Apple Watch, lol

[Duce]

Plenty of people will buy the high end one, and as with any other high end products, the vast majority of people will consider them fools.  No different than a person buying a Bugatti Veyron to drive his kid to school when really, a Honda is more practical.

I think the common thing not being noted by people is that while, yes - you can buy a $17,000 Apple Watch, the entry level one offers the same functionality for $349.  Others are also (foolishly, imho) defending the $17k version with "Well, it's a limited edition and the gold value alone in that watch is worth $12k - $15k itself).  There's a simple fact here that there are traditional watches on the market now for half a million dollars.  You can spend $30,000 on a Rolex and not even be buying their high end.  $17,000 is a mere drop in the bucket compared to something like a Greubel Forsey watch, which is $750,000.

As for the watch as a whole, it's a Rev. 1 device.  While is does have some unique features compared to the other smart watches, it's also a pretty widely known in joke that anyone buying Rev. 1 Apple devices is in effect a paying beta tester.  There's also been rumors that on the higher end ones, a trade-in program might be offered for the next versions, so that may make a bit more sense, but I'll believe that rumor when I see it.  A trade in program directly via Apple is very un-Apple like.

All this being said, I do think the Apple Watch will be wildly successful.  I have no doubts we will see the $17,000 ones on the wrists of A List celebs and the like.  That being said, I've often joked that Apple could bronze a pile of dog turds, add an Apple logo, and people would be lining up to buy them as some sort of status/geek chic symbol.  Until battery life on smart watches as a whole gets into the 7+ days zone, they are just impractical for most people at any price.

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The Pebble watches are not even comparable in functionality to even the older Android Wear watches, and dependent on which phone you have the Pebble linked to, it's a wildly different experience.

I am a supporter of Pebble in the past and present, but as an owner of both a Moto 360 and a Pebble Steel, the Pebble resembles a 1990's calculator watch in comparison to the functionality of the Moto 360.  It's not even close, and both devices are far from perfect.

As a bought and paid owner of both devices, I don't consider either a valuable enough experience that if I was to head to work without putting one of them on my wrist, that my productivity would be in the least bit affected within my work day.  I consider no smart watch a must have device, but I'm sure the "nerd chic" status of the Apple Watch will get them a lot of sales no matter how gimped the thing is at launch.

That may change once battery life, functionality improves.  Pebble offers great battery life, but what the thing can actually do compared to the Moto isn't even comparable.  The Moto has terrible battery life, but can do a lot more than my Pebble does, but Pebble are rapidly improving the apps.

Until either, or any other contenders can offer a true standalone experience, we're still in early days.  As far as the Apple Watch goes, I got out of the Apple ecosystem a year or so ago for good and couldn't be happier, despite being a big fan of the iPhone, I just can't stand being tied to their store ecosystem and more importantly, iTunes.  ITunes for Windows is a plague.

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I am curious if we'll see a "d-bag factor" in the high end Apple watches.  A part of me certainly hopes so, lol.

I have no doubt when they first launch, you'll see every rapper, pinhead Kardashian-esque reality TV "star" and professional sports player with them (the $17k ones) on their wrists at all the major slog celeb events in some vain attempt at status clinging, making their esteemed Apple Watches "bling" for the cameras.  Heck, you've even seen this to some extent in regards to how celebs have bought iPhones and had god awful things like getting them studded with diamonds and such.  When the social elite all have something, everything loses value.

I wonder if we'll ever see the "Bentley d-bag effect".  I recall reading a few years ago that amongst the rich, famous and "always wanting to be spotted in public" celebs stars, rock stars and sports heroes were buying up Bentley GT's.  This didn't sit well with the long time GT owners, who bought their rides years ago because they were just great cars.  A few years later every rapper with a hit on YouTube was buying up a Bentley GT and getting it chrome plated with a zebra print interior, completely blowing the Bentley "prestige" factor out out of the water.  It was akin to buying a '78 Firebird, a shirt with no top buttons, and big thick gold chains, lol - considered utterly tasteless.  When Andy Dick is sporting one, the prestige factor goes out the window

Every man and his dog that was a B list celeb that could swing the financing for a GT had one.  They were so common amongst the pink GT, Paris Hilton crowd, the Cristal and Caviar people, that even the true gearhead aficionados steered clear of them so they wouldn't be viewed as a "GT d-bag".

The prospect amuses me, and I hope for all the common folk saving their pennies to buy the base model Apple Watch right now, I hope they get a good experience out of it.

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Also enjoying my Nokia Lumia 1320, bought mine and then a work mate bought the 1520. Both phones are amazing compared to what we've experienced with Android. Also getting 7 days battery life, thats with wifi, web surfing, bluetooth/GPS in the car and txting with a bit of gaming thrown in.

Currently playing Modern Combat 5: Blackout amazing :-)

While I'm far too reliant on Android/iOS only apps that aren't offered on Windows Phone atm to use a Windows Phone daily myself, I sure wish more people would give the Win phone devices a shot.  They are actually wonderful little handsets, and in the case of the Nokia devices, the cameras are absolutely mindblowing with the Denim update.

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If the device did pulse, BP, Ox levels, other than the same old same old pulse rate / pedometer, then that would be something.

It does a lot more than what the competition offers..  The Apple Watch is just about the last watch in the world I'd purchase, but the focus on health on it is head and shoulders above what any of the competition is offering, and it will only get better.  Some people have even argued that the Apple Watch is just a health device masquerading as a watch, and one only has to watch 2 minutes of the Apple press event to see the deep focus they are putting on health.

The upcoming version is still lacking some sensors, but it's best in breed in the smart watch market in regards to health.

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If you are unwilling to read a features list or otherwise do not believe it, there's not much I can do to convince you otherwise.  I'm sure the already released iOS 8.2 update with these said additions in the build logs wouldn't either.

I hate to be blunt here, but things in features lists and press releases/videos, you know - the things that a company like Apple is telling you "this is why our product is better than the others" isn't just water cooler talk.  People would sort of get uppity about such things if they weren't there when the product ships and they plunked down $400 on it, and hands on tests show everything they are advertising in the device as being there.

How well it will work in regards to health will be a personal judgement to make, I imagine, but what they have shown thus far is a big step over what the competition is offering.  It's (nor is any other smart watch) by no means
a replacement for a good MD, and none of them are billing these devices as such.  That being said, the tech minded medical community is showing a lot of interest in things like HealthKit.

I've got no personal interest in any of them for my own health tracking, but as a person with a severe amount of diabetes (among other things) in my family, I am very eager to see these devices and how they might improve health tracking.

Apple Watch is by no means an "MD replacement", but it's got a lot of health aware people very interested.  How smoothly it'll all go with the FDA remains to be seen, I suppose, and I'm curious how smoothly app approval for the Apple Watch will go.  I admittedly don't have terribly high expectations for the first Apple Watch, simply because first gen Apple devices tend to be weak.  Until any of these devices get better battery life and actually become stand alone devices that don't still require a cel phone to get things done, I suspect they will remain wholly niche devices.

http://www.macworld.com/article/2881299/apple-watch-might-be-the-ultimate-health-tracker-with-medical-apps-on-board.html

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You're failing to look at the devkits, read the docs, and just get past your own, well - nonsense, lol.  Failing to even look at what the devices offer, be it Apple, Moto, Fitbit, Garmin - to people that may otherwise not have a bit of care for their wellness.

The least you could do is educate yourself on what these devices, be it Apple, Garmin, Fitbit, etc can do.  Really.  A lot of people that may otherwise be neglecting their health entirely may "connect" better with one of these newfangled devices and it might actually improve their health.  

I can tell you what I've seen first hand.  My father had a very mild stroke late last year.  He did the usual doctors visits, the tests, bought the $150 digital BP tester which only annoyed the hell out of him, etc.  Nothing made sense to him.  He couldn't be bothered to even check his BP the 3 times daily the doctors were asking him to.  He literally couldn't be buggered to open that box, take the monitor out, strap on the cuff, wait, write down his stats on a crusty old piece of paper.  He simply quit doing it, citing "I've got enough paperwork to do at work" or "I'm too busy".  I got him a Fitbit, and despite not being at all a tech gearhead, he took to it like stink on a monkey once I got the app on his phone.  He makes an effort to try and out-do the goals he had yesterday on the damned thing, to walk more than he did last week this week.  He is also back monitoring his BP, and more importantly, is more engaged in his own health.  It's a bit more "fun" for him with the Fitbit, and if that gets his ass into the doctors with solid BP reports as the doctor wants them, which my father was not doing before the Fitbit, well - my father might just live a few years longer, and that's all good to me.  He wears it as much as his 20 year old Casio watch, except the little Fitbit band has instilled a bit of accountability and pride in his own health.  You see no merit in that?  I do.  I see a man that's bothered to monitor his own health, which has improved, simply because I gave him a $100 shiny bracelet that makes the process a bit more fun and engaging.

You're failing to see the basics.  If these devices, any of them, be it Apple or otherwise - assist people in becoming more healthy and accountable, help doctors maintain relationships with patients to better patient care, all good by me.  Had most of you chiming in about how it's a $17,000 pulse monitor had bothered to look at what these things will actually do in regards to health and wellness actually do, you might even see some rev. 1 value in it.  Maybe not.  I'm not buying one, so it's moot to me.  No one is billing it as a Device of Eternal Life, but anyone not seeing positive effects of the focus on health with *any* of these wearables is a fool.

If you are looking for the Apple Watch to keep your heart beating, it won't do it.  It's an expansion of Healthkit, ResearchKit and similar that's been in the i devices for some time.  The healthcare aspects of the Apple Watch are far beyond what the other devices offer.  None of these are a replacement for doctors care, and they aren't being billed as such.

Best quote I think I've ever read here, or anywhere, really - "who needs this other than diabetics and binge drinkers".  Yeah, curse those pesky diabetics...  God forbid they be overwhelmed by "old medicine" twice weekly doctors visits and they find one of these devices as a motivator to be more careful of their diets, exercise regimes, and actually see their conditions improve.  God forbid such a device makes them feel more accountable for their illness and actually make them consciously try and improve their health, lol.  Maybe such a device will chide Mr. or Mrs. Type II into putting down that slice of cake or a cookie, or maybe go for a walk.  If it does, it's worth its weight in gold, puns about the gold Apple Watch aside

Welp, if such devices help even one diabetic, in a world where there's 382 diabetics worldwide, if it assists them in managing their illness better than they were doing (which many sufferers neglect the illness/treatment outright) without such a high priced electronic nick nack, I do consider that gold.  If a goofy little wrist strap gets people with illnesses a little more interested in their own health, Godspeed...

I'll say what I said to begin with.  If you don't see the health and wellness focus that all of these wearable devices offer as a bigger picture, you must have your eyelids sewn shut.

Or you're in the health care industry yourselves and have job security concerns

None of them are replacements for solid, professional medical care - but if they provide motivation, reminders or even remotely accurate/regular monitoring of health issues in people that may otherwise have just said "to hell with it" in regards to ignoring their health concerns under the traditional paper and pencil scheme of things, I see tremendous value in that.

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Please look into what else these devices do, Dan.  Please, even something like the rather rudimentary Fitbit or Garmins.  It's really as easy as a Google search, and while these devices are by no means "Doctors in a Wristband", they have merit as a whole and a lot more functionality than being a $250 pedometer.  They do work for a large number of people - 3.3 million of them were sold in one year, Q1 2013 - Q1 2014.  Some of the more basic devices require add on apps or modules to really run the gamut, but the concept that the Apple Watch is a $17,000 pedometer is a laugh riot.  Good Lord, just look into functionality of some of these things.  Claiming that people are paying $17,000 for a gold pedometer has people reading this literally slapping their knees in laughter.

They do a lot more than just act as a pedometer.  These aren't promises, rumors, or whispers in the wind.  All of the major wearables offer far more function than just a pedometer.

I get the drift, though,  People just griping that we shouldn't even consider new technology to help people, to perhaps give a new aspect into how people monitor their health in detail, because all diabetics are cupcake eating lost causes, eh?  That's how it's coming off, anyways.

Or that my father, a guy in otherwise good shape for being 64 years old, who suffered a mild stroke and could never wrap his head around the whole traditional medical care aspect afterwards regarding treatment; that there's no merit in a simple wristband that would keep tabs on his BP and other stats, software and hardware combined, making goals for a patient and a challenge in regards to improving his health goals.  I'm sure it's easy to say "well, if a guy like that can't get his head around some clunky BP monitor that takes up his entire glovebox in his truck", it's easier to say "well, maybe he wasn't all that serious about his health to begin with" and write them off.  If that's the case, I'm glad you folks aren't my health care provider.  I'm also overjoyed that the devices he's been trying have got him more interested in tracking all aspects of his health, and his cholesterol is now half of what it was 6 months ago when the Doctors sent him home with some clunky BP monitor and a bag full of pills that gave him side effects so badly he couldn't take them.  I consider the whole deal a bit of a win for what the little wristband cost us, and his Doctor was overjoyed that my Dad found something that worked for him.  There were no warning signs with my Dad.  None.  He has full routine medicals every 6 months.  No warning signs at all - NONE. Not overweight, doesn't smoke, rarely drinks, gets more exercise than most 25 year olds.

All I know, man - some people that don't "click" with traditional health monitoring and treatment really do click with something as simple as a mildly smart wristband/watch device like a Fitbit, MS Band, Android Wear or iOS device.

I'm not trying to "sell" anyone on any of these, much less the Apple Watch.  In fact, if I had to recommend one, the Apple Watch, at least in V.1 form would be the absolute last one I'd recommend.  But the concept that such devices garbage, and are nothing more than pedometers and universally useless to people just flummoxes me.  A very high number of people find the devices helpful, regardless of brand or maker, to have had very significant effects in their health.

Bu I guess we could just "cull" the infirm and ill and we'd never have a need for anything like this to begin with  But then there's that job security angle, eh..

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You know, the sad thing about Windows Phone is the sheer lack of promotion they get.  Go into get a new cel phone, you'll never have carrier staff pushing a WP device on you.  Was so bad with Verizon, Microsoft even offered in store employees incentive programs to suggest them more often to the consumer, and it didn't get them very far, sadly.

Looking forward to the next high end WP phone - currently have an Alcatel Idol X+ that I'm not terrifically happy with and hoping by the time it keels over there will be a high end Nokia WP out.

The lack of a good Audible books app for WP has kept me away from WP thus far, so I hope Amazon get a decent version churned out for WP soon.

The new "Denim" software update for the Nokia phones makes the camera just absolutely mindblowing - there's literally no delay when taking pics.