Apple Watch, what reviewers miss.

[MrX8503]

So I finally took the plunge and got myself the 38mm stainless steel Apple watch.

I will admit that it feels like a first gen product, but I can clearly see Apple has really thought this through.

From a hardware standpoint, the Apple watch seems to be packing the most punch in ppi, storage, and possibly SoC. They're the only one to build a custom chip just for the watch. Apple has never been a spec whore, but the hardware is impressive.

What reviewers miss is how small the watch is (compared to competitors anyway). Many complain about it's small battery, but to me it's necessary to make the watch smaller. It's also a testament to the efficiencies of the SoC and OS. It's impressive that the Apple watch can last as long as another watch with twice the mAh.

Why does it have to be small? Because the watch can appeal to BOTH genders. It's still a fashion product after all. Other smart watches has been predominantly designed for men.

I'm male, but with pretty small wrists so I went with the 38mm. I can't see myself with anything larger. I think we'll start seeing more smart watches coming in two sizes. Right out the gate, I think Apple got this right.


Source: Gizmodo

 

[r0k]

I thought about the 38mm. I, too have small wrists and wound up putting the smaller strap on my 42mm watch. I've got "old eyes" so I went with the 42mm so I could see it better. I tried the paper cutouts that were on several web sites and almost zeroed in on 42mm from that alone but when tryout day came and I saw them in the Apple store, running nothing but a demo loop, I could tell the 42mm was right for me. I agree the reviewers have their heads on backwards. Doesn't Apple usually win markets by making things smaller? The only exception is the iPhone 6 and 6 plus which were responses to the phablets that were wooing customers away from Apple. It is a testament to Apple's good judgement that they didn't try to ride out the iPhone 4ish or even 5ish form factor indefinitely. Remember this?

 

[sean000]

I went with the 38mm after trying both sizes in the Apple Store about six weeks ago. I have 170mm wrists. Both sizes looked fine, but the 38mm felt better to me. I also thought it looked slightly better on my wrist than the 42mm. My main concern was readability since I am nearsighted but also need bifocals for close distance (I'm not wearing them yet). Honestly I did not think the 38mm was any more difficult to read, so I went with it since it felt right to me. The differences really are subtle and neither watch is huge. Personally I am not a fan of big watches, and I'm not a fan of big smart watches that try to look like a regular watch. Round faces are great for telling time, but a smart watch does so much more than tell time, and for all those other functions I believe a rectangular face is better than a round one.

The reviews lowered my expectations a little, so I was pleasantly surprised at how well the watch works, and I agree that a lot of thought has gone into it. Yes there is room for improvement, and I think we will see some of those improvements in Watch OS2. Personally I don't think the current OS feels beta at all. I have tested and documented new technology since 1995, and the Apple Watch is much more polished than a lot of other products I can think of were when they hit the market. I think the problem with a lot of the reviews is that they were written by people who simply aren't the target audience. The Apple Watch is an accessory to the iPhone that will never appeal to all iPhone owners. A lot of reviewers tried one just so they could write a review they knew would get clicks. They were biased against the watch before even trying one, and they still harp on things that most of us consider to be non-issues like battery life or the fact that it is more accessory than standalone device. The iPhone had a media problem too at first. Many reviewers claimed that it would fail because nobody would want to type on a screen when they could buy a device with an actual keypad like the Blackberry. Heh. Heh-heh. Remember when reviews used to say the iPhone would never be as successful as the Blackberry?

Sean

 

[MrX8503]

Yeah it's interesting to see where the Apple watch will end up. I think OS2 will really amp up its usefulness with native apps. In its current form, I'm happy with the stock apps and the 3rd party apps are pretty good. I'm hoping native apps will be able to pull data through wifi.

I see the watch being the perfect marriage for IOTs. I think that's the next big thing.