Apple Watch First Impressions From Watch Experts, Fashion Sites

[skaertus]

I cannot see how this posting helps to know more about the Apple Watch ?

It doesn't. And I do not see how any other post helps. The iWatch is still a product in development (especially in what regards its battery life), as I can see, and nobody actually had access to it apart from people who attended the Keynote. Everything else is just speculation.

However, despite the fact that nobody actually knows exactly what it feels like and everything it can or cannot do, people are already forming very strong opinions on it. Some will definitely buy it the day it comes out, some cannot even think of that.

And yes, nobody really needs an Apple Watch and nobody really asked for it. It may end up being a good and useful product, but Apple is still neglecting a good part of its users, especially Mac users. I can see there are still some orphans of iWork and Final Cut Studio (no, I use none of them), and Apple is not showing them any reason to stick to their Macs.

Instead, Apple is diversifying and trying to reach people that do not care at all for technology. It is fashion industry now. Lots of people are going to buy the Apple Watch because it is fancy and because it is a wearable made by the king of brands – Apple. Luxury brands, beware. A lot of these users, perhaps most of them, will care about the wristbands and the watch "faces" and will not care for what it can or cannot do. Apple will focus on squeezing this market and will let apps to be developed by third parties – usually small developers who have not the money to make software that Apple would be able to make with its tons of money. The result is that Apple will make more money with more superficial products and will end up alienating its core user base of yore – computer geeks who want their devices to actually make things.

 

[typeadam]

I have to admit, I'm in love with the design and the functionality of it. I love the fact that Apple put in "watch" thought into this product, not just "tech" thought. The different straps and bracelet and the two sizes, which are in the range of most traditional watches.

However, I most likely won't be buying one. I've been wearing watches since I was a little kid. But I'm a fan of mechanical watches. For those that don't care about watches, they may not understand, but knowing that you have a tiny but quite complex machine on your wrist with ZERO electrical power driving it, that was put together by some little, old, white-haired, master craftsman in some Swiss mountain, is absolutely astonishing.

On top of that I prefer dive watches - this fits none of that criteria.
I also WEAR my watches - all of them. I take care of them but I don't baby them. Watches are robust and are meant to be worn. People that buy a watch and keep it in a display case or a safe b/c they don't want it to get damaged just blow my mind.
I know the Apple Watch uses the same grade steel apparently as a Rolex (904L) opposed to other watch manufacturers that use 316L, and has a Sapphire crystal, but I wouldn't feel as comfortable banging into things w/ that on compared to other watches.

I know that my mechanical watch is less accurate than a $5 quartz watch and that clocks are everywhere but this is all personal opinion anyway.

I guess in the end if I need a digital, I'll use my Casio G-Shock - and that's not very often.

Also, to everyone talking about waterproof. No watch is actually waterproof. Even a 3000 meter watch is still water-resistant. And technically it's pressure resistant.

Disclaimer: feel free to ignore all you've just read - the rantings of a forum poster...

 

[cjbryce]

[1]WTF is a "fashion expert" ROTFLMAO!!! [2]Is there a school for that? [3]State licensing!?!

1) Well not me, but probably somebody who has studied history of fashion and design and earned a masters in it, has an in-depth knowledge of the development of trends in fashion and design and at least a working knowledge of the 1.5+ trillion USD global fashion industry. 2) Yes, many. Some of them amongst the most famous universities in the world. 3) I haven't a clue.

I'm afraid you've rather fallen into the trap of mocking something largely because you have no interest in or knowledge of it.

 

[macenied]

Thank you for clarification. You mention some good points where I can absolutely agree. However, the product is a watch and so it can be much more than a telephone or a computer for some people, something to express fashion and style as well. Personality. How else can a 18K gold Apple Watch be justified ?

 

[wizzerandchips]

I find it a lovely piece of engineering, and the two sizes..male and female and the amount of straps was totally unexpected...this is just the start. I remember all critics saying how can this iPad be compared to a laptop..it won't catch on..haha how I laugh at those comment now.

The adverts alone are well thought out and beautiful in themselves.

go ..

Oh, and for all you lefties moaning..im a leftie, and i can't see your argument really.

----------

It doesn't. And I do not see how any other post helps. The iWatch is still a product in development (especially in what regards its battery life), as I can see, and nobody actually had access to it apart from people who attended the Keynote. Everything else is just speculation.

However, despite the fact that nobody actually knows exactly what it feels like and everything it can or cannot do, people are already forming very strong opinions on it. Some will definitely buy it the day it comes out, some cannot even think of that.

And yes, nobody really needs an Apple Watch and nobody really asked for it. It may end up being a good and useful product, but Apple is still neglecting a good part of its users, especially Mac users. I can see there are still some orphans of iWork and Final Cut Studio (no, I use none of them), and Apple is not showing them any reason to stick to their Macs

Instead, Apple is diversifying and trying to reach people that do not care at all for technology. It is fashion industry now. Lots of people are going to buy the Apple Watch because it is fancy and because it is a wearable made by the king of brands – Apple. Luxury brands, beware. A lot of these users, perhaps most of them, will care about the wristbands and the watch "faces" and will not care for what it can or cannot do. Apple will focus on squeezing this market and will let apps to be developed by third parties – usually small developers who have not the money to make software that Apple would be able to make with its tons of money. The result is that Apple will make more money with more superficial products and will end up alienating its core user base of yore – computer geeks who want their devices to actually make things.

I wonder what the % mac owners is of people buying a PC, instead of a mac, because of the dis-satisfaction as to the updates in software and Macs..and how many people have bought macs because they have been introduced to the mac, via iPod,iPhone and iPad and subsequently bought a iMac or macbook on the back of them buying other devices.

 

[macenied]

I find it a lovely piece of engineering, and the two sizes..male and female and the amount of straps was totally unexpected...this is just the start. I remember all critics saying how can this iPad be compared to a laptop..it won't catch on..haha how I laugh at those comment now.

The adverts alone are well thought out and beautiful in themselves.

go ..

Oh, and for all you lefties moaning..im a leftie, and i can't see your argument really.

I am impressed about the variations as well. Apple did present it's watch very different compared to the competition. However, it was more easy for them because the watch is still more or less paperware, no mass production is involved and no user base must be satisfied with the product.

BTW, the iPad can really not be compared to a laptop. I use both for different Tasks .

To answer your question: I had an iPhone before I bought a MacBook Pro and I bought it because of it's quality and design in 2010. I did never reget it. I still use Windows and OSX on this machine. Later on I bought the iPad, upgraded iPhones, etc. Recently I have been surprised how fast Apple drops the update support for my MacBook Pro and tries to force customers for a hardware upgrade ( Bootcamp support dropped for Windows 8/8.1 - 13" MacBook Pro mid 2010 ).

 

[powers74]

Liquidmetal?

I cannot see how this posting helps to know more about the Apple Watch ?

I guess it doesn't really, other than add semi-educated (at this point) speculation to the conversation.

I'll contribute this little tidbit I heard listening to the promo again this morning. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktujsc4ZUTo#t=528

 

[macenied]

Thank you. I did watch this movie already and as said, it's unique and very professional how Apple introduces the Apple Watch.

However, there are some glitches. I don't want to talk about battery because I think Apple is on top of this and will have their ducks in a row when they produce and sell the product.

But what do they think when they roll out a "Sport Watch" which is not waterproof ? When you gather the product requirements they must stumble on this, e.g. for me this is one basic requirement I have for a watch. I hope that Apple just did no IPX certification for the watch and so they are not willing to say more than water resistant. It should be possible in 2014 to design and make a waterproof watch.

 

[stewy]

If you're willing to spend $349 on this then you've got more money than sense my friend. If Samsung had launched this exact same thing you guys would be ******** all over it. But you know maybe that's must me. I just don't see the point of a smartwatch at all whether it's an Apple, Samsung, LG, Motorola... whatever.

 

[ClaytonMcCranor]

I still have to watch the keynote, so I did not know $349 only bought you a plastic watch.

That's no go from the start.

The Watches are Steel, Aluminium and Gold.... No plastic.

 

[macenied]

If you're willing to spend $349 on this then you've got more money than sense my friend. If Samsung had launched this exact same thing you guys would be ******** all over it. But you know maybe that's must me. I just don't see the point of a smartwatch at all whether it's an Apple, Samsung, LG, Motorola... whatever.

You mean ... this ? Same ?

 

[MNJohn]

Market as "Smart Belt Buckle"

With its clunky size and design, Apple in my opinion should market this to be worn about the waist as a "smart belt buckle", not as a timepiece. The design could be then customized for cowboys, the concealed weapon crowd (with "Ruger", "Colt", "Remington" logos, etc), the NASCAR groupies, etc.

A further advantage of marketing this as a belt buckle would be that a larger battery could be placed in the strap, allowing the user extended times between charging. Moreover, since only the most devoted Apple fans, or geeks, would choose to wear their belt while sleeping, charging overnight would not present much of an inconvenience.

For well-endowed guys, placement of the device at the waist line would have the added benefit of accentuating your attributes, of which the bulging iPhone in your adjacent pocket will only add to the effect.

 

[chimpboy74]

Watches are very (VERY) personal taste. To me it's slightly better looking than the gear live (not as much as I was expecting) and not as nice looking as the 360 (although that has it's faults as we know) it's much better looking that the g watch.

However I'm feeling a little bit of the "emperors new clothes" about this. It's not THAT nice looking. However I was kicked out of fashion university (I'm ginger) and can't therefore call myself a fashion expert

 

[macenied]

You mean ... this ? Same ?

vs this ?

 

[ParanoidDroid]

Only idiots will be buying and wearing this overpriced bluetooth extension crap. The battery lifetime is so bad that Apple was ashamed to mention it. The design is terrible. These perversely round corners makes you want to puke and the 18K gold version is the maximum decadence crime you could ever imagine from Apple.

 

[moderately]

Nano doesn't do any of the things that make the Watch interesting.

Ugh, what a terrible name. Have to say "Apple Watch" or nobody knows WTF you're talking about.

"Watch" was the word I was hoping they could avoid just to escape our expectations.

 

[Godzilla71]

At least now we'll be happy when they start saying the word "thinner" with the Apple Watch.
I like what they are trying to do. I will be interested in how the next versions progress. For now, I would rather spend $350 on another Citizen or the likes if I was going to spend that money on a watch.

 

[kdarling]

vs this ?

Apples and oranges

I don't think those Samsung versions with Diesel Black Gold bands will cost as much as the rose gold Apple Watch you showed.

Also, the Gear S is a standalone phone, not just a smartwatch.

 

[rGiskard]

You could just google any of the big swiss names. Image

The complexity of these watches far exceeds that of the apple watch which is just a chip and a few smartphone components. And I am willing my entire life on this that no business man would ever choose an apple watch over a classic swiss watch.

An SoC for exceeds the complexity of that swiss watch.

As for what businessmen choose to wear, who cares? Most of the Swiss watches are ugly anyways - they look like something a crusty old rich fk would wear to a whites only country club.

 

[octothorpe8]

it is "not as cool as a mechanical watch, to real people."

Bingo. Until the bulk comes down, it's just too conspicuous and nerdy.

Apple did the absolute best that's physically possible right now, to be sure, but display and battery tech will need to catch up to aesthetic standards before it's really a "watch" instead of a "wrist device".

 

[msandersen]

Only idiots will be buying and wearing this overpriced bluetooth extension crap. The battery lifetime is so bad that Apple was ashamed to mention it. The design is terrible. These perversely round corners makes you want to puke and the 18K gold version is the maximum decadence crime you could ever imagine from Apple.

...coming from someone calling himself ParanoidDroid. Denigrating and insulting people that disagree with you doesn't exactly further your argument. It's got a helluva more smarts than any other 'smart' watch released or announced to date, in particular the recent clunky, plasticky, and laggy Gear S. The Apple watch is quite beautiful in my eyes, very stylish, and those bands are amazing. The fashion sites I've read agree. The build quality is by all accounts of journalists and fashionistas alike who were there the absolute highest, that of far more expensive time pieces. Apple gets it. Even the gold looks great, and I'd normally dislike anything as garish as gold phones, pens, or whatever, it is too austentatious and display of wealth.
The big surprise for me was the new OS, very well thought out, and a real advantage over the competition using Android.

 

[MaloCS]

If I'm to believe what Ivy, Cook and Apple told me before iOS7 was released then skeuomorphism is old fashioned, unnecessary and about to die a much needed death. However, I look at the new Apple Watch and I see skeuomorphism at it's finest.

I don't understand why Apple chose to mimic traditional watch designs with this new product. This device is a modern piece of tech equipment that deserves it's own form factor instead of relying on designs that have been around for 150 years. Did Apple think that modern techies wouldn't know how to operate this device if it didn't look like a 150 year old wrist watch? Did they believe that a ground breaking piece of tech didn't deserve it's own form factor? I'm shocked that Apple would be so adamant about killing skeuomorphism in their iOS but rely so heavily on skeuomorphism with their watch device.

When the iPod, iPhone and iPad were released they were ground breaking devices with revolutionary industrial design that was tweaked over the years to create something unique and representative of it's high tech personality. The old school iDevices ushered in a new industrial design philosophy and a new paradigm for UI development.

I was excited to see what Apple's vision for a watch was but I have to admit, I'm totally disappointed. To intentionally restrict the industrial design of the "watch" to a style that's been the same for 150 years leaves me scratching my head. I honestly thought Apple would put forth the same amount of effort they did when designing the iPod, iPhone and iPad.

Oh well, I will continue to use my Nike FuelBand until it completely dies on me. I've found that this sports oriented smart band can take a licking and keep on ticking, figuratively speaking. I've been extremely hard on my FuelBand and it just keeps on going. I've dropped it, I've smashed it, I've gouged it and it just keep going for days and days without a charge. For what Apple wants to charge for their "watch" I would never feel comfortable wearing it in an extreme activity. This watch screams jewelry, not utility.

 

[fortysomegeek]

If I'm to believe what Ivy, Cook and Apple told me before iOS7 was released then skeuomorphism is old fashioned, unnecessary and about to die a much needed death. However, I look at the new Apple Watch and I see skeuomorphism at it's finest.

I don't understand why Apple chose to mimic traditional watch designs with this new product. This device is a modern piece of tech equipment that deserves it's own form factor instead of relying on designs that have been around for 150 years.

I get your point you are trying to convey but is this really Skeuomorphic? In the sense it HAS to solved a design issue. The Crown is a necessity to solve a real problem.

A real design issue in the fact the watch must come in various size to appeal the widest audience possible. A 46mm Motorola 360 is simply not acceptible to women when the common size for women is 38mm and for mens is 40-42mm.

When you have that small of a screen, pinching and zooming does not work. That is a real problem and a designer must address that and not just based on how something looks. If you know a better way to navigate a 1.3" screen, I'm open to hearing it.

A home button at the bottom? That would make it bigger in both directions. Furthermore, a home button on a 38mm case would have to be smaller and smaller than the iphone's. How can you design something that works 38mm? Voice commands? Sure, that may work to some extent but then you limit yourself. How do you exit out a running app with a spoken voice? "Exit Twitter?" "Set timer on my camera" to fire a shot. I can see the rapid successions of voice commands just to do something real simple. Wait. Pause. Wait Pause. Speak. The Apple watch has an iPhone camera remote. "Set Zoom on camera" "Set Filter" "Set white balance." "Go to camera mode instead of video mode" "Focus on subject on left" "Click shutter." vs. a few twist and clicks on the crown. You will see the latter more intuitive.

First and foremost the job of a designer is to solve problems with real constraints. Look at the issues first. Then ask yourself, how would you solve them. You'll then realize it isn't easy.

 

[flur]

$349+? A good watch is supposed to last decades, this one won't be supported in a few years.

Don't know about you, but when I think "good watch" I'm not thinking of $350 watches. And when I do look at $350 watches, I expect they'll be damaged/falling apart/out of style in a few years anyway.

 

[MaloCS]

Hopefully the Microsoft smartband...

I agree with your post. From most sources this device will be a very specific utility device. It will be designed with one purpose in mind and most likely be very good at that purpose. Rather than being a "jack of all trades, master of none" Microsoft might actually hit a homerun. I'll be waiting to see what they release.

PLUS... reports are saying that this device will work on iOS, Android and Windows Phone. Cool!