Apple Watch Ultra and Oceanic+ App
- Thread starter Buadhai
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Thing is, when to ship software isn't a black & white decision. There are things you simply can't know until the software is out there. Of course, bug criteria for safety-related features are nothing like, say…for updates to "Candy Crush." But if you *really* want bug-free software, you won’t get it from a developer who tries to wait for perfection before shipping. That kind of thing doesn't happen.
Well, that's fine. I happen to think that any feature that doesn't work as advertised is fair game for discussion; especially for an app where the rental fee is so high.
I don't expect perfection in any app (I used to write software for a living). But I do think that open discussion about shortcomings is valuable; especially for people using or thinking about using an app and for the people who wrote it.
I’m still a bit surprised that Apple went into the dive computer market at all. In fact if I step back, it’s kind of amazing that any of these software products are good enough that people literally stake their survival on proper operation.
And the AWU is not even dedicated hardware. More of a general purpose computer, with a big software ecosystem & more processing power than Macs from the early 00s. Tons of software permutations. It doesn’t seem so intuitive to entrust your life to a laptop. Of course, that’s not really a valid comparison, and I‘m pretty sure that when the AWU goes into dive mode, a whole bunch of normal OS functionality/services are just switched off. Still- I guess we’re living in the future.
And the AWU is not even dedicated hardware. More of a general purpose computer, with a big software ecosystem & more processing power than Macs from the early 00s. Tons of software permutations. It doesn’t seem so intuitive to entrust your life to a laptop. Of course, that’s not really a valid comparison, and I‘m pretty sure that when the AWU goes into dive mode, a whole bunch of normal OS functionality/services are just switched off. Still- I guess we’re living in the future.
freeflowigb
Registered
agree. the AWU was my first dive computer, and when I first saw the prices for regular computers, it made zero sense that someone would pay 500-600 bucks to get a piece of hardware that only serves one purpose, and does not do anything extra. And is not even remotely as pretty and well-built (I do not know about any regular computer made of titanium that costs 800 dollars).
I still love the Peregrine, but gotta admit, in retrospect, the Watch was more than enough for my diving. Pretty impressive they pulled it off, and I feel it will be a significant blow to the recreational DC market. I've been seeing more and more people rocking the AWU on the dive boats recently, with only guides and instructors using the classic computers.
I dove for nearly 25 years before I got a dive computer. My first was a Uwatec Aladdin Pro for which I paid about $1000 (on Saipan) in about 1996. Before that we just used the PADI dive charts (and maybe the PADI wheel). The Uwatec didn't have buttons, instead it had these sort of electrical capacitive (?) contacts that you touched with your finger to change the settings. It did have a very awkward serial port attachment that you could use to upload dives to a computer (Windows only).
So, yeah, the AWU and Oceanic+ seem like small miracles, even to me.
So, yeah, the AWU and Oceanic+ seem like small miracles, even to me.
Looks like you could play a mean game of Tetris on it.
AWU might serve even serious divers as compact backup for the main DC(s). Even if it locks out below 144' / 44m, it resumes w/depth & time on the ascent.
Some might get it for the cell phone. Dive boat not where expected? Inflate wing & make a call. Offshore cell coverage seems to be improving, at least. Call or text from the dock/beach…
Looks like you could play a mean game of Tetris on it.
I think it was actually snake.
I will probably use it as a primary computer and take my Zoop Novo along as a backup.
I should have tried this when I was in the Similans earlier this year. There are several cell phone towers (islands 4 and 8 I think) that offer at least 3G coverage here and there. Slow, but phone calls seem to be possible.
Belzelbub
Contributor
Undoubtedly, it will be better than nothing. I actually expect that offshore coverage will decrease in the not too distant future. While 5G is faster and can carry more data, the range is significantly less. Like in the single digit % of 4G distance. This is why there are a lot of small 5G antennas compared to the larger 4G antennas.
A lot will also depend on the distance from shore. Most of the sites worth diving in my area are at least 10-15 miles offshore. I usually lose cell coverage at some point.
Satelite communicators (Sat phone, InReach, etc.) or VHF radios would be better.
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