Straight up – I’m not a watch guy. I gave up watches over twenty years ago when I got my first PDA – the Newton. I love the idea of watches and I love the design and aesthetics of watches and clocks in general. I love wall clocks, grandfather clocks, and old Big Ben. However at the same time I do have somewhat sensitive skin and a small left wrist (result of an accident when I was 9) so I’ve eschewed watches due to the lack of comfort. I even sometimes have to take my wedding ring off for a few hours if my skin is getting irritated.
However I’m really interested in a watch that helps me be more communicative using my phone less. I’ve been watching the Pebble for awhile, but I’m not crazy how it looks or that it has no real input so the Watch is truly interesting to me.
When Apple introduced the Watch I was riveted to my seat, but a little disappointed. Its not water-proof, less than a few days battery life, and lets face it – I like round watches. The featureset interested me – fitness, Siri, maps, and more, but I also know that Gen 1 Apple Products are more beta than anything else.
Then the SDK for Watch came out – and I really got depressed. There is a lot of good in it, but I was disappointed that so much of the logic lived on the phone. Looking at the reviews of third-party apps here, here, and here – you’ll see that most third party apps are generic looking and slow. Apple has promised a much improved SDK later in the year.
So with all of that I’m not getting a watch…right? Actually – yes I am:
I know its Gen 1, and I know its got its limitations, but I want to at least try and see how well it works in my life. Second the inevitable question is already here: When will Pocket Informant be on my Watch!?
Sometimes its best to be first yet Apple has shown many times that its better to see what works, what doesn’t work, and do it well. We will not be the first on Watch and I’m a bit sad about that, but I also know that using the watch will help me figure out what will work best.
Apple envisions watch usage being measured in seconds, not minutes, so I’m not expecting a lot of Informant functionality on a watch app. I’m expecting the ability to see tasks or events nearby by location perhaps, glances for events and tasks that alarm, and maybe some lists of the Focus View that you can navigate. Maybe even Smart Filters. We will just have to see.
So those are my two cents about my Watch and yours as well.
I hope an Apple Watch app will be priority. I love Informant and have used it as the indispensable nerve center of my iPhone and iPad since Informant was first available – and for the Palm Treo before that. If the Apple Watch is as fun as I think it will be, I will likely be forced to use another application that integrates well with the iPhone to manage my daily activities. The integration described in the blog entry would be super, but even a simple integration would be enough. I hope you make a watch app a reality by mid summer when watches are shipping in volume and I/we need to switch to another application. 🙁
Definitely a priority since I’ll be wearing one on my wrist 🙂
I am considering getting an Apple watch 1st gen. However, my main concern is getting my Pocket Informant events for the day and task for the day on the watch. Don’t expect anything fancy, just the basics.
I think you’ll be more than happy.
Tasks are the key, and unfortunately will put you guys late to the game. I am already considering switching from PI’s sync service back to Toodledo so I can see tasks and manage projects on my watch without relying on tons of reminders to do it. They will have an app out day one.
That said, I would much rather have a native PI experience, so I hope you guys will have an app with glances and most inportantly, full task management, sooner rather than later.
Late in the game is better than “early but poor”. Also I do not see task management as an appropriate function of the Apple Watch. Completing tasks, seeing certain tasks – sure – but not full task management. Looking at the other Apple Watch apps coming out for tasks, neither do most of them.