Spartan update complains

@jsuarez said in Spartan update complains:

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos said in Spartan update complains:

However, licensing is a big thing here in play. Yes it costs x amount of money for each unit sold to bring that feature to a watch including all the testing and tweaking for device hw + build (weight) etc. (This does not apply to all models meaning the testing as some don’t even have ohr)

I would be happy to pay a few extra bucks for those features. What I don’t like to feel as a consumer is that my EUR 500+ watch is artificially crippled (hardwarewise -missing basic features such as structured intervals- and softwarewise -read MC web-).
So maybe it is a new ideal for business model for suunto, paid updates for certain features.
But I guess people wouldn’t like it anyway

fejker

@kriskus said in Spartan update complains:

And any hints/leaks if we can expect any update for SSU in predictible future?

Judging by past update cycles, we will have to wait until early march to find out - if we get an update at all … hopefully at least bug fixes sooner than that.

Suunto has just split the two lines regarding version numbering … Spartans (non WHR) are now two version behind (one minor update and one bigger). I know the hardware is different, but in the past every time there was an update for the S9 line, the Spartan line would get it too with their own differences, but the version number was the same.

So how is this going to work now, will the Spartans be made into a separate version numbering with just bug fixes and no new features - unlikely … will the Spartans get updated with the next major S9 update - highly unlikely … or will the Spartans stay at 2.8.24 (non WHR) and 2.8.28 (WHR) - very likely?

Fenr1r

@fejker Highly plausible but morale-sapping scenario there, Leonidas.

fejker

@Fenr1r I hope Suunto proves me wrong … otherwise I will just flash an older FW that works for my needs and keep using that until I buy a new watch (high probability it won’t be a Suunto watch).

danisius

I think that Spartans will not get anymore any FW updates.
It seems that watch is mantained for about 2 years and then work is focussed in new producs, i get to this conclusion looking at list with updates for Ambit 3.

Now i`m wondering when Suunto 11 will be released, maybe in the spring of 2020?

sealion.hr

I had SSWHRB and then upgraded to S9baro (started in 2012 with Ambit1). In my opinion Spartans have everything that was promised since the day 1 (firmwarewise). In that sense, I understand company for not pushing this update to Spartan line.
What I cannot understand is not resolving known bugs in the firmware, which are present in S line as well. Personally I reported 1 bug which is present in firmware regardless of the watch (and I am not the only one who noticed the issue) i.e. when having external heart rate monitor and when setting FEELING is set to OFF, when saving workour watch will remain stuck in “saving” screen and you have to reset the wach (workout is nevertheless saved afterwards).
Personally I do not care about new firmware update as fearstbeat features are none if my interest (but I understand all the marketing hype around these metrics) I am just an ordinary athlete doing regularly various sports and watch is just a pure tool to measure excercises right. Have a very good feeling on my recovery even on my VO2max. I would much rather prefer structured intervals if possible or even smaller things like countdown beeps during simple intervals on watch (the way Polar has, already submitted it as a feature idea to Suunto). Also it is nearly impissible to turn on screen backlight during run at night without switching the display.
On the positive side, I love my watch: sturdy, sapphire glass, battery, big 1.4 inch screen easy to read for a 50years old dude, handles easily my Stryd and Scosche Rhythm24 external sensors. Simple and complex enough at the same time. When thinking on competition I consider Polar Vantage for interval workouts (smaller screen though, no sapphire) or Garmin…but hey, nearly 1000€ for watch (F6x sapphire) where I shall use maybe 10% of the features, no thanx. Last but not least both competitors have better apps but since using Suunto app for more than a year I can easily see progress being made. Nowadays it is rock solid for my level. Thanx for reading

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@morskilav hey I think I kinda know that bug.

I heard that its due of the watch not having the correct time before starting an activity.

Not 100% sure but might worth the check

sealion.hr

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos don’t know what do you mean by “time”. I sync watch regularly, time is fine, time zone as well. External sensors (stryd, hrm) do not have time settings afaik. It is quite simple, when Feeling is set to off problem occurs, when it is on no problem

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@morskilav what HRM do you use?

sealion.hr

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos Scosche Rhythm 24

314BMI

Tbh watch works fine for me. As a sport watch.

As a activity monitor it is 10 steps behind fitbit (sleep recognition, activity recognition - thats one big joke). Even step counting sukcs - it is not rocket science. Do the same thing that fitbit does: start adding steps after series of 8… anything less is not ‘walking’. So easy, so hard for suunto team.

And please do not answer me that sensor manufacturer knows what to do. They do not. In laboratory envoirment they have precise start and end time and they analize data within that interval. And they know that the subjest was running or riding a bike. It is obvious that they cant analize IMU data (try indoor rowing and stroke count is rubbish).
Yes, I work with biosensors…

Sleep recognition is one simple formula on probability.
If you add machine learning after gathering data from millions of users you will get some idea how it should work and when it is not working. But you have add ability tk adjust wake up time in the app.

But the thing that bothers me the most is that they cut app functionality just to work with some types of their watches. For me adding scuba diving by hand is the most annoying thing ever. I cant even add gps location. But of course if you have new suunto diving computer with gps it adds all that info automaticaly.

Suunto is a company and their goal is make more money. And I believe that they have better management than development team. They know that loosing ‘a few’ unhappy users is what they can afford.

After my suunto episode that lasted 8 years, few years with fitbit I will just go to strava or any third party (not supported by any watch manufacturer) platform.

BobMiles

@314BMI I agree with you in so many ways. Looking at the Ambit3, they really put some top features in there by that time. The software did not look fancy, but it was functional and thought through.
Now, the software doesn’t look fancy and the features are a joke for that price range.
It’s just an average GPS watch with half baked fitness tracking, sketchy OHR, strange marketing and development decisions.
The watch face with the duplicate battery indicator says it better than a thousand words, they lost it.

Michał Rudzki

@Brad_Olwin Unfortunately nope, they didn’t, but what they did was they learned a lot on Spartan hardware and they put into S series. Spartan + WHR has better hardware than 3 and 5. Also, they took VO2 and Movescount from Spartan and they gave us promises that the didn’t keep. So how you can feel ?! when you buy a watch that cost you around 500 euro on early-stage and after 2 and half-year you get information that SSS just died. Also, all functionalities that supposed to be on SSS go to 9/5/3. The worst thing is that the promised a lot but they didn’t really deliver that on 50%…

BobMiles

Here’s the thing with suunto nowadays: You always wait for the big reveal, the day when they lift the curtain off their secret development and suddenly close the gap to their competitors.
I have waited since the spartan was released. It won’t come.
All the features requested on the forum are available with competitors. Most of the requests on the forum are not very special or extraordinary, but just basic functionality someone would implement when they design a modern day sport watch.
If they could, they would. But it seems the people who made the ambit are gone, and so is their mindset.
I would not recommend to buy a suunto watch at this time, and I own three of them.

jthomi

Maybe I missed something but what does “…you get information that SSS just died.” mean?

@Michał-Rudzki said in Spartan update complains:

@Brad_Olwin Unfortunately nope, they didn’t, but what they did was they learned a lot on Spartan hardware and they put into S series. Spartan + WHR has better hardware than 3 and 5. Also, they took VO2 and Movescount from Spartan and they gave us promises that the didn’t keep. So how you can feel ?! when you buy a watch that cost you around 500 euro on early-stage and after 2 and half-year you get information that SSS just died. Also, all functionalities that supposed to be on SSS go to 9/5/3. The worst thing is that the promised a lot but they didn’t really deliver that on 50%…

auxina

I trust that my SSU still has life.
Some update will arrive, even if it is corrections and little else.
I also hope that the evolution of SuuntoApp brings benefits to my SUU.

fejker

@auxina I agree. If they fix the bugs they introduced with the last update (which was about 5 months ago BTW), then it will be perfectly fine. Waiting for bug fixes that long kinda sucks.

Matthew Curtiss

@fejker and I’m counting bugs introduced a year ago at this point.

Prenj

I don’t know about you, but for me it sounds surreal that in times when manufacturers reveal new watches every year or even more often there is one manufacturer that finds it perfectly normal that their customers should wait years till they get watch to work as it should. Imagine buying car that can, at time it’s released, go just 50 km/h and manufacturer tells you not to worry, it will be sorted out with updates in next few years. I guess they could have tricked you only once to buy their product.

Forgive me for saying this, but it’s a shitty strategy and it will destroy the trust you built with your customers. After that it’s just the matter of time when you start your free fall.

fejker

@Prenj With the Ambit 1 it was fine because there weren’t that many adventure sport watches out and it was kind of unique to own it and see it grow with new features almost every update, but then it got old with A2 and A3. I wasn’t following the A2 and A3 too closely as when they announced them I was very content with what my A1 could do and was happily suggesting Suunto products to my friends. Then I upgraded to the SSU and got fooled quite easily by the sales rep who said … “well, right now it has a bit less features than the previous models, but they are promising a major update next month to include new features” - keep in mind this was in August 2016 and the watch didn’t even have a way to customize sport modes. It was kind of odd to me, but I trusted Suunto to deliver because of my experience with the A1. Oh how I was wrong and we were in for quite a ride … every expected update was bound to fix all our woes and “end world hunger”. At first we even got upcoming features lists which were quickly shut down and left us wondering what was coming in the next update.
Right now I feel like I want to punch somebody at Suunto in the face. No way I am suggesting somebody to buy their product.