When you’re counting down the seconds to New Year’s tomorrow night, make sure you’ve got an Apple Watch nearby.
“As a piece of hardware, [Apple Watch is] far more accurate as a timekeeping device than the iPhone,” Apple VP of Technology Kevin Lynch revealed in a new interview. “With New Year’s coming, those who have the Apple Watch will be the most accurate watch in the room. There will be no question about when New Year’s Eve actually is now.”
The Apple exec’s claims may seem a bit ridiculous, considering Apple Watch is tethered to the iPhone and connects to Apple’s servers for the time through the phone. But Lynch told Mashable about some of the cool tricks the company used to make Apple Watch four times more accurate at timekeeping than the iPhone.
Apple curated its own network time servers around the world. Lynch says the company now has 15 Stratum One-level Network Time Servers that connect to the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. (That’s where the atomic clock used by the Department of Defense to establish official time is housed.) Those servers connect to iPhones, which then beam the signal to Apple Watch over Bluetooth.
“We do do corrections for time delay in communication,” said Lynch. “Through the whole stack, we’ve really paid attention to the accuracy.”
The timepiece also contains a crystal temperature-control oscillator that manages extreme changes in temperature to keep Apple Watch incredibly accurate. To make sure the second hand moves at exactly one tick per second, Apple tests it with high-speed cameras to verify frame-by-frame that there is absolutely zero latency.
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
15 responses to “Apple Watch is four times more accurate at timekeeping than iPhone”
… to make Apple Watch four times more accurate at timekeeping than Apple Watch.
Yeah right, ‘cool tricks’ to make a watch do what it’s supposed to do, i.e. keep accurate time keeping. Can we keep it real please; there’s nothing new about accurate time keeping. Apple is new to horology, but it’s not new to accuracy regardless of whatever latest tech gets referred to as ‘tricks’ (maybe i’m just getting too old but when I was younger ‘tricks’ meant magical stuff to amuse kids)
Cool story bro.
Nothing to do with a story. Swiss Made watches are better than the Chinese garbage. Who in the world pays for an overprice over-glorified digital watch redesigned via Apple. My watch does not require any battery or charger.
Get off your high horse. The Apple Watch has a market and that has been made clear since it’s the best selling smartwatch ever and it hasn’t even been out a year! If you don’t care for it, then don’t read articles about it. Comments like yours only make you look like a complete douchecanoe.
And the Apple Watch is nothing like you say. Not that anyone would believe an ass like you.
Im really surprised how many people go for marketing over common sense. Why in the world would I want a watch that requires bluetooth to be enabled to my iPhone just to keep the phone mainly functional? This means two devices both draining power using bluetooth. Prefer my Swiss Made watch with a Sapphire Crystal screen an fully mechanical and automatic. No battery charger required, and no touch screen to fail.
Because you’re a simpleton who doesn’t understand that people have different needs.
Why would an idiot who doesn’t care for the usefulness of an Apple Watch read an article about one and then comment on it?
Im trying to wake people up to use common sense instead of marketing spin. it’s just a re-designed digital watch and requires bluetooth to function properly. People rarely have needs, they go on wants and this is how Apple operate.
All you’re doing is making yourself look like an ignorant moron. You don’t get to dictate what other people’s needs are. The Apple Watch DOES fit some people’s needs, like mine.
People tend to get the words “need” and “want” very muddled up and therefore cannot separate their meanings. Needs justified on the basis of marketing and advertising are not needs. Im trying to wake people up.
You’re doing no such thing. Only making yourself look like a complete buffoon. Now get your head out of your ass; your mom is calling you to dinner.
Such a mature response to legitimate information. Insults don’t make you look too good btw.
Says the guy keeps insulting other people for their informed decisions. I’m just calling out assholes like you who claim to speak for everyone when you have no clue what you’re talking about; you’ve yet to say anything legitimate. Stay off the internet until you have something of worth to say. Unless you enjoy making an ass out of yourself.
LOL you are such a fool and so protective of people decisions based on marketing and not needs, but wants. The Apple watch does improve life or lifestyle, it’s just a redesigned digital watch.
So you love making an ass out of yourself. Got it! No need to continue proving it for us. We can all see you know nothing about any of this.