Apple Watch navigation for pedestrians?

Apple Watch navigation is among the top advertised features¹ on Apple’s website. The feature looks sexy and very useful at first glance but is it so? There are several shortcomings with using Apple Watch navigation. Let’s review what we can expect.

Apple Watch navigation will be constraint by:

• online connection to your iPhone => hence you could also simply use the navigation in your iPhone - in a car it would be better to use iPhone navigation then using your watch.
• the navigation most likely will use Apple Maps - hence there will be limited data about points of interests, and less or no info about pedestrian trails, especially outside towns.

So, what is the best fit for using your Apple Watch navigation feature?

Well, it is certainly not while driving car. Huh? :-)

It is certainly not when you are doing your regular fitness running. You will be carrying your iPhone already, plus a professional sport watch. No space for an Apple watch. Or are you ready to give up your water resistant ANT+, chest strap connected, GPS included sport gear? Most likely not.

It is certainly not when cycling - same as above.

It is certainly not when hiking or walking along a trail. Why? Well, simply check out Apple Maps and see if they have your trail at all.

What if you are a tourist abroad and you need to navigate
to a point of interest? Well, navigation will need online connection while moving. Are you ready to pay a gigantic roaming charge to your mobile operator? May be not…

What if you are a visitor in a city you are not familiar with? Are you looking for a point of interest you know by name but not by address? Well, here comes the tricky part, because you may find out that the points of interest database is a long way from Google’s standard. So with a luck, yes, it will work - but often it will fail.

And the winner is …

• you are a pedestrian traveler in a city
• you know the address you want to get to
• you have your iPhone connected and online to the internet

Yep, that is the best fit for Apple Watch navigation on your wrist with Apple Maps in it.

The question is why would you not use your iPhone directly instead? Well, it just got too big :-)

A comment on Siri …

Turn-by-turn. Getting to your destination is much easier with Apple Watch. Just ask Siri for directions and Maps will guide the way. –Apple–

Apple is certainly not talking to us non native speakers, right? Any experience giving Siri an instruction on a busy street?

Siri and Navigation: they look great on Apple’s key-note stage. Will they prove themselves outside of the Cupertino offices? Time will tell.