iWatch to create a new wave of GPS complaints?

I don't know about the iWatch but it is apparent that GPS devices are readily available for most runners.
I have been using the iRunner app on my iPhone and it produces such erratic data that I wouldn't expect too many course length complaints.
The app does make for great workout tracking and it notifies me of each mile, but it never gets the same length on out/back workouts.
GPS technology is here to stay. It will continue to improve and decrease in price so we might as well make every effort to inform and educate the running community.

I think the price tag on the Forerunner stops a lot of people from buying them. But the GPS function on the iWatch is essentially free just like on your phone, because you already own the iWatch(or phone) for other reasons.
I think this may lead to MANY more people having GPS functionality with them in races. More importantly, many people who are serious runners and who would have bought a Forerunner, will not in the future because they already have the same function on their iWatch. So many people who would have had an accurate Forerunner GPS device on their wrist will now have an inaccurate iWatch GPS device on their wrist.

Report: Sunspot Causing GPS Watches to Lose Signal
By Competitor.com

A sunspot nearly 20 times the surface area of Earth is launching solar flares toward the planet.

Has your GPS running watch or cycling head unit been acting up recently? You’re probably not alone.

A new report claims a sunspot that’s almost 20 times the surface area of Earth has sent six solar flares toward the planet, which can cause disruptions across all GPS units, other navigation systems and radio communications.

The Wall Street Journal reported about the sunspot, named AR 12192 by astronomers, and resulting solar flares last week. Bike Radar took the story a step further, bringing recreational bike computers and running watches that use GPS into the equation.

“All GPS units can be affected,” Bifford Williams, a research scientist at Global Atmospheric Technology and Sciences, told Bike Radar. “GPS works by timing signals from multiple satellites to determine your distance from each satellite and triangulate your position. Flares and coronal mass ejections can deposit particles (electrons, ions) in the upper atmosphere concentrated towards the poles that change the index of refraction which can delay or change the angle of the signals. Too strong an ionized layer can block the signals completely.”

RELATED: Is Your GPS Watch Lying To You On Race Day?

Garmin responded to the Bike Radar report, saying its devices are accurate within a small footprint and that they are rarely affected by solar flares.

The accuracy of Garmin GPS units is “typically better than three meters,” Garmin spokesperson Amy Nouri told BikeRadar. He added that solar flares result in “a slight decrease in accuracy for consumer grade GPS units, which is short lived and typically not observable by the consumer.”

Still, it’s something to keep in my mind when you head out for a run or a bike ride and your GPS unit cannot acquire a signal. Or when you’re on a workout and it loses its signal on a clear day on an open stretch of road.


Read more at http://running.competitor.com/...#3FQeKa3JGzQWFHiB.99 http://running.competitor.com/...#3FQeKa3JGzQWFHiB.99

Are the solar flares going on right now? I took one reading today,in Rosslyn, VA, that was 132 meters away from the point where I was standing!! I think I can attribute that to the tall buildings nearby, but this may be another possible culprit.