Report: Apple Watch Needs Daily Recharging

[MarlaDesat]

Report: Apple Watch Needs Daily Recharging

Sources at Apple report that the smartwatch has a battery life of "about a day".

The Apple Watch is the company's first piece of Recode reports [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/smartwatch] that sources at Apple peg the current battery life at about twenty four hours. "It's about a day right now," says one source, who also commented that Apple is working on improving the battery life before the watch's release in 2015.

Apple has not commented on how long the watch will run on a single charge, but Apple spokeswoman Nat Kerris says that users are expected to charge the watch daily. "There's a lot of new technology packed into Apple Watch and we think people will love using it throughout the day," says Kerris. "We anticipate that people will charge nightly which is why we designed an innovative charging solution that combines our MagSafe technology and inductive charging." Inductive charging is wireless, allowing devices to be charged using electromagnetic fields. Usually, this means the device is placed on a charging pad instead of plugged into a charter. Some smartphones, from Nokia, Google, LG, and Samsung, support wireless charging using the Qi standard, and a installing Powermat wireless charging spots [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/132387-Wireless-Laptop-Charging-Dell-Joins-Alliance-for-Wireless-Power] in its stores so that customers can charge their devices right at their tables.

Compared to some other smartwatches, the Apple Watch's battery life isn't unusual. For Android-compatible smartwatches, Both Motorola's Meta Watch [https://moto360.motorola.com/], each of which are compatible with both iOS and Android, last 5 to 7 days on a single charge. Would you wear a smartwatch that you had to charge each night? I own a Pebble watch, and even with its long battery life I occasionally find myself out of power, with nothing but an expensive bracelet left on my wrist.

Source: Recode [http://recode.net/2014/09/10/codered-apple-watch-battery-life-charge-nightly/]

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[Mr.Mattress]

That's not bad actually; where it all day, then when you get home you plug it in and let it charge for tomorrow.

Still, I'm the kind of guy that has his phone nearly plugged in 24/7, so it might not be a problem to me, but I can imagine it might be a bit of a problem for people who are busy all day.

Hopefully they'll increase the battery life soon.

 

[The Hungry Samurai]

Meh, one of the reasons I always wear water resistant watches is because the second I have a watch that I need to take off to get in the shower, I forget to put it back on and end up not knowing the time all day. It's bad enough I have to keep my keys, and wallet tied to my cell phone charger so I dont forget them.

Yes I could improve my daily memory, but I'd rather focus that brainpower on more important things. Like reading Escapist articles.

 

[luvd1]

What the fek? A watch that's only good for one day before it stops? This is the future. A tech that can't keep up with clockwork. Please, bring on the tech apocalypse and throws us all back a time before all this. Yes, the 1980's!!!!

 

[Racecarlock]

So we essentially invented that fucking cool sci-fi watch everyone's been dreaming about since they saw them in 1950s science fucking fiction and people are sitting here calling it lame and complaining about battery life?

Dude, we have JAMES BOND WRIST COMMUNICATORS! Try to get excited about SOMETHING, people. Just once in your miserable lives?

Seriously, I feel like science could invent the improbability drive and some of you would sit there asking "Yes, but can it play crysis?".

 

[Laughing Man]

Dude, we have JAMES BOND WRIST COMMUNICATORS! Try to get excited about SOMETHING, people. Just once in your miserable lives?

NO we don't without an Iphone you have an expensive watch that needs to be recharged every day, I wouldn't own a phone that had to be recharged every day let alone a god damn watch. At some point in the last decade the human race entered a realm of stupidity that allows companies to release total and utter crap, sprinkle it with a wee bit of market magic dust about how great it all is and then they can sit back and not only watch idiots actually fork over hard earned cash for total crap but actually then have even bigger idiots defend their products for them.

It's a watch that needs to be charged every day, it is called Apple Watch if it needs a new battery every day it's a very very crap watch.

 

[Callate]

I would be all right with having a watch that needed to be charged every day, so long as it provided enough other utility to be worth the small amount of hassle.

However, my current phone, which used to happily run for three days on a single charge, now barely gets one. I'm a bit concerned that a "one day's charge" battery might be a few years from being a "conks out just when you needed it and are miles from your charger" battery.

And yes, I know Apple would probably like their customers to buy a new Apple Watch every couple of years anyway, and there are some who are happy to do so. As for people who haven't been inducted into the cult the rest of us, that doesn't seem quite reasonable.

 

[RA92]

Dude, we have JAMES BOND WRIST COMMUNICATORS! Try to get excited about SOMETHING, people. Just once in your miserable lives?

Except for it's useless without your phone. So it's neither a proper communicator, nor a proper watch. And costs as much as an Android smart phone.

 

[Braedan]

Buying a smart watch would be like buying a horse and tethering it to your car. We replaced watches WITH phones, now we're buying $350 models that don't work as well as the ten dollar model from Walmart? Because it has an apple on the back?

 

[Kuala BangoDango]

So we essentially invented that fucking cool sci-fi watch everyone's been dreaming about since they saw them in 1950s science fucking fiction and people are sitting here calling it lame and complaining about battery life?

Dude, we have JAMES BOND WRIST COMMUNICATORS! Try to get excited about SOMETHING, people. Just once in your miserable lives?

Seriously, I feel like science could invent the improbability drive and some of you would sit there asking "Yes, but can it play crysis?".

No, that cool sci-fi watch everyone's been dreaming about since the 1950's is one that has a power source that lasts 10,000 years...you know...the technology that when some future archeologist, five millennia from now, digs it up from the rubble of our collapsed society it'll wake from it's sleep mode and give some audio/video logs from it's long-dead owner about the events leading up to mankind's fall and ultimately the user's demise.

As for not being able to get excited about it, I can't help it. I'll be excited when something actually important happens, like a cure for cancer, steps taken for world peace, invention of food replicators that eliminate world hunger/thirst. Some large extremely rich corporation creating one more overpriced object for consumers to be manipulated into thinking they need and putting themselves further in debt in order to buy is not something I can get excited over.

 

[Dr.Awkward]

Huh. Well, if there is one thing, at least you can wind up pocket watches when they're moving slow. Guess Apple should've looked into that and made a way to turn that mechanical winding into charging the battery...


...Or drop Bluetooth and/or GPS from the watch. (Seriously, either is a real power-eater, I'm surprised nobody's tried making more efficient methods for both yet.)

 

[Sillarra]

I really don't see a point of this. My normal watch lasts for at least 3 years before needing a battery replacement. If I want to use features that I have on my phone, I'll use my phone, thank you very much. The only way this tech can make me excited if the watch can lasts for months/years in a single charge.

captcha: urban myth

Yes captcha, I guess that kind of watch is just an urban myth.

 

[Your Fearless Captain]

Apple used to get products right the first time, every time. Now, they seem willing to make a shitty first gen product like Microsoft or Samsung.

 

[Stryc9]

That's not bad actually; where it all day, then when you get home you plug it in and let it charge for tomorrow.

Still, I'm the kind of guy that has his phone nearly plugged in 24/7, so it might not be a problem to me, but I can imagine it might be a bit of a problem for people who are busy all day.

Hopefully they'll increase the battery life soon.

You know that's kind of bad for your battery right? You should let it run down and charge it. I did this once with a Samsung Galaxy mp3 player leaving it plugged in a lot of the time and it really damaged the battery. It swelled up in the middle and wouldn't hold more than 50% charge toward the end.

 

[the doom cannon]

What is the point of a smart watch? I seem to have missed this whole tech phenomenon. Also, I can have a normal watch with basic bells and whistles that has a 10 year battery life....

 

[SilverStuddedSquirre]

Smart- watches: over priced kit for the NOT smart.

What a useless device on the whole, NVM battery life. What is the damned point? Your phone already does all that, on a High- def screen of respectable size.

Dude, we have JAMES BOND WRIST COMMUNICATORS! Try to get excited about SOMETHING, people. Just once in your miserable lives?

I see your point, but we got them WAY TOO LATE. Technology has progressed right over that ever being a useful item, or even cool. Personally I get the urge to slap a Fool every time I pass some wanker holding his phone in front of his face, and yelling at it on speakerphone on max volume while everybody within 30 ft can hear BOTH sides of the conversation.

Think of all the husbands you see wandering around the Grocery store looking at their phone rather than use it LIKE A PHONE. Now imagine them walking around with their elbows sticking out not watching where they go......


I take it back! The first two people I see elbow each-other while talking into their watches will make my Day

 

[Something Amyss]

So we essentially invented that fucking cool sci-fi watch everyone's been dreaming about since they saw them in 1950s science fucking fiction and people are sitting here calling it lame and complaining about battery life?

Dude, we have JAMES BOND WRIST COMMUNICATORS! Try to get excited about SOMETHING, people. Just once in your miserable lives?

Seriously, I feel like science could invent the improbability drive and some of you would sit there asking "Yes, but can it play crysis?".

When we actually get that cool sci fi watch I might care. Right now, it's something for Apple to marginally improve for five years.

 

[J Tyran]

The only Smartwatch I would even consider buying at the moment is the Sony one, a 3rd of the price of the Apple watch and is more water resistant (IP57) and a four day battery life. Even I struggle to justify a Smartwatch for any other reason than "I want one", there isn't much functionality in them thats all that useful that one of the blue tooth bands cannot do like heart rate and inaudible notifications.

 

[Guerilla]

Absolutely terrible, this has to be the biggest waste of money Apple has released yet. Smartwatches in general need a few more years to even be considered useful, comfortable or stylish.

 

[Idlemessiah]

I've got a smart watch. It tells me the time and the date, its waterproof, scratch proof and I assume shatter proof and dust proof too given what its been through. I've had it for over 6 years now and I've only had to change the battery 3 times. It cost less than half as much as any phone branded smart watch yet it has a satisfying weight and size, usually a good indicator of a quality build, and yes Mr. Wayne, it does come in black.

Accurist over Apple any day.