Apple Announces April 10 Grand Openings for Apple Watch Shops in London, Paris, and Tokyo

[Aluminum213]

Exactly. This isn't improving something that hasnt been done well (ipod, ipad, and iphone all did this), this is just "hey, wouldn't you like to have TWO devices now to charge daily instead of one?"

Remember the original iPhone announcement, where steve said in amazement that they combined 3 devices into the iphone? Maybe Tim Cook should...

Now, in a few years if the watch can completely replace my smartphone, then I would be interested.

p.s. I think the watch will sell, but not massively...more like the Apple TV which still sells a fair amount

yup, the iPhone, iPad greatly improved the categories they were in, basically blew the competition out the water

the apple watch isn't any better then all the android wear watches, has no wow factor, nothing revolutionary or new

but now tim cook says we can check out tweets on our wrist, lol

 

[Neepman]

Not too many days to go for the debut of what will be one of the biggest product failures of all-time.

 

[TheRealTVGuy]

Not too many days to go for the debut of what will be one of the biggest product failures of all-time.

LOL, I'm chuckling right now because I took a look at some of your previous posts. Little Miss Sunshine you are not.

But that's okay, 20 years of Excel will do that to anyone.

/s

 

[D.T.]

A year from now, some of the posts predicting doom WILL be funny if the Watch is a success.

And some of the posts predicting overwhelming success will also be funny if it's not.

Finding humor in either of those situations is just a _bizarre_ reaction to me. As someone who follows (and is heavily engaged in) the tech industry, I would be interested, maybe surprised? I think the only people who actually "laugh" (quotes by design) think it's [somehow] demeaning toward someone else who does/doesn't share the same viewpoint and get off on that (see YouTube comments for a nice sampling of the same type of halfwits).

Seems like a waste of cycles and bad karma to me.

 

[heeloliver]

iPod interface was revolutionary for how easy it was to navigate so many songs


you have no clue what you're talking about

notice how I said iPod socks. learn to take a joke

 

[dannyyankou]

Not too many days to go for the debut of what will be one of the biggest product failures of all-time.

You may eat those words in a couple months.

 

[Trapezoid]

Finding humor in either of those situations is just a _bizarre_ reaction to me. As someone who follows (and is heavily engaged in) the tech industry, I would be interested, maybe surprised? I think the only people who actually "laugh" (quotes by design) think it's [somehow] demeaning toward someone else who does/doesn't share the same viewpoint and get off on that (see YouTube comments for a nice sampling of the same type of halfwits).

Seems like a waste of cycles and bad karma to me.

I think the funny part, at least to me, is that the people who are declaring it a hit or a miss have never seen the product in person.

It's like analysts who predict doom and gloom based on nothing. I find it funny that anyone can declare success or failure based on nothing. When one group is inevitably proven wrong, I do in fact find that bizarrely funny!

 

[D.T.]

You may eat those words in a couple months.

Well, the thing that's kind of pointless about calling it a failure or success, is the metrics are whatever you want them to be.

Sells less than the iPhone? Failure
Sells more than Pebble? Success
Sells to 15% of the current iPhone user base? Success! No, Failure! No, Success!

If it sells in low numbers (whatever that is), it's because it's a new market segment, it takes a while to reach critical mass, and soon Apple will dominate yet another consumer tech space! Positive from a negative!

If sells in high numbers (again, not sure what the bar is) it's because Apple product buyers are clueless, and this new category will peak and decline way faster than tablets. Negative from a positive!

.. and so on ...

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Meanwhile, calling the apple store in a nearby mall, gives me no answer as to when I can create an appt to view the watches they will have there.

Watches won't be in stores until April 10th, and Genius Bar appointments can be set up to 6 days in advance. So the earliest possible option will be April 4th, check then.

 

[cairene2011]

I've been intermittently working as a sales girl in Selfridges since 2011 (great extra money for a student!) and it wouldn't surprise me if the Apple Watch location in the Wonder Room is only of temporary nature. Many booths there are rather temporary, ie in fall 2013 we had a stall for the Dom Perignon x Jeff Koons collab (the balloon venus) for about 3 months until another novelty replaced it. Sometimes there is also a theme for a couple months: I remember for instance a "white" theme in winter 2011/2012, where they showcased all sorts of luxury goods ranging from white jewelry, over a white Hermes Kelly Bag (for about 40,000 £ if I remember correctly), to white-themed artwork, white fur, white designer shoes with diamonds etc.

It would certainly make sense for Selfridges to showcase the Apple Watch Edition in their Wonder Room while the hype is new and also for Apple it's certainly a great idea to give the Apple Watch Edition an initial boost in Selfridges. However, I'd doubt that it's going to be in the Wonder Room forever or generally outsourced from the Apple Stores. I think once the initial hype has passed, it's going to join the rest of the product range in the Apple Stores.

 

[monaarts]

I like the watch, and am buying one, even though I know next year's will be much better. Be careful with this argument though. The haters will argue:

There WERE other mp3 players on the market; the iPod was slicker, easier to use, and BETTER.

iTunes was a great program because it seamlessly integrated with your Mac AND your iPod BETTER than any other programs.

The iPhone was revolutionary for its time, combined multiple products into one, and performed all of its functions much BETTER than anything else at the time.

Other tablets failed, but the iPad succeeded because it had the slick, easy to use interface of iOS, a huge ecosystem, support from the start, and was a much BETTER end user experience than any tablet before.

Notice how the other products were BETTER than any of their competitors at the times they launched? I think one of the frustrating things for an Apple supporter like myself is, what will the Apple Watch do better than what's currently on the market? It doesn't have GPS, it can't act as a cell phone on its own, it's not waterproof, it only has an 18-hour battery life, and right now, its basically an extension of the iPhone.

Maybe some of the naysayers here on the forums would have been better satisfied if Apple had waited another couple of years and shipped out a product that could do everything on its own, including health scanning functions. That way it would be better than anything else on the market when it launched.

Yea... But to your point (and the one I was trying to make) none of these products were NEEDED. They were convenience. Apple needs to ship the AppleWatch so they can start dictating the market. If they have the watch and 5 million people are actively using it they can then make a business case for adding functionality by having 5million active users out the gate.

 

[Bazooka-joe]

I agree with you. I don't have an interest in smartwatches, apple or otherwise. But it's the same old story as always.

Apple introduces something, apple haters say it sucks.

It sells millions, apple haters say apple users are sheep.

There's not much creativity in the apple hater crowd.

It will be funny if it's a flop, but I don't think it will be. But then some apple haters have tried to downplay nearly 80 million iPhone's sold in a quarter, so I guess anything will be called a flop by some.

Baa so I am a sheep. I admit that I love Apple products and that's because they give me an entire 360 experience.
I love the way that my MacBook, iPhone, iPad and iMac integrate with each other. I like the fact that I can answer calls and texts without actually having my phone in the same room and put one device down and pick up another and carry on from where I left off.
I love plugging my iPhone in to my Bmw , making calls, reading and responding to texts and emails hands free, reading and posting Facebook messages and seeing the cover art of my music collection appear on the 10" Idrive screen when I scroll through my record collection.
No other single tech manufacturer can give me all those experiences and more.
The apple watch will enhance the experience further and I can't wait.

Baa

 

[Keirasplace]

I like the watch, and am buying one, even though I know next year's will be much better. Be careful with this argument though. The haters will argue:

There WERE other mp3 players on the market; the iPod was slicker, easier to use, and BETTER.

iTunes was a great program because it seamlessly integrated with your Mac AND your iPod BETTER than any other programs.

The iPhone was revolutionary for its time, combined multiple products into one, and performed all of its functions much BETTER than anything else at the time.

Other tablets failed, but the iPad succeeded because it had the slick, easy to use interface of iOS, a huge ecosystem, support from the start, and was a much BETTER end user experience than any tablet before.

Notice how the other products were BETTER than any of their competitors at the times they launched? I think one of the frustrating things for an Apple supporter like myself is, what will the Apple Watch do better than what's currently on the market? It doesn't have GPS, it can't act as a cell phone on its own, it's not waterproof, it only has an 18-hour battery life, and right now, its basically an extension of the iPhone.

Maybe some of the naysayers here on the forums would have been better satisfied if Apple had waited another couple of years and shipped out a product that could do everything on its own, including health scanning functions. That way it would be better than anything else on the market when it launched.

It is SOMETHING YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO WEAR!! That's what's better. Seriously. Its a wearable, that's THE crucial part of it. A GPS/cell watch these days exist, its he Gear S and its more thna TWICE the volume of this watch. It has several small touches that other watches don't have; the overall experience is better.

 

[bawbac]

Baa so I am a sheep. I admit that I love Apple products and that's because they give me an entire 360 experience.
I love the way that my MacBook, iPhone, iPad and iMac integrate with each other. I like the fact that I can answer calls and texts without actually having my phone in the same room and put one device down and pick up another and carry on from where I left off.
I love plugging my iPhone in to my Bmw , making calls, reading and responding to texts and emails hands free, reading and posting Facebook messages and seeing the cover art of my music collection appear on the 10" Idrive screen when I scroll through my record collection.
No other single tech manufacturer can give me all those experiences and more.
The apple watch will enhance the experience further and I can't wait.

Baa

Being closed minded and not accepting change will leave you stagnate in inferior technology.

Apple is not the best but have great products.
Brand loyalty is nothing more than a cheerleading squad of consumers who like a specific brand for no other reason to be part of a collective to feel they belong to something larger than life... which is pretty sad.

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It has several small touches that other watches don't have; the overall experience is better.

How can you make a comment such as this without even using the product?
Blind faith and propaganda?

 

[Bazooka-joe]

Being closed minded and not accepting change will leave you stagnate in inferior technology.

Apple is not the best but have great products.
Brand loyalty is nothing more than a cheerleading squad of consumers who like a specific brand for no other reason to be part of a collective to feel they belong to something larger than life... which is pretty sad.

But I do accept change and if what Apple gives me suits my lifestyle then so be it. I moved away from a Microsoft environment because it's was fragmented abd didn't give me what I wanted.

I am loyal to a brand if it is loyal to me. I have driven bnws for 20 years and never had one let me down and I am not going to risk spunking £100,000 on a merc just to avoid being accused of being in a collective group.
It's my money and I spend it on what I want

 

[Nightarchaon]

I guess you missed the part where they said 18 hour battery life. Unless you get less than 6 hours of sleep, it shouldn't be a problem.

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It's very strange how angry people are getting over something they're not forced to buy. If you don't want it, don't buy it.

Problem is, why have a watch that, given apples existing products battery life cliff, will only last 12hrs after the 1st month or so off ownership, and have monitoring that cannot be used for sleep tracking..

Ill stick with my misfit flash, it tells the time at a tap, last 6Months on a single CR2032 and tells the time... everything else, my phone does.

 

[TheRealTVGuy]

Being closed minded and not accepting change will leave you stagnate in inferior technology.

Apple is not the best but have great products.
Brand loyalty is nothing more than a cheerleading squad of consumers who like a specific brand for no other reason to be part of a collective to feel they belong to something larger than life... which is pretty sad.

That may be true for some, but for me its never had anything to do with with fashion, style, fitting in or being a cheerleader. I've been using (and supporting) Macs (and other Apple computers) and PCs (IBM and others) for almost 28 years; and its been my experience that the Apple hardware, software, professional support, and consumer end user experiences have all been superior to those same, many times frustrating experiences with technology (Computers, phones, tablets, mp3 players, TV Interfaces, software, accessories, etc) from other sources/ecosystems.

THAT's why I'm a fan and customer of Apple's products and ecosystem and recommend it to others.

 

[MarkusL]

Btw - showers okay. Pool - not so much. Unless you're in a kiddy pool less than 30 minutes. It's only WR for a depth of 1m for up to 30 min. Pebble is the only smartwatch I know with significant WR (50m).

Hush, don't tell them! If people know the limits of the water resistance in advance we will miss out on a lot of "Watergate" drama on MacRumors.

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Anyone know why UK, France and Germany are launch countries for the Watch but Switzerland is not?

Because it's well known that the Swiss are not big fans of Chinese watches?

 

[CFreymarc]

Complicated interface, no real reason to exist besides just to be there

A very anti Steve jobs product

If no one else does a Steve Job / ghost of Jacob Marley parody of the Apple Watch, I'm doing it.

 

[rdlink]

I simply do not see the appeal of this product. Admittedly I do not wear a watch, dislike gold, and associate the term "fashion" with "sheep". When the Apple Watch is waterproof, thinner, can stand on it's own, and has an interface that doesn't require reading glasses then I'll take a gander.

Well, since you don't wear a watch wouldn't they also need to make it not a watch...?

 

[technosix]

Very little buzz? You must be living on another planet...

He / She is correct, outside of Apple's walled garden there simply isn't any buzz to speak of.

I work in a large scale International company with thousands of employees. The engineering division I'm in has several hundred very wealthy employees, exactly the demographic Apple is focused on. No buzz here...

Yet make no mistake, Apple is throwing millions and millions of dollars at this endeavor, buying all the buzz they can get. If it wasn't for their massive war chest, this might be one very embarrassing launch for Apple.

Luckily a huge number of Apple enthusiasts are emotionally charged brand evangelists. They're going to put all their weight behind convincing family and friends that this is a life changer.

I'm very amused at the way this is slowly unfolding, it's very interesting.

One thing's for certain Apple has a lot on the line here, money aside. Because Apple has forced themselves on the fashion industry, those very wealthy influential executives and fashion icons are watching.

 

[Neepman]

You may eat those words in a couple months.

I will be more than happy to eat them. I want to be wrong. Seriously.But ever fiber of my being says to me I won't be.

 

[Keirasplace]

He / She is correct, outside of Apple's walled garden there simply isn't any buzz to speak of.

I work in a large scale International company with thousands of employees. The engineering division I'm in has several hundred very wealthy employees, exactly the demographic Apple is focused on. No buzz here...

Yet make no mistake, Apple is throwing millions and millions of dollars at this endeavor, buying all the buzz they can get. If it wasn't for their massive war chest, this might be one very embarrassing launch for Apple.

Luckily a huge number of Apple enthusiasts are emotionally charged brand evangelists. They're going to put all their weight behind convincing family and friends that this is a life changer.

I'm very amused at the way this is slowly unfolding, it's very interesting.

One thing's for certain Apple has a lot on the line here, money aside. Because Apple has forced themselves on the fashion industry, those very wealthy influential executives and fashion icons are watching.

Right, and when they'll get sell many million, you, and your thousands of fellow colleagues, will of course tell us all about it also; just seems fair...

 

[stu.h]

The buzz hasn't reached my neck of the woods yet, though a couple of people have asked me about the iPhone Watch in the last week or so.

It has

 

[technosix]

Right, and when they'll get sell many million, you, and your thousands of fellow colleagues, will of course tell us all about it also; just seems fair...

Oh my, speaking of emotionally involved...