Apple Watch Ultra
theverge.com
theverge.com
That said, it's not uncommon to dive with multiple computers for redundancy if performing multiple dives in a day, and I'm sure Apple's iOS UI for viewing their dive log will be easier to bring up in a pinch than the Shearwater app, which is a clunky Unity app. I'll probably buy it and dive with both.
But I don't imagine existing avid divers will exclusively be using the Apple Watch as a dive computer until it has air integration and dive log notes (if not already). But for casual divers who dive once a year on vacation and don't already have a computer? This is probably an excellent feature.
Am I the only one who thought "it must be nice to have at least 10 friends and a hobby you are passionate about"?
How many of us go days with nobody reaching out?...
Testing it next to a Shearwater (or Ratio, Suunto EON) would be interesting to see the differences in the algorithm. We will probably see a bunch of youtube reviews doing this comparisons.
With what I know so far from the watch, I would really not recommend using it as the only diving computer.
Also the "big buttons with gloves in mind" are kinda funny if I think about diving dry gloves ;)
Instead, they released an interesting smartwatch that still cannot compete with the Fenix in terms of battery life.
Until they do something about battery life I don't see how Garmin watch users would bother switching.
Apple Watch Ultra...
>The battery life can reach 36 hours of battery life. There will be a new battery optimization feature as well coming later this fall. With this setting on, you can reach 60 hours of battery life.
From Garmin...
>Luckily for you, Garmin watch batteries last a long time — and we mean a long time. At minimum, you should be getting up to 5 days of battery life before having to recharge, and at maximum you could be getting up to 50 days. (No, that is not a typo – the Garmin Enduro™ boasts up to 50 days in smartwatch mode — or 65 if you’re using solar charging.)
You don't get anywhere near 5 days in full GPS tracking mode.
I've done several 24 hour runs (where my Fenix 3 needed charging during the event) and there's also the 100 milers which most people take >24 hours to complete.
But these are rare events for people to be doing, I will grant you that.
Epix 2, with its OLED though... still lasts for 5 days easily. Such a great job on Garmin's side.
I'm an Apple fan but why they refuse to make a watch with a lower quality screen and a massively improved battery life absolutely baffles me. I don't know anyone who is sports focussed who would choose one. I trained with a local triathlon club a couple of years ago and almost everyone had a Garmin, I don't recall seeing anyone with an Apple watch and I doubt much has changed. I can't believe they still don't have some kind of Body Battery/Strain/Training Readiness metric built in as standard and that you have to download a third party app to access this kind of data. Whoop, who seemed to pioneer this as far as I can tell, released their first band in 2015. 7 years later and Apple still haven't included it as standard, and for a device that they heavily market as being great for fitness. Absolutely ridiculous.
Let's stipulate that there's fairly few people who outright need the Fenix's 18 days of battery life. People who go on multi-week off-grid hikes are uncommon. These people will still buy the Garmin.
However, the existence of the Ultra is going to suck up the probably much larger group of people who like the Apple Watch but feel they need something a bit tougher for sports or with enough battery for a weekend of hiking. Instead of buying a second watch for activities, they'll buy the fancier version of their existing watch that they can just wear all the time.
I thus strongly suspect that Apple is peeling off the larger part of the active-watch market here, using their existing status as the maker of the most-popular smartwatch to spread in to the new segment just by being able to say "we can do some of that now, and y'all already know you like us elsewhere".
The killer feature of a watch for me is battery life.
What do you do with sleep tracking data?
Once I started tracking my sleep, I realized how bad certain habits were having on my sleep, and ultimately how I felt the following day. Being able to quantify sleep quality provided me with data that I can use to try to make myself healthier and learn about my own body.
Sure, I could make the same changes without having that data. But personally I wouldn't be as motivated to continue with certain habits. Others may differ. But the same also applies for me with fitness activities and other health metrics. Seeing progression and improvement encourages healthy habits. And having the data from it is just a way to measure progress or regressions.
It'd be better if it had the battery life of the Fenix, not going to lie. But the base models now are good enough that it's a daily-routine thing rather than an inconvenience.
Exactly. For me, extended battery life is part of the definition of a 'watch'. I know that there are mechanical watches that require daily winding, but this doesn't take anywhere near as long as charging an Apple Watch (and doesn't require any special equipment or access to electricity).
For now, I am limping along with my trusty old Pebble, hoping that Apple or someone else will come out with a decent replacement someday. The battery life is waning (4 days if I remember to activate airplane mode each night), and the display is discolored in spots. But it does what I need!
If it died tomorrow I'd probably get a Fossil hybrid smartwatch, which has 5x the battery life of the Ultra and costs 1/3 as much. It's not perfect (hard to read messages, UI isn't great), but it has a watch-like battery life.
The Apple Watch is a lovely wristworn computer, but in my book it isn't a watch until it can go a week without charging.
Anyway, the Ultra with the 60 hour battery makes the watch useful over a camping weekend, where I currently leave the AW7 at home and go watchless. That’s a pretty big improvement and big selling point. If I had an AW5 or 6, I’d probably upgrade. Maybe I’ll get an Ultra for Christmas or an anniversary.
Every year when they announce new Watch faces, I joke "maybe this year one of them will be good." Not this cycle, alas…
I like the battery improvement and the lip that surrounds the glass. But all the other features would be wasted on me. I could afford one, but can't justify the cost. If they'd released an Apple Watch Extended alongside the Ultra, I would have sprung for the former. Optimize for the battery life and scratch protection that most people care about, not the extreme sports that most people never do.
But you're right — this will be like a Palo Alto parking lot filled with virgin Range Rovers.
As integrated into phones: ok, 100x better than nothing—but, not in any way a replacement for a satellite communicator for anyone intentionally going into the backcountry.
Missed opportunity: sat antenna accessory that removes the "track that sat" requirement.
Source: someone who regularly intentionally goes into the backcountry carrying a Garmin InReach sat communicator. Which is among the most-amazing pieces of technology I own, even though it's got some flaws as a product.
Half the price of the corresponding Garmin dive computer.
When freediving, 40 meters is not unusually deep. Many divers can get past 30m after a long weekend of training. I'd be disappointed if a different app couldn't track beyond that limit.