A pointless feature on a smartphone?

[vernon]

Or a poorly justified one. The new iPhone 6 has a barometer. The justification for its inclusion:

New sensors include a barometer, which Apple said would help fitness apps distinguish whether the owner was running up a mountain or along a flatter surface.

Surely GPS does that already?

 

[marknotgeorge]

Possibly the barometer is more accurate than GPS, or it uses less power.

 

[gbb]

Might be handy if you fancy a trip to German Bight, or Dogger Bank perhaps...(not on your bike hopefully)

 

[Drago]

Jeez. If its owt like my Grans barometer it'll be huge!

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Spot the front coming through?

 

[Richard Fairhurst]

Surely GPS does that already?

Nope. GPS altitude measurement is terrible. That's why Garmin make eTrexes and Edges with a separate barometric altimeter.

 

[djb1971]

Do you tap the front of the screen to see if the pressure changes. Of course tapping harder when it's on rain

A few won't have a clue what the hell I'm referring too

 

[Over The Hill]

I think it is exactly the same thing (measuring atmospheric pressure) that is used to tell changes in the weather and your altitude so I guess once it is on the device it can be programmed to read both. I am guessing it will be useless for weather as the device needs to be in the exact same place to measure change in pressure for weather patterns.

 

[MontyVeda]

Or a poorly justified one. The new iPhone 6 has a barometer. The justification for its inclusion:



Surely GPS does that already?

After my ten miles along a flat canal tow path thread... i reckon the barometer is a justified inclusion.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I've got a sundial on my iphone.

 

[vernon]

Nope. GPS altitude measurement is terrible. That's why Garmin make eTrexes and Edges with a separate barometric altimeter.

Yes but its main use is to detect relative change i.e. ascents and descents and not absolute altitude. GPS can't be that inaccurate. If the apps that will be dependent on the barometer are exercise calorie counters then does it really matter on the accuracy front when the calorie calcs are way off beam anyway?

Besides, when I am on an ascent I worry more about where my next lungful of air will exit that the altitude of the spot where I feel I am about to expire.

 

[Profpointy]

Yes but its main use is to detect relative change i.e. ascents and descents and not absolute altitude. GPS can't be that inaccurate. If the apps that will be dependent on the barometer are exercise calorie counters then does it really matter on the accuracy front when the calorie calcs are way off beam anyway?

Besides, when I am on an ascent I worry more about where my next lungful of air will exit that the altitude of the spot where I feel I am about to expire.

well I've got a barometer / altimeter on my old GPS and to be honest I used it more than the GPS feature. I've also got it on my Silva wind-o-tron (no the official product name), and I use the altimeter much more than the wind-o-tron itself.
(for navigation and how-far-now on hillwalking)

 

[ColinJ]

Nope. GPS altitude measurement is terrible. That's why Garmin make eTrexes and Edges with a separate barometric altimeter.

I have read that but I the very basic original Etrex without a barometric altimeter and I have checked its altitude reading against known points locally - it is usually within 1% of the correct altitude.

I was in Scotland last week riding up and down hills besides sea lochs and I was getting readings of 3-4 metres when on lochside roads which were about 2 metres above the water level, so that was pretty good too.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

A smartphone with a built in sex toy would be the thing...

 

[vernon]

A smartphone with a built in sex toy would be the thing...

They already have a vibrate facility.....