I'm an apple guy, and I'm a watch guy, but I'm just not sure about Apple Watch

[Tom359]

I'm the type of person that pre-orders just about every new apple product. I have had every iPhone and iPad and love all of them.

I'm also a watch guy, but not what you think. I look at watches as fashion accessories. I do NOT own a Rolex. My most expensive watch cost $700, my least cost $25.

You would think I would be the prefect AW candidate, but I just can't pull the trigger. I went to a try on appointment yesterday, and discovered this: for me to wear the watch every day, I would have to get the SS model. It just looked and felt more "watch-like." The sport models all felt and looked more like activity bands than watches to me.

I'm going to wait until the dust settles and see how people use the watch and if it really improves their lives. I just can't get past that except for the fitness stuff, my phone does everything the watch does. In fact, my phone has to be in proximity for the watch to really work. If this was a standalone device to use when I can't be near my phone it would be "Shut up and take my money." Maybe future watches will break the tether and it will make more sense then.

Anyone else feel this way?

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Anyone else feel this way?

Pretty much everyone who dismissed the iPad as a giant iPhone, only to sing a very different tune today.

You'll most likely sing a different tune once you realize that the Watch is far better at some key tasks compared to the iPhone, just like the iPad is far better at some key tasks compared to a laptop or the iPhone.

 

[mojolicious]

I'm going to wait until the dust settles and see how people use the watch and if it really improves their lives.

Which is the most sensible course of action, obviously. It might be magic, it might be profoundly meh. Time will tell.

 

[Wildgift]

I'm a bit tentative, and so got a sport to minimize investment in a Gen 1 product. If I hate it, I'm sure I can sell with minimal loss...

 

[pragmatous]

Just to be clear that's like saying:

I love Maple
I love Syrup


But that Maple Syrup I'm not sure about.

I'm the type of person that pre-orders just about every new apple product. I have had every iPhone and iPad and love all of them.

I'm also a watch guy, but not what you think. I look at watches as fashion accessories. I do NOT own a Rolex. My most expensive watch cost $700, my least cost $25.

You would think I would be the prefect AW candidate, but I just can't pull the trigger. I went to a try on appointment yesterday, and discovered this: for me to wear the watch every day, I would have to get the SS model. It just looked and felt more "watch-like." The sport models all felt and looked more like activity bands than watches to me.

I'm going to wait until the dust settles and see how people use the watch and if it really improves their lives. I just can't get past that except for the fitness stuff, my phone does everything the watch does. In fact, my phone has to be in proximity for the watch to really work. If this was a standalone device to use when I can't be near my phone it would be "Shut up and take my money." Maybe future watches will break the tether and it will make more sense then.

Anyone else feel this way?

 

[mightyjabba]

If this was a standalone device to use when I can't be near my phone it would be "Shut up and take my money." Maybe future watches will break the tether and it will make more sense then.

I'm just not sure I get why it's a big deal that it's tethered to the iPhone. I carry my phone everywhere, and even if the Watch had all of its functionality without a phone, I would still do that.

 

[KylePowers]

Pretty much everyone who dismissed the iPad as a giant iPhone, only to sing a very different tune today.

You'll most likely sing a different tune once you realize that the Watch is far better at some key tasks compared to the iPhone, just like the iPad is far better at some key tasks compared to a laptop or the iPhone.

I see your point, but I totally disagree here. I still find iPads useless, especially with iPhones being bigger now. Sometimes opinions just don't change.

I'm in the same boat as OP. I preorder most new Apple products and I like watches. Haven't ordered the AW yet. Perhaps some day, perhaps Gen 2. Who knows. I'll see what WWDC has to offer.

 

[Symtex]

The problem is that you are a watch guy to begin with. It's not a watch .It's a smartwatch . It's design an 2nd screen experience for your iphone

 

[Wishbrah]

Just to be clear that's like saying:

I love Maple
I love Syrup


But that Maple Syrup I'm not sure about.

Lol'd pretty hard.

I had no hesitation in ordering a watch, and didn't care about it being the 1st iteration. It's Apple. They have a great reputation because they make great products. Will my life be divided into two eras: pre-Watch and post-Watch? No, but I would bet it's going to be as indispensable as my phone once I wear it for a while.

After wearing a watch everyday for years, you feel naked without it. Imagine wearing this, which is infinitely more useful? And customizable? It's going to be much more than a fitness tracker and a notification beacon. It's going to save you time, and look pretty while doing it.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

I see your point, but I totally disagree here. I still find iPads useless, especially with iPhones being bigger now. Sometimes opinions just don't change.

I've never gotten into the iPad either, but it doesn't mean my point is irrelevant. iPads could very well be less relevant for some people now that we have the iPhone 6+.

The point remains that the Watch is far better at some key tasks compared to the iPhone, but many people have trouble wrapping their heads around that. However, many (but not all) will soon see the light, just like the countless former iPad distractors.

 

[adamk77]

 

 

[ZombiePete]

Anyone else feel this way?

I don't feel the same way, but I do think it's a completely reasonable reaction. Not everyone is going to get the same utility out of the Apple Watch that others might get; I, for example, don't get a lot of notifications and stuff (I disallow notifications from most apps). The things I am looking forward to most are music control, Apple TV remote control, connectivity to my phone at home without actually having to keep my phone in my sweats pocket, stuff like that.

But having had a Pebble I know what I want from a smartwatch; a lot of folks don't and it totally makes sense to see how other consumers (read: not reviewers) are using their Watches day-to-day. It's smart if you're not sure to wait; you're doing the right thing for you.

 

[iamasmith]

I'm the type of person that pre-orders just about every new apple product. I have had every iPhone and iPad and love all of them.

I'm also a watch guy, but not what you think. I look at watches as fashion accessories. I do NOT own a Rolex. My most expensive watch cost $700, my least cost $25.

You would think I would be the prefect AW candidate, but I just can't pull the trigger. I went to a try on appointment yesterday, and discovered this: for me to wear the watch every day, I would have to get the SS model. It just looked and felt more "watch-like." The sport models all felt and looked more like activity bands than watches to me.

I'm going to wait until the dust settles and see how people use the watch and if it really improves their lives. I just can't get past that except for the fitness stuff, my phone does everything the watch does. In fact, my phone has to be in proximity for the watch to really work. If this was a standalone device to use when I can't be near my phone it would be "Shut up and take my money." Maybe future watches will break the tether and it will make more sense then.

Anyone else feel this way?

Somewhat, but I know already that it will be enough of a kick to interact with apps via the iPhone and that puts it way ahead of other Smart Watches in my book.

I'm sure there will be 'oh the thing hung', 'how do I restart it', 'Apple told me to reset all my data' but on balance personally I want it.

If you want it is up to yourself of course and shouldn't be any other way - it's a good honest position to take on new technology implementations

 

[edlex]

I cancelled my preorder last night because of the uncertainty I felt. I just didn't feel excited about this product, more anxious than anything else. This pre-launch just didn't feel the same as the countless others I've been through. I'm hoping that things turn out to be awesome and then maybe I'll jump in around the holidays or next year. Guess I'll be sitting this one out for now.

 

[iamasmith]

I cancelled my preorder last night because of the uncertainty I felt. I just didn't feel excited about this product, more anxious than anything else. This pre-launch just didn't feel the same as the countless others I've been through. I'm hoping that things turn out to be awesome and then maybe I'll jump in around the holidays or next year. Guess I'll be sitting this one out for now.

Not selling the OP here, it's an important personal decision, but the sales figures validate the effort and mean there are going to be good things coming IMHO

 

[edlex]

Not selling the OP here, it's an important personal decision, but the sales figures validate the effort and mean there are going to be good things coming IMHO

I totally agree and think that Apple will move heaven and earth to make this thing work and work well. I guess I'll be more sold on it as I read about it's evolution and real world use.

 

[Runt888]

Ever since the Apple Watch was just a rumor, I've been thinking how nice it would be to not have to take my phone out of my pocket every 10 minutes to see what it's bothering me about. Since the watch was announced, I literally come across a scenario at least once an hour that I would benefit from having it on my wrist.

Yesterday I had a great example: I was pushing my son in his swing and I saw that the grass was dry. If I had the watch I could have quickly used Siri to make a reminder for me to turn the sprinklers on. Instead, I didn't want to pull my phone out of my pocket and try to juggle making the reminder and pushing the swing at the same time, so I just told myself to try to remember to program the sprinklers before I went inside. Of course, I didn't.

Later that day I was sitting at a stop light and I remembered I needed to program the sprinklers. So I dug out my phone and created a reminder for when I got home. As I was pulling into the drive way I heard my phone ding but I had a bunch of groceries to carry in so I didn't bother pulling my phone out to check what it was telling me. By the time I remembered to check my phone I was already inside working on a different task. If I had the watch I would have seen the reminder come up on my wrist as I was pulling into the garage and set the sprinklers before carrying in the groceries.

Yes, all of the things in my example could be done with my phone. But because of the simple need to physically take my phone out of my pocket, I often miss notifications. Having them on my wrist to instantly act on or ignore is a convenience that I don't mind paying $400 for. Add in all the other things the watch can do and it's an easy decision for me.

 

[mightyjabba]

It's a little bit like when I got my current car, which has smart keys instead of traditional keys. As long as you have the key in your pocket, you basically never have to take it out, since you can just press a button to start the car, or press a button on the door handle to lock or unlock. Before I got the car, I was a little doubtful about this, since I had never felt that taking my keys out of my pocket was all that difficult, but now that I've lived with it for a while it's a huge convenience and I don't think I'll buy another car without it. I interact with my phone dozens of times a day, so I'm expecting that convenience factor to be even more pronounced with the phone.