Apple Watch Doubters Wrong: You Need a Smartwatch Now

[apiltch]

Smartwatches like Apple's aren't "nice-to-have" luxuries. They're helpful, time-saving gadgets that can save you time and give you greater control over your digital life and health.

Apple Watch Doubters Wrong: You Need a Smartwatch Now : Read more

 

[Bondfc11]

No I don't need a smartwatch. This is a lame article since we all don't want another lame gadget on our wrists that only mirror what our phones do. If it isn't a fitness tracker (which can be had for way less money than the iWatch) then it's a waste in my opinion. Other than fitness the smartwatch adds NOTHING to my life other than another tether. No thanks. I will pass on these idiot gadgets until they replace a phone in and of themselves.

 

[Bondfc11]

More to the point - if you just tap your phone's home button you get noticed of anything you may have missed. Stupid reasoning in this article. So how many hours are going to add to your wrist tether looking for notifications, then spend the time pulling out your phone to respond? Most people will not use the watch to type responses as those are pretty laborious to do. Again this article's points are pointless to me.

 

[glasssplinter]

Good to see Tom's taking the crapple watch hook line and sinker. Just what I need, another overpriced device that can become outdated in a year and needs to be charged everyday. No thanks, I'll keep my Seiko that has been running on the same battery for 4 years now and doesn't require any kind of updates or compatibility. I'm glad to see that the crapple propaganda / pr machine is working as planned.

 

[nitrium]

Two Apple puff pieces today on Tom's. Guess Apple is in full marketing mode for their overpriced watch.

 

[sicom]

Technology isn't there for smart watches. Their battery lives are unacceptable.

 

[fudoka711]

I have no doubt that one day we'll be able to have smartphones in the form of a smartwatch (I dunno, maybe with some sort of expandable holographic screen? - whatever sci-fi movie/show version you can think of), but for now, there's pretty much no need for it.

The article uses smartphones and tablets as the premise for the need for the smartwatch. This doesn't really work and won't work for a while until smartwatches can do everything a smartphone can do - without having to need a smartphone - and also not have to be charged for at least a day, if not a few days. Taking off your watch to charge it in the middle of the day sounds pretty dumb.

The smartphone solved multiple issues. You could now communicate through email and other social media forms on the go. You could access new, information, email, etc on the go (pretty much anywhere you wanted). You could have mobile entertainment. You could keep track of finances, school work, to-do lists, etc. You could do all of that in one little package.

A tablet emulated the same functions and solved the issue of wanting a large-screened mobile device that is primarily for entertainment/consumption (without a keyboard in the way). Now you could do everything a smartphone could do, except on a larger screen.

A smartwatch needs to be able to to nearly all of that, without needing any of the others to function. The technology simply isn't there yet.

Wow, that was longer than I had anticipated.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

if they really saved that much time vs money, businesses would be buying them up left right and centre for their employees, at least for those that have company provided phones like myself. But guess what? that aint gonna happen.

 

[chicofehr]

How much did Apple pay Tom's for this article?

 

[dstarr3]

Toms Hardware doubters correct: You need to stop visiting this site immediately.

 

[house70]

In that pic the bottom 2 watches look half decent, and the one on the right bottom actually has a more classy look to it. And, have you even seen the LG smartwatch? It looks like something I would actually want to put on my wrist, yet it didn't make the photo op.
That being said, I don't see anything (yet) out there that would make a compelling argument to get a smartwatch. Simply put, they're too limited in their capabilities AND they have abysmal battery life (except maybe the Pebble with e-ink display).

Another point: if the author were genuine in his assessment, he would have come up with this article a couple years ago, when smartwatches first appeared. Instead, he he puts out this piece only when Apple's watch is launched, making it sound in the title like there were hardly any smartwatches out there until now. At least Yahoo has a tab that says 'sponsored' on their articles like this, and they're Yahoo, for crying out loud; their tech contributors are at 5th grade level. Helluva lot higher expectations from Tom's.

 

[Alpha3031]

So instead of not wasting my time, I should make wasting my time more efficient so I'll do more of it? Great idea Mr Piltch.

EDIT: But seriously, it takes what, 50 ms for the screen to light up.

 

[thundervore]

I'm guessing Apple told Toms that they wont give them any free tech to play with unless they spam their website with pointless articles relating to their product.

 

[Alpha3031]

Toms Hardware doubters correct: You need to stop visiting this site immediately.

Actually, Tom's Hardware is still ok. Tom's Guide is definitely a different matter. (hint: according to tom's guide, iP6 has the best smartphone camera. Don't see any (recent) Apple articles on TH, but there's a nicely written article about the 850 EVO msata/m.2 and the intel SSD)

 

[lancelot123]

I have a Moto X. I don't need to wake my phone to check a new message. Check and mate.

 

[10tacle]

Smart watch, smart device, dumb human. I recently saw a commercial for an Apple product (can't even remember what it was, so they failed apparently) and it showed an idiot husband needing a reminder to remember their anniversary and to make dinner reservations and get flowers ordered. These devices that are supposedly making our lives "easier" are actually doing nothing but making our brains smaller.

 

[underseaglider]

The new Apple Watch is set to be available this April. More than a smart watch this timepiece is designed to help you with your daily lifestyle and as a fashion statement.

 

[toddybody]

When my smart watch can replace my phone, through perfect diction, 48hr battery life (minimum), thin as a contemporary time piece, water resistant to 50m...Ill definitely consider it. Until then, folks are paying for early adoption. Not a bad thing, but not a good use of my money.

 

[bombebomb]

My phone tells me what an email is from without unlocking it, messages etc. It lights up, I touch it, it tells me.

 

[thor220]

What I'm getting from your article is that the next big thing should be computer chips implanted into our brains. It's much more convenient to have the notifications display directly on our retinas. That way no one will miss the next pandering article you write.

In all seriousness, the Apple watch sacrifices too much functionality to be of any use right now. Maybe a couple of generations from now it will be of more use but I don't see much of a prospect right now.