Apple Watch, WatchKit, and false expectations
There's a blog post making the rounds about how useless Apple Watch is without an iPhone, how pessimistic its future is for developers, and how Apple hasn't delivered on what they "promised" at the event last September. In other words, it represents rage against a fantasy world very unlike the real one in which Apple very carefully set expectations at the event, on the product [preview pages, and in the developer resources that followed. From the elekslabs:
The Apple Watch has no cellular radio and no GPS. It relies completely on its connection to an iPhone to exchange and update data. Apple made that crystal clear from the start. First generation Apple Watch extensions require an iPhone the way first generation iPod touch web apps required a Wi-Fi router.
And extensions are all Apple "promised" for the first version of the Software Developers Kit (SDK) — interactive notifications (short and long looks), widgets (glances), and remote views (WatchKit "apps").
David Smith, as part of his excellent series on developing with WatchKit, had this to say:
So, yeah, sorry you can't yet build a native Tesla app with full, unfettered access to the hardware. Or, you know, a native game or native video player or... native anything. Because Apple only "promised" native apps for later this year.
It's okay to want more faster. It's human nature. But misrepresenting reality to spread FUD about a product and its development potential isn't okay. It's bullshit and, worse, it overshadows any actual, interesting developer bits scattered throughout the article.
The Apple Watch ships this April.
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Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.