Running without iPhones, Thin Pipes and Keyboard Hell

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“When I take my iPhone with me on a run, my Apple Watch’s pace and distance estimates are highly accurate. Without my iPhone, it became so inaccurate it was useless.”

Source: Running without iPhone makes Apple Watch inaccurate | Cult of Mac

This is a giant problem. Apple makes great devices, but more and more, Apple seems to be counting on our love of Apple to blind us to the things that these great devices inexplicably cannot do.

Bling is great, but you need to be at least as good at the basic stuff as the other devices you are trying to replace. Sure, fitness is just one component of the Apple Watch, but if you agree with me that apps are not fun to use on the watch, then fitness and notifications are the primary things differentiating the Apple Watch from the watch John Cameron Swayze was hawking to the ladies the year I was born (I wonder how my Apple watch would like that dishwasher?).

When people ask how I like my Apple Watch, my answer is I like it, but don’t love it. I (still) have to carry my iPhone with me when I work out, and I almost never open an app on it. At least in my neighborhood, the Apple Watch is making slow progress in its efforts to claim the wrists of regular folks. I’ve seen less than 5 in the wild. I offered to buy my wife one. She said no, because there are a ton of other options that do a better job of accurately tracking her runs.

Similarly, the new Apple TV has a lot of bling. But under the hood, it lacks basic functionality (including, but not limited to, all those content deals Apple couldn’t get, and Amazon Prime Video), and requires far too much credentials keyboarding on the pretty but frustrating new remote. Some of this (Amazon and other content) may not be Apple’s fault, but some of it is. For example, on a slower internet connection, my year old Amazon Fire TV still loads much faster than my brand-new Apple TV. That beautiful screen saver is awesome, but it’s not why I bought the device.

If Apple wants us to continue to pay the Apple premium for new devices, those devices need to be mind-blowing, like the original iPhone and iPad, and not meh-inducing, like the Apple Watch and much of the new Apple TV.

Apple Watch: A Nice Accessory

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“After six months of trying to log my runs with my Apple Watch, I finally gave up and bought a dedicated GPS running watch.”

Source: Why I’m cheating on my Apple Watch | Cult of Mac

For people like me, who just want to gamify their workouts, and roughly track steps and miles, the Apple Watch is just fine. For serious runners, like my wife (who has been holding a “gift card” for an Apple Watch for months), it just doesn’t cut it.

I like my Apple Watch, but only for workout-tracking lite, as described above, and for quick notifications. I never- and I mean never- use any apps. They just aren’t fun. Sure, updated apps are doing the best they can, but even native apps are limited by the lack of a GPS on the watch.

I keep waiting for it to get better, but I’m starting to think it will be a couple of hardware updates and several years before the Apple Watch becomes an indispensable tool instead of an optional accessory.

Don’t Get Too Excited About this Outlook on Your Wrist Business

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When the web goes nuts over some new app, device or feature that works, but only for a small portion of the potential universe of users, I wonder if the people going nuts are unaware of the limitation or just ignoring it for headlines.

Such is the case with the new Outlook app that might be able to give you Outlook functionality on your Apple Watch. First a question:

What percentage of Apple Watch wearing, iPhone enthusiasts choose to use Outlook, and what percentage of such people have to use it because it’s on their locked-down, corporate Windows computer? I’d say very few of the former and a ton of the latter. In fact, find me a Mac user who voluntarily chooses to use Outlook, and I’ll devote an entire podcast to learning why. The large, large majority of iPhone users who use Outlook are doing so because they have to.

And they have to because their companies require it. And those companies lock-down both their desktop computers and the mobile devices used by their employees. Which means that a whole lot of the folks who eagerly install the Outlook app on their iPhones and excitedly log-in in anticipation of replying to Outlook emails from their Apple Watch are going to get this:

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So, if you’re on a locked-down corporate system, don’t get too excited about Outlook on your wrist, because it’s probably not going to happen.

Apple Watch: River Test

We spent the last week on the Frio River, in Concan, Texas. We tubed the river, we swam, we jumped off rocks. The Apple Watch handled two out of the three like a waterproof champ. More accurately, the watch handled all of them. The watch band had a slight problem (that could have been prevented, had I not spaced out for a moment).

For those who don’t know, tubing a river involves a lot of floating, a fair amount of backstroke paddling (during which your watch is dunked in the water repeatedly with every downstroke), and an occasional tumble down the rapids after your tube flips. I wore my Apple Watch the entire time, and it was completely unaffected by the water. In fact, after the first hour of the first float, I didn’t think about it again. My watch spent a lot of time under water, and handled it perfectly.

There is a tall rock we always jump off near the end of one of the floats (Happy Hollow, for those of you fortunate enough to be familiar with the sacred waters of the Frio). As I was climbing the rock, I thought “I need to hold my watch when I jump, so it won’t fall off.” But when I jumped, I naturally forgot to do that. Yep, my watch (sports band) came off when I hit the water. Fortunately, my buddy Kyle performed some amazing Jacques Cousteau action and managed to find it 10 feet or so beneath the surface on the river bottom. It was down there for a minute or two, and- no problem.

In sum, the Apple Watch seems pretty darn water-proof, and it is clearly fit for tubing rivers. Jumping off tall rocks, not so much.

Why I May Ditch My Apple Watch

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I don’t know that the Apple Watch is a flop. I don’t know that it’s not a flop. It’s probably somewhere in between. I know that I’ve never noticed another one in the wild. Maybe that’s because, like me, other early adopters prefer to use theirs inconspicuously.

But clearly, there are questions about whether the Apple Watch is ready for prime time.

For one, the apps continue to load too slowly to be useful.

Yet I find the complications and notifications to be extremely useful. When they work.

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And there’s both the rub and the reason I am considering throwing in the towel and relegating my Apple Watch to the drawer of shame, where I keep other things I bought and didn’t or couldn’t use. There’s an Android tablet in there, and that early Samsung pre-tablet but handheld computer thing. And my Instacube.

While I can do without the apps that never load, what I can’t do without is the information that’s supposed to appear on the watch face. The complications. In my case, these include the temperature and the sunrise and sunset times. These two (of my five total) complications rarely appear on my watch.

This madness began not long after I received my watch. A complete iPhone wipe and DFU restore solved the problem, for a little while. Now it’s back. Like Sharknado, but not as fun.

In fact, it sucks. It should not be this hard. It should just work. But it doesn’t. So far, the Apple Watch experience seems more like building a radio with some kit you bought from the back of a comic book than a traditional Apple experience.

I’m in wait and see mode. Maybe an update will fix this issue, which is clearly a failure on the part of the watch and iPhone to reliably communicate with each other. Maybe if I get to the end of my patience, I’ll make a desperate stab at the watchOS 2 beta.

Or maybe I’ll just go back to a bare wrist and a Fitbit One.

The 3rd and 4th Biggest Apple Watch Buzz Kills

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I’ve already described the two biggest buzz kills. Now it’s time for numbers 3 and 4, plus a bonus.

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Several of my complications, including the native Apple Weather app one, work sporadically. The temperature, which is supposed to be at the lower left, appears maybe half the time. The sunrise/sunset, which appears at the lower right, does a little better. The best thing about the watch is the ability to quickly get information by glancing at your wrist. When two of the six items don’t appear, that’s a problem.

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It’s a good thing, ironically speaking, that third-party apps don’t really work on the Apple Watch, since around a third of my app icons are permanently stuck in incomplete, installation-in-progress mode. Sure, you can remove them and reinstall them via the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. And if that doesn’t work, you can reset your Apple Watch and start over. But that is a needless and frustrating time-sink.

Whatever happened to “it just works?”

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Oh, and a bonus. Sometimes the Apple Watch will simply disconnect from your nearby iPhone and refuse to re-pair. Usually, turning Bluetooth on and off a time or ten on your iPhone will fix the problem. This happened to me in Austin the other day. It took much effort and trial and error to force these supposedly and mandatorily complimentary devices to begin speaking again.

Need even more? Lately, I’ve noticed that the text and email notifications on my watch (the most useful thing about the Apple Watch in my semi-humble opinion) lag behind the notifications on my iPhone, sometimes by 15 minutes or so.

I like my Apple Watch. I really do, even though it drives me nuts at times. And, yes, I know this is a version 1 product. But I’ve bought a lot of those from Apple over the years. This time it seems like more of a public beta. Great promise, but very rough around the edges.

P.S. Yes, I have considered that my iPhone has a Bluetooth or other connectivity issue. I’m hoping if we don’t drown in the next day or two (more flooding expected here in south Texas) a trip to the local Apple Store might fix some or all of this. Having said that, I know that many others have experienced some of the issues described above.

The Two Biggest Apple Watch Buzz Kills

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As I mentioned the other day, I am enjoying my Apple Watch.

But it’s not perfect. Here are the two biggest buzz kills.

That screenshot was taken today, June 4, 2015. If these apps and the corresponding Glances don’t automatically and seamlessly update, they are useless. This is not an isolated problem. It also happens with weather apps, among others.

The only thing worse than old data is no data. This is the rule and not the exception with some Apple apps (see above) and most third-party apps. They rarely update before the screen goes blank. I rarely have the perseverance to stick with it, and usually just give up.

And all of this happens within a foot or two from my iPhone.

Notifications are wonderful on the Apple Watch. Phone calls are remarkably functional. Apps, and most Glances, not so much.

30 Days Out: Thoughts on the Apple Watch

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As many of you know, it happened again. After trying to convince myself not to buy an Apple Watch, I capitulated to the inevitable and ordered one. I’ve learned the hard way that the least inefficient way to order a new Apple product on pre-order day is via the Apple Store app. So, I set my clock for 2:00 a.m., and used my iPad to order a 42mm space gray aluminum model, with a matching black sports band.

Here are a few thoughts, after a month:

1. Getting used to wearing a watch again is the hardest part. Until my Apple Watch arrived, I hadn’t worn a watch for many years. Now I wear one from the minute I get up until the minute I go back to bed. Because I use the watch as a fitness monitor, I don’t want to miss any steps. I’m getting used to wearing a watch again, but it takes an Apple Watch to get me there.

2. The fitness tracking is good and accurate. I’ve worn a Fitbit for years, and I’ve always known that it over-reports steps and, to a lesser extent, mileage. The Apple Watch is very accurate on both. Happily, it even measures my treadmill steps when I cheat and hold on. This is important.

3. The battery is not an issue. Period. I’m usually at 50% charged or better when I take it off.

4. It’s all about the notifications. Getting a quick look at incoming email, texts and other events is both the most useful thing about the watch and the thing the watch does best. The app screen is a jumble of too small icons. Glances work reasonably well, as long as you keep the number low enough. Apps are slow to load. I rarely use them. Hopefully native Apple Watch apps, promised for later this year, will speed thing up. I love the way you can delete all notifications at once. I hope we get this on other Apple devices.

5. At least at this stage, the Apple Watch has not crossed over into the non-geek universe the way iPhones and iPads have. I’ve never seen another Apple Watch in the wild. In fact, even at the Apple Store (when I went to get yet another broken iPhone screen replaced for a family member), it was an ohh and ahh moment for onlookers when I paid my replacement fee with my watch. The people who have noticed my watch so far have treated it as a curiosity, as opposed to something they can’t wait to get.

6. The sports band is a fine watch band. The smaller of the two that come in the box fits my wrist perfectly. Using the last notch, the end of the band tucks slightly into the slot, making for a very comfortable experience.

7. It’s not so big that it seems clunky and burdensome. I’m sure future models will get thinner (seen a first generation iPhone or iPad lately?), but it sits on my wrist pretty unobtrusively. I’m starting to forget that I’m wearing it, which as a non-watch wearer is a very good thing.

8. Apple Pay will be the defining feature. I love the ability to pay for things in a second or two with my watch. I can’t wait to use it at a third location (the Apple Store and Walgreens being the two current locations I frequent that accept Apple Pay).

In sum, I’m sold. I wonder, however, just how far the Apple Watch will penetrate into the non-geek, non-athlete crowd.

Time will tell.

Why I’m Not Sold on the Apple Watch as a Fitness Device

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Try as I might- and my love of all things Apple mandates that I try- I just can’t get excited about the Apple Watch. Granted, I haven’t worn a watch in decades, but I have worn a Fitbit for over two years and track my exercise and sleep patterns daily. So while I’m not a watch guy, I’m a prime candidate for a better and more powerful fitness tracker, with communication and timekeeping features to come along for the run. The thing is, based on everything I’ve read, the Apple Watch (at least in the absence of an associated iPhone) doesn’t do much from a fitness tracking perspective that my Fitbit One doesn’t already do. Sure, it tracks steps and stairs, but it has no independent GPS functionality and, because it is not waterproof, it doesn’t significantly increase the universe of activities I can track. Let’s take a look at some things the Apple Watch can do all by itself, without relying on a nearby iPhone.

1. It can tell the time. Well, that’s great, but I don’t want a traditional watch and if I need to know what time it is, my Fitbit One can tell me. As an aside, I can’t remember the last time I was working out, didn’t know what time it was (or close enough), and just had to find out the exact time. There are clocks, other people, and the sun, everywhere.

2. It can play some of your music and show you some of your photos. OK, I’ll admit the music capability is intriguing, especially if it includes podcasts, which comprise 95% of my workout listening. The thing is, none of this streams. You have to create some sort of playlist and store it in the 2 GB of space available on your Apple Watch. Maybe, in theory, that would be awesome. In actuality (based on my history with iTunes playlists), I might do it once or twice, and then never again. As far as photos, if I were to list the things I want to look at while working out, my iPhoto library would be at or near the bottom. And if I were to list the manner in which I want to view photos, on a watch-like size and form factor wouldn’t even make the bottom of the list. It simply wouldn’t occur to me.

3. It can track your heartbeat, steps, stairs, and stand-sit ratio. Granted, my Fitbit One does not (at least as far as I know) have the ability to track my heartbeat or stand-sit ratio, but it tracks steps and stairs just fine. If the Apple Watch had the ability to record and display my route (e.g., independent GPS functionality), that would be an improvement over my current process (my Fitbit can’t do that either, so if I want to I have to use my iPhone). I suppose it would be nice to monitor my heartbeat, but that single additional feature isn’t going to get me in line to buy one. I can see data that roughly correlates to my stand-sit ratio via my Fitbit dashboard. In other words, these are relatively small and incremental gains that don’t seem like enough to warrant a third workout device (along with my Fitbit and iPhone). Again, if the Apple Watch either allowed me to leave my iPhone at home or completely replicated and improved on the data tracked by my Fitbit, it might be a candidate to replace one or the other during my workouts. But it doesn’t seem like that’s the case. Sure, if enough third parties play ball, the Apple Watch will one day allow a lot of health and medical tracking, but that’s not something that affects my actual workouts, and by the time all the players are in place, there will likely be newer Apple Watches and all sorts of other options. In sum, I can see how the Apple Watch would appeal to people who are really into traditional wristwatches (except, you know, for the obsolescence problem), but I just don’t see how it is going to revolutionize fitness tracking.

4. It can use Apple Pay and Passbook. This is neat, I guess, but I’m a huge Apple geek and I have used Apple Pay exactly four times: twice in an Apple Store and twice in a Walgreen’s (and Walgreen’s makes you sign something, even when using Apple Pay, which is a huge buzz kill on the entire process). Nevertheless, I think Apple Pay is the future of mobile payments. So, if I were willing to bet my right arm on the future, Apple Pay might be the Apple Watch’s quickest route to my wrist.

Rene Ritchie, at the always reliable iMore, has an article today about the Apple Watch as your new fitness trainer. He makes as compelling a case as can be made that the Apple Watch will evolutionize, if not revolutionize, personal training. Maybe, but I’m not seeing any giant leaps forward, though I will admit that the potential for the Apple Watch to learn how to track your workouts more accurately over time is intriguing. Mostly, I see some incremental gains, some sideways leaps, and the allure of Apple. If I could swim with an Apple Watch, that would be one thing. If it could seamlessly manage my music and podcasts, that would at least replicate what my iPhone does now, on a smaller device. The fact that you can only shower with it seems like a missing feature, as opposed to a benefit.

Having said all this, I am realistic enough to know- and years of Apple experience has taught me- that feelings can change. It may be that when I see an Apple Watch in person, and put it around my wrist, I’ll conclude I can’t live without one. A year or two ago I would’ve told you that I will always be primarily a desktop computer user (long live the iMac). My retina MacBook Pro has since taught me otherwise.

But here’s what I do know. With the large majority of previous Apple devices, I have counted the days between the event announcing and showcasing the device and the day I could pre-order one. Alarms clocks were set. That’s not the case with the Apple Watch. I’m going to need some convincing.

Apple and the Backwards Looking Advance

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The second biggest problem with the Apple Watch is that it’s a watch. I get that there are a lot of people who (still) love wearing a watch. I also get that there are people who (still) wear ties and high heels. There are also people who still write letters. Fifty years ago, almost everyone wore a watch and ties and high heels were the rule, not the exception. Fast forward to 2015, and the trend line for ties, high heels and watches is not on the upswing. Betting large on watches is a backwards looking advance by the greatest technology company in the world.

I haven’t worn a watch in close to a decade, and sadly not even Tim Cook can make me want one. I saw some interesting stuff yesterday. How much indispensable stuff is another question.

What I do wear is a fitness device. I’ve worn my Fitbit (the pocket version) for over two years. It is as integral to my day as my phone or my reading glasses. I feel anxious on those rare but unavoidable days when I lose mine and have to wait a day for Amazon to deliver me another one. Until now, the best hope for an Apple Watch to find its way onto my suntanned wrist was as an improved fitness device. But, no. The fact that you have to carry your iPhone with you to get the full benefit of the Apple Watch’s fitness tracking features is the biggest problem, and a deal-stopper for me.

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And while I am bemoaning the recent Apple announcements, as opposed to my more typical reaction of counting the days to preorder some new wonderment, I’m underwhelmed by the new Macbook. I’m not moved by the tech specs or the single port (and associated, expensive adapters to come), and I worry that it may spell the beginning of the end of the beautiful MacBook Airs. Yes, these new laptops are light and small and lovely, but they seem like the child of an iPad and a netbook. I want something more powerful. Like my beloved 15 inch retina MacBook Pro- the most beautiful and productive computer I’ve ever owned.

I hoped to be blown away yesterday, but I wasn’t. I’m still all-in on the Apple train, but I worry just a little about where we are headed.