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Apple reportedly ‘not happy’ with one day Watch battery life, expects improvements by 2015 launch

 

Re/code is reporting that Apple is currently seeing about a day’s worth of battery life. The company was notably sheepish to mention anything specific, but internally Re/code says Apple’s current marketing strategy is that users charge it over night to get full use during daylight hours.

Interestingly, the report notes that Apple is unhappy with current performance and the situation is very much still in flux. Apparently, Apple is doing many different things to improve battery longevity, by the time the device launches in ‘early 2015’.

[tweet https://twitter.com/llsethj/status/505830138140196864]

Questions about battery life were only amplified by the fact that the Apple Watch has no battery indicator at all in the interface. Early commentators assumed this meant battery life was sub-par. Apple has a lot to work on by the time the Apple Watch launches, in 2015.

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Comments

  1. Bruno Fernandes (@Linkb8) - 10 years ago

    Eager to see where this technology is in 5 years.

  2. ifunography - 10 years ago

    I’m certainly not buying it with only one day’s battery life.

    I’m mainly interested in the health/fitness aspect of it, since I currently use the Fitbit Flex and I find it difficult to remember to charge even that every 4-5 days.

    I’m not expecting infinite battery life but I want something I can wear for at least a week and just forget about it . I don’t want to have to remember to have to plug one more thing in every single day.

    • rogifan - 10 years ago

      You expect this device to last a week on a charge? What?

      • ifunography - 10 years ago

        Before “this” was unveiled we had no idea what exactly we would see. Now that it is no longer a mystery, I can’t say that I would expect that kind of performance any time soon.

        What I am saying here is this isn’t the wearable for me at the moment. It certainly is a nice device but not what I need right now.

      • Jack Gnasty - 10 years ago

        Yeah, take away all the shit we don’t need or want, like a big ol screen, and it very well could.

      • Matt Testerman - 9 years ago

        I agree – A week is worth getting it but not every day. We expect watches to last for months, but hours? grrr. I cannot wait to see what the tech will be like in 5 years…

    • Carlos R. Batista - 10 years ago

      Its a computer…on your wrist, powering a retina display, making phone calls while tracking your pulse. You can always go back to a Cassio if you want better battery life.

      • Jack Gnasty - 10 years ago

        YEAH! That’s telling ’em! You sure are hip mister!

      • kyemclachlan16 - 10 years ago

        Agreed! I’m happy with a full days battery life… As long as it lasts the entire day with heavy use then I’m happy

    • It is certainly harder to remember to plug it in every 7 days instead of just daily as part of the usual evening routine.

      • giskardian - 10 years ago

        Exactly! 1 day battery life is a FEATURE. Until the Apple Watch has that one week battery life, then one week will be the standard, and it will be harder to remember to charge it every two weeks.

    • devanealex - 10 years ago

      I really don’t see a problem with nightly charging – especially when it’s so simple with the magsafe wireless charging. I take my watch off every night anyway so it really makes no difference.

      • Dss33 (@Dss33) - 10 years ago

        Completely agree! Two or three days charge would be lovely, but battery technology is still pretty shitty compared to everything else. I’m really looking out for a nice dock/stand that will integrate the magsafe (as it comes from Apple) which will make it even easier to work with in terms of having a special place for it to recharge each night. We’ve all gotten accustomed to charging our phones each day and it’s really no different.

      • taoprophet420 - 10 years ago

        I just wonder if Apple is using the NFC chips inside the watch to handle the wireless charging. If so should be another way beside the cable they showed yesterday to charge the device. I don’t see a days battery life being a downfall and see it being closer to 2 before the watch is released.

        I’m just disappointed it is being marketed as a fitness tracker and not more of a health device.

      • Bruno Fernandes (@Linkb8) - 10 years ago

        Then this will be a great watch for you if you also like the features it offers.

      • newuser8433 - 10 years ago

        It’s induction, but it is NOT wireless!

      • giskardian - 10 years ago

        The problem arises as the battery cycle life declines and it no longer lasts a whole day.

    • varera (@real_varera) - 10 years ago

      Do you charge your phone every night? Just put the watch next to it.

    • capdorf - 9 years ago

      What if i’m very late or stay somewhere overnight, do I have to carry the charger in my pocket. Short term is not a watch, just a gadget. I like the Idea, but for me to buy it, it must at least be like a watch. My present watch lasts 2 years on a battery, I don’t expect that, but do expect reasonable.

  3. If @apple wanna really crack the market, it need to add in Apple Watch lineup a “standalone wifi only” version. Having an iPhone6 for being able using a watch is just a deal breaker. It’s up them :)

    • chrisl84 - 10 years ago

      Doesnt it work with the 5, 5C, 5S, 6, and 6 Plus? Then released in probably Late March is only 6 more months away from being able to work with the iPhone 7 models. First gen device that works with 7 different phones isnt very limiting.

      • chrisl84 - 10 years ago

        Edit: iPhone 6S and 6S plus not 7

      • Bruno Fernandes (@Linkb8) - 10 years ago

        He means that it shouldn’t need a phone at all. And by all accounts, this watch needs a phone for pretty much everything.

      • chrisl84 - 10 years ago

        But that is mostly a nonissue as anyone travelling anywhere without a device that can make calls nearby is asking for trouble. This is 2015 who doesnt have a phone? The second some poor girl leaves her phone at home to go for a jog because her wrist can record her steps by itself and gets attacked you’ll understand the importance of needing a phone around.

      • varera (@real_varera) - 10 years ago

        More, that watch should tell you IF you forgot your phone somewhere. That would be a nice feature.

      • capdorf - 9 years ago

        If you Must have the phone, then you don’t need the watch.

    • Randy March - 10 years ago

      We won’t see a standalone unit for at least a year. Watch delegates many of its operations to the iPhone so that it doesn’t have to do it by itself. In addition, it really is a mini-iPhone meant to enhance the iPhone experience.

      • William Robinson - 10 years ago

        But it is not a phone. It connects to your phone so you can make calls, but its the phone’s cell chip doing the heavy lifting. A “stand alone” watch would not be able to much of anything.

      • Udo Heib (@4uHyper) - 10 years ago

        This watch will never be standalone or conectable to phones others than iPhones, because it needs existentially iOS! So lets all be happy that we N E V E R see a shitsung connected with this device.

    • giskardian - 10 years ago

      We are at least a decade away from a wearable, full featured smart phone. It will require a major breakthrough in battery tech.

      As it is, you can use the iWatch without a phone for fitness and health tracking, and of course for time. But power hungry features like cellular calls and data, and GPS, rely on the iPhone.

    • irockapple - 10 years ago

      Who goes out without their phone these day? I have never seen or heard of anyone (that I know), old or young, that purposely leaves their phone at home. If Apple did decide to put a cellular chip in there, and make it a standalone device, then you would be complaining about how clunky it would be, and how the screen is too small to function as a replacement for your phone.

      • capdorf - 9 years ago

        I do my gardening without my phone, but need to know the time.

  4. PMZanetti - 10 years ago

    “The Apple Watch has no battery indicator at all in the interface. Early commentators assumed this meant battery life was sub-par. ”

    Now…why would you come to that conclusion? If the simulated screens of the interface were shown WITH an indicator, would not have just have shown a device at full charge all the time, like every other iOS device screen shot?

    The watch likely doesn’t HAVE a constant indicator at all, as to keep the interface clean not waste any of the preciously small interface. It will likely have a customizable interface for notifying you about battery level. Programmable popups at different intervals, maybe even programmable pulse indicator…you know a certain “ding” plus a number of pulses indicators how many hours remaining, or something.

  5. chrisl84 - 10 years ago

    I for one dont want a battery indicator on my watch. Thats just tacky. When it gets down to 20 percent maybe pop one up but having a “status bar” would be a major fail.

  6. eldonchew - 10 years ago

    Since it’s always connected to your iPhone, maybe there will be an extra battery indicator beside your iPhone battery indicator on your iPhone instead of on the watch itself ;)

    • Jonny - 10 years ago

      My bluetooth speaker does this (when it’s connected)

    • Jack Gnasty - 10 years ago

      HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Wouldn’t that be something, having to look at your phone for information on the gadget that is suppose to allow you to keep your phone in your pocket. Pretty fuckin nifty.

  7. capdorf - 10 years ago

    So if I stay out for the night, the battery will go flat? Does this mean You need to carry the charger, just in case? Or would you be better off just having a normal watch?

  8. Nono Sierra - 10 years ago

    If they can’t get more than a day at this point. I think this is going to be a gimmick and a for sure fail.

    • M - 10 years ago

      What a moronic comment. Most people take their watches off when they sleep. So, they just place it on the charger by their bed. Whats the big deal? As long as it lasts the full day, its fine. “Gimmick” and “for sure fail”? Come back a year from now to check the stupidity of your comment. People are used to charging their phones every night. This isn’t magic- there are certain limits to battery life in such a small form factor, and with those features. You can bet Apple will do the best they can to extend it as much as possible, just like all their products. They are more acutely aware of the importance than you.

      • capdorf - 9 years ago

        You’re not necessarily always going to be near your charger when it needs a charge, i.e. if you suddenly decide to stay at a friends place, or do an all night stint on town, or a little extra overtime. With old wind up watches, you needed to wind within 30 hours or so, but your hand was always available, unlike chargers.

    • varera (@real_varera) - 10 years ago

      I have an mechanical swiss watch. it is automatic and lasts for two days without rewinding. i still tend to wind it every day, because i do not wear it 24/7, and i leave it home sometimes on not wear at all through weekends.

      my friend has another mechanical swiss watch. he puts it to a winding box every evening.

      either watch we have is not a gimmick, and swiss watch industry is not doing badly at all. now, how the described situations are different from you charging your apple watch?

      • capdorf - 10 years ago

        What! you don’t have to carry a charger for your watch? You can simply wind it? Amazing! Maybe that’s what they’ll do with the next Apple Watch. Until then, my $100 watch, which is easy to read in bright sunlight, lasts for at least 2 years on a battery, without charging or winding. That’s the real competition, for most of the rest, you just pull your iPhone out of your pocket. (If you bought one small enough to fit in it)
        Sorry for the sarcasm, but I feel that people are missing the important points. It looks beautiful, but is it practical?

  9. Eli Matar - 10 years ago

    They should also be unhappy with the rectangular design. I wish they created a round option.

    • o0smoothies0o - 10 years ago

      I think the sides should subtly curve. I think it would look far better like that. Whether you keep a rectangular screen inside it or not. Anyway, I thought there would be a round design option too.

  10. Even one more reason why I won’t be considering to part with my Seiko chronograph anytime soon.

    If the device doesn’t sport a minimum of a few days of battery life, I won’t even glance. Their target should be a week minimum. It’ll be absolutely ridiculous if you’re going out on a (short) trip and you have to not-forget about your watch’s charger along with all your other gear.

    On the topic of charging, my work phone is an LG G2 mini and having 3G data switched off 95% of the time (there is wifi almost wherever I am), it lasts me 10 DAYS on average (compared to my 5S’s a-little-over-24h). Now, that has put me into some serious thoughts about what my next phone is gonna be…

    • Andrew Messenger - 10 years ago

      yeah they make watches for people like who you are just going to switch off the features anyways. they sell them for about 1/10th of the price at most department stores.

    • M - 10 years ago

      That’s awesome that you even have to switch off 3G data (not even LTE). By the same note, you can keep the screen shutoff and get even MORE battery life. Do you see the idiocy of your comment? People these days dont shutoff data- and if you do, then whats even the point of a smartphone? This isn’t 2005. I also don’t see how people like you have such a big problem with taking 1 second to plug the phone in before you sleep. Is it really that big of an inconvenience, that you sacrifice all other iPhone advantages and go with another random phone?

  11. Drew (@gettysburg11s) - 10 years ago

    I could not afford a $350.00 watch anyways, but with one day battery life, I would not buy it anyways. This is the same problem Android users have with the Moto 360, Samsung Gear Live, and LG G Watch. Apparently, mobile technology is way ahead of battery technology.

    I wonder if Apple should have held off another year. Maybe they didn’t, because it would not have made any difference.

    • M - 10 years ago

      No, the problem people have with those smartwatches is that they’re complete trash to begin with. Battery life is an issue, but one of many issues. If people WANT to buy and use an Apple watch, then theyll tolerate the battery life.

  12. Alex (@Metascover) - 10 years ago

    Reading the comments, it feels as if the several 9to5 articles about Apple including a plethora of sensors in the Watch didn’t even exist. Where are those sensors? Heart rate only is lame.

    • flaviosuave - 10 years ago

      They may exist in the watch but still require FDA approval before being announced/activated. It also might be that they’re waiting to use it as a selling proposition for the Apple Watch 2, 3, etc. to get people to upgrade on a more regular basis, having learned their lesson from iPad upgrade cycles.

  13. bglemoine - 10 years ago

    I’m likely to get one mostly for the fitness capabilities. I am disappointed that it seems likely to need a nightly recharge. I currently use Jawbone’s UP24, and it’s sleep tracking and alarm clock features are something I’m going to miss (unless I just swap from the apple watch to Up each night…) :/

  14. herb02135go - 10 years ago

    So, the battery life is good for maybe a workout session or so?

    That doesn’t set it apart from what’s out there already.
    Being able to sleep with the device would be helpful from a medical standpoint.

    It sure seems like Apple always promises a fix down the road, but more or less just kicks the can. Disappointing.

    But, really, who is ever 100% satisfied with battery life? I get about 2 days but would rather have 3 …

    • M - 10 years ago

      You have 24 hr workout sessions? Impressive.

      Sleeping with a watch is idiotic.

      “It sure seems like Apple always promises a fix down the road, but more or less just kicks the can. Disappointing.”

      Well, that kind of a bullshit statement. You’re assuming the iWatch will be “broken” when it releases in 2015? And should Apple never, ever make any new versions of their product? Should a future be iWatch be worse than the one coming out next year? Why is making something better a “fix”? The iWatch, when released, will probably be at the limits of what Apple can do with today’s technology, at that pricepoint.

      The only thing that needs fixing is your common sense, of which you seem to posess very little. With your mentality, you will never buy anything, ever. There will also be a superior version coming out in the future. The iWatch contains a ton of tech, assuming Apple is leaving stuff out just so that they can sell you version 2 is pretty moronic. The Apple Watch needs to be a hit in the first place, and I’m Apple is doing the best they can do achieve good battery life.

  15. herb02135go - 10 years ago

    Is one day referring to 24 hours or 16 hours of activity?

    Huge difference.
    Wearing a device a full 24 hours is important for health tracking. Otherwise it’s just a $350 workout partner.

  16. Bruno Fernandes (@Linkb8) - 10 years ago

    I can’t wait to start picking up all the cheap Rolexes and Omegas that everyone will be selling now that the Apple Watch is being released. :/

  17. herb02135go - 10 years ago

    Check LA Times. It mentions the battery as one of the problems.

    Quotes JMP Securities which says it underwhelms.

  18. Alex Raymond - 10 years ago

    i currently use a cheap u8 pro watch with my phone ok some notifications rant there but i still get 5-6 days of use on it and would expect something similar from the apply watch. if they can’t improve the supposed 1 day life then it wont take off how they want it to needs at least 4 day minimum for me to take an interest and buy one especially if its going to be $300

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Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.