‘The Problem With Apple’s Juice’

Jessica Lessin, writing for The Information (paywall, alas)

In the build-up to the new Apple Watch, it is easy to get seduced by the rumored features. Curved screen! Wireless charging! Jony Ive thinks it’s slick!

But — and I hate to burst everyone’s bubble here — the appeal of the world’s most highly anticipated wearable computer is going to come down to something a lot more mundane: battery life.

And I have some bad news. I think it is going to be disappointing. People who have talked to Apple about the watch said that Apple employees have set low expectations. Maybe it’s Apple sandbagging. Maybe the battery life really is bad. We’ll learn more on Tuesday at the big unveiling and, eventually, when it ships next year.

If true, and it’s really a “watch”, that’s a problem. If it’s something more like a wearable iPod Nano, maybe not so much. But Lessin is saying it’s a watch.

★ Friday, 5 September 2014