Videos Showcase the Apple Watch Try-On Appointment Experience

[petsounds]

I tried them out today and can tell you they are absolutely NOT bulky. It's so strange but in person they appear much smaller than in pictures/videos. The difference is a bit startling actually.

I tried them on today as well, and the 42mm looks very bulky, at least on my wrist (probably close the size of the fellow in the Aussie video). It looked like I was wearing an iPod nano, not a watch. The 38mm however, looks like a watch.

 

[uid15]

I take it HD video hasn't reached Australia yet? 480p... lol

 

[uid15]

They don't take you away to the "special room" to try on the "Edition" because you are "special", they do it in case you decide to run off with it, and they can lock you in... LOL... don't kind yourselves, these are PRECISION, but they're not rare enough that they have to kiss your feet to get you to buy one - they WILL sell in the hundreds of millions.

 

[dtich]

What are we watching?

you're watching a guy who's prob never tried on a watch more than $1000 dollars try on 3 worth a combined $40k. lol. and pretend he's actually considering a purchase. nice to see upclose and the box and things tho. i like when kids who usually wear pebbles and gshocks say stuff like 'it definitely feels premium'... giggle. uh. yeah. it is premium son. 18k rose gold. designed in cupertino, manufactured in china. boom.

lol.

 

[uid15]

you're watching a guy who's prob never tried on a watch more than $1000 dollars try on 3 worth a combined $40k. lol. and pretend he's actually considering a purchase. nice to see upclose and the box and things tho. i like when kids who usually wear pebbles and gshocks say stuff like 'it definitely feels premium'... giggle. uh. yeah. it is premium son. 18k rose gold. designed in cupertino, manufactured in china. boom.

lol.

I'm not sure anyone can say what he "can afford" - what a shallow statement. Millionaires don't have "a look" - they can be anyone.

 

[dtich]

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.

well. no actually. there are many, many scroll wheels whose tech pales in comparison to the digital crown -- which is a sealed-bearing, algorithm-compensated velocity, knurled-knob digital rotary encoder with pushbutton. not a lot of those flying around really.

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I'm not sure anyone can say what he "can afford" - what a shallow statement. Millionaires don't have "a look" - they can be anyone.

this i know. i'm taking his age, style of interaction and obvious lack of experience with fancy watches into account, and not trying to be insulting. and i never said what he 'can afford', i wouldn't presume, but i did call it as it seemed by the behavior.

 

[uid15]

Folks, the third video ALONE is the only one worth watching (there's that unavoidable pun again), seriously, he actually made a lot of effort to get that video right, and well done to the author many thanks.

 

[chumpy34]

Seeing the videos…the sport versions look like toys. Not impressive. Given the reviews I will wait for version 2.

Um, not even close. Doesn't resemble "cheap" or a toy at all. Go see one in person, they are very well made.

 

[dwsolberg]

I just tried one on. I'm male, and I have pretty skinny wrists (165 mm), but the 42 mm watch looked and felt great. The pictures make them look huge, but they're not at all. The plastic bands are decent but the Milanese loop band felt the most comfortable.

Also, the actual watches seem to work pretty smoothly to me. There were sometimes lags when something loaded, but not nearly as bad as the reviews made it sound. Also, the reviews said the watches were confusing, but they seemed pretty simple to me.

Based on the reviews, I was pretty disappointed, but in real life, I really like these watches. I'm ordering one.

 

[uid15]

And here begins the predictable narcissism of YouTube "content creators" - every amateur and his pet poodle are now going to be visiting Apple stores, wasting the staff's time and asking for appointments that they have no intention of following up with a purchase.

Seriously, I CAN wait until TechnoBuffalo, MobileTechReview etc do PROPER unboxing and review videos, and couldn't care less about most of the "me too!" copycat videos that will inevitably FLOOD the internet.

Ugh... "LOOK AT MEEEE, I TRIED TEH APPLE WATCH AND STREAMED IT TO MY 'SUBSCRIBERS'..."... yeah, no, but thanks.

 

[uid15]

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.

Ok, you do better.

 

[dtich]

I just tried one on. I'm male, and I have pretty skinny wrists (165 mm), but the 42 mm watch looked and felt great. The pictures make them look huge, but they're not at all. The plastic bands are decent but the Milanese loop band felt the most comfortable.

Also, the actual watches seem to work pretty smoothly to me. There were sometimes lags when something loaded, but not nearly as bad as the reviews made it sound. Also, the reviews said the watches were confusing, but they seemed pretty simple to me.

Based on the reviews, I was pretty disappointed, but in real life, I really like these watches. I'm ordering one.

this is just as i suspected. thanks for your honest take and having the guts to go up against the great wall of apple-bashers.

 

[MrXiro]

Just got back from testing out the watch. I like it! The experience at the store is merely a physical one. They put it on you and turn on the demo. You can touch the screen and some stuff works in the demo but you can't really interact with it and no you can't pair it to your phone. It's not a fully working watch. The one with the white strap is the 38mm and the black one on my wrist is the 42mm.

The sales guy (a kid really) didn't even know that the Taptic Feedback was activated on the demo units...

In case anyone was wondering it's not like a vibrating phone. It kind of reminded me of when a baby kicks while in the womb.

One thing of note... the Space Gray Apple Watch is a MUCH darker shade of "gray" than the Space Gray Macbook. It's more like black... I love it!

Oh and the Space Gray on the Macbook is a shade darker than that of the iPhone 6 too.

 

[Infinitewisdom]

The Austrailian video shows you Apple's power. I find it amazing how they can convince someone who had no intention on buying a device to buy one after a few minutes of playing with it.

That is definitely Apple's forte. But I wonder how long this initial wave of excitement will last. To many, it's a curiosity right now. What happens when that curiosity dies?

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In case anyone was wondering it's not like a vibrating phone. It kind of reminded me of when a baby kicks while in the womb.
.

And what exactly does that feel like?

 

[ginkobiloba]

That is definitely Apple's forte. But I wonder how long this initial wave of excitement will last. To many, it's a curiosity right now. What happens when that curiosity dies?

It will reach a plateau, and sit there for a long time. The smartwatch market will be a niche market for a looooong time, for various reasons.
Apple will do much better on this market than any other tech competitors, because they are the only ones who really understand both tech and the human factor ( design, ergonomics, aesthetics, etc), but it's still going to be a "hobby" in terms of sales compared to their other products.

Watches have always been 90% jewelry ( a fashion statement, like your shoes, jacket, etc..), 10% functionality ( informing you about time ). The thing is that you always been able to choose between literaly thousands of designs because there are hundreds of luxury watch brands out there. Apple will only give you a dozen choices, but you will get added functionalities that you can't get with the other traditional watches.

Wich is why this market is an impossible one :

- If you only see watches as a "thing" on your wrist to give you time, then the Apple Watch will be an obvious choice, because you will get Time + Lots of Functionalities/Tech + Great looks as a Bonus. Apple will totally own this segment of population.

- If watches have been a fashion statement first ( like shoes, pants, hair cuts, etc.) ,wich is the case for the majority of people on earth up to now, but you are also tempted by the added tech of smartwatches, ethen it's a bigger issue. Will the tech in the Apple Watch be so enticing, so life changing that you are ready to give up on THOUSANDS of design choice from other watch makers to settle on only 5 or 6 from Apple ? Apple can't make thousand of design variations. No one can offer that by themselves. Apple will have a hard time on this segment, but will do better than Samsung, Moto and the rest of geeky manufacturers.

And watches are often the only piece of jewelry that men wear. It's that one subtle thing that makes a fashion statement about you, without being too visible. If you stick to traditional watches, you have thousands of possible statements. If you want tech in it, you only really have 2 or 3 choices ( the Apple ones. All the other ones I've seen so far suck big time )

It's really the only area where I wish Apple would just license its WatchOS to other watchmakers. Want that gorgeous Breitling ( the Apple Watch is great, but...sorry, it's no Breitling) ? No worries , you can have one but with with Apple's technology inside. Prefer that Omega ? you can have it and eat your cake too ( Apple inside ), ect...
Tag Heuer understands that , and they will release probably many models. The only problem is that it will have Android inside it. I don't want no freakin' Android. I want a Breitling, but with Apple's software ( probably will never happen. But then again, who would have predicted Macs running on Intel before it happened ?)

Like a said, it's an impossible market.

 

[kdarling]

Got to try on the version of watch I'll be getting via my design conference in June.

Neat!

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.

This is a question that I haven't seen answered yet. Apple says they're using 316L stainless steel, which has a fair amount of nickel to help prevent corrosion. (Btw, Rolex totally switched over to 904L, which has more nickel and is harder to machine, but resists salt corrosion better than 316L.)

The key parameter is how much of that nickel migrates to your skin over time. Less than 0.5 microgram per square cm per week, is a suggested limit to avoid a reaction in sensitive people.

Interestingly, 316L is not recommended for use in initial body piercings or any situation where there is an open wound.

However, for use in a normal jewelry item worn on top of the skin, a European study I found says that it should not be a problem:

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 Apple Watch has a resolution of 272 x 340.
The 42mm Apple Watch has a resolution of 312 x 390.

 

[MrXiro]

That is definitely Apple's forte. But I wonder how long this initial wave of excitement will last. To many, it's a curiosity right now. What happens when that curiosity dies?

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And what exactly does that feel like?

Find a pregnant lady and ask them if you can feel their belly and you'll know!

 

[laurim]

Neat!



This is a question that I haven't seen answered yet. Apple says they're using 316L stainless steel, which has a fair amount of nickel to help prevent corrosion. (Btw, Rolex totally switched over to 904L, which has more nickel and is harder to machine, but resists salt corrosion better than 316L.)

The key parameter is how much of that nickel migrates to your skin over time. Less than 0.5 microgram per square cm per week, is a suggested limit to avoid a reaction in sensitive people.

Interestingly, 316L is not recommended for use in initial body piercings or any situation where there is an open wound.

However, for use in a normal jewelry item worn on top of the skin, a European study I found says that it should not be a problem:

View attachment 539969



The 38mm Apple Watch has a resolution of 272 x 340.
The 42mm Apple Watch has a resolution of 312 x 390.

The allergy information I relayed to the salespeople was that a rep at Apple told me if I had any allergy issues after the 14 day return period I should call Apple support directly and they would work with me to replace the milanese band with something else or let me return the watch. Even with a cheap watch, I've never had an issue with the typical stainless steel watch backs. It's always been with the plated metal used on the bands themselves, so I'm not too worried about the 316L SS used in the AppleWatch. Considering that Europe is much more sensitive (pun intended) to nickel allergy issues to the point of banning products that may cause it and Apple has such a big target on them for signs of any product issues, signs are good that it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[BlueMoon63]

Neat!



This is a question that I haven't seen answered yet. Apple says they're using 316L stainless steel, which has a fair amount of nickel to help prevent corrosion. (Btw, Rolex totally switched over to 904L, which has more nickel and is harder to machine, but resists salt corrosion better than 316L.)

The key parameter is how much of that nickel migrates to your skin over time. Less than 0.5 microgram per square cm per week, is a suggested limit to avoid a reaction in sensitive people.

Interestingly, 316L is not recommended for use in initial body piercings or any situation where there is an open wound.

However, for use in a normal jewelry item worn on top of the skin, a European study I found says that it should not be a problem:

View attachment 539969






The 38mm Apple Watch has a resolution of 272 x 340.
The 42mm Apple Watch has a resolution of 312 x 390.

I love good technical information because I didn't know any of this about nickel so thank you. I wonder if it would even be a problem since the only part that touches your skin is ceramic? I have no clue until I see mine but I thought I read a review that the entire bottom is ceramic or maybe that was just around the sensors?

Maybe it is just me, but whenever I see videos or pictures, the watch looks too big for the persons wrist in most of them. I have seen a few that look really good and from the sounds of it, you really need to see it in person to realize is isn't bulky, it isn't heavy.

I appreciate this thread without the hatred.

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Just got back from testing out the watch. I like it! The experience at the store is merely a physical one. They put it on you and turn on the demo. You can touch the screen and some stuff works in the demo but you can't really interact with it and no you can't pair it to your phone. It's not a fully working watch. The one with the white strap is the 38mm and the black one on my wrist is the 42mm.

The sales guy (a kid really) didn't even know that the Taptic Feedback was activated on the demo units...

In case anyone was wondering it's not like a vibrating phone. It kind of reminded me of when a baby kicks while in the womb.

One thing of note... the Space Gray Apple Watch is a MUCH darker shade of "gray" than the Space Gray Macbook. It's more like black... I love it!

Oh and the Space Gray on the Macbook is a shade darker than that of the iPhone 6 too.

May I ask your wrist size? The 38mm looks like the perfect size on your wrist while the 42mm looks too big (to me). All depends on personal taste of course. I want the 42mm for the bigger screen size.

 

[izzle22]

The allergy information I relayed to the salespeople was that a rep at Apple told me if I had any allergy issues after the 14 day return period I should call Apple support directly and they would work with me to replace the milanese band with something else or let me return the watch. Even with a cheap watch, I've never had an issue with the typical stainless steel watch backs. It's always been with the plated metal used on the bands themselves, so I'm not too worried about the 316L SS used in the AppleWatch. Considering that Europe is much more sensitive (pun intended) to nickel allergy issues to the point of banning products that may cause it and Apple has such a big target on them for signs of any product issues, signs are good that it shouldn't be an issue.

How is this a pun???

 

[Tech198]

What !!You cannot put a watch on by yourself ? What is Apple trying to make us think, that were babies ? or they are too scared we will run off with them....

Perhaps if they were as tight with security on the Apple Stores as much as doing that 'sneak peak' before the event with security guards, then they would have been more relaxed on the whole idea.

Or maybe they should start doing this out every product ...... "Don't seal out Macs,, Allow us to pick it up for you"

 

[Abazigal]

And here begins the predictable narcissism of YouTube "content creators" - every amateur and his pet poodle are now going to be visiting Apple stores, wasting the staff's time and asking for appointments that they have no intention of following up with a purchase.

Seriously, I CAN wait until TechnoBuffalo, MobileTechReview etc do PROPER unboxing and review videos, and couldn't care less about most of the "me too!" copycat videos that will inevitably FLOOD the internet.

Ugh... "LOOK AT MEEEE, I TRIED TEH APPLE WATCH AND STREAMED IT TO MY 'SUBSCRIBERS'..."... yeah, no, but thanks.

I say let them.

Those video creators may not buy Apple Watches, but they are helping to generate buzz and get the word out. So they are actually doing free advertising for Apple. Even if just one viewer ends up buying a watch because of the video, that more than justifies the time catered to him.

 

[Tech198]

There are users that would just go for a "try on appointment" and NOT buy an watch...

Sometimes u need to try something on first before deciding... I know I do..

 

[transpo1]

Watch is cool, try on experience not -- but still helpful in deciding

Went to Grand Central Apple Store to play- it was easy to get a walk-in appointment on a Saturday, but I was not thrilled with the watch try-on experience- we could only try on non-functional demo units. The only working units were bolted down- I know they're afraid of people stealing working units, but you can't even see how it works when you hold up your rest to see the time- ridiculous!

Clearly, we knew more than the sales guy demoing and had to show him how to do complications! I don't think they are training these people well or are doing it too quickly.

They also did not have the models in the sizes I wanted to try on (42mm link bracelet models- black and stainless).

Regardless, I found the appointment helpful for confirming that 42mm was the right size (they look smaller in person). The stainless steel case is a bit too shiny for my taste so I should have ordered black stainless but everything works as we've seen and the rubber bands felt fantastic- like wearing air on your wrist.

 

[Gameboy70]

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".

In the same way that movie cameras are said to add 10 pounds to actors, videos seem to make the Watch chunkier. I went to the Apple Store yesterday to see the Watch and was pleasantly surprised. Seeing the IRL gives you a completely different sense of scale: both Watch sizes are much smaller than they appear in pictures and videos. The 38mm looked too small for the average male wrist.

Think of how many times we've seen smartphones in real life that look smaller than the pictures and videos we saw beforehand would've suggested. My theory of why the camera seems to balloon the Watch size, other than optics, is that most people have never actually seen the Apple Watch. When you see videos of people or products you've seen IRL, your brain corrects for optical distortion, but if you haven't seen those subjects, the brain doesn't have an accurate reference point.

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After reading most comments here are people buying this watch based on looks, functionality or because it's a new Apple gadget?

Functionality, looks, and new Apple gadget—in that order.

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Also I don't know if anybody else noticed this but the iPad-Watch stands have MagSafe 2 connectors on the bottom.
Image

I had a couple of obscure questions for staff which nobody could answer:
If the watch could handle formatted email - including rich html, and if it's possible to take screenshots on the watch. If anybody does know it'd be helpful.

Press the digital crown and the button below it simultaneously to take a screenshot. I think I remember seeing HTML formatted mail on the Watch, but they could've been news feeds.