Our Magic Bands have arrived!

[cy1229]

my phone is like a piece of bathroom tile (not kidding... about 3" x 5") and doesn't fit in my pocket. So, if I want to look at it for the time, I have to drag it out of my purse, which isn't always convenient. Unfortunately for me, my wrist does not permit me to wear any watch of any type - gold, leather, plastic, doesn't matter - so I have to look at my phone or ask someone else the time. Since most people aren't like me, though, and most people have smart phones that are also about the same size as a piece of bathroom tile, having a wrist watch is hyperconvenient. Just makes sense to have a MB / wrist watch for only, say, $15 more?

I can think of a few reasons why they wouldn't do it, one being that it would theoretically detract from the app use and Daily Active Users (DAUs) which are benchmarks for performance. The other is that if it were just a watch and didn't provide any signal as to a FP being ready to use, then what would be the point, and if it were signaling your pass is ready to use then why would you need the timepiece?

Well how difficult would that be to integrate? My not-very-tech-savvy brain says not that difficult. Even better if, for oh, $50 you could get something that clips to the magic band, has a watch feature, and has the app built in. One family would need only one of these, and it would save battery life on the phone (a real issue when running apps for most people). Given the $$ a family is dropping on a vacation, adding a device like this to the MB for $50 wouldn't be out of reach. It just seems so 20th century to me that we have to have this device to do this thing, that device to do that thing, etc. instead of our devices being able to communicate with each other and display the information we want when we want it. All it boils down to is how the electrons are arranged.

[dstrawn9889]

it seeems like it would be cheap, but to run an 'app' you need that ram and processor from a phone anyway, no to mention the battery... so it would be like purchasing another phone or tablet for your wrist, and that would mean what, 7-10 oz of weight more to the wrist? not to mention that a 'phone' that size would cost you like a grand or more... check out the phone market (without carrier incentives) to see what those little 'bathroom tiles' really cost.

[Wizzard419]

It would cost considerably more than $50 to have an "strap on" for your device that runs the app itself. That and then Disney would need to keep the devices powered, apps would need to be up-to-date, and it would also probably have a terrible UI/UX.

Adding watch functionality to the bands would also be a probably bad move since watches need power, and they would need to either add another battery to the device or have it draw off the battery already in the band. This would also shorten the 3-year life expectancy of the bands and as they are not designed to be opened, it would mean that once the watch dies, it stays dead.

Dsrawn also brings up another point about phones, Americans are somewhat spoiled by mobile carriers since our prices are subsidized by signing up for plans. In much of the world (possibly all of it) that practice isn't allowed and you have to pay full price on top of whatever plan costs there are.

[cy1229]

It would cost considerably more than $50 to have an "strap on" for your device that runs the app itself. That and then Disney would need to keep the devices powered, apps would need to be up-to-date, and it would also probably have a terrible UI/UX.

Adding watch functionality to the bands would also be a probably bad move since watches need power, and they would need to either add another battery to the device or have it draw off the battery already in the band. This would also shorten the 3-year life expectancy of the bands and as they are not designed to be opened, it would mean that once the watch dies, it stays dead.

Dsrawn also brings up another point about phones, Americans are somewhat spoiled by mobile carriers since our prices are subsidized by signing up for plans. In much of the world (possibly all of it) that practice isn't allowed and you have to pay full price on top of whatever plan costs there are.

True about the cost of phones, but come on, there is no way that even with reasonable retail markups that I'm going to believe a Droid Razr, or a Samsung Galaxy, or even an iPhone, literally costs $500+. Even INCLUDING retail markups. That price is overly exceptionally dramatically inflated so that when they go on sale, or give us a discount for an upgrade or incentive for changing carriers, we think we're getting a good deal, when we're not.

I see what you mean about battery. The UI doesn't have to be as slick as a touch-screen phone. It could be pretty simple in its functionality - the time is 1:30, you have a FP+ at Space Mountain for 3:00, and your ADR is at 6:30 at Liberty Tree Tavern. No inputs or changes, just information. With the tiny size of microprocessors, and how small even alkaline batteries are becoming, seems to me that this could be done for a reasonable price, with the ability to recharge by induction, or even a micro-USB. Sure, it would be a little thickish, but still could be a good clip-on addition to the MB. And, if they made it right, it would just immediately read everything from the RFID inside the MB and SHAZAM you're on your way. It would only work while in the park or resort, receiving a signal from there similar to the game at Epcot WS. I think it's a brilliant idea. Now I'm kind of sorry I posted it publicly.

[Belle1082]

Maybe they would just rent devices for a day or length of stay if people didn't want to use/didn't have devices. That would make sense. They could rent an iTouch and use it for My Disney Experience. I doubt many people would do it, but you never know. There are a lot of international visitors and I'm assuming not everyone's devices work internationally.
Just some food for thought....

[jlpeaches255]

Maybe they would just rent devices for a day or length of stay if people didn't want to use/didn't have devices. That would make sense. They could rent an iTouch and use it for My Disney Experience. I doubt many people would do it, but you never know. There are a lot of international visitors and I'm assuming not everyone's devices work internationally.
Just some food for thought....

As one of the very very very few people left who does not have a smart phone I would like this idea!!! But again I know I am in the vast minority.

[Amy]

Maybe they would just rent devices for a day or length of stay if people didn't want to use/didn't have devices. That would make sense. They could rent an iTouch and use it for My Disney Experience. I doubt many people would do it, but you never know. There are a lot of international visitors and I'm assuming not everyone's devices work internationally.
Just some food for thought....

As one of the very very very few people left who does not have a smart phone I would like this idea!!! But again I know I am in the vast minority.

But would you pay to rent one for the day? Or would you rather use the kiosks they provide for free?

[Wizzard419]

Rent devices? You know what would be better? If they had some central location where those without smart devices could go and use a tablet/touchscreen with the app loaded.

It would cost considerably more than $50 to have an "strap on" for your device that runs the app itself. That and then Disney would need to keep the devices powered, apps would need to be up-to-date, and it would also probably have a terrible UI/UX.

Adding watch functionality to the bands would also be a probably bad move since watches need power, and they would need to either add another battery to the device or have it draw off the battery already in the band. This would also shorten the 3-year life expectancy of the bands and as they are not designed to be opened, it would mean that once the watch dies, it stays dead.

Dsrawn also brings up another point about phones, Americans are somewhat spoiled by mobile carriers since our prices are subsidized by signing up for plans. In much of the world (possibly all of it) that practice isn't allowed and you have to pay full price on top of whatever plan costs there are.

True about the cost of phones, but come on, there is no way that even with reasonable retail markups that I'm going to believe a Droid Razr, or a Samsung Galaxy, or even an iPhone, literally costs $500+. Even INCLUDING retail markups. That price is overly exceptionally dramatically inflated so that when they go on sale, or give us a discount for an upgrade or incentive for changing carriers, we think we're getting a good deal, when we're not.

I see what you mean about battery. The UI doesn't have to be as slick as a touch-screen phone. It could be pretty simple in its functionality - the time is 1:30, you have a FP+ at Space Mountain for 3:00, and your ADR is at 6:30 at Liberty Tree Tavern. No inputs or changes, just information. With the tiny size of microprocessors, and how small even alkaline batteries are becoming, seems to me that this could be done for a reasonable price, with the ability to recharge by induction, or even a micro-USB. Sure, it would be a little thickish, but still could be a good clip-on addition to the MB. And, if they made it right, it would just immediately read everything from the RFID inside the MB and SHAZAM you're on your way. It would only work while in the park or resort, receiving a signal from there similar to the game at Epcot WS. I think it's a brilliant idea. Now I'm kind of sorry I posted it publicly.

Apple always has a huge profit margin on their devices, such as the latest models cost about $200 and $175 to build (part of the cost saving is outsourcing and using slave labor). Apple also engages is price fixing, you will not find pricing wars for their products and they make sure about that. Phones that run android are always cheaper (similar to PC vs Mac) because their install base is larger and more fragmented.

If they changed the UI, they basically would be making another app and further cannibalizing their DAUs. Plus the lack of rich media would also probably be considered a bad show by the UI/UX people. If it provided just info, then you are basically selling the equivalence of a push note display, which they get on their phone for free. The real problem isn't the lack of visual feedback you get from the band, it is that the bands are way too big for what they do. The only reason they have them designed the way they are is simply because they need to be something that will stay on the wrist of children. They could have something similar to the fuel band if they really wanted to (though they have terrible battery life) which pairs with your smartphone.

[Belle1082]

I do know that servers, etc use iTouch for all of the scanning of the MBs, etc, so they are already using Apple products.

I also forgot about the kiosks, but really they were pretty few and far between. I would hope they will add more down the line.

[Wizzard419]

If their disabled system is going to be set up like DLR, they could have a few with each workstation which is at least one in each land.