Be honest, if someone else had designed the Apple Watch as it appears today...

[AndroidKing]

... and it didn't have an on it, would you be swooning over it? Would you think it actually looks good? Be willing to pay $350-$600 for it?

Other watches:

*Personally I think paying money for what essentially are tiny secondary displays for your mobile phone is ridiculous across the board, but whatever.

 

[Fabienne]

Yes, it does so much more than the other things you are showing. Quite an accomplishment.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

To be fair, if Apple released a smartwatch that came in only two colors like the Moto 360, we'd suffer from Watch constipation from seeing everyone and their mothers and daughters wearing the same things that look alike. At least we won't get sick of it because of the many different available styles.

 

[kerrikins]

You really think that that ^ looks better than this:

?

I think the watch looks sleek and pretty good. *shrugs*

 

[thejadedmonkey]

It's a strange world where the Apple watch is less fashionable than the Moto one.

 

[APlotdevice]

I don't especially care what a smart watch looks like. My concern is functionality. For that reason, even after this announcement, I still consider the Pebble to be the the best Smartwatch out there. It may not have all the fancy doodads, but it makes up for that with battery life and a screen which can actually be read outdoors.

 

[douglasf13]

I honestly don't think it's even close, and anyone who's handled an Apple Watch apparently thinks the same thing. The fit and finish of the Apple Watch is said to be quite a step up.

That Moto 360 is ridiculously large, comparatively, and I don't understand why a circle would make sense. Sure, it makes sense for an analogue watch, but I don't want a digital watch masquerading as an analogue watch. It's not really fooling anyone.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

It's a strange world where the Apple watch is less fashionable than the Moto one.

The Moto may be better looking for a particular style, but I'd argue it's less fashionable because it comes in only two colors whereas the Watch is available in many different styles.

 

[AndroidKing]

I don't especially care what a smart watch looks like. My concern is functionality. For that reason, even after this announcement, I still consider the Pebble to be the the best Smartwatch out there. It may not have all the fancy doodads, but it makes up for that with battery life and a screen which can actually be read outdoors.

Yeah I don't really think watches that have to be recharged every night or two will be popular.

Plus none of these are really smartwatches anyway, since they are tethered to you phone. Which makes then smaller inconvenient secondary screens to the phone you have in your pocket anyway. Who is gonna be showing off pictures or banking or playing games on a watch when the main device that lets them run is better and is present on you anyway.

In the end, they should have just stuck with the strap for the Nano.

 

[APlotdevice]

Yeah I don't really think watches that have to be recharged every night or two will be popular.

Plus none of these are really smartwatches anyway, since they are tethered to you phone. Which makes then smaller inconvenient secondary screens to the phone you have in your pocket anyway. Who is gonna be showing off pictures or banking or playing games on a watch when the main device that lets them run is better and is present on you anyway.

In the end, they should have just stuck with the strap for the Nano.

They are secondary screens, but I don't think that makes them useless. Its purpose is very similar to the secondary screens found on later flip phones: providing key information at a glance. Though with this you don't even have to take your phone out of your pocket/purse/etc.

 

[mcdj]

If someone else had designed the watch, it wouldn't be an Apple product, it wouldn't fit into the Apple ecosystem, talk to other Apple products, be supported by Apple, etc.

As with any other Product XYZ vs. Apple product argument, as soon as you take all the aforementioned benefits away, you are no longer comparing the same product. Apple's genius and competetive edge is not rooted solely in its hardware/software designs. The entire Apple experience elevates each of its offerings.

If someone else had designed the Apple watch as it appears today, it wouldn't be as it appears today.

If you are talking strictly in terms of hardware and UI, I don't neccessarily think it's Apple's crowning achievement. But if you add in the features it comes with by virtue of being part of the Apple ecosystem, it becomes a lot more compelling.

I happen to think the Samsung is a nicer looking watch, but it's useless to me as a wearable extension of the rest of my tech.

 

[Michael CM1]

The Moto watch doesn't look all that bad, but a circular watch really wastes a TON of space and is probably a developer's nightmare. As one who designs newspaper pages, I would bash someone across the head if they said, "OK, we're going to make a circular edition."

What really got me was the bands that were extremely customizable using magnets. My fitbit band has a bunch of holes in it for clasping the band, and it usually works. But it also has the tendency to either feel too loose or too tight no matter where I put the notch. A couple of the Apple Watch bands made me drop my jaw.

I do think it's unfortunate that it requires an iPhone for most functions, if not all of them. But you're talking a 1.0 device and something the Galaxy Gear did last year. If Apple is struggling to get a day of battery life out of them now, what do you think would happen if GPS and LTE were added? How much extra would they cost then?

For getting the product off the ground, that's no big deal. The iPod at first only synched with Macs. The Apple Watch *only* works with what will be about 100 million compatible iPhones. I would assume we will see a standalone version if it becomes a hit and a non-iPhone market is out there. But I dig it for now. I'll probably sit on the fence like I did for the iPad, but it's something I would definitely like to own.

 

[boast]

Moto 360 face + iWatch bands = win

 

[Jessica Lares]

If someone else had designed the watch, it wouldn't be an Apple product, it wouldn't fit into the Apple ecosystem, talk to other Apple products, be supported by Apple, etc.

As with any other Product XYZ vs. Apple product argument, as soon as you take all the aforementioned things away, you are no longer comparing the same product.

If someone else had designed the Apple watch as it appears today, it wouldn't be as it appears today.

This.

Would I have any interest? No. And it's not because I'm religiously dedicated to the company or anything like that, it's simply because it would be just another Pebble Watch which no one takes seriously and hobbyist developers throw whatever at it. I'm not going to throw away money on a product that developers don't take seriously. This isn't the device you're going to show your graphics skills on by coming out with zillions of quirky clock faces, or how you can make a playable game of Tetris work on it.

There are not enough developers on the Android side that have intentions to make anything more than prototypes for Android Wear. It will become a hacker's playground (They've already made Tasker for it for instance), and not so much a product for consumers.

There will be at MINIMUM 500 applications at launch for the Apple Watch. I guarantee you that a majority of the big name developers will find ways to incorporate it into their apps. It will be nuts.

 

[Cassady]

Don't really get the problem about the battery life of the new watch? I don't sleep with mine on - granted, many do - but still...

I charge my laptop daily. My iPhone, my iPad (if used extensively during the day) - Garmin Edge regularly too. So honestly, it's one more device to be charged - instead of simply plopping it down on the bed sidetable - I'll now plop in down on the same table, connected to a charger. I think I will survive. Most others would to, no?

 

[SHNXX]

Image

You really think that that ^ looks better than this:

Image?

I think the watch looks sleek and pretty good. *shrugs*

haha. nice.
you're right.

 

[timshundo]

It's a strange world where the Apple watch is less fashionable than the Moto one.

Riiiiiight.

All the sudden everyone is a fashion expert.

The Moto360 is not a fashionable object. It's a piece of tech trying to be fashionable. I think it lacks the respect that Apple has for the history/fine details of what makes a watch a watch. Android Wear is so predictable. It's phone UI shrunk down to a square and cropped into a circle.

A circular display is a great technical feat for the 360 but it distracts from the rest of the watch which is nothing to write home about. They're cool, but circular displays are not the end all be all of smartwatch displays.

 

[NewbieCanada]

The Moto watch doesn't look all that bad, but a circular watch really wastes a TON of space and is probably a developer's nightmare. As one who designs newspaper pages, I would bash someone across the head if they said, "OK, we're going to make a circular edition."

It would be very popular with people who have round bird cages.

 

[lynyrd65]

It's so obvious that the Apple Watch lacks the aesthetics of other watches (Moto 360 and LG G Watch R), that it makes me wonder why some of you defend Apple on this and call it beautiful. Some of you are so incredibly blinded by your love for Apple it's ridiculous.

It looks flat out ugly to me. I'll probably buy one some day anyway but it really pales in comparison to its competitors on looks.

 

[SHNXX]

It's so obvious that the Apple Watch lacks the aesthetics of other watches (Moto 360 and LG G Watch R), that it makes me wonder why some of you defend Apple on this and call it beautiful. Some of you are so incredibly blinded by your love for Apple it's ridiculous.

It looks flat out ugly to me. I'll probably buy one some day anyway but it really pales in comparison to its competitors on looks.

Actually the moto360 looks quite ugly.
LG G I'm not sure about because I haven't seen any good photos of it.
Do you have them (real life photos)?

Apple watch is not a very pretty watch either but it is far better proportioned than the clunky 46mm diameter SAUCER that is the moto360z

 

[Nebrie]

Riiiiiight.

Image

All the sudden everyone is a fashion expert.

The Moto360 is not a fashionable object. It's a piece of tech trying to be fashionable. I think it lacks the respect that Apple has for the history/fine details of what makes a watch a watch. Android Wear is so predictable. It's phone UI shrunk down to a square and cropped into a circle.

Android Wear is literally Google Now thrown onto a second monitor. The 360 is Android Wear with the corners cut off. None of it, of course, designed with women in mind which explains the disconnect between the comments seen online and the real world.

People also have the tendency to become experts every time a new Apple product is released. We must have had about five thousand antenna engineering experts visiting MacRumors when the iPhone 4 was launched!

 

[mattopotamus]

Actually the moto360 looks quite ugly.
LG G I'm not sure about because I haven't seen any good photos of it.
Do you have them (real life photos)?

Apple watch is not a very pretty watch either but it is far better proportioned than the clunky 46mm diameter SAUCER that is the moto360z

I think the moto 360 actually looks really great in person, and I have no doubt the apple watch will also look great in person.

The biggest let down to me is the time frame. If this watch was released along side the new phones, I would dump my nexus and buy a i6/awatch. Now I have the next 6 months to see how android wear develops and how many more watches will be released in that time frame.

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Android Wear is literally Google Now thrown onto a second monitor. The 360 is Android Wear with the corners cut off. None of it, of course, designed with women in mind which explains the disconnect between the comments seen online and the real world.

People also have the tendency to become experts every time a new Apple product is released. We must have had about five thousand antenna engineering experts visiting MacRumors when the iPhone 4 was launched!

which is actually a very good thing to be honest.

 

[Nebrie]

I think the moto 360 actually looks really great in person, and I have no doubt the apple watch will also look great in person.

It does... as long as you're 6 feet tall and/or 200lbs. Otherwise, it really looks awful.

----------

It's so obvious that the Apple Watch lacks the aesthetics of other watches (Moto 360 and LG G Watch R), that it makes me wonder why some of you defend Apple on this and call it beautiful. Some of you are so incredibly blinded by your love for Apple it's ridiculous.

It looks flat out ugly to me. I'll probably buy one some day anyway but it really pales in comparison to its competitors on looks.

So anyone who doesn't share your exact subjective tastes are sheeple? Get a grip.

 

[kdarling]

You really think that that ^ looks better than this:

One of the first hands-on reviews (with nice photos) of the Apple Watch, notes that it does not easily fit under a shirt cuff.

"If I had to criticize the actual form of the Apple Watch, it would be a complaint you've heard from me before (most recently with the Habring2 in our latest Three on Three); the Apple Watch doesn't fit under my shirt cuff without serious effort, if at all.

"I believe that great design should not disrupt daily life, and a watch that doesn't fit under a shirt sleeve is missing something.

"Apple is amazing (at) building thin, elegant machines, and I was surprised by how bulky this is, especially when the 45 minutes prior to the introduction of the Apple Watch were spent discussing how svelte the new iPhone 6 is.

"I understand the physical limitations and the required dock on the rear of the watch, but the Apple Watch is bulkier than I would've liked."

A Watch Guy's Thoughts On The Apple Watch After Seeing It In The Metal

I would suspect the same is true for the Moto 360.

 

[mattopotamus]

One of the first hands-on reviews (with nice photos) of the Apple Watch, notes that it does not easily fit under a shirt cuff.



I would suspect the same is true for the Moto 360.

I guess having small wrist pays off. Use the buttons that would make the cuff large.