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Apple Watch Review Roundup: The 'World's Best Smartwatch', But 'Not For Everyone'

Robert M. said:
Solid reviews that confirmed some of my fears. I'll still wake up and preorder one, but it isn't a must-have gadget. I think it'll do well, but I can't see it being one of Apple's most popular products.

I know everyone likes to say, "But people said the iPad would flop -- look what happened!" Well that argument doesn't really work since the iPad is a standalone product, and this is a $349+ accessory. It doesn't have the same mainstream appeal. A tablet has more uses, and it's great for the average person. This is more for the techies, the kind of people who read these forums.

Still, I can't wait to get my hands on one. And I look forward to the revisions. :D
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This a million times. If you didn't need the iPhone, it would be more appealing but people seem to think as an iPhone-dependant device. I'm getting the Sports one because that's why I'm going ot use it for and I have a 4S. I don't care or want my wrist buzzing with email and messages, I just want it to track my fitness.
 
Allthings-I said:
I think your confusing Samsung with Apple....Samsung will get it ALMOST right on version 2 or 3...oh wait they still failed....

This isn't the iPhone 1st gen, Apple has come a long way with their research and development and I also think people need to stop expecting them to only get it right the 2nd, 3rd or another time later....
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Of course it will improve with each new version. The same is true of any product. It's also good for business.
 
The Verge review confirmed my fears.
Just release it, let the sheep buy the first gen product for $350.
Now get started on the real watch.

I wasn't sure how the apps ran on the watch but as basically a remote control for apps running on the phone?
Really???
 
I want it so bad, but I am gonna go the way of the inner geek inside myself and wait for gen 2. I did it with my (current) iPad 2 and did not regret it at all.
 
I think most people are viewing the verge review as bad. Really, the person reviewing it just doesn't see it as necessary. A lot of us buying the apple watch already know we want a smart watch. If you watch the video a lot of time is spent questioning if it is useful...

The few reviews from people who have a smart watch are really positive. Those are the ones I care about...not the ones trying to tell me if I need a smart watch or not.
 
OllyW said:
I'm sure a lot of people are asking the same question, which is "why do I need a smartwatch?"

The :apple:Watch could be the product that makes them say "yes, I need one" but it may take until the 2nd or 3rd generation. If Apple can't win them over then I can't see a big future for this device category.
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Nobody will ever need a smartwatch, just like nobody needs an iPad or an iPod touch. There's one device that is portable and does everything you might need on the go: a smartphone. The others are specialized use cases and will never be for everyone.
 
CarlosQG said:
This a million times. If you didn't need the iPhone, it would be more appealing but people seem to think as an iPhone-dependant device. I'm getting the Sports one because that's why I'm going ot use it for and I have a 4S. I don't care or want my wrist buzzing with email and messages, I just want it to track my fitness.
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I don't know if you can get passed the setup screen without a compatible iPhone. You certainly won't be able to install apps and music, because this requires the Apple Watch App from the iPhone.
 
KPOM said:
7 is average by Verge standards. Most Apple devices get high 8s or 9s. Again, I'm most surprised by the dearth of non-tech reviews.
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The Verge, especially Nilay has been negative about Apple Watch from day one.

I'm a little surprised we aren't seeing reviews from non-tech sites. On CNBC this morning they highlighted the NT Times and USA Today reviews but I'll bet The Verge review gets most of the attention. Is that what Apple wants?
 
jayducharme said:
It's interesting how many of the reviewers say this. But the same was said about the iPad. And the iPhone. And the iPod. Nobody needs expensive tech. But people will want it.
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Nobody said that about the iPhone and iPod.

The watch is nothing like those. Those made sense.
 
c.s. said:
Nilay is a big smartwatch fan and has been wearing a Pebble from day 1. For him to give it a 7 is very worrisome. I was on the fence but decided to wait for version 2.
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How did Nilay score his Pebble?
 
I would think everything said is pretty indicative of 1st generation tech. Of course it's slow. Of course it's not going to be full featured. Heck, the iPhone didn't even have the ability to install 3rd party apps (natively) when it first came out.

Wearable tech is going to be the next frontier we see ventured. That said, I still think we are a couple of years away from seeing these kinds of products mature to the point that they graduate from cool novelty to useful tool.
 
boshii said:
I've been pushed off the fence.
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Same here, I was having a hard time justifying the watch and now I really think this product needs some time to mature and see if it's actually going to be useful.
 
ghostface147 said:
Bottom line, it's a bit slow and battery life is garbage.
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Ha, funny. Did you read Re/code's review? Here some on battery life:

"One day this past week, I woke up at 5:15 am, exercised for an hour using the Watch, ran Maps during my commute, made phones calls and received notifications throughout the whole day, and by 11:00 pm the Watch was just hitting its Power Reserve point."

Yep. Just rubbish battery life. 18 hours is useless.
 
ghostface147 said:
Bottom line, it's a bit slow and battery life is garbage.
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Not according to Ben Bajarin's review.

https://techpinions.com/my-first-week-with-the-apple-watch/39543
Battery
From my experience with battery life, Apple appears to have undersold it. The Apple Watch easily lasted a day, even a long day of heavy use. My Apple Watch battery never got below 20% and only once even got close to that. The day it did was a long day when I took it off the charger at 5:45am and used it frequently, including tracking my activity during a two hour tennis match, and I didn’t plug it back in until 10:30pm.

With my average usage, I tried to see how long I could go and several times over the week got nearly two days of battery life. 
This will obviously vary by person, but the fact Apple Watch users will not have to worry about battery life over the course of the day no matter how heavy it is used is important for the experience.
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sterl320 said:
What did you think Apple wanted people to be saying?
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Apple wanted reviewers to say:

Battery life is amazing
If you have an iPhone you NEED this Watch!
If you don't have an iPhone, get one and the Watch!
Having notifications on your wrist is convenient

What they actually got:

Battery life is so-so to good enough for one day.
iPhone owners don't really need an Apple Watch.
If you don't have an iPhone, don't buy one just for this watch.
Having notifications on your wrist is annoying.
 
Guys, at the end of the day, these are just personal opinions and observations by others. Consider them, but take them with a grain of salt. The only real opinion that matters is YOURS.

That said, I'm getting one (two actually, one for me and one for the wife). But, since this is a new device and I am not exactly sure how it is going to be used in my daily life, I'm getting the Sport model to start. Once I figure that out, a more expensive/fancier Version 2.0 might be justified.
 
Rogifan said:
Will be interesting to see how Apple manages the narrative. Apple is so much bigger now and has so many more people following it. People that assume every gen 1 Apple product launched to rave reviews. Heck I don't even remember some of the gen 1 iPhone and iPad reviews.
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As I remember they were positive with some reservations. A bit like these Watch reviews. :)
 
Lauren Goode said:
One day this past week, I woke up at 5:15 am, exercised for an hour using the Watch, ran Maps during my commute, made phones calls and received notifications throughout the whole day, and by 11:00 pm the Watch was just hitting its Power Reserve point."
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I think that is actually pretty good power life.
 
seems the reviewers like the watch, but they're cautious of the whole idea of a smart watch. because ultimately, almost anything the watch can do, the iPhone can do. It's just a matter of convenience.

That said, I'm still getting up early to get mine ;)
 
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