New Apple Watch is a dive computer

[Joneill]

Sensitive group….

Not really…

 

[Skunky]

Apple has some cool products, but their customer support is piss-poor. As local law enforcement I've received a number of lost and found Apple devices over the years. Reach out to Apple with the serial number asking them to contact their customer to let them know we have their $1000 phone and to reach out to our agency. Nope, they will not do that. It's not in Apple's interest to get people back their lost devices when they can sell them a replacement.

Can’t do that. It’s against apple’s privacy laws.

 

[tridacna]

Apple has some cool products, but their customer support is piss-poor. As local law enforcement I've received a number of lost and found Apple devices over the years. Reach out to Apple with the serial number asking them to contact their customer to let them know we have their $1000 phone and to reach out to our agency. Nope, they will not do that. It's not in Apple's interest to get people back their lost devices when they can sell them a replacement.

How did you get the iphone’s IMEI/MEID or ICCID? You need to have the passcode for that. Do you really think that this is a “sales” issue?

 

[doctormike]

Yes, for instance if you were out and about somewhere remote you could use the pairing of the phone to the watch. That's how I interpreted it. Wonder how that might work if you had a depth housing for the phone?

Taking the phone is not a terrible idea, in that case, especially if the UW photo stuff works well with housings (I know at least one professional UW videographer who has giving our group presentations showing us that it's very competitive with other consumer level stuff).

So you have your phone in a dive housing for use during the dive. Easier to play games on deco with a phone than with a watch. As far as it substituting for a PLB, you wouldn't need to activate the satellite signal inside the housing, if you were floating on the surface and needed to call for help, you would take the phone out of the housing. That's the same as with any PLB or with the nautilus GPS.

 

[Joneill]

Taking the phone is not a terrible idea, in that case, especially if the UW photo stuff works well with housings (I know at least one professional UW videographer who has giving our group presentations showing us that it's very competitive with other consumer level stuff).

So you have your phone in a dive housing for use during the dive. Easier to play games on deco with a phone than with a watch. As far as it substituting for a PLB, you wouldn't need to activate the satellite signal inside the housing, if you were floating on the surface and needed to call for help, you would take the phone out of the housing. That's the same as with any PLB or with the nautilus GPS.

Many PLB's float (my ACR Rescue+ for example) as does the Nautilus GPS - to me, It would seem to be way too easy/likely to drop the phone when trying to remove from the housing at the surface - a bare iPhone is quite slick to handle even with dry hands?

 

[scrane]

Could say the same about Apple, based on some responses in this thread.

Yes, but it wouldn't be as funny the second time around.

 

[doctormike]

Many PLB's float (my ACR Rescue+ for example) as does the Nautilus GPS - to me, It would seem to be way too easy/likely to drop the phone when trying to remove from the housing at the surface - a bare iPhone is quite slick to handle even with dry hands?

Sure, but that seems like the kind of thing that could be addressed (e.g. floating case and/or a tether). Probably not a great idea to require the user to remove the iphone completely from the housing to use it as a PLB. But you really just need to open the housing.

Not even sure if you would need to do that - I guess that would depend on what the housing was made out of and how the satellite SOS technology works.

 

[wnissen]

Sure, but that seems like the kind of thing that could be addressed (e.g. floating case and/or a tether). Probably not a great idea to require the user to remove the iphone completely from the housing to use it as a PLB. But you really just need to open the housing.

Not even sure if you would need to do that - I guess that would depend on what the housing was made out of and how the satellite SOS technology works.

Yeah, the more I think about this the more practical it seems. Emergency equipment is frequently neglected when it comes to maintenance. It's a stretch for most people to check their smoke alarms, is that PLB really going to be in an unflooded housing with fresh batteries when you need it? Something you carry around all the time might be the better choice.

Looks like many of the satellite bands that might be used are around the WiFi frequency of 2.4 GHz, so it might be able to go through a plastic housing just fine. Or not, who knows?

 

[doctormike]

Yup. Totally agree. I have an ACR PLB that I can never seem to get to work (in test mode). Spent a lot of time on tech support with the company, finally gave up. I had a Nautilus Lifeline for years, flooded my original one once accidentally (the one with the radio). So I got another one. That one flooded without user error, so I sent it back to the company and they told me that the third party seller had overtightened the screws or something! They are sending me a replacement.

But I pretty much know if my phone is working or not...

 

[Joneill]

Yeah, the more I think about this the more practical it seems. Emergency equipment is frequently neglected when it comes to maintenance. It's a stretch for most people to check their smoke alarms, is that PLB really going to be in an unflooded housing with fresh batteries when you need it? Something you carry around all the time might be the better choice.

Looks like many of the satellite bands that might be used are around the WiFi frequency of 2.4 GHz, so it might be able to go through a plastic housing just fine. Or not, who knows?

Just to be clear - the iPhone 14 is NOT a PLB so should not be compared to or considered an alternative to one if diving in remote places globally - unless you don't mind not being rescued.

I recently bought an ACR RescueLink View and a DryFob case to carry it in. The RescueLink could not be easier to set up and test and I know it's network will work to actually notify SAR in the remote locations where I will carry it.

With respect to a flooded housing, it's no different than it would be to make sure the iPhone housing is unflooded - so that is a moot point. In fact, I'd have more faith in the simple, circular double o-rings on my DryFob than I would a phone housing that I'd be opening and closing every day to use my phone when not diving - more opportunity for contamination/leaks.

Relative to battery, it's good for at least 5 years if not used and has the battery EXP date on a sticker - so very easy to monitor that and address before bringing on a trip where you want to carry it (not something I'd carry in most locations btw). Also after ~ 2 years, every iPhone I've owned has had it's battery life go to sh_t - so I have much more faith in my PLB being charged and working for 24 hours or more when I need it to.

Finally, it also floats, so no worry about dropping it and losing it after I activate it.