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Apple Watch First Impressions From Watch Experts, Fashion Sites
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I think Apple hit a home run with this watch. I currently use a Pebble and will most likely get an Apple watch as soon as I can.
The Pebble is called "Clunky" by many. My question on this is do you consider a Rolex Clunky or too thick? How about a Brietling or Tag Heuer watch? All very expensive, and in the most popular configurations, very thick with sharply defined edges that can be uncomfortable. When you wear one of these watches you don't want to cover it with a shirt sleeve because you want everyone to know your wearing a very expensive watch. The same thoughts most likely will run in the minds of those get an Apple Watch.
Since nothing has been listed as to its actual dimensions or weight we can't say too much about it. But, which would you say is heavier, the Apple Watch with is single circuit board and battery in a metal case, or a Rolex with all of its metal gears in its metal case?
The Pebble is called "Clunky" by many. My question on this is do you consider a Rolex Clunky or too thick? How about a Brietling or Tag Heuer watch? All very expensive, and in the most popular configurations, very thick with sharply defined edges that can be uncomfortable. When you wear one of these watches you don't want to cover it with a shirt sleeve because you want everyone to know your wearing a very expensive watch. The same thoughts most likely will run in the minds of those get an Apple Watch.
Since nothing has been listed as to its actual dimensions or weight we can't say too much about it. But, which would you say is heavier, the Apple Watch with is single circuit board and battery in a metal case, or a Rolex with all of its metal gears in its metal case?
Its funny, I did a little experiment and I showed a few friends the iWatch compared to the gear and the motorola smartwatch and they were by far more into Apple's option just on looks and perception of quality alone. The tech forums are full of a bunch of nerdy trolls that have 0 sense of style anyways so can we really expect.
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You nailed it...a rectangle with a strap looks similar to another rectangle with a strap, you must be a genius or something kappa
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You nailed it...a rectangle with a strap looks similar to another rectangle with a strap, you must be a genius or something kappa
Is this the first time Apple makes a codependent product? I can't believe you'll need an iPhone for the Watch to work. That's DOA right there. I wanted the watch because I love working out and I thought it would have some sort of cellular functions but instead they introduced an iPhone accesory. They need to remove that limitation, the watch must be functional on its own or else no one will buy it.
It's like you guys don't read macrumors or something... It won't always have to be connected. There was a tidbit about this in an article yesterday. And I'm pretty sure they all have a sapphire screen.
I counted. There's nowhere NEAR a million components in there. Also, I'm pretty sure there are at least a million electrical connections in the Apple Watch. What other useless metric would you like to compare?
Let me stop you there actually, because I'm not really interested in continuing. Besides, the CEO of the company I work for is interested in the Apple Watch because he values the communication and connectivity features over the gears and springs of outdated timekeeping technology.
But don't kill yourself over it. I promise it's not worth it.
The fact is, there will be plenty of people who will harrumph loudly over this watch, and plenty of people who will also gush over it. But to cast judgement on the value of this watch without having so much as seen it in person seems to indicate that you won't be making an uncolored judgement of it anyways, rendering your point of view useless to those of us who are interested in what a device like this could mean. This goes for both the people raving over the "unimpeachable" design as well as you.
I'm not interested in your bias. If you would like to discuss the potential pros/cons of this device while acknowledging that we don't know enough to cast judgement at this point, cool. Otherwise, you have a nice day.
Apple did it-- they understood that a watch is a fashion item and built one even the fashion industry is willing to praise. I got my hands on a Moto 360 and just wasn't impressed with the build. Housing feels extruded, the front glass gives annoying artifacts around the edge of the display. Everything I'm seeing about 
Watch suggests it's a well made product.
I'm curious how this will evolve though if Apple keeps the protocol closed. It's a beautiful watch, but despite all the different bands and the fact you can get it in two sizes and a few metals doesn't change the fact that there's only one design to choose from.
If it becomes popular, and there's only one designer, then everyone who wants a watch paired with their iPhone will have the same lozenge on their wrist. That seems opposed of fashion jewelry.
It's also a tech device, so next year this will be last year's design (ewww...).
This was fine for a phone that we keep in our pocket-- but this is something we wear for the world to see every time we point, reach, or grab a steering wheel or subway strap.
I'm a geek. If it has a calculator, I'll buy one. Not sure what this portends for the success of the product among normals though.
Watch suggests it's a well made product.I'm curious how this will evolve though if Apple keeps the protocol closed. It's a beautiful watch, but despite all the different bands and the fact you can get it in two sizes and a few metals doesn't change the fact that there's only one design to choose from.
If it becomes popular, and there's only one designer, then everyone who wants a watch paired with their iPhone will have the same lozenge on their wrist. That seems opposed of fashion jewelry.
It's also a tech device, so next year this will be last year's design (ewww...).
This was fine for a phone that we keep in our pocket-- but this is something we wear for the world to see every time we point, reach, or grab a steering wheel or subway strap.
I'm a geek. If it has a calculator, I'll buy one. Not sure what this portends for the success of the product among normals though.
Heres something I havent seen discussed. I assume the bulk of the weight of the watch is the casing. The casing in the Edition version of the watch is 18k (18k equals 75%) gold. The price of gold is currently about $1,250.00 an ounce. Now I assume the gold version of the watch is going to be pretty expensive and only a small percentage of the watches sold will be gold. But if the watch takes off in sales the way the iPhone did, then surely there will be a lot of people wanting the gold version. Would the demand for a gold Apple watch force the price of gold to go up? Apple has sold more than 500 million iPhones so far. If the sales of the watch are in any way comparable even a small percentage would be a lot of gold going in to watches. Some people might balk at buying an expensive watch that would have the life of a computer. But its possible that the gold version would actually be the better version to buy because if the price of gold goes up you might be able to get more for the watch as scrap value than what you paid for it. And why 18k gold instead of 14k gold? Gold is a softer metal and 18k might not be the best thing for a watch. As I understand it, while the American market doesnt really differentiate much regarding 14k or 18k the foreign market, particularly the Middle East, India and Asia do, and dont like their jewelry to be 14k. This would explain the special process Apple talked about to harden the 18k gold.
Absolutely agree. Though the real problem is getting a "feel" for what it would actually be like to handle based off of pictures. I'm not sold on the Sport model, though the press says it's really light. It doesn't look like it'll feel all that premium, but I suppose it's the weight (or lack thereof) that makes it appealing to the very active crowd. Can't wait to see some of these in an Apple store.
I take it you're not familiar with component design?
Two distinctly different animals, two fields with two entirely different set of engineering issues.
The S1, as we will see when chipworks gets to do its thing, is going to be a milestone in the industry.
I am familiar with component design and as a chip guy I doubt it will be ground shaking in design.
I design chips and the engineering that goes into a watch is phenomenal.
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Gold is not a good investment.
Ask those that bought gold at $1600-1800 when the prices spiked.
There are plenty of watches made from 18K gold.
It might end up being functional for the uses you described without the phone, depending on what you mean by "working out." If you want it to monitor steps and heart-rate, it should be able to do that without a phone. It might also be able to calculate distance, though it would be an estimation based on local dead reckoning without the aid of the phone's GPS.
Also, it'll still be a watch without the phone. That won't change. It also says on their website you'll be able to listen to music on bluetooth headphones without an iPhone paired, meaning you'll be able to store some music on the watch itself.
Mostly we just don't have enough details at this point. I'd wait a while before dismissing it completely. Probably the only thing that won't change before we see a production model is that case and the basic UI design. There might even be internal changes. It'll be interesting to see.
"especially the females"
Female what, goats? Dinosaurs? Female is an adjective. And using it to describe women is almost always a red flag for some reason.
Female what, goats? Dinosaurs? Female is an adjective. And using it to describe women is almost always a red flag for some reason.
Thinner and cheaper. I really believe that the first
Watch will be a product much like the iPhone and iPad: an exciting promise of what is to come. Ultimately, though, you should wait for version 2.0. Apple will find some way to shave off thickness and drop the price.I agree with you (also as a watch collector). The Apple Watch is not for me but I can see the appeal for others.
I am also having a greater appreciation for Ives; considering the design constraints and target goals of this project. The Moto 360 is simply too divisive of a design; regardless if it appeals to you. It does not account for the other half of the population - woman. Also all the pre-Apple mockups I've seen like the Chronograph case does not work for many people. Again, as they are tailored specifically at a specific genre and profile.
Seems like this post was lifted from a post I made earlier. I saw all the Fashionista responses in my trending Twitter and Instagram.
Their opinion is what the general public will go with. Nerds on tech forums do not represent the majority opinion.
The Milanese bracelet is sublime. I was very much in shock with the attention to detail. The sapphire is slightly elevated with a 1 mm chamfer. Theere is also a chamfer around the crown.
The matte grain weave of the SS bracelet is very well done. The Milanese bracelet simply wow. Omega sold a similar bracelet for $600 back when I was looking.
I said it before and I'll say it again. Apple is not competing against Google/Motorola/Samsung here. Nor are they competing Polaris and Garmin.
They're targeting the mid range premium "mall watches" The ones in the department stores from the $300-$1200 price point.
Those watches are driven bases on fashion and brand cachet. The Michael Kors, Movados, Burberry, Armani, Calvin Klein. These brands, like Apple, have zero horological pedigree.
They sell $50 watches for $400-1000 and reap insane profits. This is the "premium" market. It doesn't compete with the luxury market - Rolex, Blancpain, IWC.
In the Premium market, fit-n-finish and presentation is everything. There is no doubt, Apple nailed it in terms of build quality.
There is also a premium market for accessories. Panerai's straps are a cottage industry into itself where people pay up to $300 for just a leather strap.
If Angela (I don't know her name) does her job, I can see where she can pull her connections to have one-offs and collab pieces in just straps. Burberry Apple Wear straps are coming. They already make iPhone cases.
Fashionista Sarah Collette already gave her approval and she has lot of weight in the Fashion circles. From her Instagram.
Gold is not a good investment.
Ask those that bought gold at $1600-1800 when the prices spiked.
There are plenty of watches made from 18K gold.[/QUOTE]
I agree gold is not a good "investment". My question relates to the quantities of gold Apple Watches sold. Most people who buy a gold watch expect to keep it for a long time. Not so with the Apple Watch which, assumedly, will be obsolete in a couple of years. I don't know how many gold watches are sold in a year, but if the Apple Watch is a commercial hit wouldn't that mean there would be a LOT more gold going into watches? Would that force the price of gold up? I am genuinely not familiar enough with gold as a commodity to know whether the addition of several million gold watches would change the price.
Even if the price of gold remains stable wouldn't a person who bought a gold watch be able to recoup a good portion of the cost by scraping the gold?
Ask those that bought gold at $1600-1800 when the prices spiked.
There are plenty of watches made from 18K gold.[/QUOTE]
I agree gold is not a good "investment". My question relates to the quantities of gold Apple Watches sold. Most people who buy a gold watch expect to keep it for a long time. Not so with the Apple Watch which, assumedly, will be obsolete in a couple of years. I don't know how many gold watches are sold in a year, but if the Apple Watch is a commercial hit wouldn't that mean there would be a LOT more gold going into watches? Would that force the price of gold up? I am genuinely not familiar enough with gold as a commodity to know whether the addition of several million gold watches would change the price.
Even if the price of gold remains stable wouldn't a person who bought a gold watch be able to recoup a good portion of the cost by scraping the gold?
I agree that Motorola left women out of the equation. What I'm about to say next is purely opinion, but the apple watch looks very effeminate to me, even the larger one. It has more of a bracelet type of look. I can see it being a nice jewelry type piece for a woman, but for a man who likes a nice beefy Rolex not so much, once again my opinion.
In that picture the phone looks like something a teenager would wear, but that's the sport model so it's kind of supposed to look like that, I understand. It's just kind of an odd one to take a "fashion" picture of, probably the only one available. I do know I'd never be caught dead in a nice suit wearing the sport one.
Usyless
For me this seems to be a useless new toy. If you need to have an iPhone to use it properly it's stupid. If you have an iPhone you don't need the watch. This is for fan boys and girls only. Also I personnaly think it's ugly and it looks like a novelty item.
I won't be buying this for sure.
For me this seems to be a useless new toy. If you need to have an iPhone to use it properly it's stupid. If you have an iPhone you don't need the watch. This is for fan boys and girls only. Also I personnaly think it's ugly and it looks like a novelty item.
I won't be buying this for sure.
I share your opinion. I prefer a Rolex Sub type too. However, I already own a Sub and I don't want a replacement. And it goes back to the design constraints.
Ives is not designing for you or me who have very specific taste. His job is to design something with the broadest appeal. Given that context, no one else has shown me something with a more universal appeal.
People went ga ga over the mock-up with the Speedmaster Chronograph case. I, too, love my Speedmaster but I know lots of people don't want all that clutter of the Tachymeter ring which serves no purpose whatsoever on a smartwatch.
The variety of straps, in my opinion, dramatically changes the personalities of the Apple watch. This, is why it succeeds in that regards. A Chronograph/Diver's case (Speedmaster/Submariner) would not be able to have that level of configurability with straps. You can't add a white rubber strap on a sub. It looks silly. So does the mesh Milanese bracelet or red leather strap with deployant. Those straps work with specific watches. I can see a mesh bracelet on an Omega Constellation type Swiss watch but not on a Breitling.
Yet, here, Ives nails it.
Anna Wintour still had a flip phone in her arsenal as of last week.
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Red flag Merriam Webster, then:
female
noun
: a woman or a girl : a female person
: an animal that can produce young or lay eggs : a female animal
: a plant that can produce seed or fruit : a female plant
Forget what Fashion experts say, the
The only thing great about the design is the ability to customise the straps, but when you look at the actual device itself, it looks hideous. I think Motorola got it right with the 360.
You sound mad. Did you buy a galaxy gear by mistake?
