ass (not just in tech but pretty much any industry) in marketing... so much so they have created a cult like following. I'm happy as hell that Apple finally will help drive NFC.

btw.. Apple fan bois are the hipsters of the actual world. Striving so much to be individuals by all doing the same shit. :D

Real hipsters of the real world aren't apple fan boys. The real hipster movement is to push away from tech and limit its importance in our lives to appropriate domains. Believe me, I deal with teenage apple fans on the daily, and they aren't hipsters.

We have vastly different hipsters here in Austin then. Austin is easily one of the hipsterist cities out there and they (for the most part) are Apple people. I don't know ANY hipsters without a phone at all... we call those people hippies...

Your tractor doesn't have wifi?!

Looking at the video of the hands-on demo, the interface looks like a MESS. I like the swiping between regularly used apps. The map thing is cool. But trying to pick out a single app from the hundred that she had on the screen looked like a nightmare.

I can't imagine the Moto360 is any better, I just can't get my head around how these would work and be truly useful.

Me either. But then, they don't pay me millions of dollars a year to figure out what people need that they don't know they need yet.

I'm not saying that they don't have apple devices. I'm saying that most hipsters around here aren't fanboys of any device because they don't really give a shit about it. Here more and more "hip" people have kind of a "meh" attitude to their tech. It's a necessary part of their lives, but it's not something to agonize or be enthused over.

I hang out with a pretty artsy crowd on occasion due to my wife's business, and I notice fewer and fewer people on their mobile devices while hanging out in a bar. It doesn't seem to be "cool" to constantly be looking at your phone. Now the sorority girls and that whole crowd... they're still glued to their devices and taking selfies nonstop. Not so much with the indie/hipster crowd.

Negatory. You can pay $35/month for a dataplan into the tractor, but all it does is talk to the dealer (and probably mother Deere) and to other machines in the field if they also have a $35/month dataplan. Oh and there's probably a pretty hefty charge for subscription on top of the dataplan.

None of which creates a wifi network.

Makes me wonder why CarPlay and some of those other integration features between BMWs and iOS they showed off yesterday aren't going into John Deere too.

Welcome to 2013, Apple. Nicely done.

Yeah, your "hipsters" don't sound like hipsters at all. At least not the kind Austin is overrun with. Many people consider Austin the hipster capital and I can tell you the average hipster here is a massive Apple fanboy. The two things go hand in hand. I WISH we had your hipsters, they sound far less douchey.

If I had to guess it is because Deere is a bitch. It's damn near impossible to run a Raven, insight, precision planting etc controller. I'd imagine deere tried to be the big swinging dick and apple said "LOL whatevs. I'm out."

WTF is NFC?

Near Field Communication

A very short distance data transfer.

You can share music, pictures, etc by simply touching 2 phones together.

This work for payment, also. Although, I've never used it for this.

When are they going to make a portable vacuum called iSuck?

Ahhh. thanks

That's called a Dyson.

So, I've been thinking about how a smartwatch could jump from novelty to a device I really want... NFC. If Apple Pay/Google Wallet can push NFC to the forefront and we have NFC payments everywhere, NFC turnstiles for the subway, NFC loyalty card scanning, NFC self service lanes for ticketless entry to concerts, etc etc then I am on board with a watch that let's me leave my phone in my pocket. I know that sounds a bit ridiculous but I can definitely see how scanning the chip in my watch would be far easier than pulling out a phone for the process.

$300 just to save like 2 seconds?

$200 and have it be something stylish(not even the Moto360 is good enough in that regard yet, but they'll get there) and yes I think it'd be an excusable purchase. Not a "must have" by any means but not a complete joke either. The real key will be the build quality and style of it.