Scoo
Registered
I see this thread, but I didn't want to necromance it too much --
scubaboard.com
I wanted to hear what people think about the direction of some of these dive accessories that rely on a computer and how me might start seeing them integrated on phones and watches.
The Oceanic+ iPhone housing seems like an impressive product idea. You get a dive computer, dive log management software, and a very nice camera (assuming all of what makes an iphone camera a good camera works underwater, which is definitely an open question). Looks like they are going to include some sensors in the housing. But holy hell it seems like a price gouge. Is $500 a reasonable price for something like this? The reason I ask is because I've been thinking for a while that our camera phones were eventually going to make it underwater, and open up photography and all kinds of stuff for people at a very low cost. But this $500 thing doesn't seem to be that.
What do you think? Are we still going to be paying large premiums for stuff like this or is it just a matter of competition to bring these costs down to the $150-200 range? Making a waterproof housing can't be THAT hard... There is also a practical consideration--on vacation, your phone can be pretty central. its not something you want to have break or lose functionality. So perhaps this is something people would repurpose an older phone to take underwater, rather than their main communication device--add a prepaid SIM card for $10-20 for one month and call it good.
I am really just curious what others think about this general idea--leveraging the scale of consumer products to achieve (1) more compact form factors (2) broader functionality of underwater software (3) improved UX/UI over purpose-built solutions (4) flexible software subscription models. Right now, I see a framework emerging with the Apple Ultra Watch and Oceanic that could be pretty amazing. Consider a user that already has a fairly premium model watch or phone:
I'd rather not get into debates about how people feel about software subscription models. That's really a much longer conversation. For what its worth, I think Apple is opening up their API for everyone, so I think that means anyone could enter into the market on the software side of things pretty soon.
Oceanic iPhone case is now a dive computer
I think it's good to keep in mind that many different types of divers read these boards. For someone that dives 2 or 3 times a year in the Florida keys on vacation and is already into the Apple ecosystem this may work very well. Someone doing 300 dives in exotic locations probably not so much...
I wanted to hear what people think about the direction of some of these dive accessories that rely on a computer and how me might start seeing them integrated on phones and watches.
The Oceanic+ iPhone housing seems like an impressive product idea. You get a dive computer, dive log management software, and a very nice camera (assuming all of what makes an iphone camera a good camera works underwater, which is definitely an open question). Looks like they are going to include some sensors in the housing. But holy hell it seems like a price gouge. Is $500 a reasonable price for something like this? The reason I ask is because I've been thinking for a while that our camera phones were eventually going to make it underwater, and open up photography and all kinds of stuff for people at a very low cost. But this $500 thing doesn't seem to be that.
What do you think? Are we still going to be paying large premiums for stuff like this or is it just a matter of competition to bring these costs down to the $150-200 range? Making a waterproof housing can't be THAT hard... There is also a practical consideration--on vacation, your phone can be pretty central. its not something you want to have break or lose functionality. So perhaps this is something people would repurpose an older phone to take underwater, rather than their main communication device--add a prepaid SIM card for $10-20 for one month and call it good.
I am really just curious what others think about this general idea--leveraging the scale of consumer products to achieve (1) more compact form factors (2) broader functionality of underwater software (3) improved UX/UI over purpose-built solutions (4) flexible software subscription models. Right now, I see a framework emerging with the Apple Ultra Watch and Oceanic that could be pretty amazing. Consider a user that already has a fairly premium model watch or phone:
- Software platform is certified for diving. (Apple seems to have achieved this)
- More standardized and smaller phone housing, so maybe volume goes up and cost goes down. ($100-$150)
- Up to date, modern software stack--usable on vacation with a nominal fee ($10-20 for one month)
- Integration with other camera features, such as the camera, compass, emergency beacons, social media, cloud storage, etc.
I'd rather not get into debates about how people feel about software subscription models. That's really a much longer conversation. For what its worth, I think Apple is opening up their API for everyone, so I think that means anyone could enter into the market on the software side of things pretty soon.
