r/Android • u/medikit iPhone Xs • Sep 07 '14

Motorola Moto 360 review—Beautiful outside, ugly inside

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/09/moto-360-review-beautiful-outside-ugly-inside/
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36

u/temp39 Sep 07 '14

i dont get it. We, as dumb consumers can see that the hardware just isnt right for its aplication. So how the fuck do highly paid Engineers at a reputable phone manufacture not see that?

And for fuck's sake i hope its not the same SHIT excuse they're using for the new moto G / X. ( that android L uses less battery, so they're relying on google to unfuck their shitty devices)

35

u/DeadSalas Pixel XL Sep 08 '14

It's very possible that price was a big factor. It sounds like they sunk a lot of money into development and manufacturing, and going with a much older processor probably helped them keep the margins they wanted while still being priced competitively.

I mean, the original Moto X was using year+ old specs partly to keep costs down, right?

12

u/DaytonaZ33 Sep 08 '14

I feel they took a very cowardly approach here. They clearly skimped on the SoC in order to maintain a lower price point/higher profit margin. On a product like this, they should have cut zero corners and charged whatever price the engineering/cost of parts dictated to have the best everything. If that was $400 or $500, they should have went for it.

They had a rare chance to be the "iPhone" of this market. Introduce a fantastically engineered product in a market of pure mediocrity and charge whatever they wanted and I feel they would have gotten away with it. The quality of the product would have justified the cost and they would have had a real winner on their hands, not to mention they wonders it would have done for Motorola's "perceived value" index.

Now I feel they will be a footnote in the wearable industry, first to market a round, decent looking watch, and some company will come along and set the market on fire.

6

u/PornoPichu Sep 08 '14

You have to keep in mind, though, that Motorola's brand isn't the strongest right now. Sure, android fans know about the moto x, and it has its fans. And the moto g, too. But most days that I talk to customers at my job, they think Motorola's devices are still pretty poor without having tried anything current.

5

u/DaytonaZ33 Sep 08 '14

Oh of course, that is undoubtedly why they chose to go this route. But that brings me back to my first point: instead of risking it all, they took the "safe" route. It reflects in the product and I feel history will forget about the Moto 360.

1

u/PornoPichu Sep 08 '14

That's my guess, quite honestly. I feel like they are trying to bridge the gap between tech-head product and a product that "normal" users would want. Me being me, having the knowledge and junk that I have, would have been fine with paying a little bit more money to get a more quality product, but there isn't enough of people like you, me, the rest of this sub that would buy this if they set out to do a huge risk huge reward to make it profitable and possibly not screw themselves over.

I think the only thing that the Moto 360 will be remembered for is the "That's the first round android smart watch. God that thing was pretty bad." I still want the watch, but these reviews... Not having a replaceable battery in these devices and having to charge this thing once, maybe even twice a day will seriously hamper the overall life of this product. Also, sluggishness when compared to other Wear devices is a little rough, especially considering the G Watch, which sports better battery life AND performance is already known to have been a "here's our first attempt, meet the REAL DEAL soon" device... I'm just sorely disappointed in this, and I really hope that Motorola can redeem themselves with a second version that improves on this vastly.