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After looking through the "Show off your watch!" thread I'm even more tempted to get one now.. it just looks sleek and sexy. Would the best idea be to get a 38MM Apple Watch Sport and then buy different bands off after market websites like Etsy or Ebay? I love Apple but not spending $500 for a band.. Is it worth getting and worth having?

I hope the looks is the only reason why you are considering one.
 
But right now, it's *way* below the level of "Just works perfectly" that most Apple users are used to. If you're buying it to play around and experience the growth, do it. But otherwise, hang back and wait for V2.

I completely disagree with this. My watch is excellent. Works very well and is very usable. OS2 is very much anticipated, but I'm very happy to use it as it is. And nothing "just works perfectly".

Based upon your comments, I suspect you really don't understand what the watch is and can do. Please do some more research on it. Thanks.
 
I completely disagree with this. My watch is excellent. Works very well and is very usable. OS2 is very much anticipated, but I'm very happy to use it as it is. And nothing "just works perfectly".

On the one hand, yes, the watch works well and is very usable. But on the other hand, I feel that there are plenty of first generation quirks, and an element of "what does it do?"

For instance, there are issues with the activity tracking functions that have been discussed in many threads. I love the activity tracking and use it every day, but I also feel like I'm beta testing it for Apple.

Notifications work well when it's something I just glance at and dismiss, like sports scores. When a text or email comes in, I end up reaching for my phone.

Third party apps are currently too slow to be useful, so again, I'm ending up reading for my phone. This may improve with watch OS 2, but in the meanwhile, I'm feeling like a beta tester.

That said, I love the watch, and I look forward to seeing it improve over time. Part of the reason I got the watch was to experience this new product category from the beginning and enjoy the process. But I only spent $350 on it. I think I would be annoyed if I had spent $1000 plus on the most expensive SS models.
 
On the one hand, yes, the watch works well and is very usable. But on the other hand, I feel that there are plenty of first generation quirks, and an element of "what does it do?"

For instance, there are issues with the activity tracking functions that have been discussed in many threads. I love the activity tracking and use it every day, but I also feel like I'm beta testing it for Apple.

Notifications work well when it's something I just glance at and dismiss, like sports scores. When a text or email comes in, I end up reaching for my phone.

Third party apps are currently too slow to be useful, so again, I'm ending up reading for my phone. This may improve with watch OS 2, but in the meanwhile, I'm feeling like a beta tester.

That said, I love the watch, and I look forward to seeing it improve over time. Part of the reason I got the watch was to experience this new product category from the beginning and enjoy the process. But I only spent $350 on it. I think I would be annoyed if I had spent $1000 plus on the most expensive SS models.

I agree with this. I would add a few other useful items (for me at least):-

  • Always visible calendar
  • Quick access to stocks and weather through complications
  • Quick way to manage incoming phone calls

However I have spent more because I do like the "jewelry" aspect too - I have the stainless steel and have just ordered the link band to get the look I like.

But I agree I am a beta tester too :)
 
The main question I always have wondered is, is it worth the money? Only because I'm constantly looking at my phone. Does the watch make everything much more convenient?


I bought the 42mm stainless steel with sport band and I've just ordered a Milanese loop as well. I don't regret a single penny of the money I've spent.

I was also one of those people who was regularly pulling out my phone to check messages and various other things. I absolutely love that the watch has changed this, I find it so much more convenient to quickly glance at my wrist to see messages and emails.

Some of the apps are great time savers as well. when I'm shopping I just have to look at my wrist to see my grocery list instead of having to fumble with my phone while pushing a shopping trolley.

Fitness features are good as well, I've become quite addicted to completing those rings.

There's lots to love about it but my advice is do your research to make sure it's something you'd be willing to spend the money on. I don't doubt that it's not for everyone. But then, I suppose that's why your here :D
 
I'll probably be the same way.. I check email and text a lot.. I use handoff for texts on my iPad and Mac so I can text when I'm away from my phone so it might be easier to have it on my wrist.
If you're a woman who carries her phone is her bag a lot and has to dig for it when it rings, I can see you getting even more use out of it than a man would.
 
For instance, there are issues with the activity tracking functions that have been discussed in many threads. I love the activity tracking and use it every day, but I also feel like I'm beta testing it for Apple.

I on the other hand find that activity stuff to work exactly as I expected and wanted. I don't get paid by the meter walked, I couldn't care less to be honest. However the one thing I expected the activity and concentric circle thingie to do – motivate me to be more active – it does perfectly.
 
Really? You felt a need to correct her on $51? The spirit of what the OP meant is pretty dead on, $449 is a bit much for a band.

On that case she could have said $400 if she didn't want to be pedantic which would make more sense since it is below $450. But surely she felt the urge to make it seem a bit more expensive ;)
That being said, I agree they are too expensive and I won't buy them.
 
I on the other hand find that activity stuff to work exactly as I expected and wanted. I don't get paid by the meter walked, I couldn't care less to be honest. However the one thing I expected the activity and concentric circle thingie to do – motivate me to be more active – it does perfectly.


I completely agree with this, I've found myself even more motivated since I got my Apple Watch.

I also really like the stand reminders. When I'm sitting at my desk programming, hours can pass without me noticing the time. So having an hourly reminder to get up off my butt and move about has been great.

I use that as my time to put a wash on, fill the dishwasher, make the bed, do hoovering, stuff like that. The wife, who thought I was wasting my money, now loves that I've bought an Apple Watch :D
 
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I on the other hand find that activity stuff to work exactly as I expected and wanted. I don't get paid by the meter walked, I couldn't care less to be honest. However the one thing I expected the activity and concentric circle thingie to do – motivate me to be more active – it does perfectly.

Well, for me, the activity tracking was working pretty well before the 1.01 update. But after the update, the tracking got inconsistent to the point I don't quite trust it any more. And because I don't trust it, the motivation factor has gone down.

Like, when I first got the watch, I found that walking an extra block or doing jumping jacks helped fill the exercise circle. After the update, the same activities sometimes add to the circle, and sometimes they don't. So I've gotten discouraged and stopped trying as hard. :(

Now I just do enough to fill the Move circle, which isn't as much activity as I was motivated to do pre-update.
 
If you're a woman who carries her phone is her bag a lot and has to dig for it when it rings, I can see you getting even more use out of it than a man would.

That is a very good point. Every time I hear a text come in or my phone ringing I have to dig into my purse and it can get annoying, lol.
 
On the one hand, yes, the watch works well and is very usable. But on the other hand, I feel that there are plenty of first generation quirks, and an element of "what does it do?"

For instance, there are issues with the activity tracking functions that have been discussed in many threads. I love the activity tracking and use it every day, but I also feel like I'm beta testing it for Apple.

Notifications work well when it's something I just glance at and dismiss, like sports scores. When a text or email comes in, I end up reaching for my phone.

Third party apps are currently too slow to be useful, so again, I'm ending up reading for my phone. This may improve with watch OS 2, but in the meanwhile, I'm feeling like a beta tester.

That said, I love the watch, and I look forward to seeing it improve over time. Part of the reason I got the watch was to experience this new product category from the beginning and enjoy the process. But I only spent $350 on it. I think I would be annoyed if I had spent $1000 plus on the most expensive SS models.

Yeah, I went through and looked at the prices for most of the newer Android watches and they're around the same price as the Apple Watch Sport so that's not too bad. I spent almost $200 on a regular watch that only tells time, so this isn't a bad deal if you think about what it can do.
 
After looking through the "Show off your watch!" thread I'm even more tempted to get one now.. it just looks sleek and sexy. Would the best idea be to get a 38MM Apple Watch Sport and then buy different bands off after market websites like Etsy or Ebay? I love Apple but not spending $500 for a band.. Is it worth getting and worth having?

I have a 38mm AWS WSB and I love the way it looks, fits, feels and works. It does exactly what it's supposed to do, and for first gen, I think Apple did a fantastic job. Yesterday, I was cooking and needed a timer, I was in the other room and just said "Hey Siri, can you set a timer for 5 minutes please." and she did just that, and after 5 minutes, my watch tapped me when the alarm went off. Cool things like that make this watch even more amazing.
 
I have a 38mm AWS WSB and I love the way it looks, fits, feels and works. It does exactly what it's supposed to do, and for first gen, I think Apple did a fantastic job. Yesterday, I was cooking and needed a timer, I was in the other room and just said "Hey Siri, can you set a timer for 5 minutes please." and she did just that, and after 5 minutes, my watch tapped me when the alarm went off. Cool things like that make this watch even more amazing.

That sounds amazing!! Do you find yourself using your phone less now that your watch does most of the work?
 
That sounds amazing!! Do you find yourself using your phone less now that your watch does most of the work?

Absolutely. My phone can be in the other room, or in my pocket, and I can see all my notifications on my wrist, when sometimes I wouldn't see a text/call for a long time because I usually always keep my phone on silent because the dings and vibrations are too annoying. The "tap" from the watch is nice and hasn't annoyed me once. Siri is very responsive, and I can quickly reply to a text message on the go without ever touching my phone.

I find myself encouraged the fill the activity rings, and like getting progress updates throughout the day. When my watch taps me to stand up after I've been sitting for too long, I do just that when normally I wouldn't have. These are little things, but the watch isn't meant to take over and be a do-all must-have gadget in your life.

A lot of people are expecting it to do things that Apple didn't account for it to do for a reason, and like anything, of course, there are always improvements to be made, but that's technology. I'm not the kind of person who needs the newest things (I've had my iPhone 5 for over 2 years and haven't gotten a replacement yet, and I'm perfectly happy with it), but I love wearing a watch, and you won't find yourself constantly on your watch, surfing the web, because you can't, but that's the beauty of it. It's an added convenience, and while I would normally spend in the 200-300 range for a nice watch, this seemed perfectly reasonable.

The people who are complaining that it doesn't do everything perfectly, or doesn't do enough yet, or 3rd party apps are horrible are expecting too much out of it, too soon. Just enjoy the simplicity of what it can do and you will be extremely glad you bought it :)
 
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I have a 38mm AWS WSB and I love the way it looks, fits, feels and works. It does exactly what it's supposed to do, and for first gen, I think Apple did a fantastic job. Yesterday, I was cooking and needed a timer, I was in the other room and just said "Hey Siri, can you set a timer for 5 minutes please." and she did just that, and after 5 minutes, my watch tapped me when the alarm went off. Cool things like that make this watch even more amazing.
On top of that, you don't even have to say "please" to Siri. A perfect servant.
 
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Absolutely. My phone can be in the other room, or in my pocket, and I can see all my notifications on my wrist, when sometimes I wouldn't see a text/call for a long time because I usually always keep my phone on silent because the dings and vibrations are too annoying. The "tap" from the watch is nice and hasn't annoyed me once. Siri is very responsive, and I can quickly reply to a text message on the go without ever touching my phone.

I find myself encouraged the fill the activity rings, and like getting progress updates throughout the day. When my watch taps me to stand up after I've been sitting for too long, I do just that when normally I wouldn't have. These are little things, but the watch isn't meant to take over and be a do-all must-have gadget in your life.

A lot of people are expecting it to do things that Apple didn't account for it to do for a reason, and like anything, of course, there are always improvements to be made, but that's technology. I'm not the kind of person who needs the newest things (I've had my iPhone 5 for over 2 years and haven't gotten a replacement yet, and I'm perfectly happy with it), but I love wearing a watch, and you won't find yourself constantly on your watch, surfing the web, because you can't, but that's the beauty of it. It's an added convenience, and while I would normally spend in the 200-300 range for a nice watch, this seemed perfectly reasonable.

The people who are complaining that it doesn't do everything perfectly, or doesn't do enough yet, or 3rd party apps are horrible are expecting too much out of it, too soon. Just enjoy the simplicity of what it can do and you will be extremely glad you bought it :)

Also, do you have your phone in your bag a lot when you go out? I bet the watch makes it much useful to check notifications now. Thanks for the insight.. this is really making me want to just purchase it right now. Part of me wants to wait till the craz dies down and it ships faster, but who knows how long that will be?
 
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Also, do you have your phone in your bag a lot when you go out? I bet the watch makes it much useful to check notifications now. Thanks for the insight.. this is really making me want to just purchase it right now. Part of me wants to wait till the craz dies down and it ships faster, but who knows how long that will be?

Yes, I usually keep it in my bag, or pocket, depending on what I'm wearing. I hate carrying my phone around and having it out constantly, so the watch is also great because of this.

Depending on what model you get, the 38mm sport are shipping fairly fast now. I know several people that ordered certain colors the first couple days in June and got them within 2 or 3 days! I think most 38mm sport are shipping 5-7 days max, Apple has really caught up. And you can always get a certain color and swap later.
 
Yes, I usually keep it in my bag, or pocket, depending on what I'm wearing. I hate carrying my phone around and having it out constantly, so the watch is also great because of this.

Depending on what model you get, the 38mm sport are shipping fairly fast now. I know several people that ordered certain colors the first couple days in June and got them within 2 or 3 days! I think most 38mm sport are shipping 5-7 days max, Apple has really caught up. And you can always get a certain color and swap later.

Great! Do you have any scratches on yours? I was thinking about a screen protector but some people say it's tacky.. not sure if I want to spend another $200 for SS.
 
I received my 38mm space grey sport yesterday and whilst I've not had it long enough to have a clear sense of how good or bad it is ill give my brief thoughts about it so far.

Its most definitely an accessory and for the £300 I paid thats fairly okay, but I wouldn't want to pay more until it develops further down the line. Its very much simple and to the point, there isn't tonnes it can do but thats kind of the point. 1. Notified of a text or email 2. quick response or dismiss 3. Detailed response on iPhone or come back to it later. Thats an example of how I've found one aspect. I like being able to leave my iPhone upstairs for example and still know if somebody is trying to contact me.

I do like the fitness aspect too but I'm not sure how accurate it is. The main thing is that it motivates me regardless of the accuracy of calories burnt etc.

Its not mind blowing so far but it is a good addition to the iPhone and I'm sure it can only become more useful.
 
Great! Do you have any scratches on yours? I was thinking about a screen protector but some people say it's tacky.. not sure if I want to spend another $200 for SS.
Not yet *fingers crossed*, I have been extra careful, but that may subside over time haha. I have heard stories of people scratching theirs easily and others dropping them or banging them and not even getting a ding. I have thought about getting a screen protector, and I will probably, I believe that there are some good ones that have been made to be pretty discreet so it would be hard to notice they are even on. I do think the actual cases are a bit tacky and wouldn't go for those. I'm still doing some research on screen protectors, and will probably check out the link someone posted previously on this thread.
 
Get the stainless steel model with the sport band and then you don't have to worry about buying screen protectors. For day to day minor scratches, the steel case can be easily polished by hand using any number of polishes or jewelers cloths as opposed to the aluminum case on the Sport which gas an anodized matte finish and cannot be "refinished" at home.

Then I recommend getting a set of $15 strap adapters and using aftermarket straps and bracelets. You'll save a ton of money and have the ability to easily change the look of the watch. The Apple straps are nice but too expensive for what they are.
 
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