AppleGuy wrote:
The combination of Apple Watch and iPhone is hard to beat:
- both devices have superior step tracking capabilities for when the GPS is down (e.g. tunnels, dense forests, cities etc)
- iPhone uses GPS in addition to 2G/3G/4G celltower triangulation and also uses known WIFI networks to pinpoint exact location much faster than any comparable devices
- Apple Watch impresses through its superior design and will be supported for a long time (sold more in the first 5 minutes than Android Wear since it has been on the market)
Let me know in case you have any questions.
It's hard to beat for accuracy, but you have to carry a phone with you, and I can't imagine any serious runner wanting to run with a phone. Heck, if you're going to do that, you don't even necessarily need the watch.
Other reasons the apple watch is not a running watch:
- Not waterproof
- No footpod. Contra your claims about step tracking, wrist based accelerometers are vastly inferior to footpods for non-GPS pace/distance tracking. ANT+ footpods are tiny, cheap, and super accurate. Great for tunnels and treadmills.
As for the notion that it will be supported for a long time, Apple has a terrible track record when it comes to supporting old devices.