Apple Watch includes 8GB of storage, replaceable battery with three year lifespan

[Shawn Knight]

Apple’s recent Spring Forward event filled in most of the gaps that consumers had regarding Apple Watch yet even still, some information continues to be held back. Here’s what we’ve learned since yesterday from independent sources.

A report from 9to5Mac claims all models of Apple Watch will ship with 8GB of internal storage although there are some limitations to be aware of. Users will only be able to store up to 2GB of music locally on the watch and just 75MB of photos, both of which can be played / viewed independently of an iPhone (most features rely on Apple’s smartphone to function).

2GB of music translates to roughly 200 decent quality tracks; the 75MB of photo storage is quite limited but then again, who wants to view their photo collection on a tiny screen? It’s also worth pointing out that imported photos will be resized to better fit the screen and take up less space. As such, you can probably fit around 100 pictures on the watch.

The remaining 6GB of space is likely allocated for the watch’s operating system, internal apps and other miscellaneous data.

Elsewhere, TechCrunch has learned that the battery inside Apple Watch is replaceable with a typical lifespan of about three years. According to Apple, the wearable is good for “all-day” mixed use which consists of 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use and a 30-minute workout with music playback via Bluetooth over an 18-hour period. How that actually translates in the real world remains to be seen and could ultimately make or break the device.

It’s unknown at this point how or if Apple plans to deal with obsolescence in terms of internal hardware. Coughing up hundreds of dollars for a smartwatch is the industry norm; spending thousands of dollars for a “luxury” watch that’ll be obsolete in a couple of years is quite a different story. If I had to guess (and this is a total shot in the dark on my part), Apple may offer internal upgrades on high-end models or perhaps even a trade-in / buyback program that’d allow Watch Edition owners to stay current with the latest model.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/60006-apple-watch-includes-8gb-storage-replaceable-battery-three.html

 

[Guest]

>The remaining 6GB of space is likely allocated for the watch’s operating system, internal apps and other miscellaneous data.


There is no way in hell OS on that watch uses 6GB of flash. A big OS like OS X is using that, not some primitive watch OS.

 

[SNGX1275]

My first reaction to 2 available was pretty negative, I guess because the article put it in perspective of photos and music. Then I remembered this thing is essentially wirelessly tethered to your phone, so it doesn't make any sense to store either of those on the watch itself. If you must play music or view photos on the watch, why couldn't it 'stream' from your phone?

 

[JonnDoe]

WOW...I'm really tired of these things popping up every couple of years, regardless of who Is making them no one Is going to watch video on a 2" screen and a dedicated mp3 player Is always a better option.
Be honest....It doesn't do ANYTHING better than the smartphone you carry now.

 

[SNGX1275]

It does several things a smartphone does, without you needing to pull out your phone to check...

messages, accept/reject calls with canned message, check time, email notifications, appointments, fitness related info... I'm sure there are a few more - granted a phone can do a lot more than just that, but there is a lot more hoops that have to be jumped through to do them.

Suppose it depends on what your definition of 'better' is. If its more 'through' then you are correct, but if 'better' includes making basic tasks easier then there are several things it does 'better'.