The 9/9/2014 Apple Launch Event Thread

[s44]

The problem I have with Google Hangout on iOS is the Google+ requirement. Mandatory Google+ sign up in order to use Hangout app is a deal killer for me. I know that's not a problem for most people but I'm weird that way.

You should try the newly revised (also yesterday!) iOS app and see if this is still the case. Looking at the online help pages it doesn't seem to be. Plus the new Android Hangouts eliminated a few more G+ requirements... basic chat hasn't required it for ages.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Whoever was just complaining about GoogleVoice's app for iphone being outdated, they just updated it today with ios7 styling.

 

[Kaido]

I got rid of my Note II and 3, just too big for my tastes.
To not have to carry around, sure it's nice...

The 4.7" size is nice but it should have been 1920x1080. That's the standard. 2560x1440 is the flagship resolution for the bigger devices. Is it a sham? Sure it is but 1080P in a flagship phone is so 2013...

And no IR blaster? What about mSD slot? On the 5.5 they should have both.

I don't know it seems AAPL is really falling behind the competition. Even sub 1k ultrabooks have 3200x1800 displays besting the retina displays.

The watch is neat but if it's locked down (no jailbreak) that would be disappointing. I can think of a lot of things that it could be used for. Battery life isn't going to be great though. For a gen1 product it looks well executed.

The 5.5 looks frail given its thickness. Lots of people gonna be surprised (and mad) after getting up with it in their back pockets!

Yeah, I'm kinda surprised Toshiba beat them out the door with a 4K laptop. Plus no Sapphire glass on the new iPhone, either. I asked this question a year ago - "Is Apple stagnant?":

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2320029

I am a huge Apple fan, but since Jobs died, it's been pretty mellow. Part of that is product line saturation - a lot of it is going to be refinements, not new products or huge product upgrades. But some of it they've just totally dropped the ball on, like the AppleTV - that thing first came out in 2007 & has basically remained unchanged since then. The tech blogs get super excited when they add a new channel, but a Roku has a million channels available, the FireTV has voice search, Android TV's have games, etc.

I mean, why no games on the AppleTV? Why no support for third-party channels? I'm guessing that part of the reason is that Apple is a control freak & likes to run the ecosystem, and most TV networks & producers said no way to their terms, unlike the music industry.

And it's not that I've been unhappy with my Apple products...I love my iPhone & don't have much desire to go to Android because I like the interface. My Hackintosh has been working awesome for years now (granted, not an Apple product, but I can do all of my own maintenance & upgrade work on it, and it runs the OS X operating system software). The biggest thing I want is a twice-as-thick iPhone so that (1) I can grip it better, and (2) the battery would truly last all day that way :biggrin:

 

[Aikouka]

My primary office is a cellular black hole. I get zero reception so SMS and calls to my phone are almost always delayed. Going back to iOS gives me at least integrated iMessage so I can still text my wife and a couple friends easily over wifi. And with built in wifi calling I might actually be able to make phone calls too

Keep in mind that Wi-Fi calling requires carrier support. During the keynote, Apple mentioned that only a few UK carriers. From a Google search, I found that T-Mobile has stated that they will support Wi-Fi calling, but as for the other carriers, I found this in a CNET article:

Verizon Wireless said it had no plans for Wi-Fi calling, insisting that its cellular coverage was sufficient. AT&T said it plans to offer the feature, but gave no time line. Sprint couldn't be reached for comment on its plans.

That's actually pretty disappointing on Verizon's part. I have signal throughout my apartment, but it goes from 3 dots to 1 dot. The prior is fine, but I am not keen on making calls with 1 dot. Although, according to this article, Verizon has VoLTE (Voice over LTE) coming very soon.

The 4.7" size is nice but it should have been 1920x1080. That's the standard. 2560x1440 is the flagship resolution for the bigger devices. Is it a sham? Sure it is but 1080P in a flagship phone is so 2013...

Suggesting form over function! What happened to Rubycon!? D:

 

[vi edit]

Keep in mind that Wi-Fi calling requires carrier support. During the keynote, Apple mentioned that only a few UK carriers. From a Google search, I found that T-Mobile has stated that they will support Wi-Fi calling, but as for the other carriers, I found this in a CNET article:

Ah damn. So it's not a skype like VOIP? Here I was thinking it would be basically a voice only function of Facetime.

 

[s44]

From a Google search, I found that T-Mobile has stated that they will support Wi-Fi calling

T-Mobile has *always* supported wifi calling. This just brings it to a second platform from Android. (Actually, maybe WP has it too.)

With Google bringing free VOIP for all online yesterday, is it even as pressing now?

 

[zerocool84]

Looks like we got confirmation that the Apple Watch will have to be charged on a daily basis. I don't know why anyone thought differently, with current technology, it's not possible to go that long without charging.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/11/6134813/apple-watch-battery-life

 

[Aikouka]

Ah damn. So it's not a skype like VOIP? Here I was thinking it would be basically a voice only function of Facetime.

I would assume that it's sort of like Skype VOIP, but I think the difference is where the signal gets integrated into the phone network. With a Skype call, I assume that Skype is integrating the IP-based data into the phone network, but with a mobile Wi-Fi call, the data has to go to your carrier who interjects it into their network under your number.

 

[ponyo]

You should try the newly revised (also yesterday!) iOS app and see if this is still the case. Looking at the online help pages it doesn't seem to be. Plus the new Android Hangouts eliminated a few more G+ requirements... basic chat hasn't required it for ages.

YES!! I just checked. Hangout on iOS no longer requires Google+ account! I was able to call my wife and it displayed my Google Voice number. Sweet! Now I'm going to setup my daughter with Google Voice number so she can make unlimited voice calls using Hangout app. That's going to be extremely helpful for her as she's on H2O Wireless prepaid plan where she's charged for calls by the minute and for every text. She just got free unlimited talk and text plan on WiFi thanks to Google Hangout!

Today is a good day for iOS users. Both Google Hangout and Google Voice apps were updated. I'm happy.

 

[sgrinavi]

Just gave the purchasing girl at the office my order for a 5.5/64/black. She said our rep will take our order at 7:00 am tomorrow.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Looks like we got confirmation that the Apple Watch will have to be charged on a daily basis. I don't know why anyone thought differently, with current technology, it's not possible to go that long without charging.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/11/6134813/apple-watch-battery-life

Not too surprised. I don't think Android Wear is inherently inefficient in battery, although there can be SOME tweaks to make it better, so right now its really 1 day and maybe if we put in some heavy tweaks, you can get close to 2. For those expecting a week, you were dreaming. Didn't people think the Moto 360 was gonna last a week too?

So here are my 2 cents for minimizing battery drain:

• OLED which Apple will be using. This would be a huge upgrade over the 360 and G Watch's LCD screens. It makes always on more battery friendly.
• PER-APP notification customization. With Google pushing Hangouts, its a bit annoying that my watch buzzes for EVERY Hangouts message. There should be a way to customize notifications at different levels: 1) Show up on watch, 2) Show up on watch + vibrate, 3) Show up on watch + screen flash on.
  
  Some of this probably lies with the fact that Android made vibrate mode global at some point meaning that in-app vibrate settings no longer matter (exception: WhatsApp because they use the improper API, and SMS because SMS are special). So yeah, every Gmail, every Hangouts is going to nag my watch. Unfortunately, this is going to be a big drainer I'm guessing. Just having the watch mirror notifications is a better way to save battery. The idea is I should customize my Watch to only buzz me for important events: Work email, SMS, calls, but other junk like my personal Gmail, Hangouts, WhatsApp, those things don't need to constantly demand my attention. The current choice of either not alerting me at all and not showing up on my watch is not acceptable IMO.
  
  In fact there's an article here that discusses how to optimize Gmail notifications to not just vibrate all time on your watch. The downside with this workaround is that you disable the Gmail ringtone so your phone will never ring for Gmail (it can still vibrate). Band aid? Yes. Not a true solution though.
• With that said, that's probably the biggest drain I can think of. Are there other tweaks and more settings one could put in to make a watch last longer? Probably, but expecting a week compared to a day is still absurd.

 

[lopri]

Yeah I never use iTunes anymore either. Well except for the iTunes app on the phone..

Don't you still need iTunes on PC to watch movies and TV shows you've purchased on iPhones/iPads?

 

[Mopetar]

Looks like we got confirmation that the Apple Watch will have to be charged on a daily basis. I don't know why anyone thought differently, with current technology, it's not possible to go that long without charging.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/11/6134813/apple-watch-battery-life

That was probably a given, but the important question is whether or not it will be able to make it to the end of the day. If it's almost dead by the middle of the afternoon that's an even bigger problem.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

That was probably a given, but the important question is whether or not it will be able to make it to the end of the day. If it's almost dead by the middle of the afternoon that's an even bigger problem.

I highly doubt a product that doesn't make it til the end of the day would be launched. They wouldn't allow something that goes half day only.

 

[Red Storm]

I highly doubt a product that doesn't make it til the end of the day would be launched. They wouldn't allow something that goes half day only.

The problem I foresee is that by including a lot of unnecessary things in their watch, people are going to be spending so much time fiddling with it that they'll drain the battery quickly.

Smartwatches aren't meant to be excessively fiddled with, otherwise you should just use your phone. Their main purpose should be to decrease our time spent staring at screens. Android Wear does a good job of that.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

The problem I foresee is that by including a lot of unnecessary things in their watch, people are going to be spending so much time fiddling with it that they'll drain the battery quickly.

Smartwatches aren't meant to be excessively fiddled with, otherwise you should just use your phone. Their main purpose should be to decrease our time spent staring at screens. Android Wear does a good job of that.

But that's then a user issue. If you want to spend all day on your phone like you do your computer, it'll die by lunchtime.

The Apple Watch will work fine doing the same things as Android Wear minus Google Now. It should be able to mirror notifications just fine and allow you to quickly reply. I don't see why we should limit ourselves to only replying to a text and not being able to look back at a conversation. In the end its up to the user to figure out if its reaosnable to spend half a day fiddling with your wrist, just like it is up to the user to figure out if its worth making your Powerpoint presentation on your phone and writing your PhD dissertation on your phone. It can be done, but most people choose not to. But that doesn't mean we cut off that functionality.

Plus, it's not like they're making a scaled down Facebook or whatever. The interface will be made to suit the watch so you can get a quick glimpse at stuff. Maybe you're just taking a 30 second elevator ride. Its nice to get a quick glimpse.

It'll be hard to make a watch last all day if people fiddle, but for now I think for the sake of apples to apples, it probably makes sense to compare against Android wear in just a typical light use notification mirroring and some quick reply scenarios.

I would be more concerned if Apple was just throwing the kitchen sink in like Samsung did with its early watches and not offering a what Android Wear has. The way I see it right now is they've covered everything Android Wear has covered and will have more.

 

[Red Storm]

But that's then a user issue. If you want to spend all day on your phone like you do your computer, it'll die by lunchtime.

The Apple Watch will work fine doing the same things as Android Wear minus Google Now. It should be able to mirror notifications just fine and allow you to quickly reply. I don't see why we should limit ourselves to only replying to a text and not being able to look back at a conversation. In the end its up to the user to figure out if its reaosnable to spend half a day fiddling with your wrist, just like it is up to the user to figure out if its worth making your Powerpoint presentation on your phone and writing your PhD dissertation on your phone. It can be done, but most people choose not to. But that doesn't mean we cut off that functionality.

Plus, it's not like they're making a scaled down Facebook or whatever. The interface will be made to suit the watch so you can get a quick glimpse at stuff. Maybe you're just taking a 30 second elevator ride. Its nice to get a quick glimpse.

It'll be hard to make a watch last all day if people fiddle, but for now I think for the sake of apples to apples, it probably makes sense to compare against Android wear in just a typical light use notification mirroring and some quick reply scenarios.

I would be more concerned if Apple was just throwing the kitchen sink in like Samsung did with its early watches and not offering a what Android Wear has. The way I see it right now is they've covered everything Android Wear has covered and will have more.

Throwing the kitchen sink is the exact impression I got from Apple though. They showed us a shrunken phone on your wrist. The only thing they didn't take from the first Gear was picture taking.

 

[Crono]

Throwing the kitchen sink is the exact impression I got from Apple though. They showed us a shrunken phone on your wrist. The only thing they didn't take from the first Gear was picture taking.

More like the Nano watch plus the fitness features. I think the fitness and health tracking is compelling enough to make it a decent niche product.

I don't want one at all, though.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Throwing the kitchen sink is the exact impression I got from Apple though. They showed us a shrunken phone on your wrist. The only thing they didn't take from the first Gear was picture taking.

Yeah but you can throw in the kitchen sink if you do it well right? And honestly its not like the kitchen sink. I don't get the feeling of a bunch of unpolished features getting thrown in there like during the Galaxy S4 launch event or any gimmicky features. TBH the demo made sense.

I'd love to respond to my texts without talking into the phone. That context aware response made sense. The navigation with maps made more sense than what Android Wear has right now also by allowing someone to see the map.

I think here you have a case where Apple's actually offering more functionality than Android (well its not a real product YET), but we'll see where Google goes. If anything Google's just going to build up and add more and more functionality.

If anything I feel like this is flipped from the typical Android vs iOS scenario. Here Apple's giving you the notification mirroring and quick responses that Android Wear already has, AND you get additional features through apps themselves. It's choice. you don't have to use all those apps or fiddle around for 2 hours on your watch. You can still use it just like an Android watch is used today essentially.

 

[sze5003]

Smart watches need to look like this.

How the Apple Watch would look with a round face
http://www.cnet.com/news/how-the-apple-watch-would-look-with-a-round-face/

 

[Mopetar]

Smart watches need to look like this.

How the Apple Watch would look with a round face
http://www.cnet.com/news/how-the-apple-watch-would-look-with-a-round-face/

A round screen is nice for displaying an analog-style clock, but it sucks for almost everything else. If you aren't displaying virtual watch hands, then the round screen offers no real advantage.

If you're displaying text, either you make it square and waste a bunch of your round display, or you allow the text to flow to fit the curvature of the screen and make it less readable. The same goes for images where either you shrink the image down so it fits squarely, or you let it take up the entire screen and lop the corners off of what you can see.

Much like how modern smart phones have really placed the phone functionality of the phone as a non-central aspect of the device (it's just another feature) these new watches are going to have capabilities that make telling the time one of the least important parts of the device. The only reason to have a round screen is because watches are traditionally round. Beyond that, square is better in practically every regard.

I think as time goes on these products will evolve away from being watches and start to resemble something like a Pip-Boy from Fallout. In much the same way that phones become larger and larger, I think that these devices will trend in that direction as well, possibly until some of them come to resemble a phone strapped to a person's wrist.

 

[sze5003]

A round screen is nice for displaying an analog-style clock, but it sucks for almost everything else. If you aren't displaying virtual watch hands, then the round screen offers no real advantage.

If you're displaying text, either you make it square and waste a bunch of your round display, or you allow the text to flow to fit the curvature of the screen and make it less readable. The same goes for images where either you shrink the image down so it fits squarely, or you let it take up the entire screen and lop the corners off of what you can see.

Much like how modern smart phones have really placed the phone functionality of the phone as a non-central aspect of the device (it's just another feature) these new watches are going to have capabilities that make telling the time one of the least important parts of the device. The only reason to have a round screen is because watches are traditionally round. Beyond that, square is better in practically every regard.

I think as time goes on these products will evolve away from being watches and start to resemble something like a Pip-Boy from Fallout. In much the same way that phones become larger and larger, I think that these devices will trend in that direction as well, possibly until some of them come to resemble a phone strapped to a person's wrist.

I understand, so many people want a traditional looking smart watch but with all the things they are cramming into them, it's easier to develop apps and such for a rectangular screen. I also agree they have not matured well and time will tell how it will or won't change.

 

[desura]

I have no idea how people are going to send text messages through that little watch screen. That said, it would probably be best for things like...reading text messages and alerts without having to...pull out your 5.5 inch iPhone...from your bag surrounded by case and screen protector so you don't damage the thing...

But I really like the round LCD screen. It's different. Though I guess it would make reading text messages a little awkward.

I feel like a round watch lcd would have been the Steve Jobs thing to do.

Here's to looking forward to the 2nd gen Motorola watch.

Lastly, is it possible someone might come up with platform agnostic NFC payment method? Apple really should have made their NFC payment compatible with Android, but being Apple they didn't.

 

[shabby]

Smart watches need to look like this.

How the Apple Watch would look with a round face
http://www.cnet.com/news/how-the-apple-watch-would-look-with-a-round-face/

Apple will invent that next year, wait no, the apple watch s is coming then, the year after that.

 

[Mopetar]

I have no idea how people are going to send text messages through that little watch screen.

I haven't watched the keynote video yet, but I thought one of the livestreams mentioned Siri integration so presumably you just speak a message to it.

Lastly, is it possible someone might come up with platform agnostic NFC payment method? Apple really should have made their NFC payment compatible with Android, but being Apple they didn't.

It's possible, but I don't know how good the approach will be. I don't think anyone other than Apple can do stuff with the Secure Element (or whatever it's called) so a third party implementation wouldn't be as secure in that sense. That and Apple wants you to buy their hardware since they probably don't make much if any money off the payment service, so it's unlikely that they'll offer it on other platforms.