Sending the watch back

[pragmatous]

They've cut prices on their macbook pro but only when a new model came out. This is more about technology getting cheaper though. Apple rarely ever cuts the price. They did once on their first iphone. It came out at 699 I think and 3 months later they dropped the price to 599. They gave everyone their 100 dollars back though. Even if apple does drop the price you'll be getting that money back.

I'm sure when the 2nd gen comes out in 3-4 years they will cut the price as the technology gets cheaper. It's part of Moore's law.

Aside from the original iPhone when has Apple recently slashed prices on anything? It's not happening.

 

[chrise2]

I think a lot of people underestimate the value of the watch itself. My low end Swiss Army watch with rubber strap cost the same as the Apple Watch Sport and does significantly less.

If size / craftsmanship wasn't a concern, they could make it twice the size out of plastic and sell it for $100. There's a lot going on inside that tiny watch.

 

[greytmom]

I'm in a similar position as the original poster, but I am going to try it for a full week at the least. Some of my thoughts after 2 days now are below:

The notifications when they work are ok, but not great. Many of the notifications are way too simple. Probably fixed by app updates, etc.

Haptic feedback is again ok when it works. OS prob needs an update.

Many of my emails won't display and I get a message saying "email can't be shown on the watch." Kind of defeats the purpose but I'm guessing that will be fixed in time.

The screen while nice is just too small and I need to scroll way too often. That's annoying.

The Watch is slow and slow to load but that spinning "waiting" graphic looks nice although it happens way too often.

Siri is hit or miss and no way to edit what it types incorrectly as far as I am aware. I will not talk to my phone in public which makes it nearly impossible to respond to texts without canned responses (take the phone out anyway)

The fitness aspect while nice is very basic but I do like the achievements. That may motivate some people. Wish it had GPS but that would prob kill the battery even more.

Battery life is an issue. When I workout at 545am for an hour my battery drain is about 20-25%. Not sure I'd make it through a full workday as I leave at 7a and get home at 7p. I will find out tomorrow when I get back into my office.

The Watch is too chunky. Probably the only Apple product that should be thinner but isn't.

I like the overall design (except the thickness) more than I thought I would.

The OS while slow is pretty intuitive. I've had no issues learning what to do although sometimes force touch doesn't do anything (no way to know this; only works on certain parts of the OS).

The biggest problem is the Watch (I have the 42mm Milanese loop) $699 is way too expensive for an accessory. The price is only slightly less then the cost of my iPhone 6 Plus at $849 and I find myself looking at my wrist (added step) and ultimately taking my phone out of my pocket anyway.

These are only two days of impressions and while I have lots of criticisms it is still a very nice looking piece. I almost like it more as just a watch then as a smart watch.

Drew, I keep telling you that something is wrong if a workout is dropping your battery life by that much. Call Apple.

 

[negatv1]

It's a timepiece at bare minimum, and somewhere between an accessory and a novelty in the best case scenario.

It's what I expected it to be. I bought the "cheapest" so that I wouldn't be as tempted to return it when the new/shiny effect wears off and let myself enjoy it for what it is.

I think that when Apple release the native SDK for it, will likely become more useful. Which will of course likely coincide with WATCH v2...

 

[Vin2015]

I'm sure when the 2nd gen comes out in 3-4 years they will cut the price as the technology gets cheaper. It's part of Moore's law.

It's Apple, there is a new version coming out before next Summer, this is a device meant to be replaced. I'm sure Apple would love nothing more than to have you buy a new phone and a updated watch that can handle all the new features of the phone together.

 

[JWorld127]

Two things I am super surprised about after entering this thread

1 - The OP is absolutely right about all the points he made

2 - He didn't get bombarded with hate replies calling him a troll or hater because he was critical on an Apple product

 

[zea mays]

Drew, I keep telling you that something is wrong if a workout is dropping your battery life by that much. Call Apple.

I agree with this. I talked on my watch for about a half hour yesterday and only lost about 5%.

 

[diablo2112]

Sounds like a great decision for you. I see 2 camps of folks and their opinions and expectations with this product.

Camp 1) Loves every new Apple product, wants the latest tech, can't wait for an "iphone on the wrist". Generally DOESN'T wear a watch. This group is disappointed, doesn't see the use case for the watch. This sounds like the OP.

Camp 2) Wears watches and likes that their watch can have additional functionality. Sees the watch as an iphone add-on, extending functions of the iphone to the wrist, but not replacing the iphone. This group seems thrilled with the watch.

I fall into camp 2. I've worn a watch daily for over 40 years. Really, by only changing my routine into charging the watch each night (as opposed to winding my watch and setting the time each morning; yes, I own old-school mechanical watches and rotate them every day), I get a plethora of new info on my wrist, and I love it.

To be fair their may be a very small contingent of camp 3) fitness folks. They want the best fitness tracking they can get, and the Apple watch at present if the best fitness band you can buy. I don't see this group as huge in numbers (yet).

At the end of the day, the most important thing is this product is still a *watch*. Your satisfaction will be directly dependent on how much you like watches and whether you like using them. YMMV.

 

[Che Castro]

I'd gladly eat crow, have before and it isn't that bad. But never say never. They may if sales aren't as good as they hoped. Also didn't they just drop the price on the Apple TV? And didn't they lower the price on the 11inch MBA like a year or two ago? They drop prices. The sport may not go down drastically, but it will do down (even if it's just by $50).

I can't see these staying at the current price. They're just too expensive for mainstream adoption IMHO.

If Sales aren't as good ?

They can't make them fast enough to sell , you don't see the June dates when you try buying one

 

[Armen]

I've had the weekend to use the watch and decided it not for me

I pretty much have all Apple products, struggled with the iPad after owning an iPhone, but wouldn't be with the iPad now, but the watch isn't doing it for me.

Its trying to fix a problem which isn't there.

I might feel the pull towards another Apple Watch when I see more need or must have application.

I mainly brought the Apple Watch to replace an old Garmin GPS watch, I use Strava and GPS when on my mountain bike. I always take my iPhone 6 in my bag for emergency if anyone gets hurt, so planned on pairing the phone for GPS use.

Using the Strava app on the watch is painful and doesn't support HR monitoring at present ( GUTTED )

The messages and emails alerts don't work 100%, quite a few other little issues.

I does a lot of stuff, but nothing perfect or amazing

Its really just doubling up on the iPhone which is pretty much always with me. Even working the dog, I ended up taking the phone out to check messages in more detail when the watch beeped

The Apple watch is a fitness tracker, iPod nano, tells the time and makes some tasks you do on your phone easier. It's not there to "fix" a problem.

I completely understand if it's not for you. Smart watches are not for everyone.

I initially showed interest in the Pebble 2 years ago but the build quality was kind of crappy so I held off. Am I happy with the Apple watch? For sure.

 

[Esoom]

I'd gladly eat crow, have before and it isn't that bad. But never say never. They may if sales aren't as good as they hoped. Also didn't they just drop the price on the Apple TV? And didn't they lower the price on the 11inch MBA like a year or two ago? They drop prices. The sport may not go down drastically, but it will do down (even if it's just by $50).

I can't see these staying at the current price. They're just too expensive for mainstream adoption IMHO.

I can see Apple having older models available for less when the next generation comes out, and a brisk used/refurbished market.

I suspect one of the reasons they're not going to break out sales numbers is that it's a very high margin item for them, safer to avoid backlash from consumers to bury the numbers in the quarterly reports mixed up with accessory sales.

 

[Medicman67]

Aside from the original iPhone when has Apple recently slashed prices on anything? It's not happening.

Ah! This is the original Apple watch. #

 

[wepiii]

Sending the watch back

Aside from the original iPhone when has Apple recently slashed prices on anything? It's not happening.

Exactly. Original iPhone... Original Apple Watch. Prices will absolutely come down. Just like they did for the iPod, iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, MacBook Air, etc.

----------

If Sales aren't as good ?



They can't make them fast enough to sell , you don't see the June dates when you try buying one

I think that is going to be part of their problem. People that were expecting their watch on the 24th may lose interest if they don't receive them until June. If you spend a month longer waiting for something and then it doesn't just blow your mind when you get it, you are going to be let down. I would be willing to bet the Apple Watch becomes one of the most returned items that Apple sells. Don't get me wrong, I have mine, and I'll keep it because I'm a sucker for the latest and the greatest... But most people are going to be disappointed. My dad for example, would have already returned it and he loves his iPhone and iPad. It absolutely is not a must have. The OP said it best... It is an accessory, and priced way too high for that to be all it is. Maybe by version 2 or 3. I'm just shocked Apple didn't have it down, they have had soooo much time to get it right. It should have been thinner with a larger screen, bigger battery and less reliance on the paired iPhone.

 

[CooKieMoNs7eR]

I'm not trying to be negative, but this thread is so negative and it's killing my excitement for the watch.

 

[wepiii]

I'm not trying to be negative, but this thread is so negative and it's killing my excitement for the watch.

Prime example of my point above haha. Sorry!!

 

[KPOM]

It is an accessory, and priced way too high for that to be all it is. Maybe by version 2 or 3. I'm just shocked Apple didn't have it down, they have had soooo much time to get it right. It should have been thinner with a larger screen, bigger battery and less reliance on the paired iPhone.

I disagree. Every other "smartwatch" out there has a bigger battery, and larger screen, and some of the newer ones have less reliance on paired phones (though none is truly "independent" yet), but haven't sold well. The size is right. It might get thinner over time (but not drastically, since they still need some battery). This is the only "smart watch" that isn't sized like one, and that's what Apple got exactly right, along with the bands. It looks like a tank-style watch, with added capability.

The screen is a nice size for me (I have the 38mm). I wouldn't want it much bigger, since it wouldn't look right on my wrist.

Ah! This is the original Apple watch. #

Aside from the original iPhone when has Apple recently slashed prices on anything? It's not happening.

I can potentially see the Sport selling for $249 down the road, much like Apple originally sold the iPad mini for $399, and sells the original version for $249 now. I don't see the Watch getting much cheaper (perhaps $399-$449), though they may offer more band options in the $50-150 range.

 

[travis64]

they are going used on eBay for over 1k

pretty dumb to just send it back to apple

 

[joefrank64k]

Sounds like a great decision for you. I see 2 camps of folks and their opinions and expectations with this product.

Camp 1) Loves every new Apple product, wants the latest tech, can't wait for an "iphone on the wrist". Generally DOESN'T wear a watch. This group is disappointed, doesn't see the use case for the watch. This sounds like the OP.

Camp 2) Wears watches and likes that their watch can have additional functionality. Sees the watch as an iphone add-on, extending functions of the iphone to the wrist, but not replacing the iphone. This group seems thrilled with the watch.

I fall into camp 2. I've worn a watch daily for over 40 years. Really, by only changing my routine into charging the watch each night (as opposed to winding my watch and setting the time each morning; yes, I own old-school mechanical watches and rotate them every day), I get a plethora of new info on my wrist, and I love it.

To be fair their may be a very small contingent of camp 3) fitness folks. They want the best fitness tracking they can get, and the Apple watch at present if the best fitness band you can buy. I don't see this group as huge in numbers (yet).

At the end of the day, the most important thing is this product is still a *watch*. Your satisfaction will be directly dependent on how much you like watches and whether you like using them. YMMV.

Great points...I gave up wearing watches when I got the original iPhone ($699 for the 8gb and yes, I got the $100 Apple Store credit). I couldn't see wearing a watch "just to tell the time" when my iPhone kept perfect time and was always with me.

I'm excited to be wearing this "watch" (more like a wrist-worn computer with a watch app) because it does extra stuff and keeps me off my iPhone 6+, especially while excercising or running.

 

[KPOM]

I'm not trying to be negative, but this thread is so negative and it's killing my excitement for the watch.

Camp 1) Loves every new Apple product, wants the latest tech, can't wait for an "iphone on the wrist". Generally DOESN'T wear a watch. This group is disappointed, doesn't see the use case for the watch. This sounds like the OP.

Camp 2) Wears watches and likes that their watch can have additional functionality. Sees the watch as an iphone add-on, extending functions of the iphone to the wrist, but not replacing the iphone. This group seems thrilled with the watch.

I fall into camp 2.

I'm in Camp 2, as well, though I've used quartz watches that can go for years between batteries. For me the hardest part will be getting used to charging it every day. I bought a 1m spare charger to carry in my notebook bat "just in case" and when I travel. John Gruber thinks the watch crowd will be a harder sell, but after using it for the past 2 days, I disagree. Maybe the hard core Swiss mechanical watch crowd will be a harder sale (apart from you, apparently), but for me, coming from a standard "mall" watch (Movado), the Apple Watch with Classic Band is really nicely made. It looks good on the outside, the band is nice and soft but appears to be durable, the fit and finish is excellent, and swapping bands couldn't be easier (I have a Milanese Loop band on the way). It's thicker than my previous watch, but not much larger otherwise, and it feels very substantial.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I'm not trying to be negative, but this thread is so negative and it's killing my excitement for the watch.

I do not see a lot of negative in this thread. It is full of real users pointing out the good and bad of the Apple watch. That is what this place is for and those who are interested can green real information about the watches performance or lack of.

 

[CooKieMoNs7eR]

I do not see a lot of negative in this thread. It is full of real users pointing out the good and bad of the Apple watch. That is what this place is for and those who are interested can green real information about the watches performance or lack of.

says the person who joined on March 2014

 

[wepiii]

says the person who joined on March 2014

I'm not following? That's 13 months correct?

 

[Stokkes]

I must have got lucky, ordered the 38mm SS black elastomer band 3 days after initial pre-orders went live (sunday night) and got mine on day 1 (I live in Canada).

Been using it for two days and I agree with what people are saying in this thread.

I've worn a watch for every single day for over 25 years and I also own quite a few Apple products. I owned the first iPod, first Intel Mac, first iPhone (drove to the US to buy one and jailbreak it), first iPad (ordered from the US too), had most iPhones that came out (except the 4S/5S) and ordered two Apple Watches this time around (initial order was a 38mm SG Sport on Friday when pre-orders opened and then ordered the 38mm SS a few days later after my try-on appointment).

It's a beautiful device. A beautiful watch and it's a joy to use, but I look at the price tag (it's 798$ with tax here in Canada for the SS) and I just can't help but agree that it's a solution looking for a problem.

While I can completely see the convenience of the Watch and have enjoyed using it over the past few days, I'm having a hard time coming to grips with keeping it, especially considering I really do think the 2nd Gen will be so much better.

About 4 years ago I bought myself an Ecodrive watch from Citizen for about 400$. That was the most expensive watch I ever purchased (until the Apple Watch that is) and to this day, I love that watch. It doesn't do a sliver of what the Apple Watch does, but it's a great fashion accessory, especially a professional one for work. I don't know, 800$ for a watch that will be obsolete in a year or two seems excessive, even for a gadget-addicted freak like I am.

I wish it could do more, had more health sensors and was faster. I find the watch incredibly slow when opening 3rd party apps (1st party Apple apps are near-instantaneous, probably because they are not being projected from the iPhone).

Funny enough, my wife, who had no interest in the watch when I pre-ordered (even calling me crazy for paying such a ridiculous amount) now wants me to keep the 38mm SG Sport for her when it comes in.

In all, I'm torn and on the fence, although I think I'm leaning more towards returning the watch in a week or so after I've had the chance to use it in more situations (at work, in the car, etc.).

We'll see. Maybe I'll return the SS and keep the 38mm SG Sport, that'll save me $294.

 

[Esoom]

I strongly suggest listing it for sale on eBay/craigslist rather than returning it.

 

[wepiii]

I think a quick software update release from Apple would be smart. Even one that just fixed a couple small bugs and added an extra face or something. That may be the one thing that really makes the watch different than many others. The Citizen you bought is the exact same as it was 4 years ago. Reminding customers that the watch can evolve would be a smart move I think.