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Bad decisions: Don't buy a Watch if you don't want one
- Thread starter Che Castro
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There's some truth in that article. Some here don't do their research and simply bought an iDevice because "everyone else is buying so it must be good." Blame it on group think.
Honestly, thank goodness. I have read and watched numerous reviews and most of the ones that were negative or indifferent, but erring on the negative side generally had this theme in common. I can't tell you how many times I have heard the words "It seems like a good problem in search of a solution" or similar. I read the referenced review as well and thought it was kinda funny hearing the comments.
Not that I have anything against those reviews and I think they are spot on in some sense. The problem with a lot of them is that I find them to be very subjective in how they tackle the review. Whereas I would hope to have found more objective reviews. Who is the watch really for? How do you know you should get one? Who are the people this watch does provide a solution for? Who won't find a solution?
Having said that, this thing isn't for everyone, but I also feel like this is a bit of a foreign object that is going to become more mainstream in the times coming. More and more people will continue to find utility and Apple will build upon it (albeit slowly) as they always do
Not that I have anything against those reviews and I think they are spot on in some sense. The problem with a lot of them is that I find them to be very subjective in how they tackle the review. Whereas I would hope to have found more objective reviews. Who is the watch really for? How do you know you should get one? Who are the people this watch does provide a solution for? Who won't find a solution?
Having said that, this thing isn't for everyone, but I also feel like this is a bit of a foreign object that is going to become more mainstream in the times coming. More and more people will continue to find utility and Apple will build upon it (albeit slowly) as they always do
The original Engadget article left me feeling much the same as the Macalope, so I get exactly where he's coming from. LOL.
I don't think I'd publicize my utter stupidity at buying something I didn't want in the first place just to create clickbait.
I don't think I'd publicize my utter stupidity at buying something I didn't want in the first place just to create clickbait.
I have seen FAR more news articles finding major fault with the watch than those who praise it. Yet I see a good number of people on this forum who love their watch even though they recognize it's generation 1 and not perfect.
The articles against the watch typically harp on the same things, particularly that you already have a phone in your pocket so why do you need the watch.
Don't forget that any article headline that implies "Apple blew it" pretty much automatically gets five times the clicks as one that is positive about the product. Clicks equals ad revenue equals motivation to write more negative articles. I saw plenty of this when the iPad first came out, again when the iPhone 6 Plus came out (OMG - Bendgate!), and so on. In each case the negativity died down as soon as the public learned first-hand that the product in question was actually pretty great.
Now let me say up-front: the Apple Watch is NOT for everyone. Yes it IS redundant to the phone but there still is an advantage to having one. Each person needs to do a little research, and go try one on. If you have NO ISSUES AT ALL reaching for your phone all the time, and really have no desire for a watch, and don't need to track your health, then DON'T GET ONE. You will be disappointed.
I on the other hand know exactly how the watch will benefit me and have done my research. No one else is going to tell me how to think about this. My watch arrives tomorrow or the next day and I'm really looking forward to it.
The articles against the watch typically harp on the same things, particularly that you already have a phone in your pocket so why do you need the watch.
Don't forget that any article headline that implies "Apple blew it" pretty much automatically gets five times the clicks as one that is positive about the product. Clicks equals ad revenue equals motivation to write more negative articles. I saw plenty of this when the iPad first came out, again when the iPhone 6 Plus came out (OMG - Bendgate!), and so on. In each case the negativity died down as soon as the public learned first-hand that the product in question was actually pretty great.
Now let me say up-front: the Apple Watch is NOT for everyone. Yes it IS redundant to the phone but there still is an advantage to having one. Each person needs to do a little research, and go try one on. If you have NO ISSUES AT ALL reaching for your phone all the time, and really have no desire for a watch, and don't need to track your health, then DON'T GET ONE. You will be disappointed.
I on the other hand know exactly how the watch will benefit me and have done my research. No one else is going to tell me how to think about this. My watch arrives tomorrow or the next day and I'm really looking forward to it.
It does seem a bit daft, doesn't it? Don't buy something you don't want. Duh.
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My main gripe with the vast majority of these news/tech site's Apple Watch reviews is that they are more reviewing the need (or lack of need in their eyes) for a smart watch in general than actually reviewing the Apple Watch. It's mostly "I just don't see a need for a Apple Watch when you have your iPhone in your pocket". That isn't an issue specific to Apple Watch but all smart watches in general. I know this is a big time for smart watches now that Apple is in the mix, but I wish they could separate their lack of understanding of a need for a smart watch in general and review the apple watch vs other smart watches it competes against. Then come out with an article with their view of where smartwatches are in general and if they collectively make sense now. What if you were reading a review of the new corvette and the reviewer spent the majority of the time harping on why he really doesn't see a need for a sports car. Nobody wants to read that, they want to know specifically how the corvette compares to the other cars it is competing against.
I argue that most people who are actually spending their money on a Apple Watch have bought into or at least want to buy into the idea that smart watches are useful. And if they are blindly buying into Apple Watch just because it's Apple then no review will convince them differently. I previously owned a Pebble and really enjoyed it but quickly found the lack of being able to respond at all to notifications was crippling. So, I have personally found my Apple Watch to be fantastic, it's everything I had hoped the Pebble could be.
I argue that most people who are actually spending their money on a Apple Watch have bought into or at least want to buy into the idea that smart watches are useful. And if they are blindly buying into Apple Watch just because it's Apple then no review will convince them differently. I previously owned a Pebble and really enjoyed it but quickly found the lack of being able to respond at all to notifications was crippling. So, I have personally found my Apple Watch to be fantastic, it's everything I had hoped the Pebble could be.
I think the reason you got so much pontificating about whether smartwatches are a thing you really need in the first place is that they are so new as a category. I would think that the vast majority of smartwatch buyers are buying their first one. So it's worth examining, especially since a lot of people buying the watch apparently didn't have a very good idea of what they were even intended for.
That said, I agree that it doesn't really seem fair to have someone who is against a particular product category doing the review for a product in that category. It definitely came through in some reviews.
That said, I agree that it doesn't really seem fair to have someone who is against a particular product category doing the review for a product in that category. It definitely came through in some reviews.
lol AB-SO-FU-CKING-LUTE-LY.
It's like watching Top Gear and listening to the presenters complain about a new type of car, rather than comparing it to what is on the market at the moment. Check out Clarkson's review of the BMW i8 - this is how you talk about a new product category:
https://youtu.be/dNC1g2c2xHI?t=13m11s
(video starts at his conclusion, which is actually really profound... He's such an a$$ hole, but when he sets his mind to it, he can do a really good job at reviews)