Something new is coming

[A Former User]

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos Haha…what other use cases can we create? Temperature of the red vine after the tour?

Do you guys really run out into the mountains and after 2-3 hours you think: Oh wait, what weather do we have today, maybe I should check my baro? But you all plan and create your track in the app and upload it to the watch. Doesn‘t make sense to me

That runteq company… I have the belt of them and waited long time for an update they promised…and of the app. Did they release already what they wanted to do? Never checked after waiting so long…

Regarding Stryd:
Why not just recording everything it delivers that you can use it with a short workflow and not syncing forth and back over several platforms? Suunto, and this is my opinion too, wants to be the one with an easy to use user experience!?

What would be used more often barometric pressure readings or structured intervals? I don‘t know… Suunto will have done the homeworks with questionaires and forum post upvotes…

I just say my opinion and do not try to convince someone. I am just a still disappointed „user“ and wondering about people here partying features former Suunto watches, other brands watches have but do not improve the use cases of the S9B (for me)

[A Former User]

@Egika well, seems to be a wording issue. Maybe Barometer would have been the better headline if they did not intend to use it for weather prediction based on barometric values. But if not, I really have no idea what else you can do with it ‍️

[A Former User]

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos I think so. Especially having people interpreting it in many different ways (and I never thought that WEATHER together with barometric values can be so versatile interpretable)

[isazi]

@moe67er the barometer during activities has been requested many times in this forum. But apparently what’s not useful to you can’t be useful to others, my Lord

[A Former User]

@isazi the way people partying that feature should also allow others to ask why exactly this function and for what. Nothing else, little servant… do not want to convince you not to use it.

When I used my S9B in 2018/19, other features were on top of the wishlist here in the forum. Maybe people are getting frugly

[Likarnik]

I hope not all new features will be regarding weather. Baro is a must for me, but storm alarm never worked, not on previous Ambits and not on S9B. Elevation is always perfect, but storm alarm goes nuts when I finish my run in mountains or after big descends (more than -1000m in one go). Not always of course. But never when storm arrives

[Theo Lakerveld]

I’m a bit surprised that “something new” seems to be related to firmware updates and some new screens. Even though this is only speculative, shouldn’t Suunto come up with a new top of the line device at this time, incorporating such new firmware tidbits? I mean Polar, Garmin and Coros have issued new devices (Grit, Phenix 6, Pace 2, etc.), while suunto hasn’t for a while.
I understand that Suunto has released the 7 as a smartwatch with some sports functionality. Though I’m starting to feel left behind as a loyal Suunto user (with an ancient Ambit 2S and Spartan Ultra). We now get all excited when some limited new functionality seems to be comming. I’m on the other hand looking forward to a S9 successor that could be based on the S7 and has some real new inovative features. I realy expected such a device now.

[Dimitrios Kanellopoulos]

@Theo-Lakerveld remember, that Suunto is EU based and except a few watches most are manufactured and designed in FI.

We also have a pandemic. Different factory for COROS + POLAR + GARMIN … in ZH and different to have a factory with all the EU laws.

[sartoric]

… and … do we really need another watch now ? What are we missing that cannot be achieved with a fw / app update ?

I’m waiting for it, of course (I’m a poor spartaneer ) but I’m not chasing tech anymore since a while now, and I live better

[Theo Lakerveld]

Dimitrios, I understand that. Living in Norway and working in heavy industry I’m very aware of practical limitations. I’m also aware of all the online tools (teams, zoom, online databases etc etc) that are available that make it posible to drive development from the home office. With a good preventive attitude and routines, production facilities can be and are kept operative throughout the pandemic in Europe. There are countless examples of that in a multitude of industries.
Suunto still has a solid brand name that, according to my opinion, needs to be backed up by device quality and customer service (which it does), usefull inovation (devices are currently laging behind, while the app is defenitly is going in the right direction) and a certain degree of predictability (e.g. issueing new devices according to a regular intervall).
According to my personal opinion, Suunto is lagging behind. The owners/shareholders should protect their investment to maintain and increase their market share by investing is whizzkids and developers to keep up with the competition.

[Theo Lakerveld]

@sartoric , Garmin has this solar charging thingy, coros has an integrated (and dependable?) running power meter, etc etc. Of course we don’t “need” a new device. But without gradual inovation, humanity would still be living in a cave and hunt a days supply of food to survive. The whole global society is funded by growth and fedd by innovation.

[Saketo Nemo]

@Theo-Lakerveld

Forgive me if I laugh, but normally people here complain that "new watches are always coming out, while they should think about improving their software ! "

The new software does not bring suunto new money, except in the long run, retaining the current owners of suunto 9, suunto 5 and suunto 7, so I guess there will also be time for a new device.

Personally, I appreciate the fact that they don’t launch a top of the range every year and instead focus on improving what they already have at home.

[Dimitrios Kanellopoulos]

@Theo-Lakerveld COROS doen’t have an power meter (inside the watch), its all software that does this. I think there is even a garmin app for garmins in this respect.

While you said it correctly, development can continue via various tools that applies only to software. Hardware development is hard, imagine having to bring at home to each worker all the boards to test eg a new chip driver. Possible but applies limitations.

What point you missed I think here, is that while development can continue normally (remotely) if the factory cannot produce in a rate that is sufficient for paying the SW devs then you cannot scale the devs.

I hope it makes sense .

[nseslija]

@Saketo-Nemo Exactly

[Rob33]

@Saketo-Nemo ,i am ok. wait to see for the S9.

But I’m not sure I understand correctly, it’s true that so much communication for just a new baro feature would be a disappointment … I’m one of the people who consult the weather before leaving, especially in the mountains. and in the event of an unforeseen phenomenon, if I am far away, an alert does not help me much …
But everyone is different.

[Saketo Nemo]

@Rob33
I’m not a commercial and I don’t do marketing, but I think it would be stupid of them to release teasers detailing every feature of the update. It would take away the hype.
So, but it’s just a personal opinion, I don’t think the new update is based only on new baro features

[Likarnik]

@Saketo-Nemo I hope you are right

[sartoric]

@Rob33
Regarding this over-exposure, It’s just a matter of a disclaimer in the app … I don’t think this has reached that many people. I, as a spartaneer, didn’t get it.

But people want new features, this forum is full of “feature suggestions”

That said, I guess most of the people that “complain” about the usability/need of this function, look the feature from a trail runner or 1day hiker point of view.
If you do multiple days hike this can be helpful, for sure not crucial, to have an overview about possible weather condition.
I always check the weather forecast the day before, and even before leaving home for a 1 day trip, but if we are talking about a 5 days on an alpine ridge trail, you know that forecast for that long period are not really reliable, so this “stuff” can be helpful (or better that nothing) not to mention the jumpiness of mountain weather.

That said, watchface or activity screen is not the update itself, it’s just one of the “visible” feature

[AdamMada]

@chrish I join the topic

[Theo Lakerveld]

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos you’re right about the power ouput being a calculated metric, and not a measured value. Neither is a Stryd metric. Though, such innovation is what’s getting the crowd interested and drives sales and turnover. Especially when it’s introduced in a nearly identical device, with a fresh look and a slightly revised name such as Suunto 9.1. We don’t need a new device, but the larger crowd wants it.

I suspect that you’re indirectly indicating that a new product has been developed but that, due to these practical production limitations, Suunto isn’t able to release it yet. Instead, we get a teaser in the shape of a (minor) FW update. You don’t need to answer that, being restricted by a nice NDA. Either way, pro-active management should be able to accomodate for such challenges to protect the cash flow in the end.

Please don’t read my comments as negative, but rather as constructive. I’m aware that I’m not discussing with Suunto managment and ownership here. I like the Suunto brand, I would love to see it surviving, even though competition is tough (ref. Apple, Coros, Garmin, etc.) and that they are still leaping ahead of Suunto.