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Some basic first impressions.

gwynne

gwynne

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 11, 2010
1,816
8
--Why on earth is the packaging so heavy?

--I like the ability to customize the watch face, but took me a bit to figure out how.

--Lots of things don't work quite like I expect them to. Learning curve is a little steeper than I would have expected (considering I have many years of Apple devices under my belt and I'm technically quite clued). And you're definitely nailed to the phone for the first hour or so.

--Force touch is finicky. The Sport strap is finicky. Lots of things are finicky.

--First two third-party apps I installed are basically non-functional (Amazon, and "Joy", a third-party Spotify front-end.)

--You can control Spotify playback from your phone by using the Music *glance* page on the watch, but not the Music app on the watch. (Basic transport controls only.)

--Apparently I'm going to have to call my bank to re-authorize my credit card which is already auth'd for Apple Pay on my phone.

--Yes, the OS is slow. A lot of Apps take so long processing that the watch face goes back to sleep in the interim.

Hmm, I guess this sounds like a list of complaints, but so far I haven't found the killer feature. Good Spotify control would be a huge plus. I also haven't been home, where I'll be able to test things like the Hue extender.
 
You will have to call your bank. The watch can work independent of the phone for Pay so it requires a setup like the phone did when new.
 
I was able to use the Pandora app on my watch to control Pandora so it is more of a Spotify issue than the watch.
 
I thought the sports strap was fiddly for the 1st few times I put the watch on, but now I'm finding it easy. I had a comment of I bet apple change the strap as I found it tough but now it doesn't seem to be a problem.

I was glad I had a couple of trips to the Apple Store, to have a go with the in store models & watched all the info on the apple site. Made all the difference.
 
It was harder to put the sport strap on than I expected at first, but I had been wearing a link bracelet watch so that might be it. The Amazon app is pretty useless because you can't do anything but search. The wunderlist app is very useful, no more holding my 6+ in my hand while pushing a grocery cart. I've been trying to figure out how to play music from the watch to Bluetooth earbuds and every time I try, music starts blasting on my phone. The taptic is nicer than I expected, and the reminders to stand up are useful. Sending text messages via voice have been completely accurate and easy to do.

Some random first thoughts!
 
gwynne said:
--Why on earth is the packaging so heavy?

--I like the ability to customize the watch face, but took me a bit to figure out how.

--Lots of things don't work quite like I expect them to. Learning curve is a little steeper than I would have expected (considering I have many years of Apple devices under my belt and I'm technically quite clued). And you're definitely nailed to the phone for the first hour or so.

--Force touch is finicky. The Sport strap is finicky. Lots of things are finicky.

--First two third-party apps I installed are basically non-functional (Amazon, and "Joy", a third-party Spotify front-end.)

--You can control Spotify playback from your phone by using the Music *glance* page on the watch, but not the Music app on the watch. (Basic transport controls only.)

--Apparently I'm going to have to call my bank to re-authorize my credit card which is already auth'd for Apple Pay on my phone.

--Yes, the OS is slow. A lot of Apps take so long processing that the watch face goes back to sleep in the interim.

Hmm, I guess this sounds like a list of complaints, but so far I haven't found the killer feature. Good Spotify control would be a huge plus. I also haven't been home, where I'll be able to test things like the Hue extender.
Click to expand...
I think the app slowness (and I'm going to assume many other bugs) are going to be taken care of with the OS update due out soon.
 
Sparkeze said:
It was harder to put the sport strap on than I expected at first, but I had been wearing a link bracelet watch so that might be it. The Amazon app is pretty useless because you can't do anything but search. The wunderlist app is very useful, no more holding my 6+ in my hand while pushing a grocery cart. I've been trying to figure out how to play music from the watch to Bluetooth earbuds and every time I try, music starts blasting on my phone. The taptic is nicer than I expected, and the reminders to stand up are useful. Sending text messages via voice have been completely accurate and easy to do.

Some random first thoughts!
Click to expand...

Sync music to your watch from the phone. (select a playlist in the watch settings app) inside of music.
 
I couldn't disagree more. I really wasn't expecting to like it as much as I do.

- I absolutely love the packaging
- I think the sports band is a far higher quality than I was expecting
- I read the user guide so I figured out the UI and how to change watch faces quickly

- haven't really seen any lag yet in the UI. However, I have yet to load many 3rd party apps

- I expect controlling Spotify to be great once Spotify releases an app.
- I made the haptic feedback stronger and I think it works great.
 
gsmornot said:
You will have to call your bank. The watch can work independent of the phone for Pay so it requires a setup like the phone did when new.
Click to expand...

Apple tells you that even if you have it on your phone you still have to verify it with your watch in the instruction manual they put online yesterday. So far I've been able to use starbucks app, equinox app and nyt app on my Apple Watch. All wonderful experiences. I'm actually blown away a bit.
 
I'm out of practice and haven't worn a watch in 10-12 years and I actually like the sports band. Only problem I see is my choice in color. I couldn't decide between white or black ended up with white and now just from the short time that I have been using a pencil I have marks on the band.
 
Agree with OPs list

I'm just not *getting* it yet? My feelings towards it lean towards the nagative.

The notifications are nice, but other than that, meh

I guess early gripes are

- the 42mm is actually still really small, even on my small wrists
- the screen is pretty dull, even on full brightness
- the screen often doesn't come on when I look at it
- sometimes I'll get a buzz/ping and have no idea why, as there's no notification
- glances are indeed slow to load, making them pretty useless
 
Sparkeze said:
It was harder to put the sport strap on than I expected at first, but I had been wearing a link bracelet watch so that might be it. The Amazon app is pretty useless because you can't do anything but search. The wunderlist app is very useful, no more holding my 6+ in my hand while pushing a grocery cart. I've been trying to figure out how to play music from the watch to Bluetooth earbuds and every time I try, music starts blasting on my phone. The taptic is nicer than I expected, and the reminders to stand up are useful. Sending text messages via voice have been completely accurate and easy to do.

Some random first thoughts!
Click to expand...

In the Music App on the Watch, if you force touch it lets you switch between the Watch and your Phone as the source of music playback, you can also choose bluetooth or Airplay speakers/headphones that are paired with your iPhone via the AirPlay option in force touch.
 
Hermes Monster said:
Agree with OPs list

I'm just not *getting* it yet? My feelings towards it lean towards the nagative.

The notifications are nice, but other than that, meh

I guess early gripes are

- the 42mm is actually still really small, even on my small wrists
- the screen is pretty dull, even on full brightness
- the screen often doesn't come on when I look at it
- sometimes I'll get a buzz/ping and have no idea why, as there's no notification
- glances are indeed slow to load, making them pretty useless
Click to expand...

I have the opposite impression. I think the 38mm is pretty big, I wish it was slightly smaller.

The screen is pretty clear and crisp.

The screen is very responsive and comes on every single time I tilt the face towards me.

I've had buzz/pings and see the notifications.

The glances are pretty responsive.

One thing you might want to do is schedule the virtual setup appointment ? That might help with some of the things.
 
dos Gris said:
What did apple discover in the past month to make that happen?
Click to expand...

A software update that probably improves the syncing capabilities for third party apps. Notice how all the watches ship with OS 1.0? That's going to be updated shortly.
 
My initial first impressions are that the fit and finish is excellent (38 sport white).

The haptic feedback was slight at first, but after turning on prominent haptic it's fine.

The packaging, while heavy, is very high quality -- and this is just based off the sport model. Definitely the best packaging of any apple product in a long time.

Third party apps such as instagram do take a while to load. The first party apps are quick and snappy.

I have yet to test the fitness capabilities, but I expect them to be fine.

Basically, I think the phone works exactly as advertised and I'm satisfied.

That being said, I'm still glad I only purchased the sport. The watch definitely has a generation one feel to it and a watch operable independent from an iphone has to be the next iteration, along with more health functions (such as bp). For myself, I'm not entirely sure how the watch will be incorporated in my life. I don't know if it will truly enhance anything or make things more streamlined and simpler. It is, however, very cool. That might be all it needs right now.
 
I'm enjoying it so far. Nike+ is going to be my killer app. I hated having a 6+ strapped to my arm, and now I can just throw it in the drawstring bag I run with.

My only gripe is with the packaging. After looking at how the Edition boxes function as a charging base, I'm pissed that the SS boxes don't do the same thing. That could not possibly be that complicated or expensive and would have been a very welcome feature.
 
Last edited:
I think it's amusing, and a little ironic that you referred to it as "the phone."

fanta88 said:
My initial first impressions are that the fit and finish is excellent (38 sport white).

The haptic feedback was slight at first, but after turning on prominent haptic it's fine.

The packaging, while heavy, is very high quality -- and this is just based off the sport model. Definitely the best packaging of any apple product in a long time.

Third party apps such as instagram do take a while to load. The first party apps are quick and snappy.

I have yet to test the fitness capabilities, but I expect them to be fine.

Basically, I think the phone works exactly as advertised and I'm satisfied.

That being said, I'm still glad I only purchased the sport. The watch definitely has a generation one feel to it and a watch operable independent from an iphone has to be the next iteration, along with more health functions (such as bp). For myself, I'm not entirely sure how the watch will be incorporated in my life. I don't know if it will truly enhance anything or make things more streamlined and simpler. It is, however, very cool. That might be all it needs right now.
Click to expand...
 
I've got the 42-SS-Mil.

My impression is positive:

1. This is really for my dad. I'm on the May 13 batch for a 42-SG-BS, but this watch looks and feels great.

2. The interface, IMHO, is buttery smooth especially for a v1.0.

3. The screen pops right up when I glance at it. No lag. As a matter of fact, when I start typing, it goes on, then disappears (thank goodness, I was kind of worried that all that movement, while typing, would wake it up).

4. Yes, a few of the apps are slow, but I still think well done for a first try.

5. The screen is nowhere near dull. Beautiful vibrant colors.

6. Haptic feedback is good. I did enable "Prominent Haptic" from the iPhone Watch App if that helps.
 
I've been playing music all afternoon, and my watch has told me to get up twice. I've found myself dancing a bit, going to my furthest bathroom (2 flights of stairs). Influencing behaviors is a good thing :)
 
I found the Sport strap surprisingly easy to fasten - was dreading it, as haven't used a watch strap which was two pieces in years. But it's actually really easy to do, and the way it tucks in is really neat.

Apps are sometimes a bit slow. Instagram is usually fine, but I found Weather to be almost unusable the second or third time I opened it. I think they may iron out kinks via an OS update, but I think it may simply be limited by the S1. Price of being an early adopter I guess.

Apart from that though, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. I haven't yet found a killer feature, but all the little things combined make for a very nice package. Good job Apple.
 
DirtySocks85 said:
In the Music App on the Watch, if you force touch it lets you switch between the Watch and your Phone as the source of music playback, you can also choose bluetooth or Airplay speakers/headphones that are paired with your iPhone via the AirPlay option in force touch.
Click to expand...


Ahh, thank you! I was able to select the watch as the source and then it connected automatically to the headphones.
 
Packaging is very heavy but don't mind that and kept it for future resale of it.

The setup was very very easy. Would advise you think about what notifications you would like to receive on the watch and what apps you need on it. Remember its primary functions are to tell the time and provide brief glances. It is a companion and not a replacement to your iPhone.

The screen is incredible, with vivid colours and brightness. Very impressed by this. Sound is also good. No had chance to take a phone call but am looking forward to this.

Is the first time I have worn a watch for 20 odd years so takes some time to get used to that. Love the look of my watch (38mm Milanese) and have waited for this for sometime. Fits very well within my overall IOS ecosystem - iPhone, iPad, Macbook, Apple TV.

The Heart rate monitor is good and am looking forward to utilising the fitness aspects.

The apps run okay for me. There is bit of a wait but nothing that won't improve and is natural as it does depend partially upon connecting to the iPhone at times.

Hate the charger as it is not very sturdy and does give you total confidence it is charging. But thats my opinion and sure some will love it.The battery life is okay and will last a full day with light, occasional use. Maybe, it might extend to a day and a half usage.

Overall, is it essential? No. Is it useful? Yes as it is ties in well with iOS continuity and looks fantastic. Great product as far as I am concerned. Hopes for the future..better battery(but we always say that), being able to link it with your iPad and for it to be 3g/4g capable (so that you can share a data plan with your current provider) and work independently.
 
Love it. I can't find any way to play an audiobook through the music app. Hopefully they'll address that in future software updates. Other than that no complaints.
 
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