Apple Watch Integration Coming Soon Says Software Chief Wassym

[JM.]

The garmin is connected, gives you messages, etc.

I know this, having worn it for two days and talking to developers who work with it and make apps for it.. It's LIMITED in its contact with the world. Not disconnected. The Apple Watch is constantly talking to the world. If you want a thing to unlock another thing, they have to be looking for each other all the time. Think about WHY your Garmin has a long battery life.

Battery life is easily fixed with a portable battery pack, even while camping. The other drawbacks of the Garmin are not fixable. For you, those don't matter, for me, they are critical.

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[Bullwinkle]

I'm far more likely to forget my watch than my phone. Wallet...keys...phone was the old ICE 'what do I need before I leave the house' routine. Now it's just wallet...phone (with key card in wallet).

My use case is when I am going to the health club or the driving range and I don't want to have my phone in my pocket--I want it to be left in the car.

 

[Singletracker]

Rob, you said - “Maybe an unpopular opinion but I think the Garmin watch is more aligned with the fitness and adventure themes of Rivian than the Apple watch where even the Ultra is a bit of a toy vs Garmin.”

With all due respect, have you ever owned an Apple Watch Ultra? I get out in the boonies as much or more than the average person and my Ultra is just fine, especially when considering its all day, every day, all situations usefulness, functionality, and connectivity. I can’t live without it. Not knocking Garmins. I’m sure they excel in some areas. But, there is a reason Apple Watches outsell every other brand by a mile. If Rivian elects to develop a WaaK, wouldn’t it be prudent to first focus on the easily most popular watch brand, rather than a niche watch brand?

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

How open is Garmin's wearable OS? Better time spent looking into that and developing an app for it than to argue about it. Garmin has just around 7% of total market. That means among Rivian owners, that's the maximum probability. Actual spread could be even less than that. If you were arguing for WearOS devices, then you have a case. With just 7% or less, the answer to "why not" is glaringly obvious. And Garmin does not have a monopoly on active outdoor lifestyle use. There are plenty of apps in that genre for WatchOS and WearOS. Just as the Rivian can be used off-road or to crawl malls. Wearable devices don't need to look "outdoorsy" to be used outdoors.

 

[JM.]

That means among Rivian owners, that's the maximum probability.

I'd bet $20 against that.

No wait, $100.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I'd bet $20 against that.

No wait, $100.

Plus two cases of beer.

 

[JM.]

PBR, or say, Founder's Breakfast Stout?

The latter is a great start to a day in the wilderness, and doesn't have to be refrigerated to be drinkable. A true adventure beer.

 

[the_mace]

Rob, you said - “Maybe an unpopular opinion but I think the Garmin watch is more aligned with the fitness and adventure themes of Rivian than the Apple watch where even the Ultra is a bit of a toy vs Garmin.”

With all due respect, have you ever owned an Apple Watch Ultra? I get out in the boonies as much or more than the average person and my Ultra is just fine, especially when considering its all day, every day, all situations usefulness, functionality, and connectivity. I can’t live without it. Not knocking Garmins. I’m sure they excel in some areas. But, there is a reason Apple Watches outsell every other brand by a mile. If Rivian elects to develop a WaaK, wouldn’t it be prudent to first focus on the easily most popular watch brand, rather than a niche watch brand?

No, I said earlier I've never owned an ultra. Its more expensive than the Garmin, and the features Apple (all that connectivity stuff) has are less important than the health/fitness and basic notifications I get with Garmin. I can wear the garmin and track activity for 8 days straight. It has offline maps and nav if I get lost. That's more suitable for real adventures vs a day or two that that the ultra lasts. But no cell service etc.

But anyway, I hope you all enjoy the Apple watch support when it comes. Even if I had an apple watch I wouldnt use it, I found that out with the Tesla flavor.

I still would like to be able to close my garage door after backing out of my garage.

 

[Sempervirens]

I hate being the WearOS guy in the room... No love for Pixel/Samsung.

Deaf ears?

 

[godfodder0901]

I hate being the WearOS guy in the room... No love for Pixel/Samsung.

Deaf ears?

Market share.

Global smartwatch shipments market share 2024| Statista

 

[tk21]

I hope at least "Watch app for manual controls" is available for Gen 1, even if full WaaK isn't. Just the ability to unlock my truck from the watch (over either Bluetooth or Cellular) would be enough for me, allowing me to leave phone locked in the truck while I go somewhere, without having to bring the band-key.

Gen 1 owner here, but I’d buy the Rivian merch shirts saying “GONE FULL WAAK” on it…

 

[tate16t]

I don’t know what app you are referring to. I know there is a non-Rivian one in development, but….

WaaK was very high on my wish list early on. Now, not so much. I am quite satisfied with my current setup and have way more subscriptions than I need, but thanks. If Rivian does ever come out with a true, seamless Waak, that works totally independently of the phone, that may be a bonus. Unfortunately, the auto locking feature, as it currently stands, can be a bit hit and miss. There are times when my rig just doesn’t lock as I walk away. I, then, have to manually lock it with my fob. Other times, it locks almost instantly. Always listening for that owl

This is the one that was talked about months ago, still available on the Apple App Store.

 

[Sempervirens]

This data looks wildly inaccurate. No doubt Apple is the market leader, but fitbit falls off in 2021, and there is no mention of WearOS, which covers many mfgs now.

Where is Garmin in this?

I wouldn't expect Pixel Watch to have more than 2% but it doesn't even show up, but something called Noise does.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Rob, you said - “Maybe an unpopular opinion but I think the Garmin watch is more aligned with the fitness and adventure themes of Rivian than the Apple watch where even the Ultra is a bit of a toy vs Garmin.”

With all due respect, have you ever owned an Apple Watch Ultra? I get out in the boonies as much or more than the average person and my Ultra is just fine, especially when considering its all day, every day, all situations usefulness, functionality, and connectivity. I can’t live without it. Not knocking Garmins. I’m sure they excel in some areas. But, there is a reason Apple Watches outsell every other brand by a mile. If Rivian elects to develop a WaaK, wouldn’t it be prudent to first focus on the easily most popular watch brand, rather than a niche watch brand?

Can it go a month before charging it? My Garmin Fenix can.

 

[godfodder0901]

This data looks wildly inaccurate. No doubt Apple is the market leader, but fitbit falls off in 2021, and there is no mention of WearOS, which covers many mfgs now.

Where is Garmin in this?

I wouldn't expect Pixel Watch to have more than 2% but it doesn't even show up, but something called Noise does.

This is worldwide data, not just the US. The things you are looking at are under Other. The point of the data was specifically to say that Apple Watch is the single largest target, so it makes sense to aim there first.

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