Adam Kos As September 7 approaches, i.e. the presentation of not only the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro, but also the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Pro, various leaks are also intensifying. The current ones now show the shape of the covers just for the Apple Watch Pro and it is clear from them that they will get new buttons. But what should it be used for?
Apple Watch has a digital crown and one button below it. It is more than enough to control watchOS, if we of course add the touch screen to it. However, in terms of controlling the watch system, Apple is even further than, for example, Samsung, because the crown is rotatable and can therefore be used to scroll through the menus. On the Galaxy Watch, you have practically only two buttons, one of which always takes you back one step and the other automatically returns to the watch face.
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Flying around the world with Apple Larger existing controls
According to the aforementioned leaks of cases for the Apple Watch Pro, it is evident that the existing controls will be enlarged and new ones will be added. And it's good. If this model is intended for demanding users, especially demanding athletes, Apple needs to enlarge the controls to make them comfortable to use even with gloves.
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After all, it also comes from the world of watchmaking, where watches known as "pilots" in particular have large crowns (Big Crown) so that they can be handled more comfortably even when wearing gloves. After all, you can't take off your glove, set the time, and put it back on in the cockpit of an airplane. So a slight inspiration can be seen here. The button under the crown, which is aligned with the case, is easy to operate, but you have to press it inside the body, which again you will not be able to do with gloves. Its appearance above the surface, perhaps in the same way as is the case with the aforementioned Galaxy Watch, will give you better feedback.
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New buttons
However, the covers show that there will be two more buttons on the left side of the watch. However, WatchOS has already undergone a relatively long evolution, so it can be said that its control is properly tuned. But it still relies on a touch screen as the primary input element – which can be a problem again considering the use of gloves or wet or otherwise dirty fingers.
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On the other hand, if you look at the watch portfolio of the manufacturer Garmin, it only switched to a touchscreen in recent years, and that was only to attract users of the competition who don't want to be satisfied with button controls. But it always offers these, so you often have a choice whether to control your watch via the display or the buttons. At the same time, the gestures practically only replace the buttons and do not bring anything extra. However, the advantage of the buttons is clear. They are precise to control, in any conditions.
Most likely, therefore, the new buttons will provide options that neither the crown nor the button below it offer. After pressing one, a choice of activities can be offered, where you choose the desired one with the crown and start it by pressing the button again. During the activity, it will serve, for example, to suspend it. The second button could then be used to open the Control Center, which you would not have to access from the display. Here, you would slide the crown between the options and use the activity button to activate or deactivate them.
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We will soon see if this will actually be the case, or if Apple will prepare other and completely unique functions for these buttons. It is also still possible that the leaked covers have nothing much to do with reality, however, many would certainly welcome more options for controlling the Apple Watch.
If they wanted to make a more durable digital crown, then the next button could be instead of pressing the crown for the home screen, if they canceled pressing the crown..we see soon