The New Apple Watch Series 3 Has Cellular Built-In (techcrunch.com) 55
The first big product unveiling at Apple's Event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California was the Apple Watch Series 3 with built-in support for cellular. TechCrunch reports: Wireless cellular LTE connectivity provided by a built-in chip means the new Apple Watch will be able to stay connected even when it's not tethered to an iPhone, which is a huge step forward in terms of making it an independent mobile device. Pricing for the Series 3 Cellular starts at $399, and a version without cellular starts at $329. Pre-orders begin on September 15, and they'll be available on September 22. The new Apple Watch is visually quite similar to the existing version, with backwards compatibility with existing straps and bands. There's a new Blush Gold color to match the new iPhone color option, and a new ceramic Dark Gray for the higher-end models that joins the existing white. Plus, the cellular version sports that red crown for an extra bit of visual flare. The non-cellular version doesn't have the new red crown.
Inside, it has a new dual-core processor with 70 percent better performance, as well as a new W2 chip that improves Bluetooth and wireless connectivity and power efficiency. The cellular antenna is actually the display itself, and there's an electronic SIM card inside for connectivity. The device is the same physical size as the Series 2, despite adding everything needed for cellular and LTE connectivity -- though the back crystal is extended 0.25 mm, which is incredibly thin. It's still got GPS like Series 2, and it's swimproof, plus it packs in all-day battery life still.
Inside, it has a new dual-core processor with 70 percent better performance, as well as a new W2 chip that improves Bluetooth and wireless connectivity and power efficiency. The cellular antenna is actually the display itself, and there's an electronic SIM card inside for connectivity. The device is the same physical size as the Series 2, despite adding everything needed for cellular and LTE connectivity -- though the back crystal is extended 0.25 mm, which is incredibly thin. It's still got GPS like Series 2, and it's swimproof, plus it packs in all-day battery life still.
Just what I needed (Score:2)
A second monthly cell phone bill. I might as well get a third one so that I can get WiFi in my car, even though my smart phone has hot spot capability.
Re:Just what I needed (Score:4, Informative)
It shares your iPhone's number, so there's no "second monthly cell phone bill". It's possible the carriers might add some sort of additional device fee, though.
The demo was actually effective - not so much the dude on stage, but the fact that it worked well at the other end with the woman on a paddle board in the middle of a lake.
Re:Just what I needed (Score:4, Insightful)
Basically you will pay for the watch again every year because of the added device charge. Do not want.
Then do not get, dumbass.
Re: (Score:1)
In fact you are wrong. Every device has a imei/esn but it is perfectly possible to have 2 devices share the same phone number.
Re: (Score:2)
If it is reasonable, I might seriously consider this....the iWatch looks nice as a time piece and good as a fitness tracker.
The only think I can't find, is if it will now function as a sleep tracker.
If it does that, and the additional cellular charges are reasonable, I think I might finally get one.
My fitbit has the rubber peeling away from the face, looks pretty ratty and I'd like something a bi
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, it will be interesting to see what adding a watch onto your [insert carrier name here] account will be.
If it is reasonable, I might seriously consider this....the iWatch looks nice as a time piece and good as a fitness tracker.
The only think I can't find, is if it will now function as a sleep tracker.
If it does that, and the additional cellular charges are reasonable, I think I might finally get one.
My fitbit has the rubber peeling away from the face, looks pretty ratty and I'd like something a bit nicer going forward.
Don't know about built-in Sleep-Tracking (I haven't watched the KeyNote yet), but there are a number of 3rd Party WatchOS Apps that do Sleep Tracking:
https://www.wareable.com/apple... [wareable.com]
Hope this helps!
Re: Just what I needed (Score:1)
Re:Just what I needed (Score:5, Interesting)
I love it when clueless morons post anonymously in all caps. Everything in your moronic post was wrong. Literally everything.
Re: Just what I needed (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Every SIM has its own IMSI number, but there is no need for a mobile operator to assign an actual unique phone number to the SIM, the phone number is merely a "proxy" to the IMSI number. Obviously, a carrier might assign a unique phone number to your SIM but they'd be stupid to do so since it would waste perfectly good phone numbers, a dwindling commodity.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
So, let me get the IMSI/EMEI etc out of the way...
Every phone has a unique EMEI number. The phone number (called MSISDN) is what you punch onto your keyboard to call a phone, this phone number is then mapped to one or more EMEI codes to connect the callers. Since a user can have multiple phones, you can map a phone number to one or more EMEI numbers. IMSI is a unique identifier for a user (not a device) and should in theory be unique for each user in the world. For
Re: (Score:2)
what kind of ghetto ass carrier do you have that won't add devices to an existing account?
Re: (Score:1)
I have a $35 a month 'ghetto ass carrier.' Now, I know you blow that amount every time you go into your local coffee shop, but that's why you have a zero balance in your savings account.
Re: (Score:2)
don't even have a savings account
real estate and other investments FTW
Re: (Score:1)
What will your face be coated with when the bubble pops?
Re: (Score:2)
Dogecoin FTW! My ten bucks of Dogecoin will soon be worth double or even triple what I invested!
Re:Just what I needed (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
And now, with the iPhone X, there's no reason at all to buy an iPhone 8!!!
The iPhone X will, of course, be in backorder until next April. So hold onto your old iPhone 6 until then.
Still no battery life (Score:4, Insightful)
Until these smart watches have a few days of battery life or wireless charging from ten feet away, I'll be going without. I'm sure there are plenty of people who are more diligent about charging their devices every night without fail, but I'm not one of them.
Re: (Score:2)
That's why I got my Garmin Vivoactive HR. Way less features than a smartwatch, but I can use it for most part of a week with no need to think about the battery.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Well, I'll go one better ... until these smart watches serve a fucking purpose, I'll be going without.
I'm sure there are people who are stupid enough to think they need to be constantly tethered to their goddamned email, but I'm not one of them.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm sure there are plenty of people who are more diligent about charging their devices every night without fail, but I'm not one of them.
Have you tried? I mean not about getting a watch, but doing some daily diligence that is linked to a pretty much 100% repeatable event of you falling asleep.
If you think about it, things you do daily you're probably incredibly diligent about, e.g. brushing your teeth, getting dressed, going to sleep, etc. When you tie a requirement to an action you repeat daily you'll be surprised how diligent you actually are.
Screw smart watches, it's bad enough that I need to charge my phone every night, but really it's n
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe I'm just shitty at being a human, but I have a hard time remembering to do any/all of the things on your list. I've been trying for decades.
It's impossible that I'm the only person who has a hard time settling into any sort of routine.
So, yes: Sometimes I wake up (usually not at the right time), find my phone battery mostly flat, and then put my shoes on before my pants, and only realize after I've left for the day that I haven't brushed my teeth. Or my hair.
Charging my watch? Hahaha. Last time I
Re: (Score:2)
Hahahha fair enough. Was just a suggestion because I find myself forgetting adhoc things to the point that I carry a notebook around whenever I can't carry my phone (I work in a hazardous facility). The only things I do remember are those tied to a routine.
From Pebble to Apple (Score:3)
Yup indeed.
The whole premise when smart watches where successfully brought back to the spotlight by Pebble, was to have electronics as power-economic as possible.
Pebble had eInk among the considered technologies to make it cheaper.
Tethering to a phone was actually a *selling point* - leave as much works as possible to the phone, and use the smartwatch only as an interface in order to make the most out of its tiny power budget.
You ended-up with watches which could go a week or more between charges. (and curr
Oblig (Score:5, Funny)
No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame.
samsung S2 had this years ago, rarely use it (Score:3)
Usable without any other Apple Gadget? (Score:1)
Can I use this Apple Watch with cellular without even owning any other Apple gadget?
They clearly said it shares the phone number with your regular phone. So that means I can synch it to my Virgin Mobile Galaxy J series phone?
Or is it just an 'even more remote' dongle?
Obligatory Dick Tracy Watch Comment (Score:3)
Kids, ask your parents who "Dick Tracy" was.
No, not the guy banging Madonna.
Er, kids, ask your grandparents who Dick Tracy was.
Also: Get the hell off my lawn!
Re: (Score:2)
No, not the guy banging Madonna.
I think you're a few decades behind - she's married and divorced a couple guys since then.
Re: (Score:2)
Not only that, I doubt kids these days have heard of Madonna.
Re: (Score:2)
I noticed that, in all of the iPhone X demo shots where they talked about how it adapted to your look... there wasn't a single one where the person was wearing sunglasses or tinted lenses.
And given they said you needed to be "giving attention" to the phone - I'm guessing it won't work under those conditions, which is going to be annoying for some people.
(It was also funny how FaceID didn't actually work right at first for Federighi.)
Re: (Score:1)
iPhone X has the edge-to-edge screen with no home button. To get home you swipe up on it. Touch ID is replaced by a proper implementation of Face ID, with a regular and IR camera with IR contour projector. Intel did something similar a couple of years ago for laptops and desktops but not many vendors implemented it.
"proper implementation" of Face ID is debatable.
BTW, "IR camera" for a digital camera means basically there's no hardware IR filter on the existing camera, same as removing the hot mirror from a DSLR.
Re: (Score:2)