Details about the battery life of the upcoming Apple Watch leaked online Thursday and the alleged info indicates the power cycle of the first-ever Apple wearable tech may not last as long as expected.
Sources of 9to5Mac.com reveal new details about the daily charging cycle of the Cupertino-based tech firm.
Apple is said to be targeting just two and a half to four hours of heavy active application use, 19 hours of passive use, a longer two to three days while on pure standby mode and 4 days while in sleeping mode for each charge.
The iPad and iPhone maker's first smartwatch will come packed with an Apple S1 chip with Retina-level display (60fps frame rate). The S1 chip is pretty close to the power packed in the A5, the chip currently contained in the iPod touch. While Apple gets props for equipping the Watch with a powerful processor and high-quality screen display, the specs are said to contribute to quick power drain.
Apple Insider notes that," Apple is still tweaking software to find the right mix of performance and survivability. For example, the company is targeting 4 hours of continuous exercise tracking when linked to an iPhone, suggesting raw data is handed off to the more capable handset for processing."
During the 2014 introduction of the Apple Watch, company chief Tim Cook told users the Watch would need to be charged nightly but other details regarding battery performance weren't shared.
"We think you're going to end up charging it daily," quoted The Verge of Cook during the WSJD Live event. "Overnight - that's what we think."
Realistic Watch Use
While some may think that two and a half to four hours is relatively low, many analysts are saying a roughly 3 hour heavy use for the watch isn't that bad arguing smart devices are occasional use gadgets. For everyday users, it's highly unlikely they'll keep clock face turned on for more than an hour or so.
Even for fitness activities, the majority will not be working out long enough to drain the device. Studies have indicated that the smartwatch display won't be used constantly thus considering real-life use, the passive wear (clock, alerts etc.) requires less energy from the battery.
Rumors circulating estimate the Apple Watch will hit the shelves by March 2015 with entry-level models pegged at about $350 a pop.
How about you, are you happy with the battery life?
