Suunto, respect your most important stakeholder, your customers!

thomas bert · 27 Jan 2019, 22:42

They pay your bills and your monthly pay-checks. So don’t let them down by making older devices (pre Ambit3) useless on the new platform. (= my first requirement for then new platform)
This is not something I can align with (my perception of) Suunto’s brand image. I tought Suunto was building durable, reliable sports activity watches for people who like to be outdoors. Some people only need that kind of device and not the latest bling-bling connectivity and buy one of the older models and equally some kind of software to analyse the captured data. BTW, who needs wireless syncing with a smartphone in the outdoors where there is no mobile data available?
Secondly how do the explain this decision in face of Amer’s stakeholder engagement & responsibility statements? (https://www.amersports.com/responsibility) Is this just window dressing? Has Amer turned Suunto’s focus to shareholder value only? I do understand that having a web platform like movescount costs money but it came with the watch, it is part of the Suunto user experience.
As smartwatch technology becomes mature, the Suunto experience will be about being part of the Suunto community that can interact on a strong platform. So my advice to Suunto is: build that strong platform, for all users. Because those that you turn down now are not likely to return, including myself.
My expectations for the new platform are:

Backward compatability with older models, like Ambit2.
Acccesible from pc or laptop. For serious users (and again, not the bling-bling users) the platform is about 2 things, analysing the captured data and routeplanning (sharing and building). I don’t see how this can work better on the small screen of a smartphone or tablet.
Improve routebuilding capabilty, like importing 2 routes and (manually) combining them to 1 route.
Heatmap visibility down to the zoom level where you are actually building the new route.
Possibility to modify apps and which data are shown on your watch.

succes,
Thomas

Brad_Olwin · 27 Jan 2019, 23:32

@thomas-bert said in Suunto, respect your most important stakeholder, your customers!:

Suunto, respect your most important stakeholder, your customers!

They pay your bills and your monthly pay-checks. So don’t let them down by making older devices (pre Ambit3) useless on the new platform. (= my first requirement for then new platform)
This is not something I can align with (my perception of) Suunto’s brand image. I tought Suunto was building durable, reliable sports activity watches for people who like to be outdoors. Some people only need that kind of device and not the latest bling-bling connectivity and buy one of the older models and equally some kind of software to analyse the captured data. BTW, who needs wireless syncing with a smartphone in the outdoors where there is no mobile data available?
Secondly how do the explain this decision in face of Amer’s stakeholder engagement & responsibility statements? (https://www.amersports.com/responsibility) Is this just window dressing? Has Amer turned Suunto’s focus to shareholder value only? I do understand that having a web platform like movescount costs money but it came with the watch, it is part of the Suunto user experience.
As smartwatch technology becomes mature, the Suunto experience will be about being part of the Suunto community that can interact on a strong platform. So my advice to Suunto is: build that strong platform, for all users. Because those that you turn down now are not likely to return, including myself.
My expectations for the new platform are:

Backward compatability with older models, like Ambit2.

Acccesible from pc or laptop. For serious users (and again, not the bling-bling users) the platform is about 2 things, analysing the captured data and routeplanning (sharing and building). I don’t see how this can work better on the small screen of a smartphone or tablet.

Improve routebuilding capabilty, like importing 2 routes and (manually) combining them to 1 route.

Heatmap visibility down to the zoom level where you are actually building the new route.

Possibility to modify apps and which data are shown on your watch.

succes,
Thomas

Have you used Suunto app? The last two are already implemented except I do not know what you mean by modify apps. If you read the many, many posts prior to yours the topics you mentioned have been discussed at length. Agree about route planning, that is why the app can import GPX files so you can route plan on the best web interface, I use Gaia, which is better than Movescount.

SlaSh · 28 Jan 2019, 05:16

By apps he has in mind written watch apps by users which are available for ambits and I very very miss this functionality for spartan.

estevez · 28 Jan 2019, 07:11

@Brad_Olwin said in Suunto, respect your most important stakeholder, your customers!:

@thomas-bert said in Suunto, respect your most important stakeholder, your customers!:

Suunto, respect your most important stakeholder, your customers!

They pay your bills and your monthly pay-checks. So don’t let them down by making older devices (pre Ambit3) useless on the new platform. (= my first requirement for then new platform)
This is not something I can align with (my perception of) Suunto’s brand image. I tought Suunto was building durable, reliable sports activity watches for people who like to be outdoors. Some people only need that kind of device and not the latest bling-bling connectivity and buy one of the older models and equally some kind of software to analyse the captured data. BTW, who needs wireless syncing with a smartphone in the outdoors where there is no mobile data available?
Secondly how do the explain this decision in face of Amer’s stakeholder engagement & responsibility statements? (https://www.amersports.com/responsibility) Is this just window dressing? Has Amer turned Suunto’s focus to shareholder value only? I do understand that having a web platform like movescount costs money but it came with the watch, it is part of the Suunto user experience.
As smartwatch technology becomes mature, the Suunto experience will be about being part of the Suunto community that can interact on a strong platform. So my advice to Suunto is: build that strong platform, for all users. Because those that you turn down now are not likely to return, including myself.
My expectations for the new platform are:

Backward compatability with older models, like Ambit2.

Acccesible from pc or laptop. For serious users (and again, not the bling-bling users) the platform is about 2 things, analysing the captured data and routeplanning (sharing and building). I don’t see how this can work better on the small screen of a smartphone or tablet.

Improve routebuilding capabilty, like importing 2 routes and (manually) combining them to 1 route.

Heatmap visibility down to the zoom level where you are actually building the new route.

Possibility to modify apps and which data are shown on your watch.

succes,
Thomas

Have you used Suunto app? The last two are already implemented except I do not know what you mean by modify apps. If you read the many, many posts prior to yours the topics you mentioned have been discussed at length. Agree about route planning, that is why the app can import GPX files so you can route plan on the best web interface, I use Gaia, which is better than Movescount.

I used (or tried to use) Suunto app and with Ambit3 it is totally useless (comparing to Movescount). And “the last two” are NOT already implemented (Thomas mentiones heatmap in connection with “building the new route”).

And some people don´t want to use / buy external apps. I bought Suunto watches with Movescount.

I fully agree with Thomas.

Maarten Thys · 5 May 2019, 11:53

I do not follow the Suunto news that much and was only aware of these developments the e-mail sent out by Suunto end of April.

I think this is what many early adaptors of the Ambit series watches are thinking at the moment (Ambit / Ambit 2 users).

My father was an avid Ambit user. Hiking, Climbing, Trekking, Running, Alpinism - Winter & Summer.
After a while I got jealous and bought my Ambit 2 late 2014.
The first Ambit 3 was already out by then, but as I didn’t need the wireless connectivity for tracking heart rate while swimming, or connectivity to a smart phone and was on a budget, I purchased the Ambit 2.

At had everything I needed and still checks all the boxes today.
For me it looked better than a Garmin or Polar, because I felt I could do more with it then just go running or cycling (for example by having the many different sport modes, which I could even customise).

I think now, I would still chose Ambit 3 over Spartan or Suunto 9: I do not need a colored tough screen on my watch that I take in to the outdoors, where it is likely to be bashed by rock and ice…
And I can’t operate a touch screen with gloves…

So my vote goes to a platform that can be accessed on a pc, where I can upload data, download routes I create, create sport modes, … and connect with my cable.

What is the best way to follow the news on this subject and where can we show Suunto that we would not like movescount to disappear?

A Former User · 6 May 2019, 03:55

@Brad_Olwin said in Suunto, respect your most important stakeholder, your customers!:

Have you used Suunto app? The last two are already im weplemented

Nope. Heatmaps disappear in Suunto App once I zoom in closer than about 1 mile (1.6 km) across phone screen width. That isn’t good enough to plan routes on trails.

And Ambit apps aren’t supported on the new platform or in any newer watches at all.

pgrey · 10 May 2019, 19:20

@Brad_Olwin Where/how do you do this, on an Ambit3, those “last two” you mention?

This WILL be a critical point, when the transition happens, but no one seems to be willing to say anything but “wait for another Suunto update on the transition”.
Not exactly reassuring, when this is going to potentially remove almost all resale value, of an Ambit3 (or any of the Ambits), on the transition date.

If we’re just “waiting for the news”, say on 6/20, and the end-result is “nope, no support for any of this”, well it’s probably too late, you’re stuck with a device that can never change characteristics (for user data or sport modes), and no one will want to buy (unless they match you, exactly), right?

Brad_Olwin · 10 May 2019, 22:02

@silentvoyager said in Suunto, respect your most important stakeholder, your customers!:

@Brad_Olwin said in Suunto, respect your most important stakeholder, your customers!:

Have you used Suunto app? The last two are already im weplemented

Nope. Heatmaps disappear in Suunto App once I zoom in closer than about 1 mile (1.6 km) across phone screen width. That isn’t good enough to plan routes on trails.

And Ambit apps aren’t supported on the new platform or in any newer watches at all.

On the first point, my heatmaps do not disappear on full zoom. I am on iOS.

On the second point Ambit3 support is in early development. I would continue with MC until better A3 services are implemented.