The merged "I returned/sold my Apple Watch because..." thread

[Lexical]

After i returned mine i decided that i did in fact want to wear a watch again. So i bought this...

A rather nice classic design. 1/6th of the price and i never have to charge it, ever.

 

[Royksöpp]

i spent $599 for the SS with Sport Band. I also picked up the Milanese and Blue leather loop. So i spent about $1000.

Is this watch worth $1000? No

But I sure am glad to have it! It's a keeper.

It's a keeper until the Watch 2 comes out.

 

[ralphdaily]

I returned mine today frustrated at having to punch the face to tell the time. Fails as a watch.

 

[w8ing4intelmacs]

Was the "raise to activate" not working?

I returned mine today frustrated at having to punch the face to tell the time. Fails as a watch.

 

[AustinIllini]

Returned it after I realized the only thing it was good at was being a watch. The thing does nothing well.

 

[ces1965]

Sure we all have to decide what to spend money on, but at $400 it's way overpriced but you would buy in a heartbeat at $300. Is $100 really that big a deal in terms of value provided? I mean $100 could make a difference budget wise for some people, but saying it's a good value at $300 but overpriced at $400 really doesn't make much sense

3 Days with the Apple Watch:

Making the Purchase: I had been working a lot of overtime the past few weeks and I ended up getting a nice sized paycheck that left me with some extra money, so I thought I'd treat myself to something nice for working so hard. It just so happened that on that day, I ended up riding an elevator with a guy who was wearing an Apple Watch. After talking to him for a bit about it, I ended up making an admittedly impulse decision to make an appointment at my local Apple Store and pick one up. Buying an Apple Watch is probably one of the coolest experiences you can have at an Apple store. They really make you feel like your a celebrity picking out some custom high end jewelry. However, it didn't take long for buyers remorse to kick in. Was it really worth spending $400 on this thing?

Friday - Day 1: The design is fantastic! This is Apple engineering at its best. Pairing it with my iPhone was simple and painless and there are already plenty of apps that support it. The OS takes some getting used to but overall its a sweet little device. I found myself staying up late into the night experimenting with all the various features.

Saturday - Day 2: I'm getting more familiar with the OS. For the first time in years, I am no longer taking out my phone just to check the time. In fact, not having to take out my phone as much is one of the best features of the watch. I can see Text, tweets, and who's calling without even touching my phone. The health features are also very cool, I found myself surprised at how many calories I burned in 1 day. I can definitely see this watch motivating people, to get more active. I was also very pleasantly surprised with the battery life. Though it's not as good as it should be, it was definitely better than most reviews would have you believe. After a full day, I still had about 40-50% left.

Sunday - Day 3: I tried taking a call on the watch which worked somewhat well other than the person on the other end having a hard time hearing me. I could feel the sense of nostalgia come in a huge wave. All those years of childhood, playing spy with my friends and siblings and for the first time in my life, I was actually taking to a real person using my watch. How cool is that? I also tried using the watch for GPS directions which worked fantastic. I have no doubt that this will prevent a number of accidents sense taking a glance at your wrist is much faster than taking a glance at your phone. Unfortunately, as I arrived at my destination I felt this odd feeling. I realized that my enthusiasm for the watch was starting to disappear.

Was it the features? No. The Apple Watch has plenty of great features considering its small size. Anyone who expects it to fully replace their iPhone is expecting way too much. At the end of the day, its a companion to your phone, not a replacement.

Was it the style? No. The Apple watch looks great. Sure it's a little thick and the square shape takes some getting used to but for a 1st generation product, this thing is very nice looking. I got a few nice comments on it from various people.

So, if the features are good and the styling is great, why was I loosing motivation? At the end of the day, Apple has created the best smart watch on the market. It stands far above the Android wear watches and Pebble. It's got great software support, a fantastic fit and finish, cool fitness features and it certainly reduces the amount of times you have to pull your phone out of your pocket. However, after 3 days of using it, I just could not justify the $400 price tag. I had little to no sadness in my heart as I repackaged my Apple watch into its box to get returned to the Apple store. If Apple were to drop the price to $250 or $300, I would buy it back in a heartbeat but as of now, the Apple Watch is overpriced and a little overhyped.

Everyone will have to make their own choice and obviously, I can't tell you the value of your money but I urge you to really think about it: is it really worth $400 (plus tax) of your hard earned money to have a device that is really only good for saving you the few seconds that it takes to take your phone out of your pocket?

TLDR:

I had the Apple watch for 3 days, played with all of it's features and found it kinda useful to have around. The Apple Watch is a near perfect device for what it does but there is absolutely no way that it's worth $400.

 

[maxsix]

I love my new MBPr so I'm keeping it.

I love my new iPad Air 2 so I'm keeping it.

I love my new iPhone 6 Plus so I'm keeping it.

I didn't love my SS Apple watch so I returned it. Too much like a gadget.

3 out of 4 is a bloody good result.

Haters... see if you can use your self control & not freak out simply because Apple watch is not loved by everyone on the planet.

It'll be OK

 

[BlueMoon63]

I love my new MBPr so I'm keeping it.

I love my new iPad Air 2 so I'm keeping it.

I love my new iPhone 6 Plus so I'm keeping it.

I didn't love my SS Apple watch so I returned it. Too much like a gadget.

3 out of 4 is a bloody good result.

Haters... see if you can use your self control & not freak out simply because Apple watch is not loved by everyone on the planet.

It'll be OK

The haters may remind you to re-read the OP's comment about what NOT to post here.

 

[maxsix]

The haters may remind you to re-read the OP's comment about what NOT to post here.

I _did_read it carefully the first time, my big green smilie was meant to convey a bit of humor.

You've got to know that after spending a tidy sum of cash to buy all four products at once (I returned the watch but immediately spent the money on Apple peripherals) I'm a true believer in Apple

 

[BlueMoon63]

I _did_read it carefully the first time, my big green smilie was meant to convey a bit of humor.

You've got to know that after spending a tidy sum of cash to buy all four products at once (I returned the watch but immediately spent the money on Apple peripherals) I'm a true believer in Apple

I know, that's why I added the smile as well. If I didn't like the watch or it didn't do what I expected, I would have sent it back. I definitely like the SS version of the watch and that is what I got, but I do believe it is over priced. For how much I spent on the watch and bands, I could have got a brand new MB Air or Retina, but I just got one.

 

[maxsix]

I know, that's why I added the smile as well. If I didn't like the watch or it didn't do what I expected, I would have sent it back. I definitely like the SS version of the watch and that is what I got, but I do believe it is over priced. For how much I spent on the watch and bands, I could have got a brand new MB Air or Retina, but I just got one.

Yes I figured you were just teasing. I agree on pricing, Apples tradition of premium pricing is proof that good marketing campaigns work.

 

[Night Spring]

The haters may remind you to re-read the OP's comment about what NOT to post here.

What OP are you referring to? I went back and read post#1, but that contains no mention of what NOT to post. But so many threads got merged into this thread, I think this OP you are talking about is somewhere in there, it's just no longer post#1.

 

[Night Spring]

I'm guessing the people complaining that the watch is big and bulky have never worn real mechanical watches.

I know this post was from a while back, but just had to respond -- no, I have never and would probably never wear a mechanical watch, precisely because they are so big and bulky! The Apple watch is about as big and heavy as I can bear a watch to be, anything bigger is physically too big to fit on my wrist. As it is, I had to get the 38 model because the 42 was just too big.

 

[BlueMoon63]

What OP are you referring to? I went back and read post#1, but that contains no mention of what NOT to post. But so many threads got merged into this thread, I think this OP you are talking about is somewhere in there, it's just no longer post#1.

Sorry, this was moved over form another thread and that is why it seems random.

 

[mauriziocorso77]

Hi everyone, I have just send this email to Tim (maybe he'll read it?) explaining my experience...

Hello Tim,

My name is ------- and I have just returned my Space Grey 42mm Apple Watch Sport to your ----- store in Melbourne, Australia. Having owned 14 various Apple products, I'd like to explain why this was the first I ever returned; why I was unhappy with it.

1. Whenever my wrist buzzes, I now instinctively go for my phone, because 9/10 times, I can't do anything with the notification on the watch. And it's very rare that I just want to "dismiss" the notification. It is also faster for me to just go straight to my iPhone in the first place, the Apple Watch isn’t making my life simpler and faster, it’s making it slower and more complicated.

2. I have to judge the watch for what it can do now. And the 3rd party apps are all largely useless. They are just a remote for my phone (not to mention slow and sometimes don’t even work).

3. It's slow. Not only in loading 3rd party apps, but I notice a lag in loading watch faces and other 1st party apps. The watch can only get slower.

4. The band looks like I've worn it for months, not days. I only had it for 13 days.

5. The biggest reason: it's FAR too expensive. Massively. In Australia I paid $579 for it. $300 too much in my opinion.

6. I am into tracking my health, so this was a big aspect for me, but I found these features lacking as well. I didn’t feel like the watch was motivating me anymore than any other fitness tracker, and the motivations that it did give (“Time to stand up”) didn’t provide me with context, ie. Tell me why I need to stand up!

I feel like I have been let down by Apple. For all the marketing promises of Apple’s most “personal device yet” to be correct it needs to be close to perfect. And yet, it’s absolutely not. I truly hope you release the 2nd generation soon, with many fixed bugs and added 'killer' features.

In my experience, not many people have much faith in this product, including Apple Store employees.

Regards,​

 

[thedeejay]

I ended up selling mine a couple of days ago. I found that it was kind of useless as I didn't use it much for a few reasons:

1. I mostly use WhatsApp and it's not updated yet so I can only dismiss notifications (not Apple's fault)
2. When I do get an iMessage, I can quick respond but they hardly ever are appropriate as they require full out sentences or I can use Siri which takes more time than pulling out my phone
3. The rest is annoying and much easier and better on my iPhone

Sorry Apple, I won't get another one anytime soon.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I know this post was from a while back, but just had to respond -- no, I have never and would probably never wear a mechanical watch, precisely because they are so big and bulky! The Apple watch is about as big and heavy as I can bear a watch to be, anything bigger is physically too big to fit on my wrist. As it is, I had to get the 38 model because the 42 was just too big.

They have common mechanical watches that are 1/4 the size of Apple's 38mm so statement is kinda wrong.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I woke up at my usual time of 3:30am today and when I took my watch off th charger there was NOTHING on the screen. No matter what I did it would not wake up. Tired of this cr^p!

My 3rd AW is now back in the box and waiting to be return for refund this am.

The watch was pretty nice but after three units . . . well i am done and back to using the FitBit Surge!

 

[Night Spring]

They have common mechanical watches that are 1/4 the size of Apple's 38mm so statement is kinda wrong.

Well, then, the poster I was responding to is wrong, or maybe he doesn't consider those smaller watches to be real watches. My point was, I'd never consider wearing any watch larger than the Apple watch, as the Apple watch itself is almost too big for me.

 

[Marco123]

I've been without mine for a few days now after getting a refund and I don't miss it at all.
Definitely the worst apple product ever released and I can't see myself ever returning to it.
Even the new MacBook has me looking at windows 10 laptops.
A lot of the decisions apple have made in the last year have me looking elsewhere.

 

[Robert M.]

Whenever someone asks me about my Apple Watch I say, "It's a $400 fitness tracker! Total waste of money!" They look at me funny, but it's my honest opinion. So why keep it?

Simple, I've grown attached to it and use the fitness tracking daily. I've lost 10 pounds since buying it. Exercise at least thirty minutes a day now. For me, it's a great motivator

 

[mattopotamus]

I really do not find myself using it any different than I used the pebble. I don't even really use the voice replies b.c you still have to check for errors, and it is more difficult than just pulling my phone out. The thought of selling it crosses my mind for those reasons. I could get a pebble time for much cheaper and use it the same way.

 

[noobinator]

I returned mine because it annoyed me.

 

[theturtle]

I want to return my watch. Doesn't really serve a purpose tbh except looking good. Only thing is, selling the link band + discount allowed me to get the watch + AC + sport band + tax for 290. It really does serve no purpose. Would you guys return it or just keep it?

 

[4004786]

I want to return my watch. Doesn't really serve a purpose tbh except looking good. Only thing is, selling the link band + discount allowed me to get the watch + AC + sport band + tax for 290. It really does serve no purpose. Would you guys return it or just keep it?

I'd return it and wait to see if the second generation appeals more to you. $290 is cheap for an Apple Watch, but it's still $290.