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

[samcraig]

People keep saying that, but given how horrible smartwatches have been up until now, it would have been a colossal screwup and embarrassment for Apple not to make the best one.

Not sure I even understand the comparison anyway. Perhaps in the sense of jewelry/fashion - they've succeed and surpassed the "competition" - but as far as features and functionality - where it really counts - Apple's offering doesn't seem (to me based on reviews) any better or worse than its "competition."

What is so horrible about the current smartwatches that Apple has succeeded in where they have come up short. Again - other than "fashion." Unless that's the biggest issue you/others have with smart watches.

 

[Quu]

I understand the comparison you are making, but when are people going to stop making this comparison? The Apple Watch shouldn't be in the same category as the Pebble. I have a Pebble and I love it. But they're 2 completely different "smart watches". I shouldn't have to breakdown their differences but I feel like I almost have to because it seems they aren't publicly known.

Again, I think the Pebble is a great smart watch, but its battery lasts as long as it does mainly because of its screen and its interactive abilities. This fact should be obvious. As for a regular watch, I feel it's laughable to bring that into a discussion about "smart watches".

If I ever forget to charge my Apple Watch, when I get one, I will wake up, say oops, and throw on one of my 10 other watches (or put it on the charger. Very rarely do I wake up in a shirt and tie ready to walk out the door immediately). I feel this will be an option for most people who buy the Apple Watch because I feel the Watch will sell more to people who have watches and appreciate watches, than those who enjoy technology and don't own another watch.

Like I said, I understand the comparison because they're both "smart watches", but they're 2 vastly different products in the same class. They both serve a purpose. They're both great products. But they're different.

How is it laughable to compare the battery life of the Apple Watch to a conventional watch?

The fact is if you forget to charge the Apple Watch even once you will not be using it the following day. This is a huge drawback for the biggest feature of the watch: Telling you the time.

Remember when Steve showed off the iPhone and he said the killer feature was making calls? Well the killer feature of a watch is being dependable in always telling you the accurate time when you look at it. If the battery is dead because you forgot to charge it before you went to bed the night before it has failed in its most important faculty.

 

[bbeagle]

uhm yes?

So, you're on a first date with someone, and your phone vibrates 20 times during the date - do you immediately check your phone each time?

If so, that's very sad.

Have a conversation uninterrupted, excuse yourself to the restroom 10 minutes later, and check there. Any notification can wait 10 minutes, and is far less important than a face-to-face conversation.

 

[Robstevo]

Interesting comments about the learning curve which is something I've mentioned before.

For the "average" person - I wonder how much of a frustration point it will be or if many will just "deal with it" and either not use the watch to it's full(er) potential by not making the customizations or tinker here and there.

In terms of UI its like apple and Google of old have switched places. Android wear UI is very simple, elegant and simple to use.

The watch UI looks to be complicated by any tech standards. It also doesn't match what apple has been doing with the ios and osx systems. They have all turned white, clean looking and flat.

This is dark, over saturated colours, 3d looking objects etc very weird.

 

[bbeagle]

Remember when Steve showed off the iPhone and he said the killer feature was making calls? Well the killer feature of a watch is being dependable in always telling you the accurate time when you look at it. If the battery is dead because you forgot to charge it before you went to bed the night before it has failed in its most important faculty.

The watch has a 72 hour reserve time mode - so if you forget to charge it, you can still wear it the next day, and it will tell time all day.

 

[retrospek]

What makes me laugh is when people say looking at the watch is more discrete !

If I were in a meeting and someone started looking at the watch I would be annoyed they were getting bored and wanted to go !

At least when someone checks the phone you know they are probably looking at notifications etc..

I think the watch is less discrete !

 

[spinedoc77]

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....

Meh, the Gear S got it right on the first time, certainly much more than the apple watch. At least in functionality, the Gear S is admittedly pretty ugly, but then the Apple watch isn't any beauty queen either.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Yep, that's about what I expected.

The day battery & IC chips allow Apple to put the entire iPhone in a watch, they'll have another game changer on their hands. But since the cost effectiveness of that isn't there yet, the watch remains demoted to a phone accessory, very limited in usefulness.

I expect we'll get to that point in the coming decade though. & look back on carrying big slabs of phones in our pockets as a goofy fad. This is a good first step in that direction, so, I like it.

 

[cmChimera]

The Verge review is a really solid assessment, especially for a site that is typically partial to apple.

I watched the Verge review and didn't feel it was even an adequate review of the product. I got a video about whether Nilay likes having notifications on his wrist and a discussion with some people I don't know about whether or not it will take off in the fashion world. The criticism about notifications really bothered me because it doesn't make sense. I get that the huge list of notifications or not options isn't ideal to him. That's valid, but asking for Apple to be the filter of what types of instagram notifications you get is absurd. That's your responsibility.

 

[krspkbl]

I'll wait for the 3rd or 4th revision.

 

[nando87]

Those people are tech reviewers. That makes them miss at least, being very conservative, a very big part about the apple watch. If a tech related reviewer gives the apple watch just a normal rating, it's more than enough. They just don't get it, it's the first time an Apple product is not really about technology but about fashion. If you want to know if the Apple Watch will be a hit or not, better try to find Vogue, Hodinkee... reviews, not that crap.

 

[Quu]

The watch has a 72 hour reserve time mode - so if you forget to charge it, you can still wear it the next day, and it will tell time all day.

Well that shuts me up.

 

[rei101]

It seems to me that the Apple watch has potential but it's not quite there yet. The reviews haven't been overwhelmingly positive but they're also not saying that the apple watch is bad, just a little unnecessary. It's also really expensive for something that can't function without my phone and does a lot less than my iPhone. Maybe next generation I'll consider it, but for now I'll live with having to take my phone out of my pocket every now and then.

That is why they were targeting the fashion industry, people with no brain that only wanted to show off stuff.

It will be sell well in Miami where guys are renting a Lamborghini for $5K a day and still not able to pick up a girl at night. I have seen them.

That is the Watch that the sugar daddy buys to his little girl.

There is not an actual application to it. The screen is so small that you will end up pulling your iPhone out of your pocket any way, mark my words.

Apple should have release this watch very quietly and let it get traction itself. It is probably less functional than a mouse.

You will see the numbers later on, yes, it will sell but as a novelty but it will fall quick because it was overexposed.

 

[cmichaelb]

Nobody said that about the iPhone and iPod.

The watch is nothing like those. Those made sense.

A lot of commentators said the iPod was unnecessary- just another mp3 player.

The iPhone had detractors as well.

 

[ChinaRye]

This just reflects what many of us feel. The watch is something that we want, but don't really need...yet. It's a first gen device that is more of a novelty at this point than a practical device. But I still plan on getting one because I am too weak to wait.

 

[bushido]

So, you're on a first date with someone, and your phone vibrates 20 times during the date - do you immediately check your phone each time?

If so, that's very sad.

Have a conversation uninterrupted, excuse yourself to the restroom 10 minutes later, and check there. Any notification can wait 10 minutes, and is far less important than a face-to-face conversation.

Well there are exceptions like the one u just mentioned of course. I just meant like over all. One time me and my friends we tried to put all our phones on the restaurant table face down and whoever looks first had to pay the bill. Some didn't last 10 minutes. It's the generation we live in. Having a watch buzz all the time pushes the trend even further. You probably even fail to notice that u keep checking your wrist while the other person gets annoyed. With a phone u at least "know" it's rude cuz u have to take it out of your pocket, unlock it and check first lol

 

[spinedoc77]

I can't get over the "now I don't have to fumble around for my phone!" review. As if using a smartphone was cumbersome.

Some of us have different needs. Is it not cumbersome to take your phone out of your pocket while careening down a highway at 80mph? Is it not cumbersome to take your phone out of your pocket if both your hands are full, busy or dirty? Is tilting your wrist slightly not less cumbersome than pulling your phone out of your pocket 100 times per day?

I can definitely see that smartwatches are not for everyone, but I wish the naysayers saying "no one needs it" would realize some people have different needs.

 

[mattopotamus]

Apple can get away with a lot and they will sell a lot I'm sure, but that does not mean this device solves any kind of problem. It doesn't. Its more micromanagement in your life just different, more cables and more devices to charge everyday.

You don't get it, that is ok

 

[D.T.]

If I ever forget to charge my Apple Watch [...]

It would be just like forgetting to charge your phone Charge it in my bag? In the car? At the office? Quick charge before I leave? (sounds like it amps up quickly)

Heck, what if I forget to put gas in my car ... or brush my teeth ... or submit my TPS reports? I'll just add this to my other big boy daily chores

 

[QCassidy352]

I'm sure a lot of people are asking the same question, which is "why do I need a smartwatch?"

Exactly. Apple convinced me I needed an iPod immediately, and I had a first generation. Ditto for the iPhone.

For the iPad, I was not immediately persuaded and waited to gen 2. This feels like the iPad, but even less so. The iPad is hardly necessary but definitely better than other choices in certain situations. I'm still struggling to see when the watch would be better than an iPhone (except running/workout, but they didn't put in gps, so scratch that).

 

[grimmace]

Thank The Verge for a totally deflate. Guess he won't be getting anything early from Apple again. Complaining about adjusting the settings?? That's a one time adjustment! Give your close people the VP and the rest can be turned off, just like the phone itself. Yes all the emojis are fluff but who cares. It makes it fun. Also, seems like too many people here think that this will be revised yearly like the iPhone. I doubt that. I bet there is not a new hardware revision with better battery life for at least 2 years from now. Even then, with a slimmer and longer battery life, the watch will still do the same things. Since they will revise the OS much quicker. I still think the Steel is a good choice as watches do get wacked a lot which I see the aluminum even getting dented over time. The steel and sapphire are still worth the extra $200 for the protection and shine it gives.

 

[TC03]

Good for you. I think it is weird you cannot fathom this concept.

Not all of us have that luxury to just ignore unless it is a call. I use my phone for work, and co-workers are constantly messaging me for help, or to say "can you jump on this conf call?"

If I am in a meeting, I can just stop the meeting to answer a phone call to see if it is important. But I CAN look at a message and decide from that. Even better that I can do it by glancing at my wrist, and not having to pull out my phone.

I use my phone for work too. We use e-mail and messaging for non-urgent matters and phone calls for urgent matters. Works flawlessly. I think it's not reasonable to expect people to respond to notifications all the time.

 

[KPOM]

Interesting comments about the learning curve which is something I've mentioned before.

For the "average" person - I wonder how much of a frustration point it will be or if many will just "deal with it" and either not use the watch to it's full(er) potential by not making the customizations or tinker here and there.

Likely they just won't use these features. Joanna Stern said it was too difficult to find the do not disturb feature, and more worryingly said the sport strap made her wish she had a third hand (she loves the Milanese Loop) but mostly I sense that the tech writers tried to use all the features. People will need to tweak the notification settings, too. I did not get the sense that the UI was iTunes-like confusing. Rather that it wasn't typical Apple simple (and limited).

 

[jbachandouris]

This is what I never understood about this forum: Why is it when someone doesn't like a device, they insult the people that do?

If you don't like/want it, then don't buy it. Insulting the choices of others makes no sense to me.

Although I am still on the fence, but as a previous poster mentioned, I am now 47 and being able to keep track of my health is a compelling factor. How helpful will that turn out to be? Who knows. I have 14 days to decide.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I can't get over the "now I don't have to fumble around for my phone!" review. As if using a smartphone was cumbersome.

Only since this watch came to life. I dare anyone to find any pre-watch comments about the difficulty of pulling iPhones out of our pockets and these "fumbling around"-type comments. The iPhone used to be spun as perfection- the one do-everything device that anyone and everyone needs. If someone wrote about the difficulty in pulling it out of a pocket and this "fumbling around"-type language, the ADF would have torn into them with fury. But now... now we have to rationalize this watch, so where it overlaps with what can be done on the iPhone, the latter must be spun as less convenient, difficult, cumbersome, etc. to prop up the "why?" regarding this watch.

It's like this: Apple wants to sell a watch. Part of rationalizing the watch means poking some brand new negatives at even other Apple products. Now it's cumbersome to pull out an iPhone (that we probably have out 50 times a day anyway). Or we're suddenly worried about iPhone security such that the watch can keep the phone securely in our pocket (but watch security is apparently not an issue).

And the spin machine hatches these generally rare or oddball scenarios where it really would be easier to peek at a screen on our wrist than get out the iPhone ("I'm hanging from a rope but I need to read a new text", "I'm shoveling snow and the iPhone is inside 12 layers of clothes but I need to get a text right away", etc).

Even these select, chosen reviewers are having some obvious challenges gushing about the product. These are chosen reviewers, not randomly selected. They can't bash it too much for fear of getting put on Apple's other list (the unchosen or permanently excluded). Personally, I'm shocked at these reviews in how much they said that might objectively be viewed as negative for the product and the category.

More interestingly though is how our group here is reading and seeing the exact same reviews and interpreting "half full" and "half empty" toward the extremes. Reminds me of the old business sales lesson...

2 shoe salespeople are dispatched to a previously-untapped market in deepest Africa in search of shoe buyers. After assessing the very same market, each reports back:

• "No opportunity here. Nobody wear's shoes"
• "Amazing opportunity here. Nobody has any shoes."