Important news concerning our digital services

TLDR
Enhancing the app is one thing, abandoning the web interface and delegating core functions to “partners” is not good.
Two years ago, suunto launched the spartan line with missing functionality compared to previous models.
Suunto promised that in the future there will be feature parity…
Now, suunto launches a new (mobile only) platform with missing functionality compared to previous platform.
Suunto promised that in the future there will be feature parity…
Does this sound familiar?

pcjmfranken

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos About 4 years ago. The sync with the digital services is pretty much essential to the use of this watch. Without the services there’s no way to plan new routes ahead of time, update the apps, change the watch layout, add new modes, etc.

@jthomi I understand and that’s exactly what’s wrong with all of this… “hopefully” doesn’t cut it. Voted btw, the web interface is far superior and easier to use to any app. Thanks for the link.

jthomi

@pcjmfranken
I totally agree with you, don’t get me wrong. I was always hoping and rooting for a web interface, and like @Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos said above, our voice here is and will be heard.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@Yannis-Belouris just out of curiosity, when the Spartans and the roadmap was out did Suunto not cover it’s roadmap/feature party?

gest83

@Yannis-Belouris I kinda thought the same thing… if you take a look at the “feature suggestions” section, ther are tons of ideas & wishes, some older than a year. In my opinion (and lot of others too) these are seen as “base functionality”…

Isn’t it that history is always repeating itself?

Mike Green

I have upvoted several of the previous comments but will summarise my particular key areas of concern as an Ambit2 owner.

If there is no laptop/desktop service (web-based or local application) provided, my Ambit2 become largely useless for the primary functions for which I purchased it, which include navigating routes on mountains (about half my usage) and when cycling. This, within the context of continued use of the watch, is disastrous.
At the point of decommissioning Movescount, I am stuck with all my sports mode screen customisations as they are. At best, very annoying.
I would be unable to record new activities - this makes the watch ‘dead’ for the other half of my usage (cycling).

I know three other users of Ambit2s, all of whom bought their devices precisely because there was no need to mess about with tiny phone screens for anything, as with some competitors.

Whilst my particular issues with functionality would be partially resolved if my watch were one of the Bluetooth enabled devices, I would still very probably not elect to buy a Suunto watch in the future if there is no laptop/desktop interface for all functions as I have zero interest in introducing a dependency on a phone and would not even consider a watch/recording/navigation solution which did not have a ‘big screen’ option for configuration / data analysis / route planning.

Whilst I think moving to a ‘mobile only’ provision of service is an appalling and retrograde step, I would be satisfied with a transition to a solution where a stabilised, web-based configuration site was provided for existing Ambit2 watches and routes could be synched to the Ambit2 via a third party. (Though I have to say that at the current time I think Movescount’s mapping and catalogue of routes is the best on the market.)

If the migration goes ahead as planned, and quite apart from persona inconvenience and cost, I really do not relish apologising to the numerous people who I have recommended Suunto to specifically due to the existence of Movescount $:-\$

valdis830

@pcjmfranken I have iPhone 3, 4, 5 at home. Each one cost me between 300-600 € and they are perfectly functioning paperweight. Maybe one day I can sell them to an antiquarian. Nothing is eternal dear friend. In 2020 your Ambit will be more than 7 years old. A considerable age for a precision device. Maybe it will be the day when you should consider keeping it as a nice memory and buying something modern:)

pcjmfranken

In addition, as a web developer, I really don’t understand why the new app couldn’t have been built as a progressive web app. An app that works as a website on big screens and behaves like a native app on mobile devices. The best of both worlds and easily doable for a company as big as Suunto.

Unfortunately it’s probably too late for this now.

@valdis830 Really? paperweight? Locked out of iCloud?
Unable to make a call? Cannot download apps for iStore?
I honestly do not know the answer? Has apple disabled them?

pcjmfranken

@valdis830 I think it’s pretty clear that the world is moving away from this planned obsolescence nonsense. Why throw out something that still works fine?

In addition, your older iPhones are still usable which this watch won’t be with Suunto’s current plans.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@Yannis-Belouris for the sake ofthe argument iphone 4 is the same age with an Ambit and yes most things dont run there.

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos You disagree with my statement?

Wasn’t that the case with spartans? Is not a similar case now with the app offering?

Sure, we can use MC, if we forget about steps, sleep etc). And sure, we can use SA, if we forget about MC tags, search, history, graphs, metrics etc.

Of course Spartans received updates and the functionality greatly improved. That’s why I upgraded to a S9 from a SSU.

And of course, some time in the future, SA will become a useful tool. But when? What will be missing?

The app situation is the same now, I cannot recommended to friends with all the strava syncing bugs, inverted pace graphs, and inability to sync to a native web platform that displays intervals and allows for tags, search function.

I get it that having an API is very very very useful, but right now, who cares about a free month of TP when there is all this functionality missing and we have to juggle with force closing apps?

@valdis830 said in Important news concerning our digital services:

I have iPhone 3, 4, 5 at home

your iphone are still working fine as standalone unit, with today’s announcement Suunto Ambit1/2, T3/4/6 Series, GPS trackpods are not longer working after 2020 because you need movecount.com mandatory to e.g. to add POD’s, adjust your bodymetrics, switch beween recording intervals or alter your sportmodes, so it’s a bit different here, Suunto is rendering these perfectly working devices obsolete by these lunatic change of the software platform without proper backwards compatibility

Robert Rundqvist

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos said in Important news concerning our digital services:

@Robert-Rundqvist How would you send that big catalog to MC ?

I dont - I keep it in MC, thats the point

valdis830

Well, I correct! Paperweight for the use that I give to this type of devices, slow and obsolete for me. Most frequently used Apps are no longer compatible for use. Then because I want something that only technically is working. This about the iphone.

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos I agree that one company is not obliged to support every device for ever.
Maybe there is some other companies that do though. And support even 8 year old devices just fine (forerunner 210).
Sure, suunto made a business decision. This is just business. No hard feelings. But honestly, did anyone expected the end users to applaud this?
I am eagerly awaiting for a suunto survey…

andrejfit

I appreciate that Suunto is doing such communication quite long time before that thing will happened.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@Yannis-Belouris We have > 1.5y to go and get all those goodies you mentioned (MC vs SA).

I do understand your points and they are already transferred.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@Yannis-Belouris Nope I don’t think these news were good news to anyone invested on MC. That is clear.

Robert Rundqvist

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos said in Important news concerning our digital services:

@Robert-Rundqvist that what exactly is your problem or asking? I am a bit confused here.
Would it be nice @cosmecosta as well, to have a service to service integration or parsing of all routes?

@Robert-Rundqvist with the Suunto app, you can keep copies on the icloud or drive of your GPX routes and open then on demand with the app.

But then I will have to have a dropbox/Icloud/drive file catalogue of GPX routes which is an entirely different thing from having a previewable track catalogue online on Movescount. Which I then have to upload/open with the app and then sync to the watch.

I think the difference is rather big. Have I missed something?