r/apple • u/exjr_ Island Boy • Sep 07 '22

Apple Unveils Apple Watch Ultra With Large-Screen Design for Athletes and Explorers Apple Watch

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/07/apple-unveils-apple-watch-pro-athletes/

2.9k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

706

u/flux8 Sep 07 '22 edited Sep 07 '22

Which is why the Apple Watch Ultra is going to sell like hotcakes. Apple understands how to market aspirational products. Everyone buys their products because they hope it helps them become just like the pro photographer/videographer/musician/athlete/adventurer featured in their presentations. Apple makes those things feel like they’re within reach of everyone.

I’m totally getting one.

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u/Tall_Mechanic8403 Sep 07 '22 edited Sep 07 '22

Tbh this is the same for the Garmin Fenix series. 95% of buyers don’t use it for outdoor adventures. But who cares, the features are also good For normal sport use.

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u/flux8 Sep 07 '22

Can say the same for a LOT of things. Biggest thing that comes to mind are SUV’s. Also, let’s face it - a major factor is also to project an image that we are fun/adventurous/skilled/wealthy.

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u/Noblesseux Sep 07 '22

Also pick up trucks. Like the vast majority aren't used to haul anything more than like once every year or two.

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u/BabyWrinkles Sep 07 '22 edited Sep 08 '22

As a recent pickup truck buyer...

I feel personally attacked. /s

That said: with a family of 4 who loves to get outdoors and go camping, I'm also excited to not have to spend 2 hours figuring out how to fit all the gear needed for a 2 day trip in to the back of the little sedan that was our only car before. Plus, Costco trips gonna be so much easier now!

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u/[deleted] Sep 07 '22

A modern mini van has more usable and versatile space for families and is perfectly competent on a camping trip. The family pickup truck has truly become the aspirational product.

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u/rman18 Sep 07 '22

Yeah, I can put all that same stuff in my SUV and not have to worry about rain

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u/[deleted] Sep 07 '22

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Sep 08 '22

They’re not the same price. Nobody is buying a base model work truck as a family hauler because they kind of suck for anything besides work. An F150 kitted out as a family hauler (decent size cab, some comfort features) is at least 50K. That’s not a top trim. You can get a nice Chrysler Pacifica for less than 40K. With the 10-15K gap you could get 10 MacBooks.

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u/JulioCesarSalad Sep 08 '22

Why a pickup truck and not a Subaru?

Same capacity, protected from the elements

6

u/BabyWrinkles Sep 08 '22

I had 2013 and 2017 Forester XTs. Great cars. Loved them to death. Nowhere near the same ability to throw a bunch of stuff in and hit the road. Ascent might get closer, but I don’t love the aesthetic and the drivetrain is a little anemic. Can’t stand the Outback. All would struggle to pull a trailer.

But also, yeah. There’s an aspirational element to it. I grew up driving pickups because I lived on a hobby farm and we used it to haul chickens to the butcher and hay bales to feed the cows and lumber for projects. While I’m in a more urban setting now, I love the idea of being able to do those things again so there’s an emotional element to it as well.

I’m one of those people who really likes cars - it’s not just a Point A to Point B tool for me, I have an emotional connection to them and I love them. That absolutely played a factor. Would a minivan or ascent probably have sufficed? Sure. Would I have had the joy that I do now when I go outside and jump in my truck? Nope!

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u/Scienscatologist Sep 08 '22

Hey, some people use their pickup trucks at least once a week to haul their fat asses to the nearest Cheesecake Factory or Golden Corral.

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u/CoconutDust Sep 07 '22

I’ve never seen a pickup or SUV with a passenger or with anything in the back. Exception is pickup with printed company name/info on door meaning it’s literally a job truck on a job.

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u/popnsmoke35 Sep 08 '22

Trucks are awesome they let me know who has small peepees. I tried to buy one once. Got kicked off the lot and told my dick’s too big to be there. Silly Ford.

14

u/JohannASSburg Sep 07 '22

Except the Apple Watch ultra isn’t a three-ton giant bullet lol

4

u/darrevan Sep 08 '22

That’s destroying the atmosphere

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u/Tall_Mechanic8403 Sep 07 '22

Yes definitely

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u/[deleted] Sep 07 '22 edited Sep 07 '22

SUV is needed for fitting a family, shopping trips, fitting a tv, and what not.

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u/pazimpanet Sep 07 '22

Yeah SUV is too vague. It would be more accurate to point out how many lifted wranglers never leave pavement

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u/flux8 Sep 07 '22

Minivans are better for everything you mentioned.

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u/[deleted] Sep 07 '22

[deleted]

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u/ImportunerDJ Sep 07 '22

This. Nothing against mini vans but your also paying for looks right? You could be the person that strictly uses a tool for a tool but I mean if 5% of the price (or whatever it is) is going to the cosmetic portion of it… my thousands of hard working money is going to go to something I think looks nice and is functional.

-1

u/flux8 Sep 07 '22

Yes, that was the point I was making. :)

The OP said they were “needed”. They’re not. They’re wanted. Just like the Apple Watch Ultra will be.

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u/poopyheadthrowaway Sep 07 '22

I used to think "SUV" stood for "suburban vehicle". Because that's what soccer moms drive to pick up their brats from practice.

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u/Ricky_RZ Sep 07 '22

Same with pickup trucks. People buy them thinking they need a massive amount of utility and will do lots of great work with it, then they use it as a people-carrier and only use the bed for groceries

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u/[deleted] Sep 07 '22

I'm guilty of this! I picked up the Garmin Epix 2 (with its STEEP pricetag) and outside of having some smartwatch features... I only use to to track health, sleep, and weigh lifting. I've never used any other fancy features.

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u/JustWastingTimeAgain Sep 07 '22

I have an Epix 2 and I absolutely love it. It tracks everything, I can go backpacking for a week and not worry about battery, as it goes 16 days in glance mode. Pre-loaded ski maps and especially hiking trails have been huge to have. I think it all depends on how long you want to go outdoors. If you are only a day hiker or casual runner, I can see the Ultra working for a lot of people but you'll get my Epix from my cold, dead hands.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '22

I’m absolutely none of those things and I still love the Epix lol. I use it in gesture mode too so I hover around 14-16 days between charges.

2

u/Truman48 Sep 07 '22

Same here. It’s the recovery feature, battery life, and ruggedness that made me switch. I looked at the brand COROS as well but I was leery of buying from a smaller company on innovation and product support.

0

u/ranger_fixing_dude Sep 08 '22

It seems to be 36 hours for Ultra in low power mode which is absolute BS for multi day use.

I have Venu 2s and they support 20+ hours of full activity tracking. Not ideal, I'd like to have twice more battery, but I love them.

But for athletes new watch does look good

2

u/tribrnl Sep 08 '22

36 hours of low power mode, so what'll that be with active GPS? Probably fine for most normal activities, but that's still having to charge it every day and making sure you start every multi hour bike ride at 100%.

1

u/losinator501 Sep 07 '22

Totally with you. Previous AW SE user but the Epix has been huge for me.

I don’t really care about the smartwatch features so I turned them off, I can go almost two weeks with at least an hour of GPS activity every day.

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u/[deleted] Sep 08 '22

[deleted]

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u/losinator501 Sep 08 '22

It’s probably the same thing as on the Fenix 6. Much worse than the Apple Watch for sure. I’d put it worse than Samsung phones as well for another point of reference.

Also was not able to find an adjustment for it. Just on or off

1

u/ranger_fixing_dude Sep 08 '22

Can't you adjust it? On my Venu 2s you can select out of 3 levels.

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u/gruvccc Sep 07 '22

Really? There's a tonne of people that are in to the outdoors.

The battery life is the biggest benefit of the Fenix though, and the main reason I bought it instead of an Apple Watch. The Ultra closes the gap a bit and might be enough to tempt me in to my Watch becoming part of my Apple ecosystem. The battery is still nowhere near as good, but a better screen would be nice.

1

u/The_Wee Sep 07 '22

I had a Fenix 5X and really liked it. But after replacing the charging cable twice and cleaning the contacts, it will no longer power on.

Decided to go with Apple Watch Series 7 since the rest of my family had Apple watch. It is nice/motivating to "compete", but I do miss the map downloads/battery life.

If I were buying now, I would definitely consider, although I'd want to try it on my wrist first.

9

u/DyZ814 Sep 07 '22

I recently swapped from an apple watch to a Fenix 7. I love my fenix because I do a lot of outdoor activities. But, at the same price point, if I'm choosing the Fenix 7 or this Apple Watch Ultra as a casual fan and who wouldn't use either for that many outdoor adventures, i'd go apple watch. I don't necessarily like the look or styling of Garmin watches but they function so much better.

7

u/Shinsekai21 Sep 07 '22

I recently swapped from an apple watch to a Fenix 7. I love my fenix because I do a lot of outdoor activities.

I feel like Apple is striking into the outdoor activities communities. Running, Diving, Hiking, etc. Each of them has their own very specialized devices and certainly better than AW. But Apple is trying to breach that gap with the Ultra model. $750 is alot but a common price point for good model in those communities

Their advantage is that AW can be used on daily basics with lots more functions. The disadvantage is the battery life. But seems like everyone charging their devices daily, it might not be a big problem

5

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '22

AW battery doesn’t even come close. And no proper maps.

3

u/millicento Sep 07 '22

Also Rolex dive watches.

2

u/Marko343 Sep 07 '22

I definitely don't use it for full wilderness hikes, but just for some run of the mill runs and biking. It lasts over a week and I can easily read the display in direct sunlight which is really nice.

1

u/ranger_fixing_dude Sep 08 '22

I got Venu 2s instead of Fenix (got a great deal, and they look much better for my liking), and I actually do push them to the limit of features and would like to have some, but yeah, they are mostly just nice and not really needed.

1

u/Fendermon Sep 08 '22

Fenix is awesome. How many times does it have to help me navigate to be worth $700? ...maybe only once.

1

u/Luisca_pregunta Sep 08 '22

Loving my Garmin Fenix 3 🥹- love all the Ultra features but I want to charge once a week! Still not happy with the aesthetics either. 🤷🏻‍♂️

1

u/Late_Secret5637 Sep 11 '22

Garmins are more heavily used by multi sport participants than Apple Watches though. From a health and fitness perspective, the Apple Watch Ultra is still heavily lacking.

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u/culminacio Sep 07 '22

I'm buying cheetos because I want to feel like a guy who eats cheetos.

4

u/leo-g Sep 07 '22

This is the same as ANY Rolex watches. Everyone talks about this deep their fancy Rolex can go. Nobody is actually going to such depths. Rolex even has a watch designed to withstand magnetic fields of up to 1,000 magnetic gauss… nobody is working in such fields these days.

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u/Drauul Sep 07 '22

Gross

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u/[deleted] Sep 07 '22

I'm totally not. But maybe instead I'll stop by a convenience store and pick up a lottery ticket and spend the afternoon thinking about what life will be like when I'm wealthy beyond belief.

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u/Katiehart2019 Sep 07 '22

The ultra is going to sell like crazy

1

u/imironman2018 Sep 07 '22

I am buying it because Oscar Isaacson narration was the best ever. Made me want to hike up Mount Everest.

1

u/Mnawab Sep 07 '22

I bought an Apple Watch SE hoping it will make me exercise and it did because me and my cousins are constantly competing. your right about the reach thing though.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 08 '22

And... I KNOW it is marketing. I was a business major and most of my prerequisites were in marketing because I found it interesting. I know the tactics Apple is using and what they are trying to do.

And yet...

1

u/noodleslip Sep 08 '22

99% of people who buy go-pro's, including me

1

u/MrFluffyhead80 Sep 08 '22

The main reason I currently use my Apple Watch is for exercise (nothing special, intense,or crazy) and I will definitely get this when I upgrade. But even the thought it may keeep better track of my activities has me excited

1

u/Heart_GoldPkmn Sep 08 '22

If I had the money and a wrist big enough I would definitely get it. But I don’t think I would ever have the use of such an advanced and « pro » watch.

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u/thehungrypenny Sep 20 '22

Same with car commercials…especially SUVs and trucks. A guy is driving up the steps of the Great Wall of China, traversing the Sahara dessert or driving through a cave to end at an underground waterfall. But Like 99.9% of people are going to use their “truck” to go to the grocery store and sit in a Starbucks drive thru.

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u/Path_Salty Nov 05 '22

Totally legit! That’s their marketing style.