Pros & cons: Is Apple getting bogged down with the Watch?
The Apple Watch only makes tiny leaps. Competitors entice with long battery life, blood pressure measurement and smart rings. Is Apple on the wrong track?
(Image: heise online)
Apple has retained the basic design of the Watch for over 10 years – to this day. The technical leaps from generation to generation also appear increasingly smaller. This year, the manufacturer has even dispensed with a new model generation for the Ultra. There seems to be more movement among the competition, there are watches with immensely longer battery life, different case shapes such as smart rings and new health functions. Has Apple got bogged down here?
PRO
In 2022, the Watch Ultra hit the market with an additional button, a large display for more metrics and sensors for water sports enthusiasts. The Ultra 2 shone with 3000 nits and twice as much memory, but brought little new in terms of functionality. In the current edition, Apple has just added a second color.
At the same time, the unique selling points of the depth gauge and water temperature sensor as well as the large display spill over into the Series 10. Extras remain the action button, protection class, siren, optics and the longer, but still uncompetitive runtime – at an additional cost of at least 330 euros compared to the cheapest Series 10 with mobile communications. In the titanium version, the more attractive Series 10 is breathing down the Ultra's neck even as a prestige object.
What strategy is Apple pursuing with its most expensive Watch model? Adding sleep apnea to the extensive health tracking is a good move. However, Apple has apparently not realized how long customers have been longing for blood pressure measurement. Once again, others, including those with medical certification, are the first to show that it can deliver reliable results on the wrist.
There is also a gap in the Apple Intelligence concept. While the new iPhone was designed with Apple AI in mind, the smart stack of the Watch and automatic training recognition are based on older algorithms. Anyone who wants to ask Siri 2.0 complex questions and hopes for answers that are worthy of a personal assistance system because they take the user's context into account will be disappointed by on-device Siri and reach for the iPhone. The fact that the Watch is not allowed to join in the transition to Apple Intelligence for the time being fits in with the overall piecemeal introduction of Apple's AI, which seems to be driven by a backlog and not optimally planned. (ims)
CONTRA
Customizable time display, fitness plus health, communication: this is what the Apple Watch started out with 10 years ago and it is pursuing these goals today more than ever. Of course, the design of the non-ultra watch looks outdated – More positive natures may call it "classic" – and the improvements from year to year are small. From a bird's eye view, however, a lot has changed. Anyone switching from a Series 6 that is just a few years old to the Apple Watch Series 10 is practically wearing a completely different watch on their wrist. The advances in the display, sensor technology, health functions and everyday improvements are immense.
The Apple Watch is and remains primarily a smartwatch aimed at a broad audience – including the Ultra. I think extreme athletes who want to track multi-day adventures are better off with specialized GPS watches. In return, you have to accept other compromises.
And instead of worrying about sideshows such as smart rings, Apple should keep the focus on solid health and fitness functions. I have no doubt that this will include blood pressure monitoring in the future – as soon as everything has been properly tested.
The company failed with the blood oxygen app introduced in 2020, which is still only designed for wellness purposes instead of providing tangible values. In the USA, the manufacturer even had to deactivate the function on new watches due to a patent dispute and has not yet resolved the issue. This really doesn't help anyone. It's good that Apple has finally taken the trouble to clinically validate sleep apnea detection. The Watch can take its time with valuable health functions, a new model generation every two years is enough. (lbe)
Who is right? Join the discussion!
Last at Pros & Cons: Is Apple fulfilling its customers' wishes?
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(lbe)
