• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Apple Watch |OT| Apple invents the watch!

Mulberry

Member
Caved and ordered a 38mm ss bcb that is shipping fast in the US. Ordered at 430 pm yesterday (5/7) and just got charged and preparing to ship at midnight (5/8). Fastest turn around I've seen and expensive, but I'll see if I like the size.
 

Stat Flow

He gonna cry in the car
Wow, been wearing the Milanese loop since launch day and got my Black Sports Band today. It's fantastic! I'll definitely wear this all the time and when I'm in less casual settings I'll get out the loop.

I'm really surprised at how good it looks with the SS Apple Watch.

Also, I've had several people see it on my wrist and call it the "iWatch" in public...I mean really now.
 

alterego

Junior Member
Ordered it yesterday (38mm SS with classic buckle).

It said 1-2 weeks wait but got an alert that it's shipped and due to deliver today!
 

SuperPac

Member
So here's how it seems to work...
My watch screen is off.
I get an email, my screen lights up and i get a ding! I see the Mail icon with the name of the sender.
The mail icon shrinks, then it shows the top of the email.

At this point i'd like to be able to read or trash/mark as read at any time.

Seems like my options here are:

- pull the email down to dismiss. Sometimes i read part of the email before i want to dismiss it, so i have to scroll back up to the top to dismiss.

or

- scroll down to the bottom of the email and see the trash etc. options. Some emails are long and i don't want to scrollscrollscroll down the whole thing.

I've tried swiping left and right and nothing happens.

Force touch doesn't do anything here, did it does clear all on the pull down notification screen.

(BTW the screen doesn't light up unless you raise/tap your wrist but) You're right. I have notifications for email off except for VIPs, so this issue hasn't come up for me - the email I'm getting a notification for is usually one I've been waiting on or don't need to delete.

Have you tried covering the watch face to dismiss? Or turning your wrist away? I believe the email will still be in the pull-down notification tray and you can more easily delete it there.
 

Dany

Banned
I've seen two people with an apple watch, one with a blue sport walking across a street. He was in a buisness suit. And another on a lady running. red.
 

jts

...hate me...
I bought one of those a while back and mostly just use them with the EarPods (hey I like them as non IEMs). Having a standard length cable is annoying but I've mostly mitigated that with a cable shortening wrapping trick, ideally you'd just have a 6-12" cable. Overall it works well enough but occasionally gets sputtery audio when first connecting for whatever reason, power cycling or turning off/on BT on the iDevice (or just waiting it out) seems to work.

Multi device connection works...but can be really annoying too. Like I watch stuff on my iPad with it, but if a call comes in the iPhone can take over and doesn't necessarily hand back control to the iPad afterwards (even though the iPad still sees itself as connected). I've also been on the phone and lost audio to the call cause the iPad decided to take over.

Not that I use them much, but the controls kinda suck for using by touch until you're really familiar with the orientation of the thing. I have it clipped onto my collar and know that volume up/down is down/up with the way I wear it, center button is play/pause, but hell if I know the orientation for skip forward/back.

Power wise I've used them for long periods so I think they can live up to their rated 6 hours, but the main thing I've noticed is that you really gotta keep them charged. I don't know if it just loses power quickly when off or the green light charge indicator is overly optimistic or what, but I've had it die seemingly quickly unless I've kept it charging for a while.

So yeah tl;dr it works, although I'd like some regular BT headphones at this point just cause the collective annoyances (and/or just wanting something new and more integrated).
Thanks, really appreciate the impressions.
 
Ordered yesterday on Amazon they're arriving Monday and I'll report back.

Awesome, thanks!!

I got a pair of these a while ago and they work well but the controls aren't the the same as apple controls. Long press on the the up volume for next track and such.

Huh, odd but I could get accustomed to that. Do they stay in your ears?

My main fear with using the watch for running, which is what I want it for, is that it will fly off my wrist and shatter. How is it when it comes to snugness while on a run?

The most I have seen in the wild was a doctor wearing the Milanese band with his during a retreat I was on this weekend. I had a great desire to borrow it forever.
 

btkadams

Member
I really hope my sport bands ship soon. I really want to workout with the watch but I have a Milanese loop. I know it's not as sensitive as leather, but I worry about sweat accumulating on the mesh and being hard to clean evenly.
 

Sean

Banned
Did three or four phone calls on the watch now and it's a pretty terrible experience.

- Doesn't use your custom ringtone(s) on the watch
- Seems to take several seconds to connect after answering
- Speakerphone is weak as fuck
- Microphone is also weak as fuck

Basically if you want to hear the other person, and if you want them to hear you, you've gotta hold the watch literally 2-3 inches from your mouth which looks like you're trying to eat your wrist. It's awful.

There's some legitimate use cases where you'd want to talk on the watch hands-free, but the weak ass mic/speaker makes that all but impossible.
 
Did three or four phone calls on the watch now and it's a pretty terrible experience.

- Doesn't use your custom ringtone(s) on the watch
- Seems to take several seconds to connect after answering
- Speakerphone is weak as fuck
- Microphone is also weak as fuck

Basically if you want to hear the other person, and if you want them to hear you, you've gotta hold the watch literally 2-3 inches from your mouth which looks like you're trying to eat your wrist. It's awful.

There's some legitimate use cases where you'd want to talk on the watch hands-free, but the weak ass mic/speaker makes that all but impossible.

Don't have the watch yet but I've heard the opposite regarding phone calling experiences, you might have a faulty watch
 

SuperPac

Member
Don't have the watch yet but I've heard the opposite regarding phone calling experiences, you might have a faulty watch

Yeah I've taken calls on the watch. Connecting is more or less instant. The mic has been good - I have not had to hold it up to my face to talk. I do agree that the speaker is weak - but, it depends on the noise in the environment you're using it in. As for ringtones - yeah, they don't let you customize those yet...
 
I've found the best use for the phone calls was in a pretty specific scenario in which I was using both of my hands to screw something in while talking on the watch. My watch was already close to my face so it worked pretty well.
 

Sean

Banned
Don't have the watch yet but I've heard the opposite regarding phone calling experiences, you might have a faulty watch

I hope that's the case, I've got access to another watch so I'll be able to test that theory later.

The main reason you'd want to talk on a watch is when both hands are tied up (such as sweeping the floor for example). But in my experience you have to hold the watch pretty close in order to hear (and be heard) so that instantly rules out most two-handed activities. If you have to keep your arm raised to speak into the watch then it kind of defeats the point. Why not just use your phone?
 
Just sold my Apple Watch Space Gray 42mm with Black Sport Band on ebay for a good profit.

I already have the stainless steel 42mm with leather band. I wasn't sure which one I would want. I thought I would want the Space Gray more but the Stainless Steel one came in first and I honestly love it a bit more.
 

tmdorsey

Member
My wife's 38mm sport with white band which was ordered on the 22nd got delivered today. I'm happy because it was a mother's day gift and the shipping window was slated for next week, so she got it about a week early.

However, my 42mm ss watch ordered on the 19th is still processing and says ships June . :-/
 
Ordered 4/27, arrived 5/8. This order was 4-6 weeks, 5/29-6/11 expected delivery. I received it in less than 2 weeks, and on the last day of the pre-order launch window, to boot!

Go Apple!






I love it!

I'm glad I returned my launch day 38 white sport, on the 27th and paid a difference to order this one - it's so stellar, with great fit and finish.
 

Voidance

Member
Ordered 4/27, arrived 5/8. This order was 4-6 weeks, 5/29-6/11 expected delivery. I received it in less than 2 weeks, and on the last day of the pre-order launch window, to boot!

Go Apple!

I love it!

I'm glad I returned my launch day 38 white sport, on the 27th and paid a difference to order this one - it's so stellar, with great fit and finish.
I saw your post in Mac Rumors. I'm quite jealous, as I ordered three days after you and have a June 2 - 9 delivery window.
 
I saw your post in Mac Rumors. I'm quite jealous, as I ordered three days after you and have a June 2 - 9 delivery window.

I'm sure you'll get it next week.

I was surprised it arrived so soon!

Literally, less than 2 weeks after I placed the order. I'm a bit OCD, checking the order page routinely (throughout each day) and noticed it went to preparing for shipment; I was stunned and elated, dumbfounded and confused. I couldn't fathom that my order would ship within the 4/10 original orders' pre-order 4/10-5/8 window.

It's a stellar device. I recommend you watch the September Keynote, skipping ahead to the Apple watch section and stage demo. So many details and features that everyone (including reviewers have forgotten and omitted), that really show what this device can do.

Nice HQ pics


Thanks!

I used my iPhone 6+ ^_~
 

sc0la

Unconfirmed Member
My wife's 38mm sport with white band which was ordered on the 22nd got delivered today. I'm happy because it was a mother's day gift and the shipping window was slated for next week, so she got it about a week early.

However, my 42mm ss watch ordered on the 19th is still processing and says ships June . :-/
Happy Fathers Day!


:(
 
A couple weeks in and my main thoughts at the moment are that every single third party app is garbage and not one of them has provided me with a function that is actually quicker or more convenient than just getting it on my phone. It's been really disappointing.
I also feel like the UI is kind of a mess. Glances could be the key once developers have done something useful with them, but they're so fiddly. I really wish they could be brought up with the contacts button and scrolled through with the crown.
 

riotous

Banned
Got my black leather loop today to pair with my space gray sport edition.

Looks/feels great. The clashing silver clasp is mostly hidden.
 
A couple weeks in and my main thoughts at the moment are that every single third party app is garbage and not one of them has provided me with a function that is actually quicker or more convenient than just getting it on my phone. It's been really disappointing.
I also feel like the UI is kind of a mess. Glances could be the key once developers have done something useful with them, but they're so fiddly. I really wish they could be brought up with the contacts button and scrolled through with the crown.

I'm still waiting on mine but this is how I feel too, at least about the 3rd party apps. Everything I've seen is just bullshit "here's our app, but smaller, or more limited, to fit on a watch." Like who the fuck actually wants to shop for stuff on Amazon on their watch. Seriously? The watch app should just be for checking tracking notifications or something. I would never in my life think to use my smartwatch for online shopping.
 

Jill Sandwich

the turds of Optimus Prime
It's early days and app developers have a lot of learning to do about how to compliment their phone app with a watch app, instead of trying to cram all the features into the watch app.
It'd also help if Apple could eliminate that spinning wheel - I'm looking forward to WWDC.
 

Blackhead

Redarse
http://watchaware.com/post/11313/zero-space-black-stainless-apple-watches-shipped

Is that claim legit; did no space black w/ stainless black watches go out? I ordered minutes after release and it still shows June. Ordered a sport a few days ago and got the tracking info this morning.

I know this isn't a Rolex or edition, but I'm not going to have to worry about getting my hand chopped off, am I? Heh.

Yep, the earliest shipping date on orders placed at 12:01 for the Space Black was mid-May. My closest Apple store still does not have any Space Blacks for try-ons. It's ridiculously rare. I'm tired of waiting, going to order the regular stainless now
A couple weeks in and my main thoughts at the moment are that every single third party app is garbage and not one of them has provided me with a function that is actually quicker or more convenient than just getting it on my phone. It's been really disappointing.
I also feel like the UI is kind of a mess. Glances could be the key once developers have done something useful with them, but they're so fiddly. I really wish they could be brought up with the contacts button and scrolled through with the crown.

Redesigning Overcast’s Apple Watch app
Marco said:
I originally designed the Apple Watch app for my podcast player, Overcast, with a scaled-down version of the iPhone app’s structure.

This seemed like a sensible adaptation of my iOS app to the Apple Watch. In practice, it sucked...

before
8kUIuRC.png


after
Q97T0Ys.png

Even more cluttered. The shittiness of WatchKit is forcing developers to cram everything into one screen
 

SuperPac

Member
Redesigning Overcast’s Apple Watch app

Even more cluttered. The shittiness of WatchKit is forcing developers to cram everything into one screen

Actually I find this new interface to be more immediately useful - showing the "up next" podcast is a good idea. Before, it was duplicating the "Now Playing" glance more or less - now it's at least offering some more information there. Switching podcasts/playlists is behind a force touch but all-in-all it's not more taps to switch, and after the update the podcast lists load a smidge faster than before.
 
It's early days and app developers have a lot of learning to do about how to compliment their phone app with a watch app, instead of trying to cram all the features into the watch app.
It'd also help if Apple could eliminate that spinning wheel - I'm looking forward to WWDC.

Yes, exactly. Nobody is trying to compliment their iPhone apps, they're all just porting them to the watch.

I don't know if Domino's or Pizza Hut have a Watch app, but I don't want to use my watch to order a pizza. Ideally I would order the pizza on my phone, and a delivery tracker would be on my watch. At MOST like a "quick order" type thing, where you set up a favorite go-to order on your phone, and you'd set that to the watch, so if you wanted to just quickly order your standard meal you'd do that. But that's pushing it, I think. Delivery tracker is more than adequate.

Amazon, as I said, is fucking ridiculous. Shopping Amazon and placing orders on your watch is one of the dumbest things I've heard so far. Shop and order on your phone, track orders and give delivery notifications on the watch.

Target, Best Buy, Frys, Wal-Mart, same thing. I don't want to shop on my watch, I can't really imagine anyone would rather shop on their watch over their phone. If I've placed an order online, let me track it on the watch. If it's store pickup, tell me when it's ready on the watch. Maybe make a shopping list and put it on the watch. That's it!

Fitness Apps. Track my steps, calories burned, etc. Don't make me enter what I've eaten today on my watch. That's what the phone app is for.

Plus there are some apps that just... don't need Apple Watch companion apps. Twitter? Instagram? Facebook? Get your phone out for that.

I know that the Watch is in it's infancy and it'll take some time for devs to figure it out. I've had iPhones since the 4GB OG, I remember what the early days of the iPhone App Store were like. But I also feel like some of it is simply common sense. I know I keep harping on it but I just could not believe what I was reading when I saw Amazon's Apple Watch app.
 

Blackhead

Redarse
Actually I find this new interface to be more immediately useful - showing the "up next" podcast is a good idea. Before, it was duplicating the "Now Playing" glance more or less - now it's at least offering some more information there. Switching podcasts/playlists is behind a force touch but all-in-all it's not more taps to switch, and after the update the podcast lists load a smidge faster than before.

No doubt it works much faster but he's going to have another redesign on his hands when Apple allows third party native apps and gives access to onboard aWatch storage for Overcast can be used without a paired iPhone. Besides that I'm in philosophical disagreement with Apple's Interface guidelines regarding black backgrounds and no margin padding. There's no space to breathe. Imagine if the butterfly or jellyfish watch face was an extreme closeup of the creature that covered the entire aWatch display?! It would look like a cramped cage and that's how I feel about UI I've seen so far.

*shrug* my experience is still limited to playing around at the Apple Store so ignore everything I've said so far as my gut reactions
 
Yes, exactly. Nobody is trying to compliment their iPhone apps, they're all just porting them to the watch.

I don't know if Domino's or Pizza Hut have a Watch app, but I don't want to use my watch to order a pizza. Ideally I would order the pizza on my phone, and a delivery tracker would be on my watch. At MOST like a "quick order" type thing, where you set up a favorite go-to order on your phone, and you'd set that to the watch, so if you wanted to just quickly order your standard meal you'd do that. But that's pushing it, I think. Delivery tracker is more than adequate.

Amazon, as I said, is fucking ridiculous. Shopping Amazon and placing orders on your watch is one of the dumbest things I've heard so far. Shop and order on your phone, track orders and give delivery notifications on the watch.

Target, Best Buy, Frys, Wal-Mart, same thing. I don't want to shop on my watch, I can't really imagine anyone would rather shop on their watch over their phone. If I've placed an order online, let me track it on the watch. If it's store pickup, tell me when it's ready on the watch. Maybe make a shopping list and put it on the watch. That's it!

Fitness Apps. Track my steps, calories burned, etc. Don't make me enter what I've eaten today on my watch. That's what the phone app is for.

Plus there are some apps that just... don't need Apple Watch companion apps. Twitter? Instagram? Facebook? Get your phone out for that.

I know that the Watch is in it's infancy and it'll take some time for devs to figure it out. I've had iPhones since the 4GB OG, I remember what the early days of the iPhone App Store were like. But I also feel like some of it is simply common sense. I know I keep harping on it but I just could not believe what I was reading when I saw Amazon's Apple Watch app.

Good post. Hard things to do should be done on your phone. If hard things have any lifetime, give us a status of them on the watch. It would be like 'checking your watch'.

I've turned on 'unlock with iphone' because I can't stand typing out a passcode on the watch. Fidgeting around with a screen keyboard on a small screen is ridiculous.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
I'd like more hardware buttons. Lots of chronographs have four buttons plus the crown so I think you could have hardware buttons for play/pause and skip for music so you could control it blind. Could even do that with one button like the inline call/answer button can do on Headphones. how about apple let you choose what that contacts button does?
 

SeanR1221

Member
Yes, exactly. Nobody is trying to compliment their iPhone apps, they're all just porting them to the watch.

I don't know if Domino's or Pizza Hut have a Watch app, but I don't want to use my watch to order a pizza. Ideally I would order the pizza on my phone, and a delivery tracker would be on my watch. At MOST like a "quick order" type thing, where you set up a favorite go-to order on your phone, and you'd set that to the watch, so if you wanted to just quickly order your standard meal you'd do that. But that's pushing it, I think. Delivery tracker is more than adequate.

Amazon, as I said, is fucking ridiculous. Shopping Amazon and placing orders on your watch is one of the dumbest things I've heard so far. Shop and order on your phone, track orders and give delivery notifications on the watch.

Target, Best Buy, Frys, Wal-Mart, same thing. I don't want to shop on my watch, I can't really imagine anyone would rather shop on their watch over their phone. If I've placed an order online, let me track it on the watch. If it's store pickup, tell me when it's ready on the watch. Maybe make a shopping list and put it on the watch. That's it!

Fitness Apps. Track my steps, calories burned, etc. Don't make me enter what I've eaten today on my watch. That's what the phone app is for.

Plus there are some apps that just... don't need Apple Watch companion apps. Twitter? Instagram? Facebook? Get your phone out for that.

I know that the Watch is in it's infancy and it'll take some time for devs to figure it out. I've had iPhones since the 4GB OG, I remember what the early days of the iPhone App Store were like. But I also feel like some of it is simply common sense. I know I keep harping on it but I just could not believe what I was reading when I saw Amazon's Apple Watch app.

I don't have the watch yet but this is a good post.

A lot of original iPad apps were just big phone apps, so I have faith good stuff is coming.
 

SuperPac

Member
No doubt it works much faster but he's going to have another redesign on his hands when Apple allows third party native apps and gives access to onboard aWatch storage for Overcast can be used without a paired iPhone.

I disagree. He'd likely need to add a way to select the podcast source (probably behind a Force Touch - like the music player app) and maybe a Watch Playlist. Actually handling Overcast's storage on the watch will likely be done in Overcast on the phone, and maybe manually.

Besides that I'm in philosophical disagreement with Apple's Interface guidelines regarding black backgrounds and no margin padding. There's no space to breathe. Imagine if the butterfly or jellyfish watch face was an extreme closeup of the creature that covered the entire aWatch display?! It would look like a cramped cage and that's how I feel about UI I've seen so far.

The bezel gives it the illusion of room to breathe. In the case of Overcast I don't agree with you - the only part here you're interacting with are play and skip forward/back and those are the same size they were previously. The now playing and up next are purely informational and are fine as they are. Better than the last iteration, IMO.
 

SuperPac

Member
Yes, exactly. Nobody is trying to compliment their iPhone apps, they're all just porting them to the watch.

I don't know if Domino's or Pizza Hut have a Watch app, but I don't want to use my watch to order a pizza. Ideally I would order the pizza on my phone, and a delivery tracker would be on my watch. At MOST like a "quick order" type thing, where you set up a favorite go-to order on your phone, and you'd set that to the watch, so if you wanted to just quickly order your standard meal you'd do that. But that's pushing it, I think. Delivery tracker is more than adequate.

Completely agree with your post. The Chipotle app seems OK - I'd like to see those types of ordering apps only do favorites or re-orders. GrubHub - the watch only tracks your order, looks like. On the whole I think most apps missed the mark and will hopefully get better as people understand watch apps are for seconds-long interactions.
 

Ty4on

Member
Actually I find this new interface to be more immediately useful - showing the "up next" podcast is a good idea. Before, it was duplicating the "Now Playing" glance more or less - now it's at least offering some more information there. Switching podcasts/playlists is behind a force touch but all-in-all it's not more taps to switch, and after the update the podcast lists load a smidge faster than before.

It could maybe have a bigger icon with the upcoming peaking in from behind like in pocket casts, but I agree that it isn't too much. I find only having the play/pause, next and previous buttons on the watch to be useless as I can do that from my headset.
 

Juice

Member
I was bored so I ordered a bunch of extra bands last night, figuring the longer I waited the longer I'd wait.

What's apples return policy on extra bands?
 

Majine

Banned
Wonder if Apple will ever sell just the watch, no bands. I can see a future where people have a bajillion bands as a result of always having to buy one with every watch.
 
What watch maker sells a watch without a band?

That's not exactly a completely fair comparison. What other watch is sold with swappable bands that involve little more than a button press and are also pieces of tech that get cycled out with new iterations every couple of years?

I think the bigger question is will the 1st gen bands work with future Apple Watches or would each gen get stuck with their versions bands? I imagine if they want to thin the watch out in the future then they'd run into backwards compatibility issues.
 
Top Bottom