Battery life and innards revealed.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Battery life tends to be the Achilles heel of the still nascent smartwatch industry. With the announcement of the Apple Watch, many hoped the Cupertino-based company would finally find a way to drag smartwatch batteries out of the under-powered wilderness.
However, that would not seem to be the case, as a new report suggests the upcoming Apple Watch will only provide 3.5 hours of use between charges. That number can further drop to 2.5 hours if consumers constantly check social media, stock prices, sports scores, or other updates.
According to 9to5Mac, Apple’s decision to use the relatively powerful S1 processor and high-quality Retina display has saddled the device with a significant operational power drain.
Apple initial goal was for their watch to provide one full day of use, but the current benchmark seems to be a far cry from any such ambition.
“We’re told that Apple has been shooting for roughly 19 hours of mixed usage each day, but that the company may not hit that number in the first-generation version,” reports 9to5Mac. Leaving the wearable in standby or low-power mode will buy users some more time with the device, enabling it to operate for approximately 2-3 days before powering down completely.
Apple popped the lid on the Apple Watch in September, revealing three variants of the eagerly anticipated device: Apple Watch, Apple Watch “Sport,” and Apple Watch “Edition.” Apple’s smartwatch requires an iPhone connection and provides easy, efficient access to Siri, apps, media, maps, and communications.
While “battery life has remained a source of concern … and was a contributing factor for Apple pushing back the retail launch from an originally planned late 2014 to early 2015,” Apple fans may be able to get their hands on the new tech as soon as March.