Apple Watch early reviews similar to the iPad

[mchoffa]

Thought I'd share links to a few pre-release iPad reviews, with many comparing it to a Kindle (Pebble anyone?) and/or previous tablets

Joshua Topalsky at Engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/03/apple-ipad-review/

Walt Mossberg at All Things D
http://allthingsd.com/20100331/apple-ipad-review/

Rene Ritchie at iMore
http://www.imore.com/ipad-review

Anandtech
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3640/apples-ipad-the-anandtech-review/

The overwhelming consensus?

• You don't really need it... YET.
• It doesn't really replace anything you already have.
• It's slow sometimes and there are really no apps for it yet.
• It's a luxury item.
• It has potential for the future though...

Sound familiar?

 

[WilliamG]

Take a lot of these reviews with a grain of salt. I remember Engadget's Josh saying this about the original iPad:

"After a few minutes we didn't see the device or the screen tech anymore -- we saw a book. We won't speculate on what prolonged use will feel like, but there is data out there that suggests the technology might not be as important as some people think it is when it comes to e-reader displays."

Uh huh. A 1024x768 display. With 132 pixels per inch. He didn't see the device or screen tech? Seriously?

So what does this prove?

1.) People have opinions.
2.) You might not agree with those opinions.
3.) Decide for yourself whether the Apple Watch is for you.

 

[Cashmonee]

Thought I'd share links to a few pre-release iPad reviews, with many comparing it to a Kindle (Pebble anyone?) and/or previous tablets

Joshua Topalsky at Engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/03/apple-ipad-review/

Walt Mossberg at All Things D
http://allthingsd.com/20100331/apple-ipad-review/

Rene Ritchie at iMore
http://www.imore.com/ipad-review

Anandtech
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3640/apples-ipad-the-anandtech-review/

The overwhelming consensus?

• You don't really need it... YET.
• It doesn't really replace anything you already have.
• It's slow sometimes and there are really no apps for it yet.
• It's a luxury item.
• It has potential for the future though...

Sound familiar?

After several years and iterations, were they wrong? I think the declining sales, and my own usage, and that of those around me, both in my personal and professional (education) life, those reviews have turned out to be fairly accurate.

 

[avalys]

After several years and iterations, were they wrong? I think the declining sales, and my own usage, and that of those around me, both in my personal and professional (education) life, those reviews have turned out to be fairly accurate.

Sure. The point is, despite not being an absolutely perfect product that all the reviewers raved about on day one, the iPad has unquestionably been a success.

Is the iPad as ubiquitous today as the iPhone? Has it completely replaced traditional laptops? Certainly not. But Apple still sells tens of millions of them.

If the Watch turns out to be similar to the iPad in terms of sales and popularity, I think Apple will be very happy with it.

 

[KauaiBruce]

After several years and iterations, were they wrong? I think the declining sales, and my own usage, and that of those around me, both in my personal and professional (education) life, those reviews have turned out to be fairly accurate.

Aren't the declining sales largely because there is no need to keep upgrading an iPad after you have one of ANY of them all the way back to the first? I use my iPad 2 every day since I got it. No need to upgrade to retina. The only way I would upgrade it would be if it was destroyed. I actually considered an upgrade ONLY to get rid of the last thing that uses the old style cable and decided there was no point.

 

[mchoffa]

For some reason, every time Apple has released a new product category, everyone isn't quite sure why or if it's necessary.

I think the iPad sales have declined is because people keep the same one longer. I know plenty of people using older iPads, and the first iPad Air is more than enough power for anyone. Most people I know with the first iPad mini have no reason to upgrade yet, and that's a lot of people. The only reason people upgrade their iPhones so often is because of two year contract subsidies.

I think the watch will see a similar upgrade cycle, or maybe even more like the Apple TV. As long as it works with whichever iPhone someone has, why would anyone upgrade it?

 

[KPOM]

After several years and iterations, were they wrong? I think the declining sales, and my own usage, and that of those around me, both in my personal and professional (education) life, those reviews have turned out to be fairly accurate.

But it still sold well. Objectively speaking if you had said Apple would be selling 50 million in 2015 at the initial launch people would have said it was unrealistic. And I think it is a long term category for Apple, just with a replacement cycle more like the Mac than the iPhone. The Watch could well be the same. The 3rd version of the Watch might be the one that is "good enough" for the casual user to buy in large quantities, after which it levels off to a replacement cycle. Apple will tweak the software, the battery life will improve, we may as physical design tweaks to make it more appealing in the future. It isn't as if the current version will be the only Apple Watch ever made.

 

[Cashmonee]

Yes, the iPad has sold well, but that does not make the reviews inaccurate. In my experience, most people, including professional and personal use have iPads that are not used terribly often. I think a large part of the iPad user base never found a spot for it in their daily needs. I know that is not true for everyone, and it is only empirical, and I would never say the iPad was a failure or useless. However, it is no longer the hot product it was around the time of the iPad 2. I think the sales decline is both because of replacement cycle and loss of interest from the market. Of course, no one really knows except, perhaps Apple.

 

[Patriot24]

I remember reading in one of the biographies that Jobs was really down about the critical reception to the iPad. I bet the folks in Cupertino today have the same sentiment.

 

[mchoffa]

Yes, the iPad has sold well, but that does not make the reviews inaccurate. In my experience, most people, including professional and personal use have iPads that are not used terribly often. I think a large part of the iPad user base never found a spot for it in their daily needs. I know that is not true for everyone, and it is only empirical, and I would never say the iPad was a failure or useless. However, it is no longer the hot product it was around the time of the iPad 2. I think the sales decline is both because of replacement cycle and loss of interest from the market. Of course, no one really knows except, perhaps Apple.

I know quite a few iPad users that use it many times per day every day. They don't own a desktop or laptop. The iPad for them is their main computing device at home, while the phone is their away device. The ability to get your text messages on the iPad has made this even more true. They can now set their phones down and sit down with only their iPad and not worry about missing texts (or even calls, but who calls that much these days?)