[Laminar]

[besson3c]

I hate it when people equate the value of something to its feature checklist.

[mindwaves]

I'll probably buy the iPhone 6 (not plus), but I will miss out on the new layout keyboard on the 6 plus. Not going to buy the Apple WATCH. Very comfortable with my old Timex running on 5 year battery life with an always on display.

[starman]

iPhone 6+ 64GB Black. Done.

[Laminar]

It looks like a Verizon iPhone 5 goes for about $200-300 on my local Craigslist, so picking up a 64GB 6 would be just about a wash. I'll have to hold one before I jump on it but that's how it's looking. A better camera is worth it, as this thing is basically documenting my kid's life.

[subego]

Just ordered a nonplussed 6. Still getting launch deliveries.

[subego]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

I hate it when people equate the value of something to its feature checklist.

Especially if one of the features they tout are IR blasters.

Really? Really?

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by subego 

Especially if one of the features they tout are IR blasters.

Really? Really?

Doesn't blasting IR, or blasting anything seem kind of sexual to you?

[starman]

Originally Posted by subego 

Especially if one of the features they tout are IR blasters.

Really? Really?

To be fair, it's kinda nice to have a custom IR remote.

[subego]

Originally Posted by starman 

To be fair, it's kinda nice to have a custom IR remote.

Full disclosure: I have very strong opinions about remote controls.

One of said opinions is certain functions need to be accessed blind (i.e. by feel only). This requires dedicated hardware buttons.

[ort888]

Yeah, touchscreen remotes suck.

[subego]

It's theoretically possible to have a good combo, but something like a pause button absolutely, positively needs to be hardware.

[Laminar]

I tried making an iPod touch into a remote by using a Griffin Beacon, but didn't like it for that reason - it's just nice to have volume easily accessible by muscle memory and feel.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Agreed....touchscreen remotes are totally the worst.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

I just heard about the Moto360 and looked it up. It is by far the best looking smartwatche, specifically because it doesnt look like a piece of tech (or a metal marshmellow)

Well, that's because it is NOT a piece of tech, but a piece of SHIT.

Moto 360 review—Beautiful outside, ugly inside | Ars Technica

I think it's fair to assume that the Moto360 will not even last two years before being utterly useless, slow and the battery capacity measured in minutes, rather than hours.

If you like the design, buy a traditional watch that looks like it, because a smart watch, you ain't gettin'.

-t

[Shaddim]

~34 hours with ambient mode off. It senses you move and turns on. That doesn't bother me because I charge it each night, which takes 5 seconds to place on the "cradle".

[ort888]

I'm watching this Charlie Rose / Tim Cook interview, and all I really have to say is... Good god is Tim Cook boring as hell.

[Waragainstsleep]

CEOs usually are.

The thing about Apple is that once you understand their message, their style and how important it is to them and their success, there is very little point in asking them anything because they just talk like adverts and quote the tag lines they all decided on for each product.

I'd love to see someone ask more interesting questions though. Maybe about stuff thats so far down the line they might actually be allowed to speculate about it. "Mr. Cook, do you envision Apple stores one day being fitted out with their own clinics so you can install the iPhone 20 into customers skulls?"
"Do you think those telepathic calls you'd then be able to make would be called Braiintime©? or Mindtime©?"

[davecom]

He's not the most exciting guy in the world, but what I like about Tim Cook is that he's extremely respectable. He seems trustworthy in a way that business execs haven't seemed in a long time. I feel like I can hold him to a high standard, because I have a sense he tries to do The Right Thing. Whether that be on the environment, worker compensation, labor issues, or manufacturing in the USA - I like several of the non-product moves he's made and I therefore value is judgment outside of the products themselves - they have plenty of other Product people.

I am nervous however that both in his thank yous at the end of the keynote and at the beginning of the Charlie Rose interview he failed to mention Phil. I love Schiller.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Arts and crafts time at work today?

Ha... I just stole some safety scissors out of the Sunday School rooms.

We have nine staff members, and we're on a business plan. We all had to pre-order today, so we printed out that handy little guide and let everyone see the size difference.

Despite the apparent obsession with the 6 Plus, not one of our staffers wanted it. They're all going 4.7".

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

I think it's fair to assume that the Moto360 will not even last two years before being utterly useless, slow and the battery capacity measured in minutes, rather than hours.

This illustrates the biggest difference between Android hardware manufacturers and Apple. Everyone else rushes a product. Apple obsesses for years.

I'm not saying that's always a perfect model, but the Apple Watch does at least feel very well thought-out.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

This illustrates the biggest difference between Android hardware manufacturers and Apple. Everyone else rushes a product. Apple obsesses for years.

Also, Apple's watch looks much more upscale and higher-quality than Motorola's 360, and this does matter a great deal with things like watches and other fashion items. (Ditto for cars.) Motorola's watch does indeed look more like a regular watch, but its circular shape does make it worse for the smart part of smart watch.

What I find interesting are complaints about size and weight: there are plenty of regular watches which are larger and heavier. So while I understand the drive to make the watch smaller, size isn't as much of an issue if you're a watch aficionado.

[OreoCookie]

Just as a point of reference, I have inherited an Omega Constellation Megaquartz which is certainly thicker and heavier than the Apple Watch:

(Although mine has a black leather strap instead of a metal strap.) Since I don't have mine on me, I can't weigh it. But I wouldn't be surprised if it weighs about 250 g. I broke it once, because it slipped from my wrist onto a table from when opening the strap -- those 10 cm were enough to do damage.

I also own a Stowa Antea (with a black dial, though) with a diameter of 39 mm (they also have a 41 mm version now):


It weighs 65.5 g. Has anyone found approximate weights for the Apple Watch?

[SSharon]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

It's a known bug and even wiping and reinstalling isn't guaranteed to fix it.

Thanks for the bad news. (not being sarcastic.)

Originally Posted by OAW 

Personally I'm looking forward to the feature in iOS 8 where the content of message threads are automatically deleted after X days. I'd love to be able to set and forget mine at 30 days. That will free up a lot of space on my 16 GB. I already don't store any music and just stream from iCloud. I'm looking forward to doing the same for photos in iOS 8 as well. So between these 3 features I should be able to get away with 16 GB in an iPhone 6.
OAW

I like the idea in theory, but I'm torn. I send tons of baby pictures and videos to a group message with my family. Knowing they are there as just another back up is comforting in some way, but I would like an easier way to scroll through all the media in a thread to selectively delete content (such as the lengthy videos my sister sends of her kid - that's her job to back up!).

[Doc HM]

So, I have quite a large reach with my hand although my hands aren't that large. My friend Dan has teeny tiny hands.

Apple kind of ignored "reachability" in the keynote. It seems a bit like another layer of UI but hopefully it works. I would guess the 6 plus certainly needs it.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

Apple kind of ignored "reachability" in the keynote.

What about the home button double tap?

[The Final Dakar]

The iPod classic is sold-out everywhere. This is infuriating.

[Waragainstsleep]

They never last very long, the HDDs die easy. Its not like you haven't had plenty of time to get one either.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep 

Its not like you haven't had plenty of time to get one either.

You know, I don't much care for you.

[andi*pandi]

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep 

They never last very long, the HDDs die easy. Its not like you haven't had plenty of time to get one either.

my ORIGINAL ipod, still works great. It's been dropped, travelled a zillion miles, the only problem is battery life (replaced once).

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

the only problem is battery life (replaced once).

That's exactly why I was going to pick up a second one. Bonus being the first one would go in the car.

[Laminar]

Here you go.

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Well, that's because it is NOT a piece of tech, but a piece of SHIT.

Moto 360 review—Beautiful outside, ugly inside | Ars Technica

I think it's fair to assume that the Moto360 will not even last two years before being utterly useless, slow and the battery capacity measured in minutes, rather than hours.

If you like the design, buy a traditional watch that looks like it, because a smart watch, you ain't gettin'.

-t

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Just so we're clear, i'm not advocating the Moto360 for purchase. I do not know much about it.

I was merely highlighting that i prefer the aesthetic design of the hardware and the software, over the Apple Watch.

Features/performance/price/battery life/etc... don't know, and not particularly interested in comparing them as i have no intention of buying either product.

Bottom line: IMO the Moto360 *looks* much better than the Apple Watch

Once again, i am not advocating either product. I wont be buying either. But i think the Moto360 is a better *looking*(aesthetic) product than the Apple Watch.

And yes, I will be sticking with my round, analog timepiece.

[SSharon]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

What about the home button double tap?

What about double tapping the home button to get to the application switcher (instead of reachability)?

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by SSharon 

What about double tapping the home button to get to the application switcher (instead of reachability)?

Tapping the home button != pressing the home button.

It seems like iOS 8 will have different functions on the home button, depending on just touching (tapping) the home button, or pressing (actuating) the mechanical button switch.

-t

[Waragainstsleep]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

You know, I don't much care for you.

I don't think anyone here does.

FWIW, I have no issues whatsoever with you.

[subego]

I like you.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

Once again, i am not advocating either product. I wont be buying either. But i think the Moto360 is a better *looking*(aesthetic) product than the Apple Watch.

I realize we're getting into questions of taste, and I should qualify that by saying that I haven't held either smart watch in my hand, but the Apple Watch exudes quality where the Motorola 360 looks like a Timex or a Swatch to me. And shape-wise, my analog round watch (see above) is much more appealing than the 360, but on the other hand, the 360 has less screen estate than the Apple Watch because of its shape. So to me, it's worse as a watch than a traditional watch and worse than any smart watch with a rectangular screen because it has less screen estate than them.

[Waragainstsleep]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

my ORIGINAL ipod, still works great. It's been dropped, travelled a zillion miles, the only problem is battery life (replaced once).

You're very fortunate. I have more dead ones than working ones I think. Its likely one or two just need new batteries to jumpstart them though but mine had very little use tbh.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep 

They never last very long, the HDDs die easy. Its not like you haven't had plenty of time to get one either.

Really? My 2nd gen 20 Gig iPod (literally the largest iPod ever made) lasted until the headphone jack broke.

[Waragainstsleep]

Originally Posted by subego 

I like you.

Thanks!

Maybe I'll stick around another decade then.

[Waragainstsleep]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

Really? My 2nd gen 20 Gig iPod (literally the largest iPod ever made) lasted until the headphone jack broke.

Those earlier generations might be a bit more robust. The 4th gen ones and later are very common but they do have a high failure rate over time. The slightest knocks can send them into a death spiral.

Now the Nanos and Shuffles, those things are bullet proof. HDDs just aren't built for impacts, small or large.

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

I realize we're getting into questions of taste, and I should qualify that by saying that I haven't held either smart watch in my hand, but the Apple Watch exudes quality where the Motorola 360 looks like a Timex or a Swatch to me. And shape-wise, my analog round watch (see above) is much more appealing than the 360, but on the other hand, the 360 has less screen estate than the Apple Watch because of its shape. So to me, it's worse as a watch than a traditional watch and worse than any smart watch with a rectangular screen because it has less screen estate than them.

My opinions thus far have been purely from the taste angle (and i accept that not everyone has the same tastes). The materials which Apple uses in their Watch are probably in a league of their own compared to the Moto360, but that does not negate my point. Imagine if Dell released one of their traditional/generic desktops made using Al+glass, and Apple was selling their G5 iMacs. Irrespective of materials and 'finish', the iMac would still be the better aesthetically designed product.

I appreciate that many of you are concerned about the 'function' of a rectangular screen over the aesthetics of a round face. Apple has been accused of form over function for almost all their product lines; it just seems odd that for their first actual fashion-oriented product they decided to go function over form. As far as the textbox issue, its not impossible to have smart wrapping of text based on the shape of the container.

But yes, i do prefer a round faced 'flat-looking' watch. And IMHO, the Moto360, looks better on the hand than the Apple Watch (Again just my opinion) The Moto360, looks minimalistic and simple, compared to Apple's rather bulky looking marshmellow.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

My opinions thus far have been purely from the taste angle (and i accept that not everyone has the same tastes).

I think you should choose a smart watch according to taste. I always found it a bit strange that some people were criticized for basing their tech purchasing decisions partly on aesthetics when in other (even tech-related) fields such as fashion or cars, this is the most normal thing to do. Some people despise the Volkwagen Golf, because it is such an ordinary looking car, because it is so utterly unexciting. But that's also a virtue which makes it a reasonable choice for a large share of the market.

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

I appreciate that many of you are concerned about the 'function' of a rectangular screen over the aesthetics of a round face. Apple has been accused of form over function for almost all their product lines; it just seems odd that for their first actual fashion-oriented product they decided to go function over form.

The mnemonic device that I have in mind is not »form over function« or vice versa, but »form follows function«, a Bauhaus credo on how to design things. I think it explains the Apple Watch's shape perfectly: for a smart watch, you need as much screen estate that you can, and you end up with a squarish or rectangular screen as opposed to a circular one.

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

As far as the textbox issue, its not impossible to have smart wrapping of text based on the shape of the container.

But that won't change that for a watch of a given size (size meaning either the diameter of the circular watch face or the longer side of the rectangle) that a rectangular screen will always have a larger surface, that's just a fact from geometry. To me, if you start with the idea »We want to make the best smart watch« as opposed to »We want to make a smart watch that looks like a regular watch« you end up with a rectangular screen.

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

But yes, i do prefer a round faced 'flat-looking' watch. And IMHO, the Moto360, looks better on the hand than the Apple Watch (Again just my opinion) The Moto360, looks minimalistic and simple, compared to Apple's rather bulky looking marshmellow.

It definitely looks a bit big, and I seriously wonder if it's smaller or bigger than my Omega (which is really, really thick and very heavy, I was rummaging around the internet a bit more, it seems the weight is about 150 g). I perfectly understand people for whom such a watch -- smart watch or not -- is simply too thick. In addition to thickness, I'm also curious about the weight: how much does the Apple Watch weigh?

On the other hand, Apple brought a lot of talent from the fashion industry on board, and the »current« Apple Watch (it will appear next year) will be like the first iPhone. I'm curious what the watch equivalent of the iPhone 4 or 4S will look like … I don't see Motorola or Samsung hiring people from that sphere to design their next smart watches. The other thing that is amazing to me is that roughly 25 years after my first computer, we have a computer running Unix on our wrists. That's really a feat of engineering.

PS The Motorola's cardinal sin is its screen which is cut between the 4 and 7 o'clock position, it's really something that aesthetically I dislike.

[Laminar]

[ort888]

Back to the phones for a second...

I've been spending more time really paying attention to how and when I use my iPhone throughout the day... and I'm really starting to question whether or not I would really like having a 5.5" iPhone. Which sucks, because battery life and the camera are two of the most important things I want from my iPhone upgrade and it's so hard to pull the trigger on a device that's worse in both of those departments.

I'm just going to have to see them in person, although honestly I think I'm just going to wait for the 6S. Hopefully they add something cool.

I'd love to see something like an iPhone 6B, which was way thicker and had way better battery life, although I think if they put something like that out no one would buy the regular phone.

[SSharon]

Has anyone heard anything or given any thought to Apple Watch security?

With the new iPhones able to be remotely locked, wiped, and only restored with an apple ID, what about the watch? If you can just pair it with another iPhone I hate to think how many of these will be stolen.

[subego]

Originally Posted by SSharon 

Has anyone heard anything or given any thought to Apple Watch security?

With the new iPhones able to be remotely locked, wiped, and only restored with an apple ID, what about the watch? If you can just pair it with another iPhone I hate to think how many of these will be stolen.

I'd venture they only have half an idea.

One of the more astute observations I felt was the iWatch demo was very similar to the original iPhone demo. In reality, the thing is still in the oven, and you had the entire iWatch team in the front row, who got soused beforehand worried the thing would break.

The only purpose of announcing it in an unfinished state was to Christmas cockblock Samsung.

[SSharon]

Originally Posted by subego 

I'd venture they only have half an idea.

One of the more astute observations I felt was the iWatch demo was very similar to the original iPhone demo. In reality, the thing is still in the oven, and you had the entire iWatch team in the front row, who got soused beforehand worried the thing would break.

The only purpose of announcing it in an unfinished state was to Christmas cockblock Samsung.

Probably true, but times have changed since the original iphone came out. Thinking about it more though, I guess you could have the watch set to pair to an iphone and then never work on any other iphone until it is released from the pair by the phone.

[Waragainstsleep]

I think they also want to give developers a head start, get some killer apps ready for launch asap.