Apple announces Apple Watch

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My opinion might be predetermined because I simply don't get the appeal of watches as fashion items, so it being pretty ugly is adding insult to injury.

But when I watch that video showcasing the thing, I can hardly believe it's not a parody. So much PR talk for such basic functions.

smart watches are definitely not marketed towards me. But I will say - even though I think the watch is ugly - the assembly seems top notch in the videos.
 
I want one. Having a commute myself, the drive-time hands-free options really appeal to me -- basically, all the use cases that let me leave my phone in my pocket for things.

HOWEVER. I don't think I will have experienced true douchiness until I'm holding up my iphone while wearing the watch on my wrist. Just imagine that vision of conspicuous consumption. Ugh. Makes me rethink the whole thing.
 
I might wait for version 2. I would really like this thing to have gps without relying on my phone.

I can still use my pebble for a while.
 
"Think different"
->
Release, late, the most boring take on a product imaginable.

Somehow i think Jobs wouldn't have allowed this shit.
 
SmokyDave said:
I'm really surprised (and disappointed) that the product is asymmetrical. As a left-hander that wears a watch on my right wrist and actually likes the Apple Watch, I'm bummed out. I wouldn't have expected that kind of thoughtless design from Apple.
Click to expand...

Maybe there's a "lefties" setting and you just place it "upside down" on your right hand, with the crown ending up on the left side.
 
Where Apple outshines their competitors is their software and it shows. I'm going to wait out on this and will jump in as soon as Apple comes up with a circular device instead of a techie, square calculator-watch design.

I run a lot and this is a perfect device to have with for listening to music and tracking my progress on.
 
The battery life to me is the biggest non-issue. Unless for some reason you really want to wear a watch in bed, which seems strange to me, I can't think of any real reason to care if you're charging it every night, every other night, or one night a week, it just makes no difference at all.
 
jett said:
Maybe there's a "lefties" setting and you just place it "upside down" on your right hand, with the crown ending up on the left side.
Click to expand...
It does look completely reversible. It's only a matter of a simple software toggle, and we know that Apple is very accessibility-oriented.
 
Bamelin said:
I'm half sold. At the office the watch would be really handy to have when in meetings.
Click to expand...

That's what I love about my Pebble Steel. I just keep my phone on silent all day and the Pebble sends me all the notifications/phone calls/emails. No more having to annoy coworkers at my desk or during meetings with my phone buzzing or ringing all the time.
 
Why would people want a round face on an information-oriented device that already has a very limited space to work with? That's completely backwards. The aesthetics is subjective, but the limitations of a round display in such a device are very objective.
 
StuBurns said:
The battery life to me is the biggest non-issue. Unless for some reason you really want to wear a watch in bed, which seems strange to me, I can't think of any real reason to care if you're charging it every night, every other night, or one night a week, it just makes no difference at all.
Click to expand...
Do we know if it will last at least a day? Sorry if it's been said. I've been randomly popping into the thread all day.
 
on the plus side, if you could use the watch to screen all incoming messages, you'd have your smartphone screen off a lot more (ignoring unimportant messages, only paying attention when relevant) which would save a lot of battery life.
 
StuBurns said:
The battery life to me is the biggest non-issue. Unless for some reason you really want to wear a watch in bed, which seems strange to me, I can't think of any real reason to care if you're charging it every night, every other night, or one night a week, it just makes no difference at all.
Click to expand...

Nobody "really wants to wear a watch in bed", people just do because it's on them at all times with no reason to take it off. Other than preference cases where someone might take it off to do the dishes or to go to bed etc. And even then, you're just taking it off, not charging it.

With this you're making a concious decision and effort to charge yet another device. I think that's a pretty fundamental, irritating difference.

Personally, there isn't a single use case of a smart watch which compensates for the irrtation of having to take off and charge a "wearable" device every day.
 
I can't justify paying that much for something I don't like the looks of or have that much of a use for. I'm happy for those who are excited about it, but it's just not doing it for me.
 
Bumhead said:
Nobody "really wants to wear a watch in bed", people just do because it's on them at all times with no reason to take it off. Other than preference cases where someone might take it off to do the dishes or to go to bed etc. And even then, you're just taking it off, not charging it.

With this you're making a concious decision and effort to charge yet another device. I think that's a pretty fundamental, irritating difference.

Personally, there isn't a single use case of a smart watch which compensates for the irrtation of having to take off and charge a "wearable" device every day.
Click to expand...
I guess it's just a case of user experience. I had an Omega Speedmaster for years, and I had to wind it, so charging a watch doesn't seem strange to me, and I never wore a watch in bed. I'm already getting naked to get in bed, removing a watch takes maybe five seconds, and wearing one in bed would irritate me, so it seems so natural that I'd want to remove it.
 
StuBurns said:
Not in as many words, but the way Cook talked about its usage and charging certainly implied it'll be a nightly charge.
Click to expand...

And also they might not be talking about it as much, given the watch is still months away and they could figure out a way to make the battery last longer.
 
My Sony sw2 can last me 3 days and it takes about 1.5-2 hours to fully charge it.
If we need daily charge it would be really disappointing.
I'm also wondering about the black level on the lcd? Lcd black level matters a lot for watchface with black borders.
 
The charging of this looks elegant enough, but it still bums me out.

>Go on vacation
>Take laptop, iPhone, watch, and maybe camera
>Carry 4 different chargers
>2014!
 
StuBurns said:
I guess it's a just a case of user experience. I had an Omega Speedmaster for years, and I had to wind it, so charging a watch doesn't seem strange to me, and I never wore a watch in bed. I'm already getting naked to get in bed, removing a watch takes maybe five seconds, and wearing one in bed would irritate me, so it seems so natural that I'd want to remove it.
Click to expand...

I don't charge my watch every night. The long battery life is handy when you're traveling, it's nice not to have to worry about bringing yet another charger. Also, the battery life really depends on the usage. On a particularly heavy day of use, it's nice to have a long battery life knowing that your watch won't die on a whim.
 
StuBurns said:
I guess it's just a case of user experience. I had an Omega Speedmaster for years, and I had to wind it, so charging a watch doesn't seem strange to me, and I never wore a watch in bed. I'm already getting naked to get in bed, removing a watch takes maybe five seconds, and wearing one in bed would irritate me, so it seems so natural that I'd want to remove it.
Click to expand...

I think the comments about wearing in bed are likely coming from things like the fitbit measuring sleep patterns, and assuming that would be a feature of this watch.

Personally for something bulky like this watch, I don't think it makes sense to wear it overnight. If you want to measure your sleep patterns etc I think you'll have to stick with the smaller dedicated bands for those.
 
StuBurns said:
I guess it's just a case of user experience. I had an Omega Speedmaster for years, and I had to wind it, so charging a watch doesn't seem strange to me, and I never wore a watch in bed. I'm already getting naked to get in bed, removing a watch takes maybe five seconds, and wearing one in bed would irritate me, so it seems so natural that I'd want to remove it.
Click to expand...

Fair enough.

For me a watch is very much a "background" sort of device. It's there when I need it and I don't even think about it when I don't. I've always worn them in bed just because I forget it's there.

I've been relatively interested in smart matches and the "iWatch" idea in general, but I must admit I didn't think about the battery issue for a second when I was thinking of the potential for the devices. Another device which requires a daily charge kills the idea stone dead for me.
 
Bumhead said:
Nobody "really wants to wear a watch in bed", people just do because it's on them at all times with no reason to take it off. Other than preference cases where someone might take it off to do the dishes or to go to bed etc. And even then, you're just taking it off, not charging it.

With this you're making a concious decision and effort to charge yet another device. I think that's a pretty fundamental, irritating difference.

Personally, there isn't a single use case of a smart watch which compensates for the irrtation of having to take off and charge a "wearable" device every day.
Click to expand...

It's a couple of years that i don't wear watches but before that i always wore one since i was 10, sleeping with a watch isn't in any way uncomfortable and never felt the urge of taking it off while in bed... but like you said the opposite would be quite annoying having to take off and put to charge a watch every night.
As a former watch wearer i think this category is highly immature and it will be like that until a real multiday usage is possible.
They sell them as products but to my eye are obviously glorified proof of concepts.

Bumhead said:
Fair enough.

For me a watch is very much a "background" sort of device. It's there when I need it and I don't even think about it when I don't. I've always worn them in bed just because I forget it's there.

I've been relatively interested in smart matches and the "iWatch" idea in general, but I must admit I didn't think about the battery issue for a second when I was thinking of the potential for the devices. Another device which requires a daily charge kills the idea stone dead for me.
Click to expand...

Yeah we think exactly the same.
 
jts said:
The charging of this looks elegant enough, but it still bums me out.

>Go on vacation
>Take laptop, iPhone, watch, and maybe camera
>Carry 4 different chargers
>2014!
Click to expand...

I'm not bummed out by the fact that all I really need for the vay-cay is the phone nowadays - and I have to worry about is the SIM and the charger type.

It's vacation, dude. You're not supposed to stress. You don't have to buy the watch. And you really should be taking an automatic sport watch if you're going to a new place.
 
Bamelin said:
I'm half sold. At the office the watch would be really handy to have when in meetings.
Click to expand...
Thought the same thing, that's why I got a pebble initially. Thing is constantly checking your watch is as much as a faux pas as checking your phone IMO! Now I don't even wear that, but it's mainly because it looks cheap (even the steel) and guys at work were asking if I was wearing my toy watch today... Anyway gonna wait for Rev 2 and see if that sells me on things. For now I'll stick with my non-smart watches.
 
Bumhead said:
Fair enough.

For me a watch is very much a "background" sort of device. It's there when I need it and I don't even think about it when I don't. I've always worn them in bed just because I forget it's there.

I've been relatively interested in smart matches and the "iWatch" idea in general, but I must admit I didn't think about the battery issue for a second when I was thinking of the potential for the devices. Another device which requires a daily charge kills the idea stone dead for me.
Click to expand...
I think this is an interesting post. You say watches are background devices, only used when you want to check the time, 'invisible' essentially, but that highlights the real fundamental difference between a watch and a smartwatch. A watch is a passive thing for the most part, they can have stopwatches and alarms, etc, but you look at it when you want to know the time. A smartwatch is essentially an extension of your phone, it's going to alert you of when it needs your attention, it's not 'invisible' in the way a watch is. If you get a smartwatch, it won't be a background device.
 
SmokyDave said:
I'm really surprised (and disappointed) that the product is asymmetrical. As a left-hander that wears a watch on my right wrist and actually likes the Apple Watch, I'm bummed out. I wouldn't have expected that kind of thoughtless design from Apple.
Click to expand...

jett said:
Maybe there's a "lefties" setting and you just place it "upside down" on your right hand, with the crown ending up on the left side.
Click to expand...

According to Slash Gear you can do just that.

http://www.slashgear.com/wheres-our-left-handed-apple-watch-09345501/
So, it turns out the Apple Watch really works TWO ways. Apple tells us on initial setup, you can choose to have the watch face orient itself for use on the right wrist, making it friendly to lefties. The watch bands are also swappable, so your band isn't facing the wrong way.
Click to expand...
Although:
Lefties will still have to deal with a right-handed design -- the crown will be on the bottom of the left side of the watch when on the right wrist
Click to expand...
 
the whole show someone your heartbeat thing is cool, but it requires both to have the watch right?
 
StuBurns said:
I think this is an interesting post. You say watches are background devices, only used when you want to check the time, 'invisible' essentially, but that highlights the real fundamental difference between a watch and a smartwatch. A watch is a passive thing for the most part, they can have stopwatches and alarms, etc, but you look at it when you want to know the time. A smartwatch is essentially an extension of your phone, it's going to alert you of when it needs your attention, it's not 'invisible' in the way a watch is. If you get a smartwatch, it won't be a background device.
Click to expand...

Depends on how you use it really, i find it extremely awkward to use a watch to respond to notifications, see photos and do other things they showed...
The smart features to me would be just fitness and sometimes maps when i don't know where to go, it would always remain a background device that i check once in a while and not a thing i would always have the eyes on like the phone could be.
 
LeleSocho said:
Depends on how you use it really, i find it extremely awkward to use a watch to respond to notifications, see photos and do other things they showed...
The smart features to me would be just fitness and sometimes maps when i don't know where to go, it would always remain a background device that i check once in a while and not a thing i would always have the eyes on like the phone could be.
Click to expand...
While fitness bands can't provide the maps element, it seems odd to me that someone would want a smartwatch for just those reasons, but obviously to each their own. Checking texts and emails on it seems so ideal to me.
 
Sapiens said:
I'm not bummed out by the fact that all I really need for the vay-cay is the phone nowadays - and I have to worry about is the SIM and the charger type.

It's vacation, dude. You're not supposed to stress. You don't have to buy the watch. And you really should be taking an automatic sport watch if you're going to a new place.
Click to expand...

I'm saying vacation but it can be anything else. You have to carry a bunch of junk to use your devices.

By now, we should have a universal charging standard both in plug form and in induction form.
 
I don't mind the look so much, but I still can't bring myself to be compelled to buy a smart watch, regardless of who makes it. It simply doesn't provide utility that I find I'm in need of at this time.

Oh well. I'm sure it'll be perfect for some people.
 
The asymmetry is unusual. But it's flippable right? I'm not a left handed person, but I've always worn my watch on my right hand. I always found it "easier" to wear it there.

I'd possibly get this if it was a freebie with an iPhone on contract, but I don't think I'd buy one outright.
 
StuBurns said:
The battery life to me is the biggest non-issue. Unless for some reason you really want to wear a watch in bed, which seems strange to me, I can't think of any real reason to care if you're charging it every night, every other night, or one night a week, it just makes no difference at all.
Click to expand...

Some people leave their houses for more than 12 hours.
 
zoukka said:
Some people leave their houses for more than 12 hours.
Click to expand...
Firstly, there's no way the charge lasts only twelve hours, that's not 'all day'. Secondly, some people leave their houses for months, does that mean anything less than months from a single charge is unacceptable?

Essentially, if you're going to be away for days, you're going to be doing things specifically in order to maintain your lifestyle, you're going to have a phone charger, you're going to have a toothbrush, a shaving kit, a change of clothing, etc, at which point, a watch charger seems like an insignificant addition.
 
Some interesting features, but not enough for me to really be interested.

The look is better than I expected, but I still like regular watches more. The fitness stuff is neat, but I got a Fitbit One that does enough of that for me.

Battery life is killer too as I'm often out of the house for well more than 12 hours and I don't really want to add another device that needs nightly recharging. Also means it could be used all day and slept with to monitor sleep quality like Fitbit and other trackers.

And $350 is just too much for me. I've got a Seiko solar charging watch a got a couple years ago for $80 from Amazon and the Fitbit I got for the same a while back. That takes care of my watch and fitness tracking needs, and I just don't have interest in getting text, e-mail etc. notifications on my watch. If my phone isn't in front of me, it's for a reason. I'm not as attached to my smart phone, texting etc. as a lot of people are.
 
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