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[Sean]

Just tried on a bunch at the Apple Store, some quick impressions.

Stainless Steel with steel link bracelet feels great, the perfect size and weight and premium feeling. It was my favorite combination but way too expensive for me.

Sport looks quite nice in person and is extremely light weight. The Sport band felt very nice and comfortable, it was a bit weird and awkward to put on at first since you tuck the strap inside, but very comfy. The Sport does not look or feel cheap at all imo.

Space Gray Sport looked fantastic, it's the nicest looking one when the display is off (which it will be the majority of the day).

I regret purchasing the 38mm version. I consider my wrists kinda small/skinny for a man, but the 42mm looked and felt better on me. It looked huge in some of the pics but felt just right on my wrist. I recommend setting an appointment to try it on if you're debating on size, the pics you may see online are kind of misleading.

After trying it on I ordered the 42mm space gray sport (my third order today, so hope it doesn't get canceled and also gets bumped up from the June ship date).

 

[SuperPac]

Hmm.. I'm not seeing what you are seeing.

Looks like he has 2 band boxes and only opens one of them. The box he does open definitely only has 2 parts in it; the "other side" of the cardboard box just has cutouts for the parts that stick out.

There is then an unopened box on the table next to his open box.

Here's the Sport Band box open. One side has top and bottom strap. The other side has one strap (with notches) and no spot for another top portion (the "hole" on that other side is so the fastener from the top half of the box closes flush.

 

[kaskade]

Just tried on a bunch at the Apple Store, some quick impressions.

Stainless Steel with steel link bracelet feels great, the perfect size and weight and premium feeling. It was my favorite combination but way too expensive for me.

Sport looks quite nice in person and is extremely light weight. The Sport band felt very nice and comfortable, it was a bit weird and awkward to put on at first since you tuck the strap inside, but very comfy. The Sport does not look or feel cheap at all imo.

Space Gray Sport looked fantastic, it's the nicest looking one when the display is off (which it will be the majority of the day).

I regret purchasing the 38mm version. I consider my wrists kinda small/skinny for a man, but the 42mm looked and felt better on me. It looked huge in some of the pics but felt just right on my wrist. I recommend setting an appointment to try it on if you're debating on size, the pics you may see online are kind of misleading.

After trying it on I ordered the 42mm space gray sport (my third order today, so hope it doesn't get canceled and also gets bumped up from the June ship date).

That's nice to hear, I'm tempted to go into the store and try one on but I also kind of want the fresh experience when I get it in the mail. In a way this is one of the first really "new" pieces of tech I've gotten in a long time.

 

[riotous]

Here's the Sport Band box open. One side has top and bottom strap. The other side has one strap (with notches) and no spot for another top portion (the "hole" on that other side is so the fastener from the top half of the box closes flush.

Again.. I'm not seeing what you are seeing. The "other side" has no band parts.. it just has depressions for the 2 band parts on the other side.

 

[LyleLanley]

Just got back from trying them on. This thing feels lighter than I expected, the steel link band is almost too light for my liking. Other than that I thought it felt great. Oh and I could barely tell the difference between the two sizes, it seemed like the Apple employee couldn't either as he had to check the back of the device to figure out the size.

 

[SuperPac]

Again.. I'm not seeing what you are seeing. The "other side" has no band parts.. it just has depressions for the 2 band parts on the other side.

Well, the video quality is poor and the strap is white in a white box. Look at the overhead - the other side has the other shorter notches end on it.

 

[mrklaw]

Yeah after checking the product page I'm convinced it's 2 full bands.

Otherwise this would be a bit of false advertising:

It wouldn't be false advertising if they had three parts to form two bands. You are still getting two sizes of band effectively in the box. You can make a small/medium or a medium/large from what is in the box. It doesn't say you can make both at the same time.

 

[VAD]

I tried the Sport and the Steel today. I found the Black sport 42mm gorgeous and was surprised I preferred it to the more expensive one, the Steel looked less classy and is more expensive than my automatic Tissot. It's a shame I couldn't try to actually use the damn watch by pairing it to an iPhone.
It dissipated any doubt I had about which model to choose, I will order a Black 42 mm Sport and buy a Milanese loop later if I feel like dropping 170€ on a band.

 

[riotous]

Well, the video quality is poor and the strap is white in a white box. Look at the overhead - the other side has the other shorter notches end on it.

Ahh... yeah, I see that now. The video compression really muddled the other shot.

That makes that entire watch band swapping site completely useless lol.

 

[mrkgoo]

Hmm.. I'm not seeing what you are seeing.

Looks like he has 2 band boxes and only opens one of them. The box he does open definitely only has 2 parts in it; the "other side" of the cardboard box just has cutouts for the parts that stick out.

There is then an unopened box on the table next to his open box.

Actually now that I've watched the video I think it's absolutely clear what super pac says is right.

The sport band box comes with 3 parts. One clasp part and two parts with holes in different lengths.

In the last shot you can see that the "unopened" box is just the sleeve, and the inside part unfolds to 3 parts, one panel has instructions, one panel has the clasp plus longer band and the third has the shorter band. You can see the holes.

 

[Phreaker]

It also says that for Sports Bands bought separately. It's in the description - "2 bands."

So far the only video I've seen that shows an unboxing of the separate sport band is this Gadget Guy video. When they open the Sport Band box you see that it's one fastener part and two (a S/M and M/L) straps for the other part.

Maybe you do actually get 2 full bands but with the inconsistency in the standalone strap box I wouldn't guarantee it yet.

Oh, okay. I haven't seen an unbox and between the description on the band swapper site and Apple's site I assumed there were two, after not thinking that at all.

 

[LyleLanley]

Ahh... yeah, I see that now. The video compression really muddled the other shot.

That makes that entire watch band swapping site completely useless lol.

Unless you want multicolored bands.

 

[riotous]

Unless you want multicolored bands.

I cringed reading this.

 

[SuperPac]

Ahh... yeah, I see that now. The video compression really muddled the other shot.

That makes that entire watch band swapping site completely useless lol.

It definitely does. A lot of people are going to be pretty pissed off about that one.

It's hard to describe succinctly what the situation is unless you say "2 bands." I guess you could say "1 band, 1 extra M/L piece" but that could be kinda confusing. I dunno. It's not false advertising as much as it inspired false hope that people would be able to sell a complete other band that comes in the box when that's probably not the case.

 

[Sean]

That's nice to hear, I'm tempted to go into the store and try one on but I also kind of want the fresh experience when I get it in the mail. In a way this is one of the first really "new" pieces of tech I've gotten in a long time.

Yeah, it was a helpful visit for me cause it changed my mind on what size to get (switching to 42mm now). But after seeing them in person and trying them on, it makes the wait that much harder.

42mm Space Gray Sport is definitely the model to get though. Cheapest model you can buy and also the best looking imo. Everyone who bought that will be pleased.

 

[LyleLanley]

I cringed reading this.

You got a problem with my $10,000 gold Apple Watch with black and red bands?

 

[mrkgoo]

Unless you want multicolored bands.

Or just replacing the same colour to get the same size you use as spare (for that half).

 

[Coalition-PezRadar]

Well I have the Cust Supervisors contact info and she emailed me about my watch issue saying she would update me as soon as she hears back. I found out she didn't flag the correct order number. I emailed her back and she called me back within 2 minutes. Crazy! Awesome customer service for sure.


PS: I had cancellation issues.

 

[RoKKeR]

Just tried on a bunch at the Apple Store, some quick impressions.

Stainless Steel with steel link bracelet feels great, the perfect size and weight and premium feeling. It was my favorite combination but way too expensive for me.

Sport looks quite nice in person and is extremely light weight. The Sport band felt very nice and comfortable, it was a bit weird and awkward to put on at first since you tuck the strap inside, but very comfy. The Sport does not look or feel cheap at all imo.

Space Gray Sport looked fantastic, it's the nicest looking one when the display is off (which it will be the majority of the day).

I regret purchasing the 38mm version. I consider my wrists kinda small/skinny for a man, but the 42mm looked and felt better on me. It looked huge in some of the pics but felt just right on my wrist. I recommend setting an appointment to try it on if you're debating on size, the pics you may see online are kind of misleading.

After trying it on I ordered the 42mm space gray sport (my third order today, so hope it doesn't get canceled and also gets bumped up from the June ship date).

Interested to hear your positive impressions on the Space Gray Sport. I think it looks good on it's own but I'm skeptical about how it would look with other, nicer bands.

Also interesting to hear your thoughts about the sizing. Really need to go in and try these things out.

 

[ckohler]

Space Gray Sport looked fantastic, it's the nicest looking one when the display is off (which it will be the majority of the day).

Sweet. This is the main reason I purchased the Space Gray Sport. It looks great in photos when the screen is off and when the screen is on, the colors on the display really pop.

 

[riotous]

I I dunno. It's not false advertising

Kinda disagree on this. It's simply not 2 watch bands. A watch band is 2 parts... if I tell you I'm giving you 2 watch bands you should expect 4 parts.

Not upset about it or anything but they should describe that better.

 

[mrkgoo]

Well I have the Cust Supervisors contact info and she emailed me about my watch issue saying she would update me as soon as she hears back. I found out she didn't flag the correct order number. I emailed her back and she called me back within 2 minutes. Crazy! Awesome customer service for sure.


PS: I had cancellation issues.

Here's something about customer service - most will endeavour to call back as soon as possible. They are people and have a priority list or whatever is easy and will call back (or forget). Sometimes you get "chosen" as priority be it because you actually have it or because your call is easy to make, last on their mind, whatever.

Just realise that when you get a call back and get "excellent" service it has delayed another call who will yell at them for taking so long. Likewise, if it's taking long for service to get back to you it may not actually be "bad" service, but you might simply be on the other end.

Rather than judge quality of service based on call back time and response it's better to consider the quality of the help itself. I guess you could argue that speed of response is a measure of how many staff they have vs customer request and thus a reflection if quality in that regard.

Anyway, just a couple cents from someone who needs to do callbacks occasionally

 

[mrkgoo]

Kinda disagree on this. It's simply not 2 watch bands. A watch band is 2 parts... if I tell you I'm giving you 2 watch bands you should expect 4 parts.

Not upset about it or anything but they should describe that better.

I dunno. Maybe they should say two band sizes.

I think it's kind of grey. Not totally explicit but not really lying either.

 

[SuperPac]

Kinda disagree on this. It's simply not 2 watch bands. A watch band is 2 parts... if I tell you I'm giving you 2 watch bands you should expect 4 parts.

Not upset about it or anything but they should describe that better.

Yeah I agree. They should clarify.

 

[LyleLanley]

I dunno. Maybe they should say two band sizes.

I think it's kind of grey. Not totally explicit but not really lying either.

At the very least they should clarify what they mean by band and/or state that you get the two different sized bands and one other connecting band.

Compare the description of what's in the box for the sports bands and the classic leather bands. It seems like you get twice the amount of bands in the sport box.

 

[mrkgoo]

Yeah I agree. They should clarify.

At the very least they should clarify what they mean by band and/or state that you get the two different sized bands and one other connecting band.

Yeah. The fact we are having this discussion says it's not clear.

 

[Sean]

Interested to hear your positive impressions on the Space Gray Sport. I think it looks good on it's own but I'm skeptical about how it would look with other, nicer bands.

Yeah that's the one flaw with the Space Gray color, you don't have nearly as many band options that would match with it.

I think the black leather loop band would probably look great on it and maybe the black classic buckle. But other than that it doesn't seem like any of the other Apple band choices would match this model. I plan to keep the default black sport strap though so it's not an issue for me.

 

[donkey show]

Just tried on a bunch at the Apple Store, some quick impressions.

Stainless Steel with steel link bracelet feels great, the perfect size and weight and premium feeling. It was my favorite combination but way too expensive for me.

Sport looks quite nice in person and is extremely light weight. The Sport band felt very nice and comfortable, it was a bit weird and awkward to put on at first since you tuck the strap inside, but very comfy. The Sport does not look or feel cheap at all imo.

Space Gray Sport looked fantastic, it's the nicest looking one when the display is off (which it will be the majority of the day).

I regret purchasing the 38mm version. I consider my wrists kinda small/skinny for a man, but the 42mm looked and felt better on me. It looked huge in some of the pics but felt just right on my wrist. I recommend setting an appointment to try it on if you're debating on size, the pics you may see online are kind of misleading.

After trying it on I ordered the 42mm space gray sport (my third order today, so hope it doesn't get canceled and also gets bumped up from the June ship date).

I pretty much have the same impressions as you after randomly swinging by the Apple Store at our local mall today. Btw, I really haven't been keeping up on the specs since its announcement way back when, so I was rather impressed with what I experienced.

Space Gray Sport is nice and subdued and waaaaaay lighter than I had expected. It almost feels like it isn't there. I was expecting the click band to be somewhat flimsy as well but it is very snug and sticks well to the wrist. Does not feel uncomfortable at all.

The mid range Apple Watch did have a better weight to it, although still very light. The normal band felt pretty comfortable and the stainless steel look was much better in person than in pictures.

Size wise, I don't think I could go 38mm. Feels way too small in comparison to the 42mm.

 

[mrkgoo]

Yeah that's the one flaw with the Space Gray color, you don't have nearly as many band options that would match with it.

I think the black leather loop band would probably look great on it and maybe the black classic buckle. But other than that it doesn't seem like any of the other Apple band choices would match this model. I plan to keep the default black sport strap though so it's not an issue for me.

I'm of the same opinion. I want to get the black sports watch, but it doesn't look good in my mind with any other strap except black.

The silver seems more versatile ( and stainless steel, but not an option due to coast). Do I go for more versatility or just stick with the oneninthink looks better?

 

[Deleted member 22576]

Listening to the verge cast and nilay says the display is pentile.

 

[rezuth]

Listening to the verge cast and nilay says the display is pentile.

That would be really disappointing if true.

 

[The_Afroman]

Super pumped.

 

[subrock]

Depending on the secondary market. I may just sell the one I get on launch and wait for June. Seems like the black sport will have a pretty good resale

 

[dallow_bg]

yeah the intentional shortage theory always comes from tinfoil hat conspiracies.. as if the "supposed" press from being sold out is better than the increased profit from selling an additional 100K, 200K etc units. ANY company would rather be able to say "we sold 500K units" than "we sold 250K units and are completely sold out". I mean really.. think about it people.

Nintendo has done exactly that in the past.
They being said, I don't believe Apple is doing this of course.

 

[borghe]

Yeah that's the one flaw with the Space Gray color, you don't have nearly as many band options that would match with it.

I think the black leather loop band would probably look great on it and maybe the black classic buckle. But other than that it doesn't seem like any of the other Apple band choices would match this model. I plan to keep the default black sport strap though so it's not an issue for me.

this was ultimately my decision against both black/grey models. space grey looks great, but severely limits the bands you can use.. stainless steel black looks amazing, but you only get like 1-3 extra band options.

am I going to have 100 bands? no. But to basically be limited to what you can get based on the watch body.. definitely happy going with stainless steel.

even the sport looks great, as long as you stick with the sport bands.. I've looked at the various sites combining the premium bands with the sport and it was basically a non-starter.

Nintendo has done exactly that in the past.
They being said, I don't believe Apple is doing this of course.

I don't believe there has ever been any proof of Nintendo doing this... unless you are talking about like 16-bit or earlier.

 

[mrkgoo]

Do we know how the different resolutions on the different sizes are handled?

Like if we choose the same watch face on two different sized watches, are the faces scaled to suit the watch face or the same pixel count?

 

[dallow_bg]

this was ultimately my decision against both black/grey models. space grey looks great, but severely limits the bands you can use.. stainless steel black looks amazing, but you only get like 1-3 extra band options.

am I going to have 100 bands? no. But to basically be limited to what you can get based on the watch body.. definitely happy going with stainless steel.

even the sport looks great, as long as you stick with the sport bands.. I've looked at the various sites combining the premium bands with the sport and it was basically a non-starter.



I don't believe there has ever been any proof of Nintendo doing this... unless you are talking about like 16-bit or earlier.

Yes, NES days. It was a documented strategy that worked out for them to help make video games big again after the crash.

My point is that, some companies will do this.

 

[Somnid]

Nintendo has done exactly that in the past.
They being said, I don't believe Apple is doing this of course.

I'm not aware of any time Nintendo did this. They tussled with distributors using supply allocation which likely gets mixed up but that's not the same thing. It's the technology version of "911 was an inside job." You can safely disregard the analysis people who genuinely believe it.

 

[infiniteloop]

Went to my try on appointment. Wow, it's really small. Looks like some big chunky thing in the pics and i thought I had small wrists. Hardware is really, really nice.

If you were thinking about getting the 38mm..... don't.

Tried on the Sport black, the steel with milanese loop and steel with leather loop.

Sport was nice, but loooove the milanese loop. Going to cancel my Sport preorder and keep the steel.

 

[borghe]

Do we know how the different resolutions on the different sizes are handled?

Like if we choose the same watch face on two different sized watches, are the faces scaled to suit the watch face or the same pixel count?

apple's interface guidelines call for relative sizing/placement on all UI elements for WatchKit.. I haven't actually played with it yet to know if you can do absolute sizing/placement.. but using relative would mean that both 38mm and 42mm are pixel perfect, not scaled.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

That would be really disappointing if true.

He says he took a macro photo of it but also says it doesn't matter.

 

[infiniteloop]

Super pumped.

Apple employee?

 

[mrkgoo]

apple's interface guidelines call for relative sizing/placement on all UI elements for WatchKit.. I haven't actually played with it yet to know if you can do absolute sizing/placement.. but using relative would mean that both 38mm and 42mm are pixel perfect, not scaled.

So this suggests the same watch face on different watches are the same pixels, so would appear relatively smaller than the screen on the larger watch?

Maybe that's why they always show different faces dependent on size. I'm trying to determine which size is like. I have small hands but feel the large size might be better, but then if watch faces fill thevsmall one better...

 

[The_Afroman]

Apple employee?

Yes sir/ma'am

 

[Pixels]

So this suggests the same watch face on different watches are the same pixels, so would appear relatively smaller than the screen on the larger watch?

Maybe that's why they always show different faces dependent on size. I'm trying to determine which size is like. I have small hands but feel the large size might be better, but then if watch faces fill thevsmall one better...

There is only one resolution in Xcode simulator. It will look the same.

 

[Blackhead]

I got there soon after opening and there were already a good number of people at the Apple Store. Everybody was checking out the watch of course. I tried the Sport grey, then silver steel with leather strap and then the metal bands. The Sport Dark Grey looks, dare i say it, best of all the models on display. I'm eating some crow on that one . I did not like the rubber straps at all; I don't know what Gruber is drinking but these rubber straps don't feel premium. The modern buckle was indeed the nicest but the leather strap on that was too thin for me, more feminine. None of the leather straps felt good; iirc one reviewer described the feel as plastic and that's my initial impression as well. The best bands overall were the metal ones, very well crafted, definitely premium. But none of the combos are to my taste; I agree with those style editors in the verge review: the bands and watch don't look like they go together. It looks like a mini iPhone strapped to my wrist... it looks like an ugly watch.

However, the Apple store I went to doesn't have the black stainless steel to demo yet. The new Macbook wasn't available.I thought about preordering the black stainless steel anyway but shipping time has slipped to July! I'm very disappointed with this launch, almost as much a clusterfuck as a Nexus phone release :/

By the way, I suggest everybody living in cold climates take along their winter gloves for their appointment. The digital crown wasn't totally useless when I had my gloves which was a nice surprise. I'm still going to invest in thinner gloves for next winter though.

 

[kaskade]

Definitely happy to hear about the Space Gray Sport looking really good.

 

[Sean]

I'm of the same opinion. I want to get the black sports watch, but it doesn't look good in my mind with any other strap except black.

The silver seems more versatile ( and stainless steel, but not an option due to coast). Do I go for more versatility or just stick with the oneninthink looks better?

this was ultimately my decision against both black/grey models. space grey looks great, but severely limits the bands you can use.. stainless steel black looks amazing, but you only get like 1-3 extra band options.

am I going to have 100 bands? no. But to basically be limited to what you can get based on the watch body.. definitely happy going with stainless steel.

Steel is definitely the most versatile one, it matched well with everything I saw. But Space Gray looks so good in its default configuration that swapping bands probably won't even cross your mind to be honest.

After looking at all the combinations in store and thinking about it some more, I sorta ruled out most bands anyway and came to the conclusion that band swapping isn't a big deal for me:

- I feel like there isn't a significant difference in terms of looks from the cheap black sport band to the classic/modern buckle band. I wouldn't spend $150-250 on those particular bands when the sport band looks close enough to them for just $50.
- Steel link bracelet ($450) looks great but it's way too expensive for me to even consider.
- Colored Sport bands are too bright and tacky looking imo, they were never on my radar. Even if I had a steel watch I wouldn't consider those (only the black and white sports bands look good to me).
- The black leather loop band would match well with Space Gray Sport. That mostly just leaves the Milanese loop band as a non-option.

 

[riotous]

I don't see why the space grey supposedly won't look good with non-black bands.

Guess my opinion differs, but I prefer the look of the space grey in general on http://mixyourwatch.com even with the regular non-black steel band.

 

[Dany]

I'm totally getting the second generation sport edition. <3