Update Forthcoming?

Welcome to the garmin club, I’ve had this question asked a few times owning the Fenix 3. Garmin never seem to give an answer, so ultimately this thread will become a batch of assumptions and speculation. You’ll get updates when garmin is ready lol.

Not the answer you’re looking for, but it’s probably the most accurate you’ll get.

That being said, I really want to upgrade to the descent, but I need a little more money off to bite the bullet (£1000 In england ????)

Welcome to the garmin club, I’ve had this question asked a few times owning the Fenix 3. Garmin never seem to give an answer, so ultimately this thread will become a batch of assumptions and speculation. You’ll get updates when garmin is ready lol.

Not the answer you’re looking for, but it’s probably the most accurate you’ll get.

That being said, I really want to upgrade to the descent, but I need a little more money off to bite the bullet (£1000 In england ????)

Overall, it’s a decent watch/computer but there are a few issues from a “diving standpoint” that are 100% incorrect and a few that could be adjusted. Unfortunately, based on the provided information from the Admin Chris, decisions at Garmin are being made by people that are not Instructors or Dive Professionals and with Garmin being as they put it in another thread “relatively new to the Scuba Diving industry” making decisions without proper individuals in place to be the”buffer”.

I’ve directed several questions at Chris but he refuses to answer, so I’m not expecting much from this topic but eventually the squeaky wheel gets the oil. I’m trying to resolve the issues this way (forums & email) but my next step is making phone calls if it doesn’t work.

For a $1k+ watch, it would be nice to have a “Professional Roundtable” to discuss current issues or future fixes/features.

Overall, it’s a decent watch/computer but there are a few issues from a “diving standpoint” that are 100% incorrect and a few that could be adjusted. Unfortunately, based on the provided information from the Admin Chris, decisions at Garmin are being made by people that are not Instructors or Dive Professionals and with Garmin being as they put it in another thread “relatively new to the Scuba Diving industry” making decisions without proper individuals in place to be the”buffer”.

I’ve directed several questions at Chris but he refuses to answer, so I’m not expecting much from this topic but eventually the squeaky wheel gets the oil. I’m trying to resolve the issues this way (forums & email) but my next step is making phone calls if it doesn’t work.

For a $1k+ watch, it would be nice to have a “Professional Roundtable” to discuss current issues or future fixes/features.

Odie21, I couldn't agree more. When I bought my Fenix3, it was circa £400-£500. The watch had many issues, which 'most' were eventually resolved. Garmin do seem to feel customers testing their gear is acceptable, you only have to look at the 5X forum to see how many software iterations they've had.

That being said, for a watch of this price tag (and the safety implications it has), you'd expect much more focus on quality from the factory, not updates in customers hands. I really do want to make the plunge with this watch (quite literally), but the niggles I'm reading on here, plus the price tag, i'm struggling to warrant the costs!

Overall, it’s a decent watch/computer but there are a few issues from a “diving standpoint” that are 100% incorrect and a few that could be adjusted. Unfortunately, based on the provided information from the Admin Chris, decisions at Garmin are being made by people that are not Instructors or Dive Professionals and with Garmin being as they put it in another thread “relatively new to the Scuba Diving industry” making decisions without proper individuals in place to be the”buffer”.

I’ve directed several questions at Chris but he refuses to answer, so I’m not expecting much from this topic but eventually the squeaky wheel gets the oil. I’m trying to resolve the issues this way (forums & email) but my next step is making phone calls if it doesn’t work.

For a $1k+ watch, it would be nice to have a “Professional Roundtable” to discuss current issues or future fixes/features.

I am in agreement with Odie21 on this. There seems to be no sense of urgency at Garmin to address the issues users are reporting, and I have no idea who is advising them on how some features are implemented but some are just way off base and are poorly implemented. I sent the CEO an email, and got a call from a supervisor and then really no additional follow up. Right now I would be hard pressed to recommend the Descent to anyone as a primary dive computer. I am a PADI IDC Staff Instructor, and offered to help test and advise them, but never even got a response.

I am in agreement with Odie21 on this. There seems to be no sense of urgency at Garmin to address the issues users are reporting, and I have no idea who is advising them on how some features are implemented but some are just way off base and are poorly implemented. I sent the CEO an email, and got a call from a supervisor and then really no additional follow up. Right now I would be hard pressed to recommend the Descent to anyone as a primary dive computer. I am a PADI IDC Staff Instructor, and offered to help test and advise them, but never even got a response.

I was actually thinking about one of your posts awhile back when you said that you talked with someone and were initially encouraged. That said, a few observations over the past few days.

1. The Garmin Online Support Chat for the MK1 hasn’t been available for 3-4 days, no matter the time of day. So I tried calling and was bounced around from 3-4 different people, all saying that there wasn’t anyone specifically to talk too about the MK1...what? I’m concerned that the retail response isn’t where they initially thought and that second thoughts about their “premium baby”.

2. I sent an email a few days ago about one of the issues I found from a diving standpoint that I know is 100% incorrect (back in January) and the response I got back via email stated “currently this is a low impact request”...promising response concerning a new product out 3 months.

3. There are at least 2 certified Instructors from different agencies (you and me) that have pointed out errors but when I asked the “Admin Chris” he stated (when asked about the professional level of the engineers making diving software decisions) that they were “deeply experienced divers” which you know as well as I do, what that truly means. Then a week or two ago he also stated that “Garmin was relatively new to the Scuba Diving industry” yet they brush off fixes from professionals? They have no “buffer” right now making the final diving decisions.

Alpina is a watch company that has been around for a long time. They tried a new promotion on Kickstarter for their new AlpinerX (connected smart watch). They did it because they wanted consumer feedback. I suggested a few features that I’ve come to like in other watches and with 1-2 days they’ve decided to add them! Now, I’m not stupid, I’m NOT expecting every feature request to be implemented by Garmin but I am looking for much BETTER communication from Garmin and a more consumer friendly response when it comes to a $1k+ watch.

I’m very disappointed with Garmin and because of that, I can’t as a Garmin dealer push their diving related products like the MK1.

One set of people we’re not hearing from is the beta testers for this watch. Have you guys heard anything yourselves?

I was actually thinking about one of your posts awhile back when you said that you talked with someone and were initially encouraged. That said, a few observations over the past few days.

1. The Garmin Online Support Chat for the MK1 hasn’t been available for 3-4 days, no matter the time of day. So I tried calling and was bounced around from 3-4 different people, all saying that there wasn’t anyone specifically to talk too about the MK1...what? I’m concerned that the retail response isn’t where they initially thought and that second thoughts about their “premium baby”.

2. I sent an email a few days ago about one of the issues I found from a diving standpoint that I know is 100% incorrect (back in January) and the response I got back via email stated “currently this is a low impact request”...promising response concerning a new product out 3 months.

3. There are at least 2 certified Instructors from different agencies (you and me) that have pointed out errors but when I asked the “Admin Chris” he stated (when asked about the professional level of the engineers making diving software decisions) that they were “deeply experienced divers” which you know as well as I do, what that truly means. Then a week or two ago he also stated that “Garmin was relatively new to the Scuba Diving industry” yet they brush off fixes from professionals? They have no “buffer” right now making the final diving decisions.

Alpina is a watch company that has been around for a long time. They tried a new promotion on Kickstarter for their new AlpinerX (connected smart watch). They did it because they wanted consumer feedback. I suggested a few features that I’ve come to like in other watches and with 1-2 days they’ve decided to add them! Now, I’m not stupid, I’m NOT expecting every feature request to be implemented by Garmin but I am looking for much BETTER communication from Garmin and a more consumer friendly response when it comes to a $1k+ watch.

I’m very disappointed with Garmin and because of that, I can’t as a Garmin dealer push their diving related products like the MK1.

One set of people we’re not hearing from is the beta testers for this watch. Have you guys heard anything yourselves?

I was initially optimistic that Garmin seemed to have a plan, but so far I am only seeing lots of talk with very little action.

- They did tell me that they were changing technical support to have Descent specialists, which sounds like what you ran into when you called.

- I recently emailed them with a couple of issues/observations and it took 10 days to get a response, and the response did not answer my questions. One question was involving an issue with GPS Navigation on the surface, answer was that the GPS Navigation did not work underwater. Granted my description of the problem was 3-4 sentences long, and I only mentioned surface navigation once, The second issue involved locking out apps when the Descent is in dive mode, and if the Control Menu would be accessible if I surfaced so I could Save a Location, or did I have to wait for the dive to end. Answer was how to change the end of dive timeout. So either I was unclear on what I was asking, the Garmin rep did not take the time to read my question, or he did not understand the product he was supporting.

- I offered to help test the Descent software, or even provide additional feedback on proposed changes, and never received any response from Garmin on this.

I am a little frustrated right now with Garmin, they are good at talking but so far I am seeing very little action. The dive shop I work through is bringing in some Descents, well assuming tney come off backorder, and as I am the only one there with one currently I get a lot of questions. I think the Descent has a lot of potential but Garmin needs to get their act together and address the issues. Until Garmin addresses some of the issues with the Descent, I would be very hard pressed to recommend it as a primary dive computer to any of my students.

As I’ve said before, actions speak much louder than words. This isn’t truly hurting you or I, but it IS hurting Garmin as there are people on the fence about spending $1k+ on this watch, reading these forums for more information and they’re seeing current owners somewhat disgruntled and getting no true support from Garmin.

The lack of support and silence is only hurting Garmin and their reputation and no one else.

Agreed! I am the fence sitter right now haha

I was actually thinking about one of your posts awhile back when you said that you talked with someone and were initially encouraged. That said, a few observations over the past few days.

1. The Garmin Online Support Chat for the MK1 hasn’t been available for 3-4 days, no matter the time of day. So I tried calling and was bounced around from 3-4 different people, all saying that there wasn’t anyone specifically to talk too about the MK1...what? I’m concerned that the retail response isn’t where they initially thought and that second thoughts about their “premium baby”.

2. I sent an email a few days ago about one of the issues I found from a diving standpoint that I know is 100% incorrect (back in January) and the response I got back via email stated “currently this is a low impact request”...promising response concerning a new product out 3 months.

3. There are at least 2 certified Instructors from different agencies (you and me) that have pointed out errors but when I asked the “Admin Chris” he stated (when asked about the professional level of the engineers making diving software decisions) that they were “deeply experienced divers” which you know as well as I do, what that truly means. Then a week or two ago he also stated that “Garmin was relatively new to the Scuba Diving industry” yet they brush off fixes from professionals? They have no “buffer” right now making the final diving decisions.

Alpina is a watch company that has been around for a long time. They tried a new promotion on Kickstarter for their new AlpinerX (connected smart watch). They did it because they wanted consumer feedback. I suggested a few features that I’ve come to like in other watches and with 1-2 days they’ve decided to add them! Now, I’m not stupid, I’m NOT expecting every feature request to be implemented by Garmin but I am looking for much BETTER communication from Garmin and a more consumer friendly response when it comes to a $1k+ watch.

I’m very disappointed with Garmin and because of that, I can’t as a Garmin dealer push their diving related products like the MK1.

One set of people we’re not hearing from is the beta testers for this watch. Have you guys heard anything yourselves?

Chris seems to be the only person at Garmin that can intelligently answer technical questions, which I find a little disconcerting. I have no idea who their dive professionals are, but I agree with Odie that they need to change the way they are doing software updates and get some input from a more diverse group. The current implementations of some features are way off line, and not well implemented.

I did send the CEO of Garmin, Cliff Pemble, and email which just got kicked down the company. I think it was Chris that finally called me, but there has been no discernible action on any of these issues. Until Garmin sorts out the issues, I can not recommend the Descent as a primary dive computer. While I dive it, I still use my Shearwater Perdix as my primary dive computer.

Ok, I'm going to jump in here, probably about to be flamed for it :)

I personally think the level of vitriol over the watch is way out of line with what one would expect given where we are at. I've dove with it, and have noticed a few things that should be better, but nothing that I would consider a critical fail. The watch works and basically does what it is supposed to do. The complaints I've noticed strike me as personal preferences or minor issues.

Perhaps you have a list of the things that you consider show stoppers.

Garmin only released the watch a few months ago. I think these complaints are way too soon. People are jumping on Garmin with the "this is the same as" or "I knew that they would never". Come on, give them a fricken chance, and don't confuse what is important to you with what is important for everyone.

Software development is a slow process.
Software development which involves safety critical testing is even slower.

While I agree it would be nice if they opened a forum, and got good input from the community, that is an expensive and sometimes flawed process. Having been a part of these sort of community feedback exercises, they can be a hot mess of self important egos trying mostly to fulfill their own world view, more than actually make a better product. And the first time there is something that they cannot have, they turn on the company and try to trash them as if Garmin killed there dog.

I would rather have Garmin take their time, conservatively assess the feedback, decide what to roll into the watch, and release the software after it's been properly tested. It would concern me if they started rushing out new release of the firmware every month as if this was a fitbit

I will say that you *MAY* be right about some of your concerns, but that it's too early to be this worked up.

There is a chance that I may totally change my tune if there is no movement in updates within say, the first 6 months of the product. But at the moment, I have a perfectly good dive watch that works and does what I need it to do. I think for the vast majority of the users, that will be the case.

I may be wrong (I have been before), but that's how I see it.