@tinten.addi
Hi everyone! I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and more and more I feel that the main problem is not really that we don’t know when an update will be released, but rather that there is absolutely no official communication on whether there will be an update at all, and if so, what direction it will take, what it will focus on. I’m strictly referring to Suunto’s official communication here. For example, when it comes to diving functions, is the main goal to eliminate bugs, or is there talk of further development as well? And even if there won’t be further development, does Suunto’s diving team (I assume there is one) actually incorporate logical, practical suggestions made by other divers and users into development?
When it comes to sports modes, it’s also missing that—although understandably later due to the above reasons—the watch eventually receives the functions that other models already have, as well as the practical suggestions being added here too. This would be completely reasonable, and I assume this does in fact happen in the background. Any other direction would likely result in users abandoning the model. But since there is basically no official communication on anything—just leaks, or us bothering the moderators here, who obviously can’t say more than what’s official—what remains is user imagination filling the gap. And that brings with it everything: worries, mentions of other brands, doubts, and so on. This actually spoils the otherwise positive user experience.
If I could suggest something to Suunto, my humble suggestion would be to provide at least some information from time to time. Even if there is no exact release date, an official confirmation that an update is being worked on, what areas it will cover, and where it currently stands would already help a lot. There would probably still be some dissatisfaction, but much less. And if the directions also matched what I wrote earlier, those who use the watch for its functionality wouldn’t now be thinking about which brand to switch to.
As for the semi-official communication about delays—namely “safety first”—that line wears thin after a while. It’s fair to ask: if the manufacturer can’t manage to make sleep tracking in the app complete, or if buggy watch faces occasionally appear (some disappearing, others remaining), then how can they convincingly claim to handle safety issues?
So here and now, I’d like to offer Suunto my help in organizing their communication strategy in this area… Maybe things would improve.
