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Apart from the render being impossibly thin, a lot of "jewelry" watches are rectangular as well. If I look at the gold Watch, it looks like something my grandmother could wear (if it's small enough). Not so much the round one.
 
Oh, this is SO easy to predict:

Just as with larger screens, there will be a square versus round debate for years.

- Apple will start out dissing round displays, saying they chose the correct display shape from thousands of prototypes.

- Over time, round displays will begin to steal Apple Watch sales.

- Cook will begin to hedge his statements, switching to saying that round displays "aren't ready yet", while millions of them are sold around the world.

- To no one's surprise, Apple will come out with the "beautiful new" round Apple Watch.

And the cycle will be complete.

Or it could be completely the opposite. There is a reason why you don't see circular shaped laptops, desktops, mobile phones and tablets or even TV's. Circular shape would have been nice if the sole purpose of it is to tell the time.
 
Or it could be completely the opposite. There is a reason why you don't see circular shaped laptops, desktops, mobile phones and tablets or even TV's.

Yep, could be.

Circular shape would have been nice if the sole purpose of it is to tell the time.

A circular option would also be nice if one of the purposes was style, which Apple is counting on as a major attraction.

I also think that other posters were right about some of the UI being designed for a round screen. That, and the crown, make it seem like they originally were going for round but changed their minds more than halfway through.

(Which, as we know from the trials, is actually how they often internally operate. They don't have detailed long plans. I wouldn't even be surprised if one day we'll find out they had a circular watch display with a "flat tire" bottom, and ditched it after seeing the response to the Moto 360.)

Ah well, let's agree to check back in a few years, and see if there's a round version by then. I think that if competitors fine tune their round designs and they sell well, then Cook is going to want a piece of that action.

Cheers!
 
Yep, could be.



A circular option would also be nice if one of the purposes was style, which Apple is counting on as a major attraction.

I also think that other posters were right about some of the UI being designed for a round screen. That, and the crown, make it seem like they originally were going for round but changed their minds more than halfway through.

(Which, as we know from the trials, is actually how they often internally operate. They don't have detailed long plans. I wouldn't even be surprised if one day we'll find out they had a circular watch display with a "flat tire" bottom, and ditched it after seeing the response to the Moto 360.)

Ah well, let's agree to check back in a few years, and see if there's a round version by then. I think that if competitors fine tune their round designs and they sell well, then Cook is going to want a piece of that action.

Cheers!

Here's a photo of the design team after the event. You can see some are wearing watches with a round face. I doubt they went with the shape they did for purely aesthetic reasons. I'm sure there are round prototypes floating around somewhere. I think Apple nailed the bands so if they can figure out a circular display that isn't huge (or has a flat tire) with those bands I think it could be successful.

24d3swz.jpg
 
As others have mentioned, I think they didn't go with round so they could go with a smaller model that women might like when compared with the moto 360.

In the future they could make an XL round version, but it may start looking tacky at some point.

I have seen numerous statements about the thickness of the :apple:watch and how they were hoping for it to be thinner. I wonder how that would affect the usefulness of the crown? On my regular Date watches, I always adjust the date (when I haven't been wearing it) before putting on the watch because the crown is so small that it makes it difficult to use. I am already wondering if the current crown will be easy to use considering how important it is to getting anything done.
 
If Apple wants to make this Watch iconic, it'll need to be careful in changing the design often. Apple might keep this same form factor for a while, and just improve battery life in future generations.
 
Here's a photo of the design team after the event. You can see some are wearing watches with a round face. I doubt they went with the shape they did for purely aesthetic reasons. I'm sure there are round prototypes floating around somewhere.

I think Apple nailed the bands so if they can figure out a circular display that isn't huge (or has a flat tire) with those bands I think it could be successful.

Yep, they did a fabulous job on the bands. They're just crying out for a better shape to attach to :)
 
I don't think a circular object is inherently more attractive than a square one, and, as has been shown, it makes little sense in terms of screen real estate. There's no reason to make the Apple Watch masquerade as an analogue watch. Plus, there are plenty of great looking analogue watches that are square in shape, too.
 
It does show the elements of UI that do match the round design but it doesn't show like 90% of other stuff that doesn't!! Typical!

Well no kidding, it is a concept and doesn't actually exist for consumers...
 
Wow, it would look quite stunning if it were round. Functionality is not everything there is to life IMO, there is nothing wrong with a little compromise for beauty and fashion. If that wasn't the case most of us wouldn't be wearing the clothes we wear, live in the houses we live in, drive the cars we drive in, etc. Let's face it, the decision to buy clothes, a house, cars, etc etc are predicated by necessity but ALSO by what aesthetically pleases us.
 
You spend that on a phone (it's built into your contract). Also where can you get a trainer for 350.00 a year?

Contract phones? **** that. Yeah, and this is only half of what you gotta buy.

Anyways, wearables/smartwatches are pointless and are nothing more than a fad that will be an afterthought in a year or two. Nobody wants to have to remember to charge their phone, watch and all the other junk everyday.
 
here's where the idiotic 'readable txt space analysts' and apple apologists get it wrong.

a. if u r reading lengthy emails and novels on ur apple watch then u r a fool.
b. this is fashion and jewelry, how it looks is as important as how it works. Round looks better. watch companies that sell square or rectangular designs generally have 9 round models for every 1 square.
c. round for sundials. round for classic timefaces. round for the earth spinning and moving around the sun. there is millenia of shared human history and collective consciousness that apple is ignoring.
 
Wow, it would look quite stunning if it were round. Functionality is not everything there is to life IMO, there is nothing wrong with a little compromise for beauty and fashion. If that wasn't the case most of us wouldn't be wearing the clothes we wear, live in the houses we live in, drive the cars we drive in, etc. Let's face it, the decision to buy clothes, a house, cars, etc etc are predicated by necessity but ALSO by what aesthetically pleases us.

I agree, and I think square or rectangle is equally as stunning as circle. The Cartier Tank watch is a very popular watch in the mid to high end market.

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here's where the idiotic 'readable txt space analysts' and apple apologists get it wrong.

a. if u r reading lengthy emails and novels on ur apple watch then u r a fool.
b. this is fashion and jewelry, how it looks is as important as how it works. Round looks better. watch companies that sell square or rectangular designs generally have 9 round models for every 1 square.
c. round for sundials. round for classic timefaces. round for the earth spinning and moving around the sun. there is millenia of shared human history and collective consciousness that apple is ignoring.

The Moto 360 shows the trade off of round, since you can't fit as much text. Silly large size that looks like a hockey puck on the wrist. I'd pick the smaller rectangle of the Apple Watch easily.
 
Not to hijack this thread, but does anyone know why the verge app has been dead since the iPhone event?

They discontinued the app and have directed everyone to use the mobile website (a small message popped up on my app... once).

They are morons.
 
I agree, and I think square or rectangle is equally as stunning as circle. The Cartier Tank watch is a very popular watch in the mid to high end market.

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The Moto 360 shows the trade off of round, since you can't fit as much text. Silly large size that looks like a hockey puck on the wrist. I'd pick the smaller rectangle of the Apple Watch easily.

I'll make it simple for you. Given that Apple is going to sell a watch, and with various versions and watchband offerings, is well aware of the importance of fashion and giving the end user what they want, here is where they failed:

a. other watch makers offer round and square, with more round models because they know that is what the public wants.
b. apple only offers square, alienating the majority who prefer round watchface designs.
 
For all you folks who just insist on the Apple Watch being round. Personally I HATE round watches but.....I'm a square

http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/11/6134981/apple-watch-round-concept-photo-essay

Somehow, I never thought that it would be round. To me it was always going to be rectangular, and it is, classically so. I would have expected a gentle curve in the case for a better fit around the wrist.

But in the end, I don't give a hoot……

I haven't worn a watch for decades, and I don't have an iPhone to pair an :apple:WATCH with. That's not likely to change any time soon. A several years old Mac Mini is about as 21st century as it gets for me……

I don't even have a car, and my motorcycle predates the turn of the millennium by a few years.
 
I'll make it simple for you. Given that Apple is going to sell a watch, and with various versions and watchband offerings, is well aware of the importance of fashion and giving the end user what they want, here is where they failed:

a. other watch makers offer round and square, with more round models because they know that is what the public wants.
b. apple only offers square, alienating the majority who prefer round watchface designs.

The resounding opinion of those that have actually handled the watch is positive. I see no reason for it to be skeuomorphic, which is a concept Apple has been getting away from.
 
The resounding opinion of those that have actually handled the watch is positive. I see no reason for it to be skeuomorphic, which is a concept Apple has been getting away from.

one good reason is that it's a watch, and many people will want to run beautiful analog style watchfaces on it.
 
As others have indicated, a traditional watch has every reason to be round, but it makes no sense for a smartwatch.
 
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