Slowtwitch Forums: Edit Log

OtterJohn wrote:

I'd go all-in and get an Ultra, except for a couple nuances

You hit on a few of the many little items that differentiate Apple's smart watch approach to supporting fitness versus a focused fitness-first device. The AW can do a lot of this, but there are a many things it struggles to do well. IMHO, Apple would have to massively beef up its native workout app, give it one or two more hard buttons (option to repurpose the crown & side button during workouts), and massively enhance the mobile app. They still would have the gap of no web tier and the automated integration that brings, but other competing products without web tiers are already out there.

Apple Watch sub-optimizations relative to a pure bread device like a Coros, Garmin, Polar, Suunto, Wahoo, etc. (This focuses on Apple's native apps and sets aside the "there's an app for that," because that is actually part of the AW problem.)

Odd “segments” & “laps” splits data structure
Swimming cannot manually start & stop interval laps
No ecosystem of adjacent products & features – highly fragmented app environment
Limited vertical platform – no web and basic phone UI
Limited screen and data field tailoring
No performance analytics
No accessory device support except through 3rd party apps
No “Daily Report” type feeds (possible “with an app for that,” but even more fragmented)
Touchscreen UI accidents - touch just does not work as well and easily as hard button watches
Data sharing semi-manual
Battery life
Not really always-on
Basic & tedious structured workouts - doing this on the watch is a royal PITA
Activity start countdown
Heavy - its about 50% heavier than most race-oriented multisport devices
No mapping

This is just my short list, off the top of mind, from my experiences using almost every generation of AW alongside Garmin, Suunto, and Wahoo watches.

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