Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Videos Showcase the Apple Watch Try-On Appointment Experience
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Got to try on the version of watch I'll be getting via my design conference in June. The store at Mall of America was busy at noon but not oppressive and people of ALL ages and sexes were looking at the watches and asking good questions. I played with the display model you could actually try and everything worked great. I had been a little worried that the small icons would be hard for me to touch because I always have fingernails but I had no problem clicking the exact icon I wanted with the side of the tip of my finger. I got there over a half hour early so I chatted with one of the sales people for a while and got signed up as a business client, since I freelance, so that was a good use of my time. I didn't realize I was supposed to check in when I got there so thankfully she looked and checked me in for me. The guy who showed me two styles of bands gave me some information and I gave him some special information I had gotten about nickel allergy. I also asked what the actual pixel count of the screen was since I knew an android watch was 320x320 but he didn't know the count other than being retina. The 38mm watch fit me perfectly, the watch was light and the milanese band felt really nice. The classic buckle band also was nice but they had the small size on and it barely fit me. I really need to lose weight! The text was so crisp and easy to read and I felt the taptic tap when it got to that part in the loop. All in all, I had a great time chatting with people and everyone was really upbeat and excited! Really hope the shipping times adjust by the time I'm supposed to get mine, at least I hope to get it by my birthday on June 28th!
P.S. Yes, it looks big in pictures but it doesn't in real life, just like me, lol. At least that's what I tell myself.
P.S. Yes, it looks big in pictures but it doesn't in real life, just like me, lol. At least that's what I tell myself.
Last edited:
I went to a store in Los Angeles today. I was on the fence, but after trying on the SS with Milanese Loop, I'm going to get one.
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned (don't have time to scan the comments of every
watch post), but the employee told me that at 12:01am on the 24th (your local Apple store time), you can go to the Apple store online and reserve a watch to pick up in store THAT DAY!
So those who passed for now because they don't want to wait until June, if you are quick at midnight on the 24th you could walk into the store and walk out with yourwatch on release day.
He also mentioned that you have to set a pick up time and if you miss your time, it will go back into the store inventory and you lose your chance.
So for those who still want day of, there's still hope!
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned (don't have time to scan the comments of every
watch post), but the employee told me that at 12:01am on the 24th (your local Apple store time), you can go to the Apple store online and reserve a watch to pick up in store THAT DAY! So those who passed for now because they don't want to wait until June, if you are quick at midnight on the 24th you could walk into the store and walk out with your
watch on release day. He also mentioned that you have to set a pick up time and if you miss your time, it will go back into the store inventory and you lose your chance.
So for those who still want day of, there's still hope!
Hard to get a sense from the videos, but I sure hope the 42mm (vs 38mm) I bought is the right size.
They seemed so bulky. I almost bought both to then either cancel or return the one I don't want, but I didn't want to be "that guy".
I just came back from my Try-On experience and I too have small wrists for a guy, so I had already pre-ordered the 38mm at midnight... but now after trying them on, I am surprised at how petite (best description) the 38mm was and how perfect the 42mm was.
People who are saying the
Watch in general is big and bulky, just wait until you see it in person. Most of the watches I used to wear (mostly cheap minimal Timex) were about the same size as the 42mm. And I think for people with bigger wrists, they may even find the 42mm too small! Anyway, I canceled my 38mm order and ordered the 42mm instead... of course I now have to wait until June.
I just came back from my Try-On experience and I too have small wrists for a guy, so I had already pre-ordered the 38mm at midnight... but now after trying them on, I am surprised at how petite (best description) the 38mm was and how perfect the 42mm was.
People who are saying the
Anyway, I canceled my 38mm order and ordered the 42mm instead... of course I now have to wait until June.
That's a bummer about the ship time but it's good to get the right one. Yes, they are smaller in person. The female salesperson I talked to said she was getting the 42mm. I tried on the 38mm and thought it fit my wrist nicely. The 42mm would go from edge to edge on my wrist and I thought that would look a little funny.
Since we're doing this...
Let me tell you about my experience here in Berkeley's 'tony' 4th Street Store...
First off, as people have mentioned, and I myself pointed out previously, the watch isn't remotely bulky. In fact, most of the people there that hadn't had any previous real-world exposure to it* were absolutely flabbergasted. If you have any doubts, go to a store and put one on. They got it right.
The experience itself, maybe it's Berkeley/California, maybe not, was not really as 'ridiculous' as the leaked write-ups made it seem. The specialist I worked with, Dan, was an actual watch guy and was wearing his HUMONGOUS Brietling Chrono. There wasn't any 'weirdness' of false compliments or anything like that at all. It was pretty much, well, an Apple Experience...for watches.
And make no mistake. It is a *watch*...it isn't a gadget. The best way to describe it would be a Watch that happens to be 'smart'.
The fit and finish, the spooky smoothness of the Digital Crown...no one in the "computer business" has made ANYTHING of this class. Period.
When you see just how...sleek...it is in real life, the fact that they managed to get as much battery life out of the thing as they did and still have it bright and that liquid-smooth animation will probably shut up a lot of people. It isn't a "toy" at all.
Anyway, moving on.
I told Dan I'd already ordered what I wanted, so we got those out (SS + classic band, link bracelet separately so 'everyday' and 'occasions') and did a try on.
The leather is really supple. It's really high quality. I see where the price comes from.
We compared the bracelets of his Brietling and Apple's. It's that class of workmanship, folks. It's crazy that Apple would even 'go there' and I suspect if they didn't have the scale they do, it would have been about twice as much.
We then went thru the watch ui and functions. The faces are CRAZY customizable, far beyond what Apple has shown. The Chrono face can not only be inverse, but then the shades/hues themselves are finely adjustable. You can even add complications to Mickey
We also discovered, together apparently (they didn't even do a 'prep' last night he told me. Apple was super, super, SUPER strict around this product) that while most people will be inclined to "press and hold" Force Touch, it is triggered by *velocity* as well. It's really cool, you can tap it 'hard' and get the other 'dimension behind' Force Touch.
Also of note was the fact that you don't have to worry about 'mis-tapping' an app icon because they are so small - you can simply move the one you want to the middle of the screen and turn the crown to "zoom into" it. It's really pretty to see and makes 'touch anxiety' go away. I believe Dan was the lead as he made a note to tell the rest of his team about it because he wasn't aware of this.
The weight of the SS wasn't heavy, but it was...solid. Like a good watch. We actually compared the weight with the bands (he clearly likes bigger, heavier watches...his was just *dwarfing* the 42mm).
The experience itself was pretty interesting in that Apple knew what it was doing here - the way people were talking about it, engaging with it and scenarios (I'd wear it like this/with this band when I'm blah blah blah) and their *care* about this was pretty informing - these people weren't looking at it like a 'computer-machine on yer wrist'. It was like going to a clothing store
I don't know if Angela A was worth what they paid her, but she got this right.
My appointment lasted as long as I wanted to. I asked about this and he said it was fine, to take as long as I liked. It wasn't rushed. In fact *I* was the one that brought up that surely we were running close to time, if not over
Oh. He did actually notice it fit my style...because my choices very much did and had I been undecided, he definitely would have gotten it right. They've been, or certain he was, trained VERY well.
Apple's going to do just fine with this product on the whole, but the experience in-store, at least where I was, was top notch but not...snooty/douche-y.
Hopefully others will be as well.
-K
----------
People that don't work with this kind of thing don't even know
-K
Let me tell you about my experience here in Berkeley's 'tony' 4th Street Store...
First off, as people have mentioned, and I myself pointed out previously, the watch isn't remotely bulky. In fact, most of the people there that hadn't had any previous real-world exposure to it* were absolutely flabbergasted. If you have any doubts, go to a store and put one on. They got it right.
The experience itself, maybe it's Berkeley/California, maybe not, was not really as 'ridiculous' as the leaked write-ups made it seem. The specialist I worked with, Dan, was an actual watch guy and was wearing his HUMONGOUS Brietling Chrono. There wasn't any 'weirdness' of false compliments or anything like that at all. It was pretty much, well, an Apple Experience...for watches.
And make no mistake. It is a *watch*...it isn't a gadget. The best way to describe it would be a Watch that happens to be 'smart'.
The fit and finish, the spooky smoothness of the Digital Crown...no one in the "computer business" has made ANYTHING of this class. Period.
When you see just how...sleek...it is in real life, the fact that they managed to get as much battery life out of the thing as they did and still have it bright and that liquid-smooth animation will probably shut up a lot of people. It isn't a "toy" at all.
Anyway, moving on.
I told Dan I'd already ordered what I wanted, so we got those out (SS + classic band, link bracelet separately so 'everyday' and 'occasions') and did a try on.
The leather is really supple. It's really high quality. I see where the price comes from.
We compared the bracelets of his Brietling and Apple's. It's that class of workmanship, folks. It's crazy that Apple would even 'go there' and I suspect if they didn't have the scale they do, it would have been about twice as much.
We then went thru the watch ui and functions. The faces are CRAZY customizable, far beyond what Apple has shown. The Chrono face can not only be inverse, but then the shades/hues themselves are finely adjustable. You can even add complications to Mickey
We also discovered, together apparently (they didn't even do a 'prep' last night he told me. Apple was super, super, SUPER strict around this product) that while most people will be inclined to "press and hold" Force Touch, it is triggered by *velocity* as well. It's really cool, you can tap it 'hard' and get the other 'dimension behind' Force Touch.
Also of note was the fact that you don't have to worry about 'mis-tapping' an app icon because they are so small - you can simply move the one you want to the middle of the screen and turn the crown to "zoom into" it. It's really pretty to see and makes 'touch anxiety' go away. I believe Dan was the lead as he made a note to tell the rest of his team about it because he wasn't aware of this.
The weight of the SS wasn't heavy, but it was...solid. Like a good watch. We actually compared the weight with the bands (he clearly likes bigger, heavier watches...his was just *dwarfing* the 42mm).
The experience itself was pretty interesting in that Apple knew what it was doing here - the way people were talking about it, engaging with it and scenarios (I'd wear it like this/with this band when I'm blah blah blah) and their *care* about this was pretty informing - these people weren't looking at it like a 'computer-machine on yer wrist'. It was like going to a clothing store
I don't know if Angela A was worth what they paid her, but she got this right.
My appointment lasted as long as I wanted to. I asked about this and he said it was fine, to take as long as I liked. It wasn't rushed. In fact *I* was the one that brought up that surely we were running close to time, if not over
Oh. He did actually notice it fit my style...because my choices very much did and had I been undecided, he definitely would have gotten it right. They've been, or certain he was, trained VERY well.
Apple's going to do just fine with this product on the whole, but the experience in-store, at least where I was, was top notch but not...snooty/douche-y.
Hopefully others will be as well.
-K
----------
People that don't work with this kind of thing don't even know
-K
I've never worn a watch in my life but ordered the Sport Silver with Blue band last night, went into the store today to try it on and WOW. Incredibly soft and you barely notice you have it on, really liked it a lot and I ordered the right one too which is cool. I tried on the buckle band and that was pretty nice too, the rest were off course cool but not for me. Anyways, I was feeling skeptical but now I am 100% excited for my Watch to arrive.
That's a very keen personal insight
I wish more people on the Internet, and the world, had this ability to separate 'not for me' for 'not for anyone'.
Have a great day and thanks for making the Internet a little nicer
-K
I wish more people on the Internet, and the world, had this ability to separate 'not for me' for 'not for anyone'.
Have a great day and thanks for making the Internet a little nicer
-K
Went to my try-on appointment this afternoon, and it was pretty much exactly as expected.
I checked in and was led to the try-on table. My Apple Store (Whitehall, PA) is on the smaller side, so they didn't have the case/bands I wanted to try. I ended up trying on a 42mm Sport to see the Sport band and a 38 mm Watch with steel band.
I was pleasantly surprised that the 42mm wasn't as big and as bulky as it appeared in photographs. The Sport band didn't feel as rubbery or as cheap as I thought it would either.
I ended up ordering a 42mm Watch with Sport Band, which the Apple employee had me do through my iPhone through the Apple Store App.
Now I just have to wait until June to get my watch.
I checked in and was led to the try-on table. My Apple Store (Whitehall, PA) is on the smaller side, so they didn't have the case/bands I wanted to try. I ended up trying on a 42mm Sport to see the Sport band and a 38 mm Watch with steel band.
I was pleasantly surprised that the 42mm wasn't as big and as bulky as it appeared in photographs. The Sport band didn't feel as rubbery or as cheap as I thought it would either.
I ended up ordering a 42mm Watch with Sport Band, which the Apple employee had me do through my iPhone through the Apple Store App.
Now I just have to wait until June to get my watch.
Let me tell you about my experience here in Berkeley's 'tony' 4th Street Store...
First off, as people have mentioned, and I myself pointed out previously, the watch isn't remotely bulky. In fact, most of the people there that hadn't had any previous real-world exposure to it* were absolutely flabbergasted. If you have any doubts, go to a store and put one on. They got it right.
The experience itself, maybe it's Berkeley/California, maybe not, was not really as 'ridiculous' as the leaked write-ups made it seem. The specialist I worked with, Dan, was an actual watch guy and was wearing his HUMONGOUS Brietling Chrono. There wasn't any 'weirdness' of false compliments or anything like that at all. It was pretty much, well, an Apple Experience...for watches.
And make no mistake. It is a *watch*...it isn't a gadget. The best way to describe it would be a Watch that happens to be 'smart'.
The fit and finish, the spooky smoothness of the Digital Crown...no one in the "computer business" has made ANYTHING of this class. Period.
When you see just how...sleek...it is in real life, the fact that they managed to get as much battery life out of the thing as they did and still have it bright and that liquid-smooth animation will probably shut up a lot of people. It isn't a "toy" at all.
Anyway, moving on.
I told Dan I'd already ordered what I wanted, so we got those out (SS + classic band, link bracelet separately so 'everyday' and 'occasions') and did a try on.
The leather is really supple. It's really high quality. I see where the price comes from.
We compared the bracelets of his Brietling and Apple's. It's that class of workmanship, folks. It's crazy that Apple would even 'go there' and I suspect if they didn't have the scale they do, it would have been about twice as much.
We then went thru the watch ui and functions. The faces are CRAZY customizable, far beyond what Apple has shown. The Chrono face can not only be inverse, but then the shades/hues themselves are finely adjustable. You can even add complications to Mickey
We also discovered, together apparently (they didn't even do a 'prep' last night he told me. Apple was super, super, SUPER strict around this product) that while most people will be inclined to "press and hold" Force Touch, it is triggered by *velocity* as well. It's really cool, you can tap it 'hard' and get the other 'dimension behind' Force Touch.
Also of note was the fact that you don't have to worry about 'mis-tapping' an app icon because they are so small - you can simply move the one you want to the middle of the screen and turn the crown to "zoom into" it. It's really pretty to see and makes 'touch anxiety' go away. I believe Dan was the lead as he made a note to tell the rest of his team about it because he wasn't aware of this.
The weight of the SS wasn't heavy, but it was...solid. Like a good watch. We actually compared the weight with the bands (he clearly likes bigger, heavier watches...his was just *dwarfing* the 42mm).
The experience itself was pretty interesting in that Apple knew what it was doing here - the way people were talking about it, engaging with it and scenarios (I'd wear it like this/with this band when I'm blah blah blah) and their *care* about this was pretty informing - these people weren't looking at it like a 'computer-machine on yer wrist'. It was like going to a clothing store
I don't know if Angela A was worth what they paid her, but she got this right.
My appointment lasted as long as I wanted to. I asked about this and he said it was fine, to take as long as I liked. It wasn't rushed. In fact *I* was the one that brought up that surely we were running close to time, if not over
Oh. He did actually notice it fit my style...because my choices very much did and had I been undecided, he definitely would have gotten it right. They've been, or certain he was, trained VERY well.
Apple's going to do just fine with this product on the whole, but the experience in-store, at least where I was, was top notch but not...snooty/douche-y.
Hopefully others will be as well.
-K
----------
People that don't work with this kind of thing don't even know
-K
Same experience as this person and great review! The girl who helped me was just careful we kept my wrist over the soft mat in case I dropped it but overall, not pushy, she was super excited about it and the other Apple employees were all very nice. A+ for my experience.
Just wanted to say that your stories are awesome, thanks for sharing. I'm able to live vicariously through your experiences today.
This is what I was hoping to see in the thread.I ordered what I (think I) want, a 42mm SS with black sports band. I lagged on making an appointment and there are currently none available in the coming days in my 4 stores nearby. Hopefully soon, so I can make sure I got the right size, and to help pick a nicer additional band to go with it.
Skimmed through a couple of videos.
In the Australian video, the girl say "the one thing that's BAD is without your iPhone, you won't have GPS tracking".... uhhhh, I think she should think of a better way to say that.
In the Australian video, the girl say "the one thing that's BAD is without your iPhone, you won't have GPS tracking".... uhhhh, I think she should think of a better way to say that.
All three
Functionality ranks first, but I'm not buying it just for function like a hammer--I am drawn by looks (I checked the watches out in an Apple Store today, and I think they're beautiful), and I do prefer Apple devices over others. Functionality, however, tops the list. See, I don't keep my phone in my pockets (most of my jeans don't have pockets deep enough for the phone and it would fall out of them). It is always in my backpack. Usually this is fine.However, sometimes I miss messages from my husband as I don't feel the phone vibrate. And when I do feel it, I have to fish it out. This can be cumbersome if I'm standing on a bus or waiting in line. And I'm never quite sure if I should fish it out as I don't know if the message is important. Maybe my husband is sending a little "hello!" message and I need not bother. Or maybe he's calling to see if he can pick me up and I shouldn't get on the bus; or to ask me to buy him something while I'm at the store.
I love the idea of being able to just glance at my wrist and see that message and quickly act on it. Rather than checking my phone after I'm on the bus or have left the store--I also like that I don't have to worry about the watch falling out of my hand as I look at it, as my phone sometimes does if I don't have a good enough grip on it. I like that people can send me signals rather than messages, too. I could feel a tap from my husband if he'd just sent a "hi," message that I could read later vs. several taps for "read this message now!"
I like that I can pay with the watch rather than dig out my wallet or phone--very useful if I've got arms full of packages. I like that I can easily glance at a shopping list or reminder list. That I can be reminded of appointments, etc. I certainly use my phone for all that...but my phone isn't always there in my hand where I can give it a look. This will be. Much more functional.
And, yes, it will be nice to glance at my wrist and know what time it is
Last edited:
It certainly did when developing...
It seems like very little, but you have to "tweak" your apps for the smaller display or they look 'off'.
-K
It seems like very little, but you have to "tweak" your apps for the smaller display or they look 'off'.
-K
Eh. If you haven't seen it IRL you're confirming a bias perhaps. If you do it live and still feel that way I'd be shocked. They aren't at all toylike. It is...bizarre how the "photos don't do it justice" in this instance, but YMMV. Go see.
-K
----------
I was told that they have the appointments to keep it sane for try-ons, but they can will def fit you in at larger stores. Pluse you can interact with the ones on the tables...if you are there long enough, I was told someone will help you.
-K
It's really after seeing the Citymapper watch app ( I just got the iPhone version and it is awesome) that my interest for the aWatch really became strong and I decided to get one. It's almost the kind of apps the Apple Watch exists for. But then again if you don't use bus/subways it might not be of great use.
The apps are where it is going to really shine
The software is already far and away better than Wear. First party and 3rd...and 3rd is going to blow it up hard hand heavy.
People waiting for (much) more are going to learn that that 'more' will come to the software far sooner than the hardware - there isn't much more one can squeeze into such a tiny, tiny thing without a leap in battery technology – the build and materials are there and more life will come from the next wave of power metering and monitoring, optimization and refinement of the software. I may be rescinding this, but I think 'V 2.0' in the hardware is a lot further out than the software...especially because it is such a 'personal' thing. Theyve got at least 18mos - 2years of "wiggle-room" to bring it to peak before flipping the hardware, sort of like how iOS got faster and better on the same basic hardware for awhile before they hit the ceiling.
-K
The software is already far and away better than Wear. First party and 3rd...and 3rd is going to blow it up hard hand heavy.
People waiting for (much) more are going to learn that that 'more' will come to the software far sooner than the hardware - there isn't much more one can squeeze into such a tiny, tiny thing without a leap in battery technology – the build and materials are there and more life will come from the next wave of power metering and monitoring, optimization and refinement of the software. I may be rescinding this, but I think 'V 2.0' in the hardware is a lot further out than the software...especially because it is such a 'personal' thing. Theyve got at least 18mos - 2years of "wiggle-room" to bring it to peak before flipping the hardware, sort of like how iOS got faster and better on the same basic hardware for awhile before they hit the ceiling.
-K
Are you serious? What's that sophisticated? Your car stereo has a similar knob, old ball mices used the same principle, scroll wheels, etc.
Just because apple calls this revolutionary and magical it doesn't really means it is.
You wore the $17,000 watch aright, it's the last time you will. Some retard walked to the Apple store and was asking for the most expensive watch they had (trying to show off), I was making fun of this turd. The next watch generation will come with diamonds, $25k and up baby!
-Mike
----------
-Mike
----------
Interesting if that is true.
-Mike
-Mike
----------
I like it because it's the cheapest and it's probably the most comfortable too. All black baby! It does not look like a toy or a cheap Chinese knock off.
-Mike
----------
I went to a store in Los Angeles today. I was on the fence, but after trying on the SS with Milanese Loop, I'm going to get one.
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned (don't have time to scan the comments of every
So those who passed for now because they don't want to wait until June, if you are quick at midnight on the 24th you could walk into the store and walk out with your
He also mentioned that you have to set a pick up time and if you miss your time, it will go back into the store inventory and you lose your chance.
So for those who still want day of, there's still hope!
Interesting if that is true.
-Mike