The Watch Dilemma

[jafingi]

Maybe this will help others that are not sure whether to go for the Sport or SS version.

So, when Apple almost 7 months ago announced the Watch I was sure I wanted the SS Space Black model. But then the price came, and it's much more expensive than I want to pay for a first gen product.

Then I thought about the Space Gray Sport for a while. It's cheap, looks good, but it has two main problems:

1. I'd love to mix&match bands. Problem is, that not many bands matches with the Space Gray Sport model. The majority of bands have steel connectors, and it just looks awful with the space gray aluminum.
2. Screen is not sapphire. Probably ION-X is GG4. So yeah, scratch resistant, but I'm 100% sure we will begin to see small scratches after a few months.

I looked at my black iPad Mini 1. It's before they made it space gray, so it's really black (like I think the Space Gray Sport will be):

Even though I've only used it at home, it have some pretty visible scratches on the back. And even though the sport's aluminum may be stronger, the watch will also be more exposed, as you wear it everywhere. So I don't think scratches will be prevented on the Sport.
Also, the screen on my iPad Mini 1 have some scratches, even though I have a smart cover. So while GG4 might be stronger, it will also be more exposed on a watch as opposed to a tablet with a smart cover to protect the screen.

So I think I will preorder the 42mm Stainless Steel Case with Black Sport Band on April 10. It will have the sapphire to I won't see scratches immediately, and it will look better with multiple bands (even 3rd party bands, which I'm sure we will see over the next months).

Here's some of the configurations I'd like:

And see how bad some of the more popular bands look on the Space Gray Sport (I think the white band looks best). The steel connector doesn't fit in the style..:

 

[Ries]

Renders / after edited pictures are not the same as reality. Go to the store and look at them, then pick one.

Render

Reality

 

[bnekic]

Why don't you get the silver sport which would be compatible with more bands? Also gorilla glass 4 is not even on any apple products yet but will probably be first used on apple watch. The new iPhones have gg3 and your iPad mini 1 prob has gg1 or 2.

 

[SR71]

I've been struggling with the same decision. I absolutely love how the Space Gray Sport with the black sport band looks, but it doesn't really match that great with any other bands. At the same time, I also don't want to spend $549 on a first gen product that I'm not even sure I'm going to like.

I also don't mind if the display gets scratched as I'll replace it with the next gen when that's released. Due to these reasons I've decided on the 42mm Silver Sport with Black Sport Band. I've looked at different band combos with the Silver Sport and it seems like it matches with a good amount of them as well.

 

[Technodynamic]

the iPhone 6 has gen 3 gorilla glass, right? It seems perfect so far. not even a hairline scratch and I don't use shields on it (but I'm not your average user either). I take care of it.

Todd

 

[JuryDuty]

I really like the last brown one in the real photo. Looks very classy.

 

[jafingi]

the iPhone 6 has gen 3 gorilla glass, right? It seems perfect so far. not even a hairline scratch and I don't use shields on it (but I'm not your average user either). I take care of it.

Todd

I too have no scratches on my iPhone 6, but I've had watches with plastic/mineral glass that were scratches. Watches are way more exposed than phones.

Time will tell if the Sport will withstand that. It could be scratch free. But I'm not sure I'll take the chance and the possibility to be disappointed. So currently, SS is my choice.

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Renders / after edited pictures are not the same as reality. Go to the store and look at them, then pick one.

Render
Image

Reality
Image

I actually think the photo looks better than the render. Apple's renders of leather aren't so nice. Nowhere near real leather-look.

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Why don't you get the silver sport which would be compatible with more bands? Also gorilla glass 4 is not even on any apple products yet but will probably be first used on apple watch. The new iPhones have gg3 and your iPad mini 1 prob has gg1 or 2.

Yep. I also stated that the GG4 on the watch would be stronger than my mini.

Have anyone seen tests of GG4? Which non-Apple devices currently uses it?

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I've been struggling with the same decision. I absolutely love how the Space Gray Sport with the black sport band looks, but it doesn't really match that great with any other bands. At the same time, I also don't want to spend $549 on a first gen product that I'm not even sure I'm going to like.

I also don't mind if the display gets scratched as I'll replace it with the next gen when that's released. Due to these reasons I've decided on the 42mm Silver Sport with Black Sport Band. I've looked at different band combos with the Silver Sport and it seems like it matches with a good amount of them as well.

I usually sell my old Apple devices. Scratches will lower the price a lot. I think the loss of buying the SS edition will be less than the Sport version.