When Apple commentators go blind...

https://twitter.com/Garmin/status/1567986895564738560?s=20&t=eWhMskrW1wTXHmkanE3vtA

Garmin posted the above to highlight the battery life of the Enduro 2. It is a valid comparison to the Apple Watch Ultra because that offers up to 36 hours of battery (1.5 days- not sure under 2 deserves to be a plural?) and the Enduro offers 150 hours (+6 days). In reality the battery is as follows-

Get up to 34 days of battery life in smartwatch mode — with an additional 12 days when solar charging2 — for an uninterrupted picture of your health and fitness, and up to 150 hours in GPS mode with solar charging1 to track your performance in training and races.

That is a massive gap when compared to the Ultra and for Apple to be boasting about 36 hours is close to embarrassing.

This did not stop John Gruber linking to the above and writing 'Bye-bye Garmin.' which highlights a complete ignorance of what a high-end Garmin device is and an overt bias towards his overlords.

This is not a Steve Ballmer or a BlackBerry moment when the first iPhone was launched. It would be easy to believe it is if you have no real experience of dedicated smartwatches, but the reality is that if you go to a track or the start of a marathon you will not see Apple Watches on people's wrists. 36 hours of battery will help of course, but it is nowhere near what is offered elsewhere and the real-world experience of having days and days of power per charge is positive indeed.

At this time the Apple Watch is for everyone. From Karens who drop off their kids at school in a blinged out Range Rover to incredibly unfit people who feel that wearing an Apple Watch somehow magically makes them fitter to, well, most normal people. It is not for serious fitness people, adventurers or athletes and it feels to me that Apple will have a few more years to go to truly compete in this area.

The current size is ridiculous for anything other than exercising and potentially only for those with large wrists (men). A 49mm square watch is BIG because my 47mm round Garmin is a big thing, but it is just about wearable throughout the day. A square 49mm watch is not and the shape alone will prohibit regular wear.

Apple wins with cellular functionality compared to Garmin and the ability to seamlessly integrate music and podcasts, but Garmin can catch up quickly in both areas, outside of Apple's barriers, and what remains would be a better software tracking setup and the knowledge that this is a company that truly understands fitness.

The sensors in the Apple Watch are actually very impressive and the company could eventually create a watch that works for everyone including athletes, but it does not at this time. This, however, did not stop some of the ridiculous responses to this article of which a couple are quoted below-

Apple's response: "We measure unit sales in millions, not thousands".

Sure since they have CASIO functions in their products, months sounds about right.

Reminds me of when Blackberry users would brag of physical keyboards.

Lol, always shots from the peanut gallery. Garmin, bye.

The inability to believe that any other company can compete with Apple on any level is still as strong as it always was. They may be proved right one day, but not today. I don't like commentators gleefully backing a trillion dollar company to the point that they enjoy watching the competition fail, and especially when the competition is from a decent company.