“The truth is, the Apple Watch is probably not the smartwatch we’re looking for. It’s a compromise device, one riddled with too many tradeoffs to be the killer gadget of the decade. We can do better. But it requires letting go of a key feature, one that hardware makers have been trying to shoehorn in ever since they decided smartwatches were the next hot thing,” Brian Fung writes for The Washington Post. “The touchscreen has to go.”
MacDailyNews Take: Oh, really? Based on what evidence?
“Touchscreens have no business being on a smartwatch, and here’s why: They suck up far too much battery power to be worth it,” Fung writes. “‘There are minimums — you certainly can’t be [recharging] more than once a day,’ said Preston Moxcey, the head of wearable technology at Fossil.”
MacDailyNews Take: Oh, that’s why. So, how much did Fossil pay for this attack ad masquerading as “news,” Washington Post?
“Apple has apparently grappled with this question, too. Recent reports about the Apple Watch’s battery say it’s fit for no more than two to four hours of active, continuous usage,” Fung writes. “And while your mileage may vary under real-world conditions, even Apple may be worried about how long users will be able to go on a single charge.”
MacDailyNews Take: Oh, really now? “Recent reports,” you say? Well, there’s rock solid factually-based proof!
Just how stupid does The Washington Post think their readers are? VERY, it would seem.
“In something as small as a watch, space is a luxury. That means smaller batteries, which means energy efficiency becomes a higher priority,” Fung writes. “This is why touchscreens on a smartwatch make no sense.”
MacDailyNews Take: Didn’t you ignorant rubes get it yet? How many times does Fung the sellout have to repeat it until you stupid cretins get it: TOUCHSCREENS ON A SMARTWATCH MAKE NO SENSE!!! Now, don’t you forget it, or this exercise in yellow journalism will have all been for naught.
“A mature smartwatch that’s actually useful would keep a traditional analog or LCD face and forsake the high-powered display, saving all of the juice for advanced sensors,” Fung writes. “The idea makes even more sense when you think about how little information you can actually read on a smartwatch touchscreen. There are tough design limitations related to the size of the display, said Fossil’s Moxcey. ‘There’s only so much space — if you just shrink everything that’s on your phone, you can’t read it,’ he said. ‘So you need to make some creative choices.'”
MacDailyNews Take: You know, because Jony Ive and Marc Newson combined don’t know jack shit about “creative choices.” Ladle as much sarcasm as you can find on that last sentence and you’ll still be several tons short.
“What we need is not a miniature smartphone strapped to our wrists,” Fung writes. “What we need is a timepiece filled with enough working gadgetry to make James Bond jealous.”
So you can see how just low The Washington Post can go, the full article (safely behind DoNotLink) is here: http://www.donotlink.com/dzhs.
MacDailyNews Take: The actual truth is, The Washington Post should be embarrassed for stooping to run an attack ad masquerading as “news” and for treating what’s left of their readership as if they’re blooming idiots.
For what it’s worth (not much), the sellout propagandists’ contact info is:
letters@washpost.com
brian.fung@washpost.comThe actual news here is that:
1) Obviously, Fossil is even more worried than we thought possible (and they are right to be).
2) Unsurprisingly, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has already destroyed what was left of The Washington Post when he bought it in 2013.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Jaribbs” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Apple Watch could do three times Fossil sales in first year – November 17, 2014
Enjoy it while it lasts, Fossil – Apple Watch looms – November 13, 2014
Barclays: Apple Watch could crush companies like Fossil – September 16, 2014
When will Washington Post change their name to Amazon Post.
The desperate dissuaders trying to get in their last minute digs before finding themselves thermo-nuclearized.
It’s the sizzle!
and “AHHH,,, The smell of napalm on monday morning”
Sure and touch screens on phones make no sense, people will not give up their keyboards… With advice like this, Mr. Fossil is likely to go extinct….
This is so bad it’s hilarious.
Remember how everyone put down Apple’s touch screen keyboard on the iPhone?
What I suspect most consumers will be asking Fossil is, “What good is a smart watch without a touch screen?” It’s not very smart, just a fitness band.
All this stupidity bodes very well for the Apple Watch. It’s really just a bunch of wishful thinking by watch company execs so they won’t lose sleep worrying, at least until the Apple Watch is actually released.
I still hate Apple’s touch screen keyboard. I’m so glad they finally opened it up and let third party keyboards in the App Store.
Aside from that old news, I agree with the rest. A smart watch without a touch screen is just a fitness band. I actually just got a Fitbit as a gift and the more i use it, the more yearn for an Apple Watch. Battery life MAY be a concern but at this point you have to trust that Apple knows what it is doing with batteries and power management. This article insults journalism.
You mean those third party key-loggers.
99% of the time, that’s exactly what they are. I have found just one free 3rd-party keyboard that doesn’t need full access, and it was cripplingly slow.
Calm down, MDN. I’m glad they published. Two weeks from now, Fung’s words will be very entertaining. A year from now, even more. If anyone cares. Mr. Fung, get your hand stamped at the door on Monday. You’ll be back to buy one for “research”.
What a profoundly nonsensical article.
The biggest power consumer on smartwatches is screen, not touch wires, which consume ridiculously low.
This is why Pebble can magically run for seven-to-ten days without recharging. (Yes, this is partly to simpler and slower SoC overall, but mainly due to bleak energy saving screen.)
Fung pulled a Dvorak. He may as well have said “there is no evidence that anyone wants a touchscreen on a watch.”
Every court needs a jester. Dvorak is as good as out to pasture these days.
Come on , just look at the iWatch sales numbers for the last ten years. They are non-existent.
I wonder what happened to all those “It’s just a big iPod Touch” idiots?
Those cockroaches are still hidden deep in the cracks with their antennae twitching, waiting and hoping for any Apple product to fail before they come out from hiding and start scurrying about.
hey Brian… If u are so in the know.. Here is a link for u
kickstarter.com… Go ahead.. Make your insightful product.. Put apple to shame..
Same with u Fossil…( by the way .. The name is ever more befitting )
…one riddled with too many tradeoffs to be the killer gadget of the decade
…Because of course there is never any point in Apple selling a new product if it isn’t the ‘killer gadget of the decade’. (o_O) Maybe this, ahem, ‘journalist’ should read and appreciate to actual Apple history.
Example: Where would we be today if Apple hadn’t pioneered the touch screen personal digital device in the form of the Newton? It was considered a flop, despite having several iterations and years of life in the market. But it was the very first PDA: Personal Digital Assistant. Now Apple is selling one considerably smaller, for your wrist. There’s the magic! Apple has never been ONLY the creators of BLOCKBUSTERS to entertain the TechTard journalists.
But everyone here already knows that.
Let’s all calm down and wait for the unveiling of Apple Inc. on Monday 9th March 2015. As we all know, Apple Inc. has in depth expertise in Battery technologies, so I am absolutely sure that they will have consider all (light, medium, heavy) use cases for the Apple Watch.
Main concern for the ‘Fossil’ guy should be that his brand does not live up to its name, becoming an artefact of the past (in watches)!
I like your handle
wish i could post a pic of my scoot, seems unable
The author probably did a search and replace on an existing article from about 8 years ago, after the iPhone intro but before the release.
I can remember it like it was yesterday (or 2007)…
“Large touch screens have no business being on a phone, and here’s why: They suck up far too much battery power to be worth it. A mature smartphone that’s actually useful would keep a smaller non-touch screen and physical keyboard. What we need is NOT a miniature computer in our pocket. What we need is a device that is optimized for phone calls and texting, like the BlackBerry.”
“fossil” says it all. extinct already.
I’m not concerned about battery life. It’s a watch, it’s a convenience factor. Save time from grabbing my phone, to check a text answer a call. We’ll see. I’m on board
Exactly. Nobody does 2-4 hours of continuous use. It’ll be used for a few seconds at a time. That’s the point. If it’s something that involves prolonged interaction, that’s a job for the phone. Nobody’s going to be staring at their wrist for an hour.
Siri I am blotto call me a taxi
“Good evening, sir. You’re a taxi!
Is there anything else I can help you With?”
I believe that would be m’aam, given the handle, even if it is meant for the valley in ireland, since valley is female in many languages (no peak jokes here, please)
Indeed, it is the glen of two lochs (lakes)
Moxcey is the new Ballmer, Colligan, RIM twins, geez, the stupid lists justs get longer.
Just think how long the list of junk journalists and tech anal-ists would ba. 😀
What could you expect from a fossil?
The Editors here at MDN need to take a deep breath, relax and swallow a chill pill. Fact is no one knows how good the Apple Watch will be, or what its strengths and weaknesses will be. Not even MDN.
Not even subtle is it with that ‘expertise’ from a traditional watch manufacturer that couldn’t possibly hope to compete with that touch screen but just might be able to produce an old fashioned traditional watch face that has some electronic sensors to do a few extra things that won’t need regular charging. And that is the future? Yeah like autogiros were the future of flight when they were all the rage taking traditional aviation expertise and offering something a little extra or different do if seemed, they would do all we needed and replace the car, Yep they were the future back then. Looked good for a while but was as these dumb watches will become not a beacon for the future but just a total dead end.
Read somewhere that the Apple watch had a so far unrevealed connection like the one on my iPhone that I use to recharge.
Could it be possible the the Apple watch could use that to power the watch from a battery in the wrist strap?
I’m ready to sign up for it: http://bgr.com/2015/03/06/apple-watch-charging-strap/
Another MDN excoriation of masterful scale……….
I love the smell of burning Washington ComPost in the morning…..
All smartwatch makers should be VERY afraid by 10:00am Cuppertino time…………
LMFAO!!!!
Allow me to finish this MDN with the only thing missing:
……iCal’d….!
MS48….. Amazing how great minds think alike….. But in my case, far too late.
Good post, thanks.
Hence the name… Fossil
Exactly my thought. How appropriately named.
I am surprised, Brian Fung, is still alive with all the LOOSE MOTION that he just farted out.
Apple are being very kind to Fossil and deliberately leaving open a business opportunity for them to exploit – just as they did when they let PC manufacturers build all those netbooks.