It’s inevitable. Like clockwork, following each new Apple product launch, you can be certain someone, somewhere, will find a way to create a controversy based on an alleged design flaw. The controversy then makes its way up the chain, usually ending up being “verified” by some YouTuber. This is when the controversy gets appended the “gate” suffix, and becomes the mother of all weaknesses, the Holy Grail of Apple’s negligence.
The issue with these problemgates, is that they’re often devoid of good commonsense, or simply devoid of actual understanding of the most basic rules of physics. Take Bendgate for example. Who wouldn’t have thought that applying a certain amount of force onto a device mostly made of aluminum would actually cause it to bend?
With Apple Watch arriving this Friday, I’m already anticipating a couple problemgates that may or may not materialize, but for good measures, I wanted to get ahead of the game and address them before they even start, because you know, good old commonsense can go a long way.
Introducing #BandGate and #ShowerGate!
#BandGate (not to be confounded with #BendGate) will most likely happen when people start cleaning up their watch bands with chemicals they would otherwise use to clean their ovens or unclog their toilets. I may be exaggerating a bit here, but you get the idea.
Good commonsense would want people to think twice about what they are going to use to clean their watches, especially the bands, and if you go for the rubber fluoroelastomer or leather, you should expect these materials to react negatively to a wide variety of chemicals.
Of course, there is always the chance that someone might accidentally expose the watch or its band to a chemical agent not meant to be in contact with the material used on the device. How couldn’t Apple make those rubber bands Windex-resistant? In this case, chemistry is not working against you, but your good judgement might be.
#ShowerGate is bound to happen too when someone will put that Apple Watch IPX7 water resistance rating to the test.
Apple confirmed Apple Watch is splash and water resistant (not waterproof), but that won’t prevent intrepid testers out there to see how long you can really take this thing in the shower for before it starts showing signs water damage.
Although Tim Cook did mention he takes his Apple Watch in the shower, I really wouldn’t dare going past the 30 minutes of immersions as suggested by IPX7 ratings.
Once again, Apple Watch owners should use their best judgement to figure out what’s acceptable and what’s not. Chances are, if you’re thinking something might go wrong under specific circumstances, just don’t do it.
Commonsense vs. stupidity
All sarcasm aside, I’m sure all of you will have understood by then that most problems you may encounter with Apple Watch might not necessarily be design flaws, but rather lapses of judgement. Of course, Apple products aren’t flawless, but they’ve also been put to an incredible amount tests to make sure that whatever gets delivered to you is the best possible product the company could have shipped.
At the end of the day, it’s mostly how you treat and what you do with your Apple Watch that will really make a difference. Because commonsense is stronger than stupidity, I’m hoping most people will make the right decisions. For everybody else, I guess we’ll see them on YouTube.