My Biggest Problem with the Apple Watch and Most Other Smartwatches
I've been watching lots of Apple Watch hands-on and demo videos on Youtube since earlier this week and off hand, I'm thoroughly impressed with the product's downright gorgeous design and all the neat features that it can do.
But there's one thing about the device that really makes me think twice about getting it when it comes available locally.
I hate that it only has an 18-hour battery life -- and that's according to Apple. Some analysts are saying that its actual uptime will be more in the area of just 10 to 12 hours (or even less) with heavy use.
I'm actually becoming more and more comfortable with the fact that my Apple iPhone 6 only has a battery life of around 12 hours with mixed usage. (I know it's terrible; It really is. And I still don't understand why the iPhone - after all these years - still has that limitation.) But at least, charging it on the go using a powerbank or my Mugen Power Case, isn't all that inconvenient as I'm not 'wearing' the phone and I can continue to use it even while it's connected to a mobile charger.
I would imagine that charging the Apple Watch (just like other similar wearables) involves different dynamics and they're not particularly hassle-free. First, you'd have to take the device off your wrist so you'd lose its entire functionality and then, you'd have to make sure that you're keeping it in a container where it will be protected against scratches and dents as the device is too darn expensive not to be taken care of like that. Just thinking about the whole process is enough to turn me off.
With all the money that Apple is making, I hope that they could come up with a good solution to the poor battery life not just of wearables but also of smartphones. At this point, it's pretty obvious that improvements in mobile battery technology is not advancing at the same pace as that of chipset architecture and even display technology -- and it's a real shame because a phone's battery is what makes it possible for us to enjoy all the features of our devices. If there's a company that has more than enough resources to come up with an innovation to fix this problem, I'd say it's definitely Apple and I'm hoping that they'd step up to that challenge. (But hey, I'd be equally happy to see efforts from other players in the industry to address this issue.)
If you ask me, what's keeping smartwatches and other wearable gadgets from really taking off is their poor uptime. For me, a wearable that you'd have to charge every single day defeats its own purpose and will eventually fail. So, at least for this category, this aspect is what I think manufacturers should tirelessly work on.
Anyway, for those who are still interested, the Apple Watch will become available in the Cupertino company's priority markets starting on April 24, while a pre-sale and preview session in those territories will begin on April 10, 2015.
But there's one thing about the device that really makes me think twice about getting it when it comes available locally.
I hate that it only has an 18-hour battery life -- and that's according to Apple. Some analysts are saying that its actual uptime will be more in the area of just 10 to 12 hours (or even less) with heavy use.
I'm actually becoming more and more comfortable with the fact that my Apple iPhone 6 only has a battery life of around 12 hours with mixed usage. (I know it's terrible; It really is. And I still don't understand why the iPhone - after all these years - still has that limitation.) But at least, charging it on the go using a powerbank or my Mugen Power Case, isn't all that inconvenient as I'm not 'wearing' the phone and I can continue to use it even while it's connected to a mobile charger.
Photos courtesy of The Verge
I would imagine that charging the Apple Watch (just like other similar wearables) involves different dynamics and they're not particularly hassle-free. First, you'd have to take the device off your wrist so you'd lose its entire functionality and then, you'd have to make sure that you're keeping it in a container where it will be protected against scratches and dents as the device is too darn expensive not to be taken care of like that. Just thinking about the whole process is enough to turn me off.
With all the money that Apple is making, I hope that they could come up with a good solution to the poor battery life not just of wearables but also of smartphones. At this point, it's pretty obvious that improvements in mobile battery technology is not advancing at the same pace as that of chipset architecture and even display technology -- and it's a real shame because a phone's battery is what makes it possible for us to enjoy all the features of our devices. If there's a company that has more than enough resources to come up with an innovation to fix this problem, I'd say it's definitely Apple and I'm hoping that they'd step up to that challenge. (But hey, I'd be equally happy to see efforts from other players in the industry to address this issue.)
If you ask me, what's keeping smartwatches and other wearable gadgets from really taking off is their poor uptime. For me, a wearable that you'd have to charge every single day defeats its own purpose and will eventually fail. So, at least for this category, this aspect is what I think manufacturers should tirelessly work on.
Anyway, for those who are still interested, the Apple Watch will become available in the Cupertino company's priority markets starting on April 24, while a pre-sale and preview session in those territories will begin on April 10, 2015.
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