Hands-On With the New Apple Watch Series 4

[Keirasplace]

You essentially spent $750 on a watchface and a band over a regular SS Series 4. As a stock holder I'm happy anytime people by Apple products, but as an average joe, I see that as ridiculously overpriced by Apple. It's a conundrum for me.

Don't get me wrong, the bands for Hermes are really nice, but not $750 nice... IMO.

IF people, buying and rebuy it, it's NOT OVERPRICED as a whole; at least not according to actual definition of the word and not the imaginary one in your head. Value people assign to it matches price, and they're not forced to buy it; unless you're calling those people idiots, they're making a rational decision and it is in fact not overpriced on the whole.

It may be overpriced FOR YOU though; overpriced is related to the value you get from the object and this value is constituted of objective and subjective components, many of which are relative to an individual, a group and finally a market segment.

 

[adith27]

Getting a couple of extra watch faces is definitely worth waiting 2 more weeks. So excited for the new screen though!

 

[Lloydbm41]

IF people, buying and rebuy it, it's NOT OVERPRICED as a whole; at least not according to actual definition of the word and not the imaginary one in your head. Value people assign to it matches price, and they're not forced to buy it; unless you're calling those people idiots, they're making a rational decision and it is in fact not overpriced on the whole.

It may be overpriced FOR YOU though; overpriced is related to the value you get from the object and this value is constituted of objective and subjective components, many of which are relative to an individual, a group and finally a market segment.

Woah, hold on there. I wasn't trying to offend you. And I did add IMO (In My Opinion) to my post. I'm simply making an observation that Apple is charging an absurd amount of money for a $10 piece of leather and a watchface. I never called you or anyone an idiot for doing so. It's your money, do as you please.

 

[dreamcast]

You essentially spent $750 on a watchface and a band over a regular SS Series 4. As a stock holder I'm happy anytime people by Apple products, but as an average joe, I see that as ridiculously overpriced by Apple. It's a conundrum for me.

Don't get me wrong, the bands for Hermes are really nice, but not $750 nice... IMO.

Good point taken, although its hard for me to describe how much I really enjoy the Hermes watch face.
However, I agree with you on one point which is I don't think the leather bands are as much of an enjoyment as the watch face. The larger watch face just shouts to the world, "Here I am, Hermes,". This Series 4 feels so good I may just lay it on my bed pillow at night next to me while I sleep. I can't remember feeling this much joy from an Apple product except for the first iPhone back in 2007. I was late in picking up my iPhone XS Max for in store pickup on the 21st, probably will do it tomorrow; But all my attention is on this beautiful timepiece, and I can't wait until the heart sensors are activated.

 

[Lloydbm41]

Good point taken, although its hard for me to describe how much I really enjoy the Hermes watch face.
However, I agree with you on one point which is I don't think the leather bands are as much of an enjoyment as the watch face. The larger watch face just shouts to the world, "Here I am, Hermes,". This Series 4 feels so good I may just lay it on my bed pillow at night next to me while I sleep. I can't remember feeling this much joy from an Apple product except for the first iPhone back in 2007. I was late in picking up my iPhone XS Max for in store pickup on the 21st, probably will do it tomorrow; But all my attention is on this beautiful timepiece, and I can't wait until the heart sensors are activated.

Yes, I am also enjoying the new 44mm Series 4. I've been wearing smartwatches since they came on the scene to include the first Moto360, the Martian smartwatch, the Samsung Gear variants (now Galaxy) watches and then finally the Series 3, now 4. Of all of them, I think the Series 4 has taken the cake. The only small gripe I have is the lack of an always on display. If they added that feature, I would consider this the perfect smartwatch!

But yes, it is a beautiful timepiece!!!

 

[OTACORB]

Fortunately my S4 and iPhone Xs Max both came in and I picked them up via UPS CC on Friday at 9 AM. They watch upgrade was only from an S3 as that will be going to my son, but the iPhone was the bigger upgrade going from 6 plus.

The watch though is very responsive and in my work-out today the tracking was very nice and overall seems a bit more smooth. I was kind of upset initially because I mistakenly setup my watch as a new watch and new of my health data was showing up, but after several hours I guess it did finally download from the cloud. I am glad I purchased the aluminum sport 44mm as it seems just right for me and I like the new multi-complications are a bonus. After buying the Max no way I was spending extra money to get stainless, Nike or Hermes. None of those interest me anyway.

 

[CaptMarvel]

After buying the Max no way I was spending extra money to get stainless, Nike or Hermes. None of those interest me anyway.

There’s no price increase on the Nike version, just an additional two week release date wait for additional watch faces/special bands.

 

[OTACORB]

There’s no price increase on the Nike version, just an additional two week release date wait for additional watch faces/special bands.

Good to know, but still not worth the wait for me... The bands do look cool though!

 

[Candlelight]

I tried one today and had a play around. I love it how the smaller 40mm size is now the same size as the original larger 42mm size. The 44mm watch is now too big. It's like wearing a small phone on your wrist.

 

[jpn]

Because it is Apple. People that buy Apple devices don't read spec sheets, its a waste of time. Just buy it, come on its Apple, its fantastic.

thanks.
a different poster pointed out that are is a spec like page in the apple support pages.
but as someone who has purchased a lot of apple products using apple's on-line store, in the past there has always been a spec page right adjacent to the Buy button (for anyone to look at and easily compare the specs for each model).
on the support page mentioned above, that so-called spec page doesn't even mention the (apparent) difference (according to reviews like from macrumors) in material that is used for the display face in the aluminum model (ion-ized) vs the stainless steel model (sapphire).
its actually not like apple to not have a readily viewable spec page.

 

[FourDegrees]

"The 44mm watch is now too big. It's like wearing a small phone on your wrist. "

The size difference from the 42 to the 44 is hardly noticeable. Might be a different thing going from the 38 to the 44 of course.
[doublepost=1537702745][/doublepost]

I've noticed on the local for-sale apps like Letgo and OfferUp there are dozens of Apple Watch series 3 for sale for $300 and up. People are trying to recover their initial costs. I'll keep posting bids of $99 until they finally give up and give into reality.

Well I paid AU499 for my S3 and have just got AU$300 for it. Since they are now selling for AU$399 new I consider that reasonable. I agree $300 (assuming US$) is a bit stupid as they are available new for $279. But given the number of people responding to my ad, I suspect you might be waiting a while to get an S3 for $99.

 

[TheFluffyDuck]

The 42mm with Cellular is almost $1000 AUD. I can't justify that for a device that will be out of date within a year. Honestly, this price gouging is really making me mad. THere is no reason other than greed and vanity to have those prices.

 

[Mac 128]

Not sure what you mean about the edges not lining up. Here's my 40mm watch with the band I transferred from my 38mm.

I just saw your previous post with the measurements of each generation. If the S4 is 34mm wide, and the S3 is 33.3mm wise, then the lugs would fall 0.35mm short on each side, which is imperceptible under anything but obsessive scrutiny.

I think you’re misunderstanding my point on these posts. The 38mm and 40mm are different widths, however, Apple has contoured the ends of he 40mm where the bands attach to match exactly that of the 38mm before it. This is not readily apparent in the square dimensions. So your 38mm bands are going to fit exactly as before on the 40mm.

What I was pointing out to the OP who (was thinking of going from an old 42mm to a new 40mm), is that your 38mm bands will also technically work on the 44mm watch, just as they also work on the 42mm watch; and conversely, the old 42mm bands will work on the new 40mm watch, just as they can on the old 38mm watch. So all of the bands are interchangeable on all the watches, though all combinations won’t fit flush with the case. Therefore, it’s up to the wearer to try them out and see how they look, and maybe save some of the old 42mm bands to be used on a 40mm watch.

In some cases, the attachment lugs on some bands can be swapped for new ones, particularly in the case of the classic leather bands. In others, like the rubber Sport bands, they can’t.

thanks.
a different poster pointed out that are is a spec like page in the apple support pages.
but as someone who has purchased a lot of apple products using apple's on-line store, in the past there has always been a spec page right adjacent to the Buy button (for anyone to look at and easily compare the specs for each model).
on the support page mentioned above, that so-called spec page doesn't even mention the (apparent) difference (according to reviews like from macrumors) in material that is used for the display face in the aluminum model (ion-ized) vs the stainless steel model (sapphire).
its actually not like apple to not have a readily viewable spec page.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204507

 

[fanboy7]

Apple today began shipping the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 out to customers today, and customers have been eagerly awaiting their shipments today to get their hands on Apple's newest devices.

We picked up one of the new wrist-worn devices to see the design changes for ourselves and to provide a glimpse at the new device to MacRumors readers who are either awaiting their orders or who are still on the fence about making a purchase.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Apple Watch Series 4 has a little bit bigger footprint but is slightly thinner than Apple Watch Series 3, and the larger display (35% larger on the 40mm watch and 32% larger on the 44mm watch) is the first thing you'll notice about the updated models.

Yes, the Apple Watch no longer comes in 38 and 42mm sizes - it's 40 and 44mm now. In the video, the watch we're demonstrating is the larger 44mm model, but for those of you getting a 40mm model, it's worth noting that the 40mm screen is bigger than the screen of the original 42mm Apple Watch.

The new display of the Apple Watch Series 4 is a hugely welcome change because it offers up much more area for apps and complications on watch faces. Series 4 comes with a unique Infograph watch face and the new Vapor, Fire/Water, and Liquid Metal watch faces were built for the device and fill up the entire screen.

Inside, the Apple Watch Series 4 has a new S4 chip that's twice as fast as the S3 chip in the Series 3, and the back of the device has been improved with a black ceramic and sapphire crystal backing. All Apple Watches now have this feature, which improves cellular connectivity by allowing radio waves to penetrate the front and back.

Stainless steel Series 4 models are using sapphire glass, which is resistant to scratching from everyday wear, while all aluminum models continue to offer Ion-X glass, which isn't quite as scratch resistant.

New this year is a gold shade, which matches well with the new gold color available for the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max. Apple has also introduced an ECG feature, but it can't be tested because it's not rolling out until later this year.

Apple Watch Series 4 models sold out quickly after pre-orders began on September 14, and orders placed today won't ship out until October.

Did you get a new Apple Watch Series 4? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Article Link: Hands-On With the New Apple Watch Series 4

Could be wrong but I think they said 50% faster, 100% faster would make it twice as fast. 50%faster means it is 1.5 times as fast. Still impressive

 

[Teach4]

I had the first series watch and loved it. I would like the series 4, however, last December I had a defibrillator implanted and because of the electromagnet in the watch, I can’t wear one. Oh well, it seems to be a great watch. Everyone who got one, enjoy your incredible watch.

 

[PickUrPoison]

The 42mm with Cellular is almost $1000 AUD. I can't justify that for a device that will be out of date within a year. Honestly, this price gouging is really making me mad. THere is no reason other than greed and vanity to have those prices.

I assume you meant 44mm with cellular. It’s not $1,000 AUD it’s $726 before $73 GST is added. If you did mean the 42mm Series 3, that’s $544 before GST of $55. Both are priced at the current foreign exchange rate, actually a bit lower than we’re paying here in the States. Whether either are too expensive is an individual judgment based on your values and priorities, it would seem.

 

[ryanasimov]

I noticed at 1:56 in the video that the watches were more than 10 seconds apart. That's odd since Apple touts their accuracy; according to Apple's specs there should be no more than a 50 millisecond difference between every Apple Watch in the world.

 

[Mac 128]

Has anyone else noticed how Apple has implemented the Apple Watch screenshots compared to the Series 3?

While the iPhone XS has the same rounded corners as the Series 4, it still has normal squared screenshots.

However on the Series 4, the screenshots are vignetted, with the rounded corners matching the display bezels, rather than a normal squared picture like the Series 3 and iPhone XS which it most closely resembles. Interesting that Apple would choose rounded pics rather than normal squared pics like everything else. The middle picture below is the new Series 4 screenshot. The right photo is the comparable Series 3 screenshot, or how it would look taken on an iPhone XS.

I have to wonder if they intend to keep it this way, or conform it to match the way the iPhone XS handles it.

I suppose that for developers the screenshots as representative of the actual watch display image is helpful. I also wonder if this applies solely to system level interaction with apps, or whether it will also apply to photos and the like as well?

 

[jbachandouris]

Although I am interested in the Series 4 SS, I already have a S3 SS 42mm. If resale values were better, I may have considered it.

I don't think my S3 is even a year old. With the ability to use Next payment plans make it tempting though.

The Apple rep at my Best Buy sells his Apple products overseas and claims he doubles his investment. True or not, I'm not sure I'm ok with the risk.

 

[barjam]

The 42mm with Cellular is almost $1000 AUD. I can't justify that for a device that will be out of date within a year. Honestly, this price gouging is really making me mad. THere is no reason other than greed and vanity to have those prices.

Debatable on the longevity. We are at the point on these that 2-3 years is a reasonable amount of time to keep them. The 3 is a year old and blazing fast, it will last two more at least.

Also 1k for that these things is amazing. I went on a bike ride today tracking the trip, streaming a podcast, listening to music (some streaming), texted my family, asked siri for various game scores, responded to a work email and called my wife. All on a watch. My phone was at home.

 

[branca]

Apple today began shipping the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 out to customers today, and customers have been eagerly awaiting their shipments today to get their hands on Apple's newest devices.

We picked up one of the new wrist-worn devices to see the design changes for ourselves and to provide a glimpse at the new device to MacRumors readers who are either awaiting their orders or who are still on the fence about making a purchase.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Apple Watch Series 4 has a little bit bigger footprint but is slightly thinner than Apple Watch Series 3, and the larger display (35% larger on the 40mm watch and 32% larger on the 44mm watch) is the first thing you'll notice about the updated models.

Yes, the Apple Watch no longer comes in 38 and 42mm sizes - it's 40 and 44mm now. In the video, the watch we're demonstrating is the larger 44mm model, but for those of you getting a 40mm model, it's worth noting that the 40mm screen is bigger than the screen of the original 42mm Apple Watch.

The new display of the Apple Watch Series 4 is a hugely welcome change because it offers up much more area for apps and complications on watch faces. Series 4 comes with a unique Infograph watch face and the new Vapor, Fire/Water, and Liquid Metal watch faces were built for the device and fill up the entire screen.

Inside, the Apple Watch Series 4 has a new S4 chip that's twice as fast as the S3 chip in the Series 3, and the back of the device has been improved with a black ceramic and sapphire crystal backing. All Apple Watches now have this feature, which improves cellular connectivity by allowing radio waves to penetrate the front and back.

Stainless steel Series 4 models are using sapphire glass, which is resistant to scratching from everyday wear, while all aluminum models continue to offer Ion-X glass, which isn't quite as scratch resistant.

New this year is a gold shade, which matches well with the new gold color available for the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max. Apple has also introduced an ECG feature, but it can't be tested because it's not rolling out until later this year.

Apple Watch Series 4 models sold out quickly after pre-orders began on September 14, and orders placed today won't ship out until October.

Did you get a new Apple Watch Series 4? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Article Link: Hands-On With the New Apple Watch Series 4

[doublepost=1537767061][/doublepost]

Apple today began shipping the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 out to customers today, and customers have been eagerly awaiting their shipments today to get their hands on Apple's newest devices.

We picked up one of the new wrist-worn devices to see the design changes for ourselves and to provide a glimpse at the new device to MacRumors readers who are either awaiting their orders or who are still on the fence about making a purchase.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Apple Watch Series 4 has a little bit bigger footprint but is slightly thinner than Apple Watch Series 3, and the larger display (35% larger on the 40mm watch and 32% larger on the 44mm watch) is the first thing you'll notice about the updated models.

Yes, the Apple Watch no longer comes in 38 and 42mm sizes - it's 40 and 44mm now. In the video, the watch we're demonstrating is the larger 44mm model, but for those of you getting a 40mm model, it's worth noting that the 40mm screen is bigger than the screen of the original 42mm Apple Watch.

The new display of the Apple Watch Series 4 is a hugely welcome change because it offers up much more area for apps and complications on watch faces. Series 4 comes with a unique Infograph watch face and the new Vapor, Fire/Water, and Liquid Metal watch faces were built for the device and fill up the entire screen.

Inside, the Apple Watch Series 4 has a new S4 chip that's twice as fast as the S3 chip in the Series 3, and the back of the device has been improved with a black ceramic and sapphire crystal backing. All Apple Watches now have this feature, which improves cellular connectivity by allowing radio waves to penetrate the front and back.

Stainless steel Series 4 models are using sapphire glass, which is resistant to scratching from everyday wear, while all aluminum models continue to offer Ion-X glass, which isn't quite as scratch resistant.

New this year is a gold shade, which matches well with the new gold color available for the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max. Apple has also introduced an ECG feature, but it can't be tested because it's not rolling out until later this year.

Apple Watch Series 4 models sold out quickly after pre-orders began on September 14, and orders placed today won't ship out until October.

Did you get a new Apple Watch Series 4? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Article Link: Hands-On With the New Apple Watch Series 4

[doublepost=1537767223][/doublepost]

[doublepost=1537767061][/doublepost]

Still no always on face and very few providers here for mobile subscribtion.

 

[MandiMac]

Could be wrong but I think they said 50% faster, 100% faster would make it twice as fast. 50%faster means it is 1.5 times as fast. Still impressive

Yep, Apple touted it as being up to twice as fast. 50 % was between Series 2 and 0, 70 % faster was the 3 against 2, and 4 now (up to) doubles that performance. I‘m getting it, coming from a S0!

 

[Norwegian_Imposter]

I want the SS S4 watch but alas its not available AT ALL in Norway only the Aluminium ones

 

[TheFluffyDuck]

I assume you meant 44mm with cellular. It’s not $1,000 AUD it’s $726 before $73 GST is added. If you did mean the 42mm Series 3, that’s $544 before GST of $55. Both are priced at the current foreign exchange rate, actually a bit lower than we’re paying here in the States. Whether either are too expensive is an individual judgment based on your values and priorities, it would seem.

Yes you are correct my bad, 44 mm, still on the old format

 

[nt5672]

. . . .
its actually not like apple to not have a readily viewable spec page.

That's the old Apple. Look at the images on the current web site. They are all big with lots of white space accompanied with Jonny Ive like prose that lacks substance. Apple is an impulse buy and fashion brand now. You don't get that with spec sheets. I won't be surprise to see the spec sheets removed for everything. After all, any Apple products other than iPhone and iWatch are so woefully behind in specs that I'm sure they don't what them on the web site.