Apple Watch - I'm unimpressed

[sportage]

Yeah many tech companies have tried doing a watch.
Remember MS Direct?
I think it was called Direct?
Then came several companies with watches that work in conjunction with a smart phone.
Pretty much a fail, especially for the general masses.
And people with these watches? You never see them.
The watch feels geeky and battery life just doesn't cut it.

I guess I feel sorry for the people that buy this watch and then down the road a couple years when Apple announces no longer supporting the device.
Pretty much like Microsoft did with their MS Direct.
At one point, MS Direct gave their watches away for free.
Then killed off the entire program.

And the very idea any tech company would try to compete in the world of wrist watches?
People love wrist watches. The ones with the dials. And the gold. And the leather bands.
Not some geeky mini computerized thing with a strap that looks like a kids watch.

Apple would have done better to come out instead with a curved iPhone.
Something that more fits the face.
And a cool curved look.

I wonder what Steve Jobs would think about all this?

 

[StudioStu2]

Money Talks….. See the reaction from the US watch Maker's stocks….. European markets can be checked tomorrow once the market opens again…

http://qz.com/262429/us-watchmakers-are-already-feeling-the-pinch-from-the-apple-watch/

 

[Red Storm]

http://www.ablogtowatch.com/how-screwed-watch-industry-thanks-apple-watch/

That is an article from a notable watch journalist. I have been reading that site for years. He likes the Apple Watch and some of his reasoning is pretty solid.

I tried to take him seriously, but then he said:

Or maybe someone will design a cool type of strap that will allow me to wear a traditional watch on the top of my wrist, and an Apple Watch on the bottom.

... What?

Sorry but anyone who advocates for something like that (two watch faces on a single strap or wearing a watch on each arm) is thinking in a way that I do not agree with whatsoever. He didn't even talk about the actual software or tech, it was all design. That might be all that he and other mechanical watch enthusiasts care about, but that is not how technology focused people (those who love their iPhones and Androids) think. Asus already showed us the Apple watch design before Apple even did.

The software is what will make or break the experience, and I think Apple went in the wrong direction with their watch. Navigating the UI with the crown only tells us that their UI is too complicated for a watch. If it can't be done with a quick swipe or tap then it doesn't belong on a smartwatch, simple as that. People aren't going to want to fiddle with their watch for more than 10 seconds, but Apple was showing off feature after feature that will require excessive amounts of interaction. That's what your phone is for, not a smartwatch.

In my opinion Google has the right idea, you should be spending as little time as possible interacting with the watch, it's there to give you at a glance info and Google Now (or Siri if you're on iOS) in an interface that's extremely quick and easy to see, access and dismiss.

Apple seems to be trying to make a device they want you to spend excessive time fiddling with, and to me that is the opposite of what a smart watch should be. Case in point:

That is a terrible UI, even if it was on a large screen phone! At least the iPhone arranges them in a neat grid.

 

[SamQuint]

I was noticing most of the straps have a magnetic type of clasp on the strap. This is going to be a thief's dream come true. I bet in the first 2-3 months we will hear about a bunch of snatch and grab thefts of apple watches.


If I were to get one I would get the more traditional clasp styles that are not magnetic.

I won't be getting one because...

I use an Android phone and won't switch to iPhone
I think they are pretty damn ugly. They look like the iPod nano's that you can get a watch strap for.
It would require yet another proprietary charger from Apple
Will cost too much
I wear a watch my girlfriend gave me and most likely will wear it till the day I die.

 

[TreVader]

I will get one under two conditions:

They come out with a second gen, and its better (never buy 1st gen).
Most of my family and friends have one




I have a feeling it will be very very popular once reviews come in.

 

[Eug]

 

[Michael]

Red Storm - most of us here in this thread are talking about software, forced tethering and battery life. The link I posted looks at it as a watch. That journalist is reasonably active covering watches. His article had over 100 comments when I copied the link. The reviewer said that as a watch, the design is good. Since Apple is selling a watch, to the mass market that may be enough. And if enough sell, it will get momentum.

I am not sure how into watches you are. I travel a lot and carry at least two with me, and both cost more than the base price Apple is asking for. I have maybe 30 other watches at home, including 10+ American vintage watches.

I have several friends that are enthusiasts for very high end watches. They often wear a watch on each wrist. That is the way watch enthusiasts think.

I posted the link because I thought it was an interesting counter point to many of the views (mine included) in this thread.

Michael

 

[Eug]

If you want to use Apple Pay, you can use the Watch for it even without an NFC enabled iphone. So the 5, 5c, and 5s all support Apple Pay with the Watch.

 

[It's Not Lupus]

Johnathan Ive is overrated especially if he's behind this. iOS 7 looks like crap too.

 

[Koing]

Red Storm - most of us here in this thread are talking about software, forced tethering and battery life. The link I posted looks at it as a watch. That journalist is reasonably active covering watches. His article had over 100 comments when I copied the link. The reviewer said that as a watch, the design is good. Since Apple is selling a watch, to the mass market that may be enough. And if enough sell, it will get momentum.

I am not sure how into watches you are. I travel a lot and carry at least two with me, and both cost more than the base price Apple is asking for. I have maybe 30 other watches at home, including 10+ American vintage watches.

I have several friends that are enthusiasts for very high end watches. They often wear a watch on each wrist. That is the way watch enthusiasts think.

I posted the link because I thought it was an interesting counter point to many of the views (mine included) in this thread.

Michael

A watch on each wrist? That is going a bit far...but each to their own.

Koing

 

[Red Storm]

Red Storm - most of us here in this thread are talking about software, forced tethering and battery life. The link I posted looks at it as a watch. That journalist is reasonably active covering watches. His article had over 100 comments when I copied the link. The reviewer said that as a watch, the design is good. Since Apple is selling a watch, to the mass market that may be enough. And if enough sell, it will get momentum.

I am not sure how into watches you are. I travel a lot and carry at least two with me, and both cost more than the base price Apple is asking for. I have maybe 30 other watches at home, including 10+ American vintage watches.

I have several friends that are enthusiasts for very high end watches. They often wear a watch on each wrist. That is the way watch enthusiasts think.

I posted the link because I thought it was an interesting counter point to many of the views (mine included) in this thread.

You may have 30 watches (why 30? If you're a collector I understand, but that's the only reason that makes sense...), but the overwhelming majority of people do not, especially those who love smartphones and the younger generation of tech users. The tech and software matter just as much as the look and design. People aren't going to be walking around with two watches, and definitely not two watches on one wrist. My point was that while his opinion is the same as everyone else's, just an opinion, as a mechanical watch enthusiast he is not in touch with who smart watches are being marketed to. They are't mechanical collector items, they're electronic companion devices to smart phones. People don't collect smartphones, and they won't be collecting smart watches either.

 

[Pneumothorax]

I just noticed it, but the "Sport" models don't have Sapphire glass. Just the normal "ionized glass" that the phones use.

Not sure that anyone really cares about that...but something I found interesting.

If it's anything like the regular watch world it was probably done for impact resistance. Seiko uses hardlex (basically hardened glass) in most of their diver watches which get pretty banged up. It's much less scratch resistant than sapphire, but can take hard bumps without shattering like sapphire would. Then again my Omega planet ocean uses sapphire and it's never been shattered in it's 4 years of being banged around.

I'm kinda meh on the watch anyway. The watch is too thick for cuffs - my main dress watch is a ~7mm Nomos Tangente. Prefer round dial over rectangular cushion look anyway. I'm quite sure the $350 price point is going to be sport edition with the SS models probably north of $500 and the 18K model probably going to 2x-3x of that. I'm predicting heavy sales at the beginning and then a taper off unless they come out with a killer app.

Wait for Watch 2 - the iPad 2 was so much better than the now worthless iPad 1 I shelled out almost a grand for...

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

This is another editorial by a watch guy that makes some interesting points about the design strengths of the Apple watch - http://www.hodinkee.com/blog/hodinkee-apple-watch-review

 

[Michael]

Red Storm - I have over 60 - 70 ties. I don't collect ties specifically, but they are a fashion item and I am getting pretty close to being 50 years old so I have more stuff I have accumulated.

Michael

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I have about 15 watches, with a total value of something like $10K. I love watches but I don't exactly think of the Apple watch as . . . a watch. I will go the the Apple store to check them out once they are available, and honestly if they are beautiful and jewel-like, and the display is as nice as I expect it will be, AND I can get a stainless model with the Milanese bracelet for $700 or less, I might well consider it. We shall see . . .

 

[sportage]

Beyond all the speculation, and hype, the bottom line will be battery life, geek effect, and features.
Health monitor is not going to be on most peoples mind. Or desired.
Apple pay isn't going to replace swiping the plastic card for most.
And unlocking your hotel room isn't really solving some mass problematic issue with hotel room doors?
And did they say $350? Ouch!
Most would rather just buy a nice $350 wrist watch.

 

[Eug]

One thing is way back when, when I actually wore watches, I always wore them so they'd have some play on my arm. That way my skin I wouldn't sweat at the watch. I couldn't imagine keeping the watch relatively tight on my arm all the time just to make use of those sensors. That would be very uncomfortable.

That's only useful as an exercise device, but in that context I'd be only keeping it on for an hour.

I wonder what that would mean for Apple Pay. If it's loose on your arm, do you periodically lose contact, and for payments have to keep on typing in your passcode?

---

Several of the fashion mags seem to like this watch. Some of the watch people seem to like it, but others think it's ghetto. It does fail the cuff test, which is something that I would find extraordinarily irritating.

And this is the small minority of people who actually wear watches these days.

Oh and...

 

[Red Storm]

I wonder what that would mean for Apple Pay. If it's loose on your arm, do you periodically lose contact, and for payments have to keep on typing in your passcode?

Huh? Do the sensors underneath the watch have something to do with Apple Pay?

 

[Fingolfin269]

http://www.ablogtowatch.com/how-screwed-watch-industry-thanks-apple-watch/

That is an article from a notable watch journalist. I have been reading that site for years. He likes the Apple Watch and some of his reasoning is pretty solid.

Michael

Of course he likes it. He's a watch journalist. I can't imagine they get a lot of traffic so something like this is Christmas for him.

TBH, I didn't know this type of journalism even existed until you posted this so it's already working out for him.

 

[Eug]

Huh? Do the sensors underneath the watch have something to do with Apple Pay?

Yes. The watch has NFC, with which you can make Apple Pay payments, but obviously it doesn't have TouchID. So what you do is enter your passcode once (I think on the phone, but not sure TouchID is also an option on the phone), and as long as the sensors sense that the watch is being worn, you can make payments with it via NFC. As soon as you take the watch off, the sensors lose contact, and you have to re-authenticate.

I didn't know this type of journalism even existed until you posted

This is a key point here.

 

[Red Storm]

Yes. The watch has NFC, with which you can make Apple Pay payments, but obviously it doesn't have TouchID. So what you do is enter your passcode once (I think on the phone, but not sure TouchID is also an option on the phone), and as long as the sensors sense that the watch is being worn, you can make payments with it via NFC. As soon as you take the watch off, the sensors lose contact, and you have to re-authenticate.

That's interesting, I didn't know about it needing to maintain skin contact. I thought you just enter your passcode on the watch itself and then tap and pay. I figured it would work even if you weren't actually wearing it on your wrist.

I also like to wear my watches a little loose. Tight bands lead to sweaty wrists, hence me waiting for the metal band m360.

 

[stlcardinals]

If you watched any of the ABC exclusive interview with Tim Cook and Jony Ive, Jony is wearing his loose FYI.

 

[Eug]

If you watched any of the ABC exclusive interview with Tim Cook and Jony Ive, Jony is wearing his loose FYI.

Maybe there is some time delay. All four sensors must lose contact for more than 10 seconds or something like that.

I wonder at what length of delay that would be a serious security risk.

 

[Red Storm]

Maybe there is some time delay. All four sensors must lose contact for more than 10 seconds or something like that.

But I wonder at what point that would be a serious security risk.

I still don't understand why it needs skin contact though? What does that have to do with anything regarding NFC? As long as it's Bluetooth connected to your phone, you should be good to go.

 

[Kaido]

I still don't understand why it needs skin contact though? What does that have to do with anything regarding NFC? As long as it's Bluetooth connected to your phone, you should be good to go.

I'd imagine that if it get stolen or lost, it deactivates it. So you pair it to your phone & wear it, then activate it via TouchID for purchasing authorization, then if someone rips your watch off & tries to buy stuff, they can't because it lost connection with your vitals, so it's no longer authenticated.