Rumored "Power Reserve" Mode Could Extend Apple Watch Battery Life

Brian X. Chen, New York Times:

Apple has said the watch battery is estimated to last a full day, requiring a user to charge it at night, similar to a smartphone. The company also developed a yet-to-be-announced feature called Power Reserve, a mode that will run the watch on low energy but display only the time, according to one employee.

It was worth reading through Chen’s nearly 1300 words of standard, oft-repeated Apple Watch skepticism for the above quote alone. While something like Power Reserve was surely an expected feature in most folks’ minds, it’s always good to get hints of confirmation. Unfortunately, though, the story didn’t elaborate on how Power Reserve will actually behave in displaying “only the time.” Will it operate as a true “Faces only” mode and show whatever timekeeping metaphor you’ve chosen whenever you raise your wrist to wake the screen, or will it simply be a low-impact, battery-maximizing, non-animated, one-size-fits-all digital clock akin to the standard fare you get on your iPhone lock screen?

Certainly, we hope it’s the former, particularly considering the all-important fashion angle. Plus, I get the feeling that a lot of people (myself included) are going to want to wear this thing — at least some of the time — strictly as a digital watch, with all its smartwatch and mobile connectivity features turned off. I just hope I can buy a wide selection of Faces to truly customize my experience.

Update: Time has published this same news under the headline “This Feature Could Save the Apple Watch.” Which is amusing, as I wasn’t aware Apple Watch was already in any position to need saving.