The Apple Watch has been around for a while now, but the company has been unable to really woo users with the WatchOS, which is nothing but a variation of the iOS. Now, Matt Birchler has come up with a watchOS 5 concept, possibly to make Apple aware of the changes that users really need and want.
How can Apple balance battery and core functions?
Birchler’s concept of the watchOS 5 focuses on data density along with new layouts, third-party apps and a podcast playback. Further, Birchler also demonstrates how Apple Watch can better handle the basic function, which is telling the time.
Bircher, with his concept, tries to address a primary concern of the users that the Apple Watch does not truly serve the purpose of a watch. Due to the battery concerns, the watch display turns off, and it only shows the time when raised or tapped.
However, Birchler proposes a simple display to always show time, and a feature-rich display when raised or tapped. The OLED display in the watch could be used to keep the face black, and then display the time in the white only font.
The concept features the Apple Watch face at the top, and suggests developers create their own watch faces. Further, the concept demonstrates how third-party data sources can become handy along with Apple’s stock sources for the Siri watch face. Currently, Apple Watch allows users to freely switch the sources on and off, but are restricted from adding additional sources.
Birchler’s concept watchOS 5 also includes a better activity monitoring feature including sleep, something that the watch lacks as of now. Podcast support is another wish that Birchler wants Apple to introduce to its smartwatch. Further, the battery life of Birchler’s concept supports multi-day use.
What users want in watchOS 5
Apple Watch users have always longed for an independent watch rather than using it as a smartphone accessory. Even though Apple has worked on it, users still need to access various types of settings through the iPhone. From the watchOS 5, users are expecting a smarter and more controllable offering, where everything is customizable from the watch itself.
Further, updated and faster software is something that the users would welcome in the new OS version. Apple Watch has often been slow to load throwing the spinning icon, which remains there for a considerable time. While most of the issues can be resolved by updating the hardware, software optimization could also make a considerable difference.
Even though Siri works quite well with the watch, there is still a lot of potential that hasn’t been explored yet. With the watchOS 5, users would want Siri to be more responsive and offer more accurate results, which could only be possible if Siri hears clearer than before.
Support for Android is another feature that users have long been wanting. But, we are quite sure that it is not coming anytime soon. However, if Apple decides to support Android, it would help increase its customer base to millions more. Further, the move would also assure the iOS users that in the future, if they ever switch to Android, their watch would still be useful.
