This writer I think gets it

[convergent]

I've read some reviews on the Apple Watch that were just terrible... I didn't get the impression that the writer had any idea what they were talking about. This one kind of started out making me think the same, but then ended quite well. When I got to the part about having to charge it every night, I was thinking... oh brother, here we go again. How hard is it to put your watch and phone on the charger at the same time. How could you "forget" to do that?

In the end, I think his comparison to where the Blackberry vs. iPhone was in the first iteration is a good comparison. I think that the Apple Watch is actually much further along than the first iPhone because at that time the smartphone market was 5-6 years in and there wasn't really any new capability the iPhone brought in the first iteration. The app store didn't come until later, and that is really what sealed the deal initially. With the watch, its a whole new market to pioneer... and no one has really taken it by storm.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/31/technology/personaltech/is-it-time-for-an-apple-watch.html?_r=0

 

[redman042]

I agree with his assessment too, 100%. The watch doesn't do everything well, but it is really good for certain things. What the author finds great and very useful about the watch happen to be the things I enjoy most about it too. Getting silent notifications on the wrist, setting cooking alarms purely by voice, quick weather checks, quick calendar checks, etc. have already more than justified what I paid for the watch, plus I enjoy the look and feel too.

Additionally, the OS has improved a lot since launch. Most major early issues with the watch have been dealt with at least to some degree.

Also I want to thank Xiph0s for his valuable contribution to the discussion.

 

[BarracksSi]

The author has a similar assessment as I do.

I thought it was funny how he said it's a bigger and bulkier device than what he'd normally strap to his wrist. The AW's bulk is right in the middle of my regular watches, and is more comfortable than any of them thanks to its rounded case.

 

[redman042]

The author has a similar assessment as I do.

I thought it was funny how he said it's a bigger and bulkier device than what he'd normally strap to his wrist. The AW's bulk is right in the middle of my regular watches, and is more comfortable than any of them thanks to its rounded case.

Agreed. I admit that when I first saw the photos before getting my hands on one, it seemed thick from the side. But it's not. Like you said, it falls right in the middle of the range, and is certainly thinner than most other smartwatches or conventional digital watches. In fact, most other smartwatches are ridiculously big and I wouldn't consider owning an Android Wear watch for that reason alone. The 42mm never ever feels big on my arm, and my wife loves her 38mm.

 

[telefono]

Exactly how I feel about the Apple Watch.

I too was one of the first in 2007 with the first iPhone and remember people saying why would you want a phone like that when you can't type easily on it and all the other negatives.......the same people are now addicted to iPhones/smartphones and actually annoy me sometimes because they are constantly looking at smartphones instead of socialising like normal humans.

When I got the first iPad in 2010? the same people said things like, Why would you want an iPad when you have a mac or iPhone, the dumbest line I heard from many people was its just a bigger iPod etc etc. The same people that made fun of the first iPad are now so addicted to it, are anti social and thats sad.

People are now also saying strange things about the Apple Watch but the way I see it its probably going to be the only gadget that will become very useful to many people WITHOUT making people addicted to it.......it will just be a personal device that is very useful and become even more useful as the years go by. For me it was useful on day one, useful now and will only get better. I understood the Apple Watch before it was available to purchase, I was quietly very excited about it and quietly excited now that I use it

 

[BarracksSi]

Funny to remember that people used to say the iPhone was hard to type on…

The first time I played with an iPhone was at work. I had just reassembled the trackball on my Blackberry Pearl, cleaning out the gunk for the umpteenth time so it would be usable. Then I went to my locker and the guy next to me had his new first-gen iPhone.

My Pearl suddenly seemed like a relic. I waited and got the 3G iPhone and haven't looked back.

 

[shearm]

Glad you guys liked my piece. It was fun to take a stroll down memory lane.
Mike.

I've read some reviews on the Apple Watch that were just terrible... I didn't get the impression that the writer had any idea what they were talking about. This one kind of started out making me think the same, but then ended quite well. When I got to the part about having to charge it every night, I was thinking... oh brother, here we go again. How hard is it to put your watch and phone on the charger at the same time. How could you "forget" to do that?

In the end, I think his comparison to where the Blackberry vs. iPhone was in the first iteration is a good comparison. I think that the Apple Watch is actually much further along than the first iPhone because at that time the smartphone market was 5-6 years in and there wasn't really any new capability the iPhone brought in the first iteration. The app store didn't come until later, and that is really what sealed the deal initially. With the watch, its a whole new market to pioneer... and no one has really taken it by storm.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/31/technology/personaltech/is-it-time-for-an-apple-watch.html?_r=0

 

[testcard]

Interesting to read the views of a political journalist rather than someone who writes exclusively for a tech blog.