Within hours of Apple's unveiling of its first-ever wearable, Watch, the focus of industry watchers quickly moved from what the Watch can do to how long the Watch can run without a charge.
The debate over whether Apple's claim of 18 hours of run time clearly isn't going to fade until more consumers, and industry pundits, are strutting around with a Watch on the wrist.
Why? Anyone who has ever used an iPhone knows that battery strength and endurance have long been a contentious point and also one of the biggest complaints by users.
In introducing Watch on Monday during his company's Spring Forward product launch event, Apple CEO Tim Cook declared that the Watch, given expected use parameters, will last an entire day, or at least 18 hours. That is, if users aren't multi-tasking and leaving apps running and spending time posting on social networks and searching for a nearby Chinese restaurant.
That sounds well and good until you check out competitive products and battery specs. For example, the Pebble can last five to seven days on a charge. OK, that may not be the best comparison given the Pebble can't do what an iPhone can do, but then there's Motorola's Moto 360. It stayed charged for 20 hours during one reviewer's testing, which also found that the Samsung Gear S can stay charged several days and that LG's G Watch R can last two days.
The caveat is device use obviously and device power-draining features. The big reason for such a rosy battery charge claim is that Apple believes, or hopes at least, that most users are going to tap Watch's features for seconds at a time -- checking the time, checking heart rate, a quick glimpse at the latest email, a quick peek at the game score -- as they're likely going to be much more occupied and focused on something else at the time, such as running or having dinner or watching their daughter's basketball game.
While the Watch may very closely emulate an iPhone, owners won't be using it as an iPhone, at least that's the thinking behind why battery power won't be an issue.
This is what Apple states on the Watch product page regarding battery life: "all-day battery life is based on 18 hours with the following use: 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use, and a 30-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth, over the course of 18 hours." Apple even includes a MagSafe inductive charger.
For example, Apple, through testing, says the battery will last seven hours if the heart rate sensor is running. The battery life gets quite a bit shorter if the user is playing music or using it for phone calls.
If a user does absolutely nothing with the Watch except wear it, the battery power lasts two full days, 48 hours.
One optimistic aspect of the Watch is the inclusion of a Power Reserve mode, which switches on when battery power hits a certain point as designated by the user. Charging time is also pretty optimistic given iPhone charging experiences. Supposedly it will take under two hours to get the Watch up to 80 percent power and under three hours for a full charge.
