New durability

[bksalt]

Microsoft has told us about all the new features and how great these should work, but nothing has been mentioned about all the durability problems we have had. Have they actually did any improvement on the band locking mechanism or the buttons which have been sticking and inoperable? Nothing has been mentioned about physical improvements of the band like the rubber discentagrading or the separation of the band strap. These are the things that should have been discussed.

Hope Microsoft reads this and responds :wink:

but doubt it

 

[ArtificiallyYours]

I think they might have improved the sealing of materials because the first band had an overabundance of tiny seams open to dirt and sweated saline deposits leaving stains. These stains are harsh and can break down coating fast. It may as well have an improved materials, and it certainly looks tougher than the first.


Bulk =/= Rugged

 

[bksalt]

Its great to SPECULATE but we still don't knw if they have made any physical improvements to the band materials and coverings. :crying:

 

[anon(8555314)]

Obviously, the best indicator will be the track record after it has been on the wrists of many people for six months. But there is no need to speculate about durability design changes. I'll spell it out for you. The primary problem reported by v1 users here was corrosion on the charging plate which was on the inside of the band, touching the skin in v1. This version has it where there is no contact with the skin. (Durability improvement #1.) In fact the only metal touching the skin appears to be stainless (Durability improvement #2.) Another frequent problem was the number of scratches common on the display. This had two causes. First, the TFT display was a scratch magnet. That has been replaced with an AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 3, which is unlikely to scratch easily. (Durability improvement #3.) The other contributing factor to scratches was the thickness of the band, esp the ends of the flat display, which sticks out so far it is easy to snag on anything near one's wrist. That has been improved by the curved display (Durability improvement #4.) Another problem with band 1 was the battery cover coming off. I believe that a contributing factor was the lack of flex in the band. Just putting it on or taking it off was putting pressure on any weak point. This version has far more flex, which should minimize the pressure on any one point. (Durability improvement #5.)

I would conclude that durability improvement was a primary objective for MS with this version.

 

[bksalt]

I'm with you with all your points this all sounds very good time will tell, In 10 months I went thru 5 bands due to various flaws in the band, not to misuse or me causing damage or they would not have replaced them and this one that I have now the buttons are sticking so it wont be long till it is not working hope it lasts long enough to get a V2 replacement. I was mainly ticked they did not address the durability issues at the presentation that's all I was trying to say.

 

[erichyde43]

The announcement wasn't targeted at existing Band owners... They want NEW owners. Why would they admit they had design faults in the last version? That detracts from a product. Less publicly, especially in microsoft support, they have acknowledged this firmly and want us to be happy. To further bolster this, the UK has already announced a trade in program since the band launched only 6 months ago to them). Hopefully this plan extends to US buyers as well.