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It was a wrong decision from Apple's point of view to release reviews ahead of the pre-orders. Many people will feel the same way you do. It will have a negative effect on the day 1 sales, which otherwise could be higher.

I also feel like my initial enthusiasm has dropped a bit, but I'm still convinced to buy it.
 
I have been around Apple for so long, I see these reviews as a bit more honest than usual and beyond that it's likely that they won't matter. Apple products are an emotional purchase for many of their customers. Often they are the same buyers that also believe that Apple knows what's best for them. Free thinkers who are independent is not who this group is.
 
How can I trust those "reviewers" when they can't even attach bands correctly?!

What a bunch of amateurs.
 
This is like the iPad 3. Expect iPad 4 to come out shortly.

Wow. I'd forgotten about that dark episode.

It was a jerk move by Apple, but they may have no option to repeat it and bring out Watch vsn 2 by summer if sales dwindle. I was shocked when they did that with iPad 3 and also immeasurably relieved that I'd just returned one (the first time I'd ever returned an Apple product because it was just "meh")

I got my iPad 4 and it's still going strong today. I was lucky, but a lot of iPad 3 "early-adopters" were truly pissed. And I can't blame them.
 
It was a wrong decision from Apple's point of view to release reviews ahead of the pre-orders. Many people will feel the same way you do. It will have a negative effect on the day 1 sales, which otherwise could be higher.

I also feel like my initial enthusiasm has dropped a bit, but I'm still convinced to buy it.

The only review that really bothered me from start to finish was the Verge because I don't think they went into it with an open mind. And there were stupid criticisms around notificafions. I would have much preferred if they said something like 'Apple still has some work to do on getting notifications just right' rather than 'this watch sux because it sent me an Instagram notification during an important meeting'. I prefer constructive criticism which I don't think the Verge provided. It's interesting how Ben Bajarin's first look is so different than the Verge's. It's almost as if they were reviewing different devices.
 
I don't think most of the reviews were fair. Everybody said it was better than any other smartwatch on the market, but then found things to complain about.
I think the price is the main issue/cause here, like most reviewers feel that it should deliver a lot more than the competitors since it is so expensive. But it does not.
 
I think the price is the main issue/cause here, like most reviewers feel that it should deliver a lot more than the competitors since it is so expensive. But it does not.

And yet I'm hearing complaints that it does too much.
 
I'm still defiantly buying, but am now thinking about buying the sport instead. I bought the iPad when it was first released, and I did not regret my purchase, until the second one came out, when I wished I had bought a cheaper version, so I would have felt better about replacing it.
I think I should buy the cheapest one this time around, and then splurge next time. Though there is a large possibility that I'll just splurge twice.
 
I found the reviews right on the money correlating to the Samsung watch that I owned when first released. Its really cool for the first couple of weeks, but lost its zeal shortly after. Notifications can be a real pain and defeats the purpose by turning them all off.

I plan on buying one just because I love new technology from apple. However, expecting lags and many problems that come with a new release

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As for notifications not much to get right or wrong... You either disable them or enable. You might can tweek here and there, but ultimately having spam email buzzing on your wrist or other ridiculous twitter feeds get old. Most will end up turning these off. Its tough to reply and read them on such a small device. I wouldnt discount the reviews I have a feeling they will be right on.
 
And yet I'm hearing complaints that it does too much.

I think that is the more valid criticism. Steve Jobs was good at saying no and Tim Cook may be less so. We do have a lot more iPads for sale right now, and Cook has yet to drop a product line other than the ancient iPod Classic.

I think the reviews are more honest. Katie Cotton held grudges. More honest reviews are a good thing. I'd like to think I'm getting Joanna Stern's honest opinion rather than a measured criticism for fear that she'll be "cut off" from future products. Cook has been all about transparency. And history has shown that Apple is a quick learner. We are early adopters. We pay more and get less. It's out choice. Of course Gen 2 will be better.
 
And yet I'm hearing complaints that it does too much.
Yep, people are strange. I have never understood why people complain about devices having lots of options outside of the basic functionality. It is not like you have to use everything all the time.

I know that the mantra of 'Apple knows best' is deeply rooted in the community, but a device like the Apple Watch is something that actually has to be tailor made to each users needs to be truly useful. One size does not fit all for devices like these.

My thoughts on the matter in general is that people find the most useful features for their own needs and simply do not use the ones that are not relevant for them. The key is of course that different people have different needs, so complaining about a device being able to do so and so ('but I personally don't need that exact function so why is it there...') seems very very odd to me.
 
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Was thinking about ordering one for my wife and one for me. Have decided to skip it...see little use in this toy.
 
it's not like apple watch superior to everything else - the watch is late to the game and yet brings nothing compelling to the table. Except it's overpriced, underpowered, and over-hyped.

People say the same about everything Apple does, and I just yawn. I've tried the others and they're always a step down from the Apple experience. Always.
 
Seeing it in real life situations actually raised my excitement!

There was one really important thing that came up in the reviews though, or maybe two, that struck me as real issues.

First - that it takes longer to actually glimpse at the time than with a regular watch. This is bad!!!

Second - the social rudeness of looking at your watch in the middle of a conversation! It looked absolutely terrible when the guy was sitting in his meeting and looking at the watch all the time. Really rude. Same at the verge with that girl. This might be a huge conceptual flaw of the whole smart watch idea.

I'll get one anyway and find out for myself.
 
If thats all it takes to kill your enthusiasm, then stop now. It wont get better. You are obviously more of a 'i want it to be part of the club' than actually want it to use it.
 
But smartwatches suck. So being the best of the smartwatches doesn't mean it's great.

Sure they do when you compare them to smartphones. But in the current realm of what's possible, I think the Apple Watch may be a nice addition to the mix.
 
If thats all it takes to kill your enthusiasm, then stop now. It wont get better. You are obviously more of a 'i want it to be part of the club' than actually want it to use it.

I really want everyone else to love this watch though, I really do. It would be truly sad if not enough people bought this product that Apple gave up on it, because I think the idea is totally solid and worth doing.

I even think Apple's choice for implementation is great - I like their watch bands (pretty much all of them are decent looking, some are downright outstanding) and I think their watch faces are beautiful.

I just hope that there are enough people who are better off than me and will think the price difference between $400 and $700 is not that significant so they will pick up the higher priced watches and convince the team at Apple that it really was worth effort at making high-end looking watches. Sadly, that will not be me, but I *want* to be that guy in a few years when I can confidently drop $700 on a Milanese loop SS watch and know it will be like my iPad 2 which will last me for 3.5 year.
 
I really want everyone else to love this watch though, I really do. It would be truly sad if not enough people bought this product that Apple gave up on it, because I think the idea is totally solid and worth doing.

I even think Apple's choice for implementation is great - I like their watch bands (pretty much all of them are decent looking, some are downright outstanding) and I think their watch faces are beautiful.

I just hope that there are enough people who are better off than me and will think the price difference between $400 and $700 is not that significant so they will pick up the higher priced watches and convince the team at Apple that it really was worth effort at making high-end looking watches. Sadly, that will not be me, but I *want* to be that guy in a few years when I can confidently drop $700 on a Milanese loop SS watch and know it will be like my iPad 2 which will last me for 3.5 year.

Exactly the model Im picking up. After 18 months with a pebble, i know how itll fit and and look forward to a number of its benefits over said pebble.
 
I 'won' an apple watch through a competition and was considering adding around $300 to upgrade it to the SS model.
Decided against it yesterday. Today's reviews solidified my position.

I'll be up 12am getting my order through.
 
The only review that really bothered me from start to finish was the Verge because I don't think they went into it with an open mind. And there were stupid criticisms around notificafions. I would have much preferred if they said something like 'Apple still has some work to do on getting notifications just right' rather than 'this watch sux because it sent me an Instagram notification during an important meeting'. I prefer constructive criticism which I don't think the Verge provided. It's interesting how Ben Bajarin's first look is so different than the Verge's. It's almost as if they were reviewing different devices.

I'm hearing a lot of complaints about The Verge's review and I don't really understand why. Are people so insecure that they need a tech blog to reassure themselves that they made the right choice in buying one? If you want one, buy it.

Reviews aren't meant to be just another one of Apple's press pieces. They should be honest, and if that means the guy doesn't like it, then he doesn't like it. It doesn't matter if he didn't understand why it gave him notifications or what the point of it was. If using it for a week couldn't convince him how and why he needs one, then nothing will - and I'd put that down to more of a flaw with the product.

Not just Apple fanatics will be buying these, and it's good to have different opinions from people who had different preconceptions. I'll still be buying one, but I'm glad to know of its (potential, and perhaps only for that person) faults.

Anyway, he still said it was the best smartwatch you could buy. That's hardly a negative review - I'm sure any other firm would kill for that kind of praise.
 
No, the "hype" that I had that was dashed was the bits about the watch interface being unresponsive. That is *very* un-Apple. And maybe this reviewer is biased, but I think it's really hard to ignore this quote:

I see your point. UX is Apple's supposed expertise, and now the reviews are suggesting otherwise. It may be a good "gadget" but not a "smartwatch," at least not the one with Apple before its name.
 
The reviews have made me go from considering the SS model to getting the Sport instead. That's about it, really.
 
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