Idiocy of the competition

[Hadron]

One thing about a Smartwatch is that you can change the watch face. And with Android Wear anyone can design one - we have our own thread for that here.

But not so with Apple: buy an iPhone extension screen for your wrist and you are not allowed to use a non-Cupertino-designed watch face! Not joking, it's right in the iOS App Store Guidelines:

• 10.7 Watch Apps whose primary function is telling time will be rejected

Of course those same rules also forbid you from altering the desktop of your iPhone (rule 10.4), so maybe this isn't a total surprise, but honestly this seems to be control-freakery gone mad.

 

[Clementine_3]

I read a few articles about it yesterday, my first reaction was 'what!', then I remembered it was Apple. After my initial surprise I wasn't surprised at all and found it pretty funny and, at the same time, very sad.

If there was no way to change faces on my 360 then I never would have gotten it, that's most of the draw for me really. I love my watch but was on the fence about getting it (honestly, I have no 'need' for it), it was the face customization that won me over.

The article from The Verge had this bit in it: Apple pundit John Gruber discussed the possibility on his blog Daring Fireball earlier this month, concluding that Apple probably wouldn't open watch faces up in the same way that it hasn't opened up the lock and home screens on the iPhone and iPad. In part, he points to an ugly collection of user-made Android Wear watch faces for reason why Apple may not want to allow this.

Yes. Some of the faces are awful. Some are absolutely amazing. Here's the thing though, if I want a hideous watch face I should be able to have one and I don't need anyone telling me what is pretty or not. Facerepo, Facer, WatchMaker et al and Android FTW!

 

[Slug]

Watch Apps whose primary function is telling time will be rejected

Having not had the chance yet, like 99.9% of mere mortals, to play with the thing, I wonder if this isn't simply down to the difference in the way Apple's and Android's products work? Android Wear apps don't monopolise the device; Wear still handles notifications/cards/whatever, and a face is simply that.. a different "look".

Apple pundit John Gruber [...] points to an ugly collection of user-made Android Wear watch faces for reason why Apple may not want to allow this.

An Android pundit might just as easily point to the restricted iOS/Watch interfaces as a reason to allow it.

I want a hideous watch face I should be able to have one and I don't need anyone telling me what is pretty or not.

QFT

 

[Clementine_3]

An Android pundit might just as easily point to the restricted iOS/Watch interfaces as a reason to allow it.

Right.

I was just amused at the Apple-ness of it all. 'We know what's nice and what's not, you don't. We'll just make it mandatory, in our ironclad way, for you to not be tacky.'

Be together, not the same

 

[lunatic59]

I saw an ad for the Apple Watch on AMC the other night and I couldn't keep thinking how everything they are showing is what I saw from the Google I/O 2014 podcast last year. I've had my 360 since November and love it.

While I have no doubt the Apple watch works, i just can't get past the "design". In a word ... fugly.