Mk 1 PLUS or Mk 2, speculated date?

It seems clear that there are quite a few imperfections and teething problems with the Mk1 ... this is to be expected, there is also the fact that the Fenix Plus range has come out that has some extra functions I would like...

i will be primarily using the watch for non water activities and for freediving (which the fenix range can do but not as well as the Descent) , but would also like the option of being able to use it for diving and not have to swap watches or travel with 2...

it seems that my options at the moment are to buy the fenix 5x plus (which costs only slightly less than the descent mk 1), and also buy a dive computer (possible secondhand)...

or to wait to see if garmin brings out a descent mk 1 PLUS or a descent mk2.....

i have tried searching online quite a lot and cannot find any discussions or information on when/ whether there may be a new version released...

does anyone have any ideas? Heard anything?

thankyou
Carl

0 Odie21 over 6 years ago

This watch has only been on the market for 6/7 months, so I highly doubt there is a “plus” model and or a v2 coming out. There are still a lot of issues from a “diving” standpoint that need to be resolved, along with upgrading the software to include some of the software features that the other Fenix line offers.

Under the very “rare” chance that they did come out with a “newer” model right now, would you want to buy it knowing that they completely abandoned their current customers?

0 atj777 over 6 years ago

What specifically won't the Mk1 do for you?

People have been coping fine with the (non-Plus) Fenix range and all sorts of watches before that. What are these "must have" features?

The Mk1 is a very good sports and diving watch.

0 realfortin over 6 years ago

.

Under the very “rare” chance that they did come out with a “newer” model right now, would you want to buy it knowing that they completely abandoned their current customers?

That's a little dramatic. How is a watch manufacturer making an upgrade abandoning their current customers? Does the watch do any less than the day they released a new model? No. Garmin makes firmware updates for many of their older models for quite some time. When I go to the store to buy something, do I think of the people that bought the last model? No, I look at the capabilities of the item being sold.
The Descent is essentially a 5X with a depth sensor plus appropriate software additions that came out about 5 months after the 5X was released. With the whole line including the 5X being updated to "plus", one could assume that the Descent will get an incremental upgrade but it does not make a lot of sense. Inventory turnover is not high as the amount of customers this targets is not very high. The difference with a 5X plus and a 5X are items like music and Garmin pay, not major upgrades. There is the pulse oxi but that needs you to stop moving and likely doesn't work well in water (and wouldn't work fast enough for freedivers to get good info. In addition to that,adding the pulse oxi could dangerously be used by divers to adjust their dives (think re-breather people adjusting their mixes etc). Because of the safety testing required of a dive watch against software and hardware glitches, I think this won't happen for a while. This is why we don't see firmware updates nearly as often on the Descent as its brother the 5x

I think there will not be an update to the descent until there is a more significant update such as a fenix 6 series.

0 Odie21 over 6 years ago

That's a little dramatic. How is a watch manufacturer making an upgrade abandoning their current customers? Does the watch do any less than the day they released a new model? No. Garmin makes firmware updates for many of their older models for quite some time. When I go to the store to buy something, do I think of the people that bought the last model? No, I look at the capabilities of the item being sold.
The Descent is essentially a 5X with a depth sensor plus appropriate software additions that came out about 5 months after the 5X was released. With the whole line including the 5X being updated to "plus", one could assume that the Descent will get an incremental upgrade but it does not make a lot of sense. Inventory turnover is not high as the amount of customers this targets is not very high. The difference with a 5X plus and a 5X are items like music and Garmin pay, not major upgrades. There is the pulse oxi but that needs you to stop moving and likely doesn't work well in water (and wouldn't work fast enough for freedivers to get good info. In addition to that,adding the pulse oxi could dangerously be used by divers to adjust their dives (think re-breather people adjusting their mixes etc). Because of the safety testing required of a dive watch against software and hardware glitches, I think this won't happen for a while. This is why we don't see firmware updates nearly as often on the Descent as its brother the 5x

I think there will not be an update to the descent until there is a more significant update such as a fenix 6 series.

If you’re going to “quote” my post, include the WHOLE text, not what you think will make YOUR post seem more relevant. I said that this watch was out for just 6/7 months. If Garmin released a new watch RIGHT NOW, then yes absolutely they’re abandoning the current customers of the MK1 as from a diving standpoint, there are things that must be fixed.

The 5x Plus was released a year and a half after the 5x was released, which is reasonable when it comes to products like this. My comment was predicated on releasing a new model after 6/7 months...

...thanks for playing.