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I disagree with that.

It's not really much better than the Galaxy Gear that came out last year (which was a pretty stilted design, albeit with high quality finish and material), except far more customizable. They are very different in physical form and feel, but both rely on a very tech-centric design language that does not translate well into real-life aesthetics.

They both look like generic gadgets that are adapted into watch forms, with fine finishes, but overall form is quite bland and lacks any stand-out appeal and elegance of real designer items.

Something like this:
Image
Would have been a far more elegant and enduring design, that does not rely on whims of fashion trends. Obviously some interactions with the device would have to be rethought, and to be less like a smartphone.

Fair point. I think, like with many products, it will get better. This is generation 1 of the Apple Watch and future models are bound to bring a more relevant design in the future.
 
Lastly your 500+ mark is way off. Add a zero. The good watches are $4000 and up.

There are plenty of tacky $500-$1500 watches with zero horological value that sells. Michael Kors being one of them.

Define good watch.

There are also plenty of tacky watches above your magic price of 4k as well.
 
I disagree with that.

It's not really much better than the Galaxy Gear that came out last year (which was a pretty stilted design, albeit with high quality finish and material), except far more customizable. They are very different in physical form and feel, but both rely on a very tech-centric design language that does not translate well into real-life aesthetics.

They both look like generic gadgets that are adapted into watch forms, with fine finishes, but overall form is quite bland and lacks any stand-out appeal and elegance of real designer items.

Something like this:
Image
Would have been a far more elegant and enduring design, that does not rely on whims of fashion trends. Obviously some interactions with the device would have to be rethought, and to be less like a smartphone.

I wrote this in another thread... https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/19620459/

I really don't think Apple has redefined the smart watch space.

Just like those that have come before it - it's got battery limitations, it's tied to one platform, trying to do a lot/perhaps too much on a small screen.

I just don't see how some people are willing to claim that this watch is revolutionary or that Apple just redefined the market of smart watches. I see it more as they have a great entry into it.
 
Do you think the moto 360 is a classy looking watch?

Yeh, more so. Not necessarily a better smart watch but maybe a slightly better looking one.

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WOW. Racist much?

Sorry did I offend your ultra liberal view point? Same way that Americans love shiny chromed blinged up cars, I find them vulgar and unsophisticated. Chinese and Arabs also have a different aesthetic idea of class that also favours bold, brash and in your face.

I'm not trying to attack anyone, I just on the whole find their aesthetic choices in phones, cars, jewellery very different to what many in Europe find classy and sophisticated. No need to jump on the professionally offended band wagon. I say it how it is, I'm not one for towing the lame strict PC line of things nor am I racist. Just a 22yr old student who's tired of extreme political correctness and the nanny state. There's a difference between controversial and racist.

I just find the Apple Watch and gold iPhones being sold for a certain market. I still haven't met a single person where I live with a gold iPhone yet.
 
Define good watch.

There are also plenty of tacky watches above your magic price of 4k as well.

A good sports watch is an Omega Speedmaster. I don't know the price of it in 2014. I paid $1200 for mine 20 years ago. It probably goes for $4K today. It is a chronograph with a rich lineage.

Another good watch is the IWC Portugues 3714. It goes for around $7,000.
It is very elegant.
 
I'm on a few high end watch boards. The first place I went to was Timezone's public forum. The general consensus is that everyone knows where Apple and smartwatches are in the food chain.

The watch is generally inoffensive. With some actually praising it. On my Instagram circles, there is a general like but we all know we won't replace our mechanical with any electronic wearables.

The Apple watch in the food chain is the "mall watch" category.

Lastly your 500+ mark is way off. Add a zero. The good watches are $4000 and up.

There are plenty of tacky $500-$1500 watches with zero horological value that sells. Michael Kors being one of them.

Apple is going for the Michael Kors/Movado/Tissot crowd. That's where the money is. Someone with a $14,000 Patek Philippe won't get this. But there aren't enough of them out there. I expect these will range from $350-$850 based on the style, with most of the sales from the sub-$500 models.

Gen 1 sales may be quite tempered, like the iPad, and also like the iPad, Gen 2 may be signficantly improved and have long endurance. People won't replace watches every 2-3 years. Apple isn't going to get into a spec war. This may be a product like the iPad in that sales grow for the first 2-3 years and then level off. Apple was primarily a mobile phone company before this, and this alone won't change that (hence the reason it's tied to a phone).
 
Apple is going for the Michael Kors/Movado/Tissot crowd. That's where the money is. Someone with a $14,000 Patek Philippe won't get this. But there aren't enough of them out there. I expect these will range from $350-$850 based on the style, with most of the sales from the sub-$500 models.

Thats what I said if you follow my posts. They're targetting the "mall watches" from the $300-1200 range. Exactly, the Michael Kors brand whore watches.
 
Thats what I said if you follow my posts. They're targetting the "mall watches" from the $300-1200 range. Exactly, the Michael Kors brand whore watches.

I'd argue that the Apple Watch at least is more functional, though. By version 3 (and maybe version 2) the battery issues will be sorted out, and there may be more designs. So long run the rise of the smartwatch hurts the traditional "mall watch" maker. But it probably expands the market overall. Watches are uncommon among the 20-something and even 30-something crowd. Apple's entry (and also the Moto 360) will spur more designs from Samsung, LG and others. Apple rightly sees itself in the fashion industry.
 
But it probably expands the market overall. Watches are uncommon among the 20-something and even 30-something crowd. Apple's entry (and also the Moto 360) will spur more designs from Samsung, LG and others. Apple rightly sees itself in the fashion industry.

No disagreement there. But Apple has the executive bench is strong

Angela Ahrendts ex CEO of Burberry
Paul Deneve , ex CEO of YSL
and that Tag Heur hire.

They're gunning for the Bloomingdale counterspace and Harrods of London. The Tag exec is the one who does the retail distribution for the high-end boutique shops at Airports, luxury malls in fashionable cities around the world - Dubai, Frankfurt,etc.

They're going to use their new execs to get collaboration and build a brand that I don't think the Android Gear OEMS can compete with. Just on distribution logistics, the Apple Watch will play a strong presence in the "mall watch" category.
 
No disagreement there. But Apple has the executive bench is strong

Angela Ahrendts ex CEO of Burberry
Paul Deneve , ex CEO of YSL
and that Tag Heur hire.

They're gunning for the Bloomingdale counterspace and Harrods of London. The Tag exec is the one who does the retail distribution for the high-end boutique shops at Airports, luxury malls in fashionable cities around the world - Dubai, Frankfurt,etc.

They're going to use their new execs to get collaboration and build a brand that I don't think the Android Gear OEMS can compete with. Just on distribution logistics, the Apple Watch will play a strong presence in the "mall watch" category.

I think we are on the same page. It will be interesting to see where Apple actually sells this. Sure you'll be able to buy them online and at least some of them in their stores, but the Edition line may be better suited to mall department stores and potentially jewelry stores. I don't think a 20-something in a blue T-shirt is best equipped to sell an 18kt rose gold version for $1000. That said, Apple's presence in a lot of malls walking distance from the Rogers & Hollands and Macys of the world gives them a presence that Samsung just can't get from a Best Buy.

I'm likely to buy one next year, but will probably stick with the mid-range or even the Sport line in Version 1. I'll hold off until Version 2 or 3 before moving up to the Edition line (assuming I decide that the Apple Watch is worthwhile). After all, those versions will likely be thinner and/or have better battery life and other improvements. It will be interesting to see if the mechanism for attaching the strap becomes an Apple standard much like the Lightning Port and the 30-pin port that preceded it.
 
Apologies if it has been answered, but was hoping to find out if the watch was water resistant without treading through the 30+ pages?:)
 
Fair point. I think, like with many products, it will get better. This is generation 1 of the Apple Watch and future models are bound to bring a more relevant design in the future.

I'm sure it will get better with each generation (unless Apple suddenly became M$FT).

The issue is that the UI designed so far now basically precludes other interesting physical design choices in the future, other than another square screen with capacitive + pressure sensors.

Right now it is better than just shrinking a phone onto a wrist, but only marginally so. There are still a lot issues with how the OS interface operates, and how it limits the design for the watch formfactor.
 
I wrote this in another thread... https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/19620459/

I really don't think Apple has redefined the smart watch space.

Just like those that have come before it - it's got battery limitations, it's tied to one platform, trying to do a lot/perhaps too much on a small screen.

I just don't see how some people are willing to claim that this watch is revolutionary or that Apple just redefined the market of smart watches. I see it more as they have a great entry into it.

Right, this watch is pretty good in terms of UI, but still is designed with the smartphone paradigm in mind.

  • with a sea of apps instead of grid of apps
  • with glances widgets instead of notif center widgets
  • with crown zoom and scrolling instead of pinch zoom and kinetic scrolling
  • most of the remaining metaphors are pretty much the same

still in the app-centric view where users find and launch specific apps to do specific things. It has a few more mechanics to make navigation on such a small formfactor easier, but at the end of the day still has the same paradigm and underlying UX. Replicating a lot of the functions of the phone, while still requiring a phone.
 
I was really hoping Apple to stick with the Helvetica UI in the Apple Watch. It would have looked consistent with Macs, iPhones, iPad, Apple TV and now Apple Watch all tied together with same typographic unity.

Maybe Steve Jobs would have never let this out in its current form. (Being such a typography buff himself)

Not going to buy. Period.
 
I disagree with that.

It's not really much better than the Galaxy Gear that came out last year (which was a pretty stilted design, albeit with high quality finish and material), except far more customizable. They are very different in physical form and feel, but both rely on a very tech-centric design language that does not translate well into real-life aesthetics.

They both look like generic gadgets that are adapted into watch forms, with fine finishes, but overall form is quite bland and lacks any stand-out appeal and elegance of real designer items.

Something like this:
Image
Would have been a far more elegant and enduring design, that does not rely on whims of fashion trends. Obviously some interactions with the device would have to be rethought, and to be less like a smartphone.

See? In order to use a round surface they have to make the type TINY. I suppose this watch is ok if you never use it to text or are under 40.

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Yeh, more so. Not necessarily a better smart watch but maybe a slightly better looking one.

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Sorry did I offend your ultra liberal view point? Same way that Americans love shiny chromed blinged up cars, I find them vulgar and unsophisticated. Chinese and Arabs also have a different aesthetic idea of class that also favours bold, brash and in your face.

I'm not trying to attack anyone, I just on the whole find their aesthetic choices in phones, cars, jewellery very different to what many in Europe find classy and sophisticated. No need to jump on the professionally offended band wagon. I say it how it is, I'm not one for towing the lame strict PC line of things nor am I racist. Just a 22yr old student who's tired of extreme political correctness and the nanny state. There's a difference between controversial and racist.

I just find the Apple Watch and gold iPhones being sold for a certain market. I still haven't met a single person where I live with a gold iPhone yet.

Obviously, I don't live where you live, lol. BTW- I'm midwest American with german and swedish heritage. Frankly, the gold on the gold iPhone is so matte it can hardly be called "brash" or "in your face", especially with even a clear case on it. Let me just be "ageist" then and give you a pass for being so naive and opinionated with only a tiny fraction of life under your belt.
 
1410367995997
 
Then you should send an email to Tim Cook, because it's ugly and Apple should stop making those, because you don't like them.

What's wrong with you? I just said I think it looks hideous. It's my opinion. I didn't murder someone. Gosh.
 
The point is to be able to run *without* carrying the phone at all. Have you ever tried running in running shorts with a phablet in your pocket?

No, but I have tried running with a Fitbit One clipped to my trousers. It provides me with all its functionality by synching with my iPhone when I am back home. The only fitness related thing that the :apple:Watch will loose in terms of functionality when used without an iPhone is location via GPS.

You won't be able to get emails or receive calls while running with only the :apple:Watch with you. But while I'm running I can normally do without these.

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And that's the whole point. A lot of people don't want to have to carry multiple devices around with them. Now they have to, if they want the watch.

One device? Now we need 2 of them. I think Jobs understood it better with his one device speech.

You really think people would want to walk around with only the :apple:Watch if it only had internet access (assuming of course they already have a smartphone, which is very likely for the audience here)?

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That's not a thing.
Why? Isn't the precise frequency curve of a heartbeat a very unique thing?
 
No I want a beautiful display with a UI designed to fit in a circle.

It should have been round.

There is no circle display. The 360 does not have a circle display.

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Apple has been seriously out-designed by Moto. :eek:

Lol. The moto 360 is an absolute joke. People who wear them will be laughed it if they don't also have a red tipped cane.

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What type of custimization are you talkin about? bands? you do know you are speaking on a product that is still in development that won't see the light of day for about 6-9 months right?

Don't you think motorola would have a multitude of bands by then?

Please please please. be real.

And with the way Motorola is going, they might let you design you own band with you picking your color.

There is more than just bands. There are three different watch designs with multiple color schemes, and then bands.

The 360 is just a grotesque semi circle that is one color
 
No I want a beautiful display with a UI designed to fit in a circle.

It should have been round.

This post explains why a round display isn't practical.


Also, regarding the lack of a complete circle on the moto360... That little notch on the bottom needs to be there for the ribbon cable.
 
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This post explains why a round display isn't practical.


Also, regarding the lack of a complete circle on the moto360... That little notch on the bottom needs to be there for the ribbon cable.

And for the UI to properly work. Otherwise all the text at the bottom of the screen would be cut off by the edges.

I'm not saying that the current UI should have just been ported to a circle--but rather, it would have been wonderful to see Apple innovate and create a UI that only made sense in a circle, didn't cut anything off, and worked beautifully and perfectly in a new way.
 
P.S. Please don't continue to live with the delusion that carrying a firearm will protect you from a surprise attack. It just makes you look silly and the false confidence could make you take unfortunate chances.

Please don't continue putting words in people's mouths so you can go off on a rant about political BS. :rolleyes:
 
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