New Apple Watch is a dive computer

[brsnow]

@Thunder Struck you are missing several other groups of divers who would potentially benefit. It’s not one or the other from your breakdown.
My DM has one and loves it. This was during last shore dives in Ft Lauderdale a few weeks ago. So go figure.
I think we should stop analyzing what we don’t know and let the market speak for itself.

People like to complain or see things fail.

 

[scubadada]

@Thunder Struck you are missing several other groups of divers who would potentially benefit. It’s not one or the other from your breakdown.
My DM has one and loves it. This was during last shore dives in Ft Lauderdale a few weeks ago. So go figure.
I think we should stop analyzing what we don’t know and let the market speak for itself.

Personally, I have no use for an Apple Ultra/Oceanic+ or a Garmin computer. I'm still waiting to see what happens when the Deep 6 firmware upgrade comes out. I appreciate the fact that others want these dive computers. The market will decide which are successful and which are not.

I'm glad that development is going on in dive computers. I will have to replace my more than 12 year Oceanic VT3 one of these days. I hope to have multiple viable alternatives. Something to complement my Teric, an AI Peregrine?

 

[Wibble]

Personally, I have no use for an Apple Ultra/Oceanic+ or a Garmin computer. I'm still waiting to see what happens when the Deep 6 firmware upgrade comes out. I appreciate the fact that others want these dive computers. The market will decide which are successful and which are not.

What, you're saying that you're not an action-man who runs jumps walks hikes dives and generally lives in the great outdoors wilderness ... with a wrist-worn computer that needs daily charging and cellular bandwidth (available in one country only, no roaming)!

Me neither.

But it does look so shiny. This is the first Apple watch I've almost been tempted with.

 

[Thunder Struck]

@Thunder Struck you are missing several other groups of divers who would potentially benefit. It’s not one or the other from your breakdown.
My DM has one and loves it. This was during last shore dives in Ft Lauderdale a few weeks ago. So go figure.
I think we should stop analyzing what we don’t know and let the market speak for itself.

I don't want to see it fail, I'd like to see it succeed. However, it's the subscription cost of the app that I have a hard time swallowing. It has a nice interface and appears fairly easy to use based on what I've been seeing at their site: Oceanic Plus - Oceanic Worldwide. While I don't have any desire to purchase an Apple watch, let alone the Ultra, (I have a Garmin athletic watch at work and for running but otherwise I'm wearing a Citizen automatic), people are welcome to spend their deneros as they see fit.

My Suunto Spyder was perfectly readable when I was 20 years younger, but I think I've rounded the corner in my ability to read those smaller digital watch displays. I have a Deep6 Excursion that is about at the limit of my ability although I prefer the gauge reader masks at this point. My Spyder, not so much without gauge readers given the relatively thin and low contrast LCD style characters.

As for the battery life, it's something that the watch's owner will likely have accustomed themself to. Short of being in some remote wilderness area where there is no power or on a long backpacking excursion, when they sleep they can simply place it on the charger. I do this routine with my hearing aids each night and don't find it cumbersome. Sucks to have to bring one more charging device but how much more is it truly?

What I would like to see is Apple allow other people to develop apps for it utilizing the pressure sensor and not just limiting the use of it to Oceanic.

And if folks look at their fancy new $800 watch and have never thought about scuba diving before, but now this generates some interest in diving to where they get out and at least take a DSD class, I'd call it a win.

 

[Belzelbub]

I don't want to see it fail, I'd like to see it succeed. However, it's the subscription cost of the app that I have a hard time swallowing.

For a lot of us here, the subscription nature of the app doesn't make a lot of sense. Many of us own our own gear and dive fairly regularly. For frequent/year round divers, the subscription makes less sense. For the vacation diver who generally rents, a weekly or monthly subscription just when it's needed makes a lot more sense. I don't rent, but I checked the prices of rental regs at my preferred shop. They rent regulators with or without a computer. The cost difference is $10. In that case, the short term subscription makes a lot of sense for the occasional diver that also wears an AW.

As for the battery life, it's something that the watch's owner will likely have accustomed themself to. Short of being in some remote wilderness area where there is no power or on a long backpacking excursion, when they sleep they can simply place it on the charger. I do this routine with my hearing aids each night and don't find it cumbersome. Sucks to have to bring one more charging device but how much more is it truly?

Yeah, I agree. While it's not a huge deal for a daily wearer, the battery life is pretty short. Might not be optimal for longer trips, but probably not a big deal for a day trip, or even a LOB. Just one more device to charge, and that's probably already happening today with other AWs.

 

[brsnow]

In customs line in Cozumel today, 1 plane load of people , saw numerous new apple watches Ultras. They are bigger and stand out. So dive folk seem to like them it seems even without the app.

 

[L13]

In customs line in Cozumel today, 1 plane load of people , saw numerous new apple watches Ultras. They are bigger and stand out. So dive folk seem to like them it seems even without the app.

If you are an apple person, and have the money, why wouldn't you like it? It seems pretty obvious.

I'm not an apple person, I'm not the target market. But I totally understand the attraction to those in the target market, and don't understand those that don't see it (even if they aren't in it).

 

[brsnow]

If you are an apple person, and have the money, why wouldn't you like it? It seems pretty obvious.

I'm not an apple person, I'm not the target market. But I totally understand the attraction to those in the target market, and don't understand those that don't see it (even if they aren't in it).

You can get the same features on the different apple model for 1/2 the price, outside of diving and the bigger battery basically. You pay double to dive with it.

 

[scubadada]

When is Oceanic+ going to be available? Look forward to reviews. Hope it is available before the Deep 6 firmware upgrade.

 

[L13]

You can get the same features on the different apple model for 1/2 the price, outside of diving and the bigger battery basically. You pay double to dive with it.

IF I was an Apple person, none of that would matter. Most apple people like having the latest greatest, and only hold back if they can't afford it.