Apple's "Spring Forward" Event Debuts Apple Watch and More 529
samzenpus (5) writes There was a lot of news at Apple's Spring Forward keynote today. Here's a list of some of the most eye-catching announcements.
- HBO Now standalone streaming service coming to Apple TV and iOS apps in early April for $14.99 a month.
- Lowered price of Apple TV to $69.
- Apple Pay accepted at up to 100,000 Coca-Cola machines by the end of the year.
- ResearchKit Announced: Is open source and allows medical researchers to create apps, and use the iPhone as a diagnostic tool.
- New MacBook: Lightest ever at 2 pounds, 13.1mm at its thickest point. 2304x1440 display, consumes 30% less energy. Fanless, powered with Intel's Core M processor. 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0. and 9 hours of web browsing battery life. Supports many protocols through one connector USB-C. Ships April 10, starting at $1,299.
- iOS 8.2 is available today
- Apple Watch: Accurate within 50ms of UTC. Read and delete email, built-in speaker and mic so you can receive calls. It tracks your movement and exercise. Use Apple Pay, play your music, use Siri and get any notification you get on iPhone today. 18 hour battery life in a typical day. Sport model starting at $349, stainless steel price: $549-$1049 for 38mm, 42mm is $599-$1099, and gold edition starting at $10k. Pre-orders begin April 10th, available April 24th.
Apple pay at Coke machines and apps for diabetes. (Score:5, Funny)
Sounds like a perfect match.
more seriously, I'm shocked at how low the price is on the stainless steel watch is. 549/599? I was expecting near 1k.
A laptop with almost no ports?! (Score:2, Insightful)
What is up with that new laptop? It has like almost no ports! I have a rMBP and even with the two USB ports and the two Thunderbold ports I still need to use a USB hub so I can plug in all of the devices I need to use with my rMBP! Booooo! BOOOOOO! We need more ports, not less!
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What is up with that new laptop? It has like almost no ports! I have a rMBP and even with the two USB ports and the two Thunderbold ports I still need to use a USB hub so I can plug in all of the devices I need to use with my rMBP! Booooo! BOOOOOO! We need more ports, not less!
If you need more ports then get a mbp, which they also updated today.
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Yeah, it's almost like they deleted the word "Pro" from the name of the product when they reduced the number of things that Pros care about!
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Re:A laptop with almost no ports?! (Score:5, Insightful)
That's like saying a sports car should have more luggage space for that price.
Number of ports isn't the new MacBook's purpose. Thinness and lightness is. And more ports would have prevented that. If you want ports, then you buy a new MacBook Pro.
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The ports are annoying but the lack of 4k is the real downer.
The big question is a the extra thinness and lightness worth the trade offs? I love OSX but Apples hardware is leaving me cold. I Love my Macbook but I do not want to be locked into an SSD or RAM at purchase when both techs are moving forward and getting cheaper all the time.
Re:A laptop with almost no ports?! (Score:5, Informative)
The ports are annoying but the lack of 4k is the real downer.
External video is up to 3840 by 2160 pixels. Yeah, that missing 160 pixels horizontal resolution is Soooooo upsetting.
But wait...
"4K has become the common name for ultra-high-definition television (UHDTV), although its resolution is only 3840 x 2160 (at a 16:9, or 1.78:1 aspect ratio)"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4... [wikipedia.org]
It *IS* 4K.
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> External video is up to 3840 by 2160 pixels.
> Yeah, that missing 160 pixels horizontal
> resolution is Soooooo upsetting.
There might be a nipple in the bottom 80 pixels.
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Drink that koolaid.
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Surely it's purpose is to be functional. It certainly seems a bit strange to require you unplug your laptop - even if it has excellent battery life - in order to use a USB stick.
Regardless of 'the cloud', students make plenty of use of USB sticks. And in four years time, nearing the completion of your undergrad degree, that battery life might not be so hot. Maybe the power brick will have a USB hub?
Re: A laptop with almost no ports?! (Score:4, Interesting)
Eh...dell, Asus, and lenovo offer thinner and lighter at a lower price.
Re: A laptop with almost no ports?! (Score:5, Informative)
If you leave biases aside, and want to compare the Macbook with something else, the Dell XPS 13 would be neck to neck. I would even venture to say that the Dell is far more computer for the money (i will qualify why). Here's a comparison.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/3... [theverge.com]
The Dell XPS 13 is extremely well built (aluminum alloy, carbon fibre - I've held it, it is gorgeous) - might possibly be a hair lower than the new Macbook (which I haven't held) but really, I think you would be splitting hairs.
The XPS 13 however has two big things going for it - it has full blown Core i3/i5/i7 (2.1 - 2.4 GHz) as opposed to Macbook's Core M (measly 1.1 GHz) - which means much better performance (i would imagine 2x-3x better), much less thermal throttling, and better graphics (HD5500 vs 5300). The other big thing is its display. XPS 13 has a near zero bezel 3200 x 1800 pixel Sharp IGZO panel that is arguably the best and most cutting edge laptop panel one can get today.
You can read a review of this panel here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/... [anandtech.com]
And dimensions and weight. Macbook is 11" wide and 0.52" thick, and weighs 2 pounds. The XPS 13 is a bit heavier (2.6-2.8 pounds), but is only 12" wide and 0.33"-0.6" thick. The cool thing is that because of the near zero bezels, XPS 13 is a 13" screen while only being 12" wide (typical for a 11" laptop, not for a 13" laptop).
Again, I am not saying Macbook is not good. It still seems to have Apple's obsessive attention to detail in terms of build quality and user centric design approach. But to say that it has no competion - that is no longer true. I do believe that the XPS 13 is a genuine alternative in just about every respec. The extra 0.8 may be an issue for some, but you also sacrifice a *lot* of computer for that. Then I would say, might as well get an iPad.
Re:A laptop with almost no ports?! (Score:4, Informative)
There are smaller, lighter laptops with more ports than this MacBook. The only reason they put one port on it is aesthetics.
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You've heard about USB hubs before? It's this device that turns one USB port into N+1. Wild stuff.
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Re:A laptop with almost no ports?! (Score:4, Interesting)
Well, I will give the pos this much, the new intel chip uses 5 watts, so effectively this macbook is a phone in a laptop case.
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I want to use a mouse and a USB flash drive or plug in my phone. Now I need a hub as well. Thanks, but no thanks. Other manufacturers can make laptops that are just as thin and just as light, or lighter, and still have at least two USB ports.
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Well not quite. Bluetooth provides plenty of opportunities for peripherals. As does a hub.
But if you want to have lots of things plugged in, then the new Mac Book Pro is the laptop you buy, not the MacBook.
Likewise, a Ferrari is useless for off-roading.
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Yes, you need more ports, but they don't need to be on the computer itself. That's what hubs are for. Besides which, hubs are much more convenient, since you only need to plug in the hubs themselves, rather than needing to plug in every peripheral.
I'm honestly eager for the day when we can finally ditch cables coming out of our computers and can instead wirelessly link to hubs that will manage legacy cabled connections for us...ones which we can hide out of sight and mind in drawers of desks or other places where they don't need to be making things untidy. We're nowhere close yet, but we're getting there.
I think we're pretty close today, but not all the way. I have on my desk an iMac with it's two cables (power and Ethernet) routed down a cable-management system, wireless keyboard, wireless mouse. The only cable one would see is a MagSafe charging cable which is holstered on the left side and only really visible when charging the laptop. I have stowed for when I use it a wired gaming mouse (which does do Bluetooth but I prefer the cable).
So all in all, one cable, usually not visible.
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Really? Hubs are the answer?
If true, what a sad world we live in when laptop with no ports (when charging it) = a feature.
And here I was thinking 2 USB ports with a separate port port was too few.
Re:Apple pay at Coke machines and apps for diabete (Score:4, Insightful)
Sounds like a perfect match.
more seriously, I'm shocked at how low the price is on the stainless steel watch is. 549/599? I was expecting near 1k.
Sadly I was expecting a lower price for this. When the accessory costs far more than the primary device it supports, the pricing model is rather broken regardless of features.
People also need to realize that in less than three years, they'll likely be replacing that $600 watch due to battery death or software/hardware attrition. By comparison, someone who spends $600 on a traditional timepiece expects to pass that down through generations.
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The kind of timepieces that can be reliably passed down through generations rarely cost $600.
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Stainless steel is more expensive than aluminium and uses a sapphire front.
That's easily within reason to say 200 bucks for a fashion item.
Plus the higher end bands have these precision machined steel bands that are hand polished.
If you look at high end fashion watches, 1k for a high end steel watch is nothing, much less watch bands.
From Breitling:
Example for watches [chrono24.com]
example for bands. [authenticwatches.com]
From TAG Heuer:
Watches. [overstock.com]
Everyone wants to scream at Apple for being a fashion brand, but the truth is is that if they were, th
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Apple is not a Rolex or Tag Heuer. Get that retarded concept right out of your head. Not anywhere near the same class of product.
If you want to equate it to a watch, think Timex.
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Except on neither the Rolex, Tag Heuer, or Timex can I check my email or use maps to figure out where I am. There's a slab of electronics behind the glass that you don't find in either of them. I'm willing to bet the next few generations of Apple watch will have the same mounting points for the bands so all you have to do is just buy another 250/350 dollar robotic core and resync to your phone when it's time to upgrade.
I'm also not expecting to see a yearly upgrade cycle with this thing either, given that i
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Re:Apple pay at Coke machines and apps for diabete (Score:5, Insightful)
Fancy watches are jewelry. Jewelry doesn't become obsolete in 2 years.
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Fancy watches don't have li-ion batteries that lose their charge after 5 years either.
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Will the sun eat the earth because Apple defied what you perceive to be fair pricing?
Because I really think you're underestimating market demand for these things.
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How many of your previous predictions of Apple products failing came true? ... yes, I thought so.
Color me Gold (Score:3, Interesting)
While the iWatch might do well in China and Asia (especially the gold version), watches are an old person's deal here in North America.
Meh.
Wake me up when the iPhone 7 comes out.
Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)
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"HBO Now standalone streaming service coming to Apple TV and iOS apps in early April for $14.99 a month.
not really an innovation but, okay. There was nothing stopping this from happening before, why did it need an event?"
Bigger question, on another site this was listed as an Apple TV "exclusive".
Did HBO really shoot themselves in the foot by taking the cableless HBO subscription and screwing the pooch by limiting it to Apple TV for now?
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I'm sure Apple is paying HBO generously to take the bullet.
Re:so lets have a breakdown (Score:5, Funny)
Did HBO really shoot themselves in the foot by taking the cableless HBO subscription and screwing the pooch by limiting it to Apple TV for now?
I take it you chose the wrong set-top box.
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No, because AppleTV is just for the big screen. It's also available on iOS, which if Netflix numbers are anything to go by, smartphones and tablets are the preferred viewing platform for the service.
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Our phones do all of this, are in ubiquitous use, wont stop working if we carelessly wash our hands, and havent cost this much for nearly a decade. And the real kick in the ass is that apple will immediately slash prices 80% once an android competitor comes out and hangs around in this artificial market long enough until people realize singing talking wrist watches are about as practical as google glass.
The Android competitors have been out for 8 months. Interestingly, Android Wear watches generally don't have speakers.
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Yep, that totally sounds like Apple.
Re:so lets have a breakdown (Score:4, Informative)
once an android competitor comes out and hangs around in this artificial market long enough until people realize singing talking wrist watches are about as practical as google glass
Uh, I have some news [asus.com] for [motorola.com] you [lg.com].
Re:so lets have a breakdown (Score:5, Insightful)
And the real kick in the ass is that apple will immediately slash prices 80% once an android competitor comes out and hangs around in this artificial market long enough until people realize singing talking wrist watches are about as practical as google glass.
o.O
When has Apple ever slashed prices in response to competition? Their playbook on competition reads "we have no competition, all similar products are inferior". They might decide that the hardware specs (which are traditionally very modest in every Apple rev1 product) need a bump, to keep the price point the same and satisfy their aforementioned competitive mantra. That's the kick in the ass; 12 months from now the rev2 product will have a screen with twice the resolution, it will have a CPU capable of full motion video, enough ram to run iOS 9.0, etc. and all the early adopters will be left with an outdated relic.
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That's the kick in the ass; 12 months from now the rev2 product will have a screen with twice the resolution, it will have a CPU capable of full motion video, enough ram to run iOS 9.0, etc. and all the early adopters will be left with an outdated relic.
This is true, and a good reason to wait 12 months if you're not satisfied with the v1 product's performance and feature set (and won't have money to upgrade -- although in that case you're probably not in the market for an Apple Watch anyway).
OTOH, this is also the behavior you want to see from a tech company -- products being improved on a regular basis. A hypothetical Apple that didn't release better versions of its products on a regular basis probably would have gone out of business by now.
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Why would they when the competition costs just as much? You want a high end smartphone or ultralight laptop, you're going to be paying the same kind of prices whether the product comes from Dell, Apple, or Samsung.
Enjoy your Hatorade.
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Re:so lets have a breakdown (Score:4, Insightful)
They said *competitor*.
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Apple Watch: Accurate within 50ms of UTC. Read and delete email, built-in speaker and mic so you can receive calls. It tracks your movement and exercise. Use Apple Pay, play your music, use Siri and get any notification you get on iPhone today. 18 hour battery life in a typical day. Sport model starting at $349, stainless steel price: $549-$1049 for 38mm, 42mm is $599-$1099, and gold edition starting at $10k. Pre-orders begin April 10th, available April 24th.
Our phones do all of this, are in ubiquitous use, wont stop working if we carelessly wash our hands, and havent cost this much for nearly a decade. And the real kick in the ass is that apple will immediately slash prices 80% once an android competitor comes out and hangs around in this artificial market long enough until people realize singing talking wrist watches are about as practical as google glass.
The Apple Watch has a water resistance rating of IPX7 which means that it can be submerged in 3 feet of water for 30 minutes and it will still work. Washing dishes aren't going to hurt it.
I can't really say I'm in the market for something like the Apple Watch, - not at its current price, but to me a watch is a much preferable platform for some tasks than a phone, - getting the time being the obvious example. I don't want to drag out my phone for every little thing. I have an armband for running or ridin
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Small laptop gets smaller, faster, better, and more expensive despite industry-standard hardware used and widely available at lower cost but without the little white light up apple.
It's not industry standard hardware. 'industry standard' doesn't fit in the tiny laptop case they have. To put it in perspective, this new laptop is half a millimeter thicker than the original iPad. With laptops, Fast, Small, Cheap, pick two.
Re: so lets have a breakdown (Score:3)
You know, the nonstandard bits of that laptop look quite remarkable. Kudos to Apple to have a product line up with SSD on all laptops. The other manufacturers don't seem to have the guts to do that, let alone change the shape of keys, batteries and touchpads.
Death of Thunderbolt? (Score:5, Insightful)
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I feel like a dope (Score:3)
I just bought a new Macbook pro and Apple TV two weeks ago. Yes, I know they're always coming out with new products, but I didn't expect the Macbook to be so much different, for less money, and I didn't expect the Apple TV price drop of 30%.
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LITERALLY 2 weeks? MOVE! You don't have a second to lose.
Pricing and Price Reductions/Corrections
With regards to pricing, Apple reserves the right to change prices for products displayed at/on the Apple Store at any time, and to correct pricing errors that may inadvertently occur. Additional information about pricing and sales tax is available on the Payment & Pricing page.
Should Apple reduce its price on any Apple-branded product within 14 calendar days from the date you receive your product, feel free to visit an Apple Retail Store or contact the Apple Contact Center at 1-800-676-2775 to request a refund [emphasis added] or credit of the difference between the price you were charged and the current selling price. To receive the refund or credit you must contact Apple within 14 calendar days of the price change.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/open/salespolicies
this will make people wear watches again? (Score:3)
does it work without an iphone?
what does it do that an iPhone does not or cannot?
will it be subsidized by ATT and Verizon like iPhones are?
who still wears watches? will they switch if they do? will they start now if they dont?
Keep in mind... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Keep in mind... (Score:5, Insightful)
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Good timing (Score:5, Insightful)
They've given themselves a guaranteed six months with no DST issues.
Not Too Surprised (Score:2)
And the comments seem to break down to one or the either:
1. Apple is dumb, watches are dumb, I have a phone.
2. High end watches (fashion or otherwise) cost money, so the Apple Watches are in the right ballpark.
I stopped wearing a watch a long while back, but have thought about getting a more fashionable watch, to act more like a piece of jewelry. I like Apple and my iPhone, but I don't really see mysel
Queen of the 9s (Score:2)
Apple really is queen of the 9s. Do any of its prices not have a 9 in it?
It's hard to have respect for a company that doesn't respect your intelligence through ubiquitous use of a dumb pricing trick.
ResearchKit! ResearchKit! That's The Big Story! (Score:5, Interesting)
The single biggest thing to come out of this was the announcement of ResearchKit. I don't think people fully appreciate just how...sparse and brittle medical research data can be, even today.
Even in situations where there do exist tracking devices, they tend to be clunky, cobbed-together, user-unfriendly things that are built using generations-old, heavily-used devices--generally by dint of the fact that researchers have so little money to spend on this sort of thing.
Having an open-source platform that'll open the data floodgates? THAT is going to have some real and lasting consequences for medical research.
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I'm more worried about the invalid correlations that will result from this data, given that the users will be self-selected, upper-class individuals.
Medical research (especially meta-studies) are already rife with invalid statistics. This can only exacerbate it.
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I'm more worried about the invalid correlations that will result from this data, given that the users will be self-selected, upper-class individuals.
Participants in research studies are already stupidly self-selected, and many drop out (and are thus invalidated) because it can be incredibly challenging for people to continue to routinely report over a period of time, especially if the participant has to deal with periods of instability in their lives..
Seeing as you can get an iPhone that supports ResearchKit included with a phone contract, I'm having trouble buying the "upper-class" angle here. The iPhone may have started its life as a Toy For The Rich,
As an Apple product owner and developer.. (Score:4, Insightful)
I was underwhelmed by the watch. Frankly, I nearly coughed up a lung when they mentioned / confirmed the price of the gold model. A few will buy it simply because it's Apple. To me, it's not a something I'd drop the equivalent of a few months rent or mortgage on. The Sport model will sell quickly among the fans.
Battery life still sucks. Personally, one should not have to charge their phone once a day. A week should be the minimum between recharges.
Lastly, as a critique item, it's pretty hard to justify why one should pay almost as much for an accessory as the device it extends. The iPhones will be relegated to the back pocket just begging to be sat upon and requiring a new phone be purchased....Wait a minute....
Does the concept have promise? Perhaps. It will be initially be a success among the health AND selfie conscious. Some interesting and useful apps will be developed ( I can think of a few ). But, it will take about a year for people to decide if its worth having. That's when the general population decides it is or isn't useful. At that time, I may break down and buy one if it looks like the market for Apple Watch apps holds potential (financial) as anything other than a fad.
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The target demographic for the $10k watch is not the middle class, or even the upper middle class (although some will undoubtedly buy one). It's not the demographic that buys and/or trades high-end watches as investments or heirlooms. It's the rich. It's the people who buy expensive, luxury items because they're bored. It's the people who don't really care if they lose a Rolex, beyond the inconvenience of obtaining a replacement. It's market segmentation: get more money from the people with lots of mon
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If you are bothered by the price, you are not part of the target market.
Apple Watch vs Pebble Time? (Score:4, Informative)
I didn't catch the Apple announcement - but I wonder how the Apple Watch compares to the Pebble Time that's doing huge $$$ on Kickstarter right now?
From what I can see:
* Pebble is *way* cheaper.
* Pebble has a 7 day battery life (kinda beats 18 hours!)
* Pebble works with both iOS and Android, so if you ever want to change your phone, you won't have to change your watch.
* Pebble allows anyone to develop & ship apps without a fee.
* Both scheduled to ship about the same time.
I'm sure there is more to it than this than that...but why on earth would I buy the Apple watch?
Re:It's not THAT much.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Sure, but regular watches don't become obsolete in 3 years.
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Obsolete? Are you saying it's going to become incompatible with everything, thus making it useless? That's very much in Apple's hands. There's no reason it has to be.
Re:It's not THAT much.... (Score:4, Interesting)
But certainly reasonable given their track record.
In three years? Possibly.
In five years? Probably.
In ten years? Of course.
The first gen iPhone came out nine years ago and is not compatible with any iPhone apps. About the only thing you can do with it is sync with iTunes (which I do on occasion). Not a big deal, as I use it as a jukebox for my daughter's bedroom.
The first gen iPad came out five years ago and is not compatible with the last few iOS updates or with most apps available in the app store (since they require newer versions of iOS). I use mine as a remote control for my media center and to read some PDFs.
I guess when the Apple Watch is obsolete it will still tell time. Hopefully the battery doesn't degrade much over that time period (or is it replaceable by any watchmaker?).
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But certainly reasonable given their track record.
They don't have a track record for $10,000 watches, whilst that obviously isn't a reassuring thing, it also means you simply can't say that 3 years till software obsolescence is a reasonable assumption.
As far as iPhones and and iPads, Apple has kept older devices compatible with the latest OS until the old device is simply too lacking in resources to run the latest OS. There's certainly not been any deliberate cutting off of older devices.
With the Watch there's a different situation, where the software on t
Re:It's not THAT much.... (Score:4, Informative)
And to everyone who says mechanical watches are obsolete. Mine will still work in 50 years.
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With the exception that your Rolex will tell you that the bar will close in 5 mins so you can make a dash for it, rather than being stuck at home to charge your overpriced watch in the middle of the night.
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Those watches don't need an extended applecare plan to be supported for decades. They are made by companies whose core business is making watches. And they are still in prestine condition after half a century. When you suddenly need funds, you can always sell that Rolex you inherited. Now try to imagine a Pawnstars episode with someone offering a 10 year old gold applewatch with a dead battery (not servicable ofcourse), for 10k.
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Can get similar specs in a laptop for around $800.
Can you get them in a similarly sized package that is as well built? If so, please cite your sources. Else, you're just pulling that number out of your ass.
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My pencil set also has a five star rating. Doesn't make them comparable.
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The problem is it weighs 32% more (2.6 lbs vs 2 lbs) and is 33% bigger (324mm x 226mm vs. 280mm x 196mm). It also does not have USB-C. It is slimmer though, at 12.1 mm!
So, it depends on what one means by similar specs. Over 30% heavier and bulkier in two dimensions is not similar for my needs.
Re:Bwahahahahahahwahahahaah (Score:5, Interesting)
But the Rolex won't be obsolete in a year. :) And you are pretty much guaranteed that the Rolex will still be working 24 hours later. The Apple Watch has an estimated 18 hour life.
I don't know about the Apple fanclub, but I've had plenty of days where I didn't get home for 24 hours. Needing to feed my phone twice a day seems just about as needy as a tamagotchi.
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I also can't check my email on the rolex and sext my mistress either
(I have no idea what Rolex owners do with their phones; so I'm extrapolating.)
Re:Bwahahahahahahwahahahaah (Score:5, Funny)
The Apple Watch has an estimated 18 hour life. [...] Needing to feed my phone twice a day
Which planet are you living on that has a 36-hour day?
Re:Bwahahahahahahwahahahaah (Score:5, Insightful)
It isn't a good idea to completely deplete [batteryuniversity.com] a lithium-ion battery on a regular basis. Keeping its charge above 25% makes makes an 18-hour battery a 13.5-hour battery, which means it must be charged 1.8 times a day, unless you charge it overnight while you sleep.
Still, its battery life is a step back from conventional watches. If you're going to invent a new mousetrap, you should try to make it at least as good as the old one in every way--no regressions.
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I don't know much about high end watches. I'll be honest, i can't tell a tag heurer from a breitling, To me, it looks like watch fashion has never changed so maybe a rolex never goes out of style.
I do remember a time, though, when everyone wore a swatch. up to 10 on each arm. fashion is a fickle thing and doesn't always drive people to
Re:Bwahahahahahahwahahahaah (Score:5, Insightful)
It will be really cool to wear in a three years time, when the device is no longer supported for updates. Or in 5 years time, when the batteries are dead, the charger is no longer produced, and the owner realises that it would have been a better investment to buy a real watch for that money. 10k for a watch with a one year warranty, hopefully the owners can afford applecare. Bring out Nelson!
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I love these ifnorant asses comparing an apple product that will be defunct in a year to Rolexes. The stupid is very very stron in the onse that love to blow Jobs.
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Re:Tracking (Score:4, Insightful)
It tracks your movement
Obviously privacy advocates will never make headway with Apple fans. This is a selling point to them.
Movement != Location and Watch Tracking != Apple Tracking
It tracks your movement locally on the watch, such as the number of steps you take, by using its accelerometer and gyroscope, and then it can plug that into a Health app on your watch or phone so that you can monitor your own activity across a period of time. That data doesn't typically get sent back to Apple. On top of that, it does not track your location, nor would it even able to do so, since it lacks GPS or cellular antennas. The best it can do is ask your phone where you're at, assuming you've allowed your phone to track your location and share that data with your watch, which is entirely optional and can be controlled on a per-app basis from within settings. You can even configure apps to only have location tracking capability while they are actively running in the foreground, rather than allowing them to access it while running in the background.
Meanwhile, let's not pay attention to the fact that Google Wallet tracks all of your purchases and makes it accessible to Google, nor that Google Health (RIP) used to centralize all of your medical information in Google's cloud, whereas Apple's offerings—Apple Pay, HealthKit, and ResearchKit—keep Apple out of the loop entirely. The only way Apple would even possibly get any of that information is if you choose to take advantage of the entirely optional iCloud Backup feature to backup your device, but doing so would mean that the backed up data would be encrypted with a key that was generated on your device which they don't have access to, meaning that they don't have access to your data at all. Hell, even look at hardware encryption on the phone. It got dropped from Lollipop after Google made a big deal about adding it, but it's been on every iPhone since the iPhone 3GS, released back in 2009.
While there are arguments to be made in favor of some of the niche players in this space, as best I can tell, Apple is currently well ahead of the other major players in terms of protecting their users both from outside prying eyes and from themselves.
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This proves how morally superior Google's concern for user privacy is over Apple's: after Google collects all that consumer health information from its wearable devices, it carefully cancels the project before actually twirling its black mustache and sending the data to ISIS.
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I love people like this. Low information and proud of their ignorance- yet the hardships they encounter are always someone else's problem.
Grow up, smarten up, and learn to live like an intelligent human being intead of some ignorant ass racist. Life is a lot better when yoiu aren't putting obstacles in your own way.
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Re:Buy Apple Stuff! (Score:4, Insightful)
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Snapple started selling their 'greatest stuff on earth' in plastic bottles, now it tastes terrible. So yeah, Apple is Snapple.
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>> So what do you do about your smartphone then?
It lasts longer than 18 hours. :)
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Will agree with you on that, mostly... but I am guessing the MacBook is called just a MacBook, not a MBA or MBP.
The only two ports a USB 3.1 port and a headphone jack? Meh... As for USB 3.1 devices for sale... I'm sure Apple will have USB hubs for sale, and this will be a non-issue. I do miss the MagSafe connector, and going back to a connector like USB 3.1 is a net loss. It would have been nice if Apple included a Thunderbolt connector, as I don't see using a charger, external hard disk, network connect