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Do you regret purchasing an Apple Watch?
- Thread starter Bananas Ananas
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I really like mine, wear it everyday.
I think if you're already a watch wearer, you'll like the apple watch because even as its most basic function as a watch, you'll find it useful, with added bonus of extra features.
If you don't like wearing watches or see it as a nuisance to wear one, then I don't think there's enough features here to change your mind. At least not this gen.
If you don't mind wearing the watch one way or another and just want something to augment (and not replace) your use of the iPhone, I think you have a good chance of liking it.
That's my take on it anyways.
I think if you're already a watch wearer, you'll like the apple watch because even as its most basic function as a watch, you'll find it useful, with added bonus of extra features.
If you don't like wearing watches or see it as a nuisance to wear one, then I don't think there's enough features here to change your mind. At least not this gen.
If you don't mind wearing the watch one way or another and just want something to augment (and not replace) your use of the iPhone, I think you have a good chance of liking it.
That's my take on it anyways.
Definitely don't regret it, just set your expectations reasonably. As has been said tons of times (and yet, yes, I'm repeating it anyway): it's a first gen product and all that comes with that good and bad, and it's an awesome digital smartwatch. I am not blown away by it but I still love it at the same time.
14 day return policy or high markup eBay resale. If you're curious to try one in your life then just go for it because everyone is adapting to it differently. (In our family we've bought 3 but already got rid of two. I'm the last hold out on keeping it)
Personally, I'm not good at making excuses for mediocre products or overlooking flaws. So my relationship with my Apple Watch hasn't been a good one.
WatchOS - Its not awful but it also doesn't feel like something made by Apple.
Unnecessary 2nd Screen - The Apple Watch is the $1000 answer to Android widgets. We may have the worlds best phones but in order to get Glance-able info then we need a separate device? Most people would never have felt a need for an Apple Watch if we actually had "Complications" or glance able widgets on our lock screens.
Speed - Far too often its faster to pull out a phone than wait for an app to open. Some claim that it'll be resoled in software optimization but more than likely hardware is the bigger fix.
Fashion - All the "fashion" praise thrown on the Apple Watch is a time released joke. Just like the original iPhone and iPad, it won't take long before people look back at this big rectangle and say "Wow, I used to actually claim it looked good".
Battery - Remember a year ago when the entire planet thought daily charging for a watch was ridiculous. You know what? We weren't wrong and the upcoming standalone apps are going to prove it. So kudos to Apple Marketing for convincing people that 18hrs was the holy grail in battery life.
Novelty - Digital Touch, Creepy Emojis, Heartbeats etc. These make a great demo but they are gimmicks that get old fast.
Not a Finished Product - Constant Handoff. Hey Siri doesn't always work. Inconsistent heart rate tracking. No Notes or Reminders app. Unreliable screen sensor. No social interaction/motivation with Fitness.
In the end then I'd say that Apple Watch 1.0 is a decent start but requires some serious excuse making in order to justify. I'll likely keep mine but on the days I don't wear it then I really don't miss it.
Interesting observations. I find that for the most part I am having the opposite reaction as you are to most points.
WatchOS - It agree it does feel strange initially, but then again the the os on my first iPhone (3GS) felt strange and incomplete as well. After the initial month or so with it, the os felt fine but still incomplete. The watch os feels exactly like an Apple initial release to me.
Unnecessary 2nd Screen - I suppose this could be looked at as an answer to Android's widgets. In my opinion, and for my usage, it's a better answer. I LOVE having these quick glances on my wrist, always there, never having to remember where I left my phone, or dig it out of my purse or a pocket.
Speed - The speed isn't great on a lot of things, but it's good enough. Is that being apologetic? I don't see it that way, pretty much because of the same answer as above. Not having to pull my phone out is the key for me. My life is on fast forward a lot of time, I am pretty distracted and often have no idea where my phone is (which the watch actually helps me find now, lol). The 0-10 second wait on the apps I use my watch for is nothing in comparison to the 1-10 minutes it can take me to find my phone when I'm at home. When I'm out, it's also faster than the 30-45 seconds it takes me to dig through my purse for the phone, remove it from the case, unlock, etc...
Fashion - Purely subjective. If you don't like the way it looks, that's totally understandable. I don't adore it the way I do my Tag, but I certainly don't find it to be ugly, at least not in the size and finish I got. Also, can't the same be said for any fashion? We all thought polyester leisure suits where the bomb back in the 70s. Remember those, bright blue, mint green? Maybe not, you might be too young.
Battery - Right now the watch battery is lasting long enough for my needs. I've worn it for a month and every night when it goes back on the charger it still has at least 20% battery. Last night, I forgot to take it off, and this morning it was still at 29%. Must not have used it much yesterday I guess. I don't anticipate any 3rd party app is going to drain my battery like a locomotive. There could indeed be 3rd party apps that will cause considerable battery drain, I just don't see myself using them. I didn't buy the watch to play donkey kong on my wrist. I bought it to give me notifications, apply pay, quick glances and easy access to simple things I want to know constantly throughout the day like the time, the temperature, quotes for a few stocks that I check at the beginning and end of the day. Today, the watch can do all that for me, plus take me through a 30-60 minute workout and still end the day with power to spare.
Novelty - Totally agree with you here. The animated emojis are fun, but unnecessary. Sending my heart beat to anyone other than my husband is strange, and if someone other than my husband sent me theirs I'd be totally creeped out. The hands are bizarre and definitely don't feel like Apple. How did those get past QA?
Not a Finished Product - I've only had to handoff to my phone or mac once to read an email. Hey Siri does have some issues, but now that I'm getting used to it, I'd say I'm at about 75% success rate and rising. The screen sensor is reliable 99% of the time after the 1.01 update, even lying down. The social interaction/motivation for fitness is also subjective. I've read a lot of posts from people that have said the "circles" are highly motivating. They are for me. I was at the dr. on Thursday, and the nurse noticed my watch and asked me a lot of questions about it. After she took my heart rate, I asked her if she was interested to see what the watch was reading, and she was. It ended up being 2 points different from her reading. She seemed pretty impressed with that. Although frankly, I find the heart rate monitor to be a bit gimmicky at this early stage. When the watch can take my blood pressure, then I'll be impressed.
The watch does the things I expect and want it to do well or well enough. There are some things I think it could do better. It doesn't crash, it notifies me when it should, the complications I setup are useful and work correctly. Glances are a tad less useful to me, but I still use them once or twice a day. I loaded a few 3rd party apps that I use a few times a week, but only ones I find to be more convenient to use on the watch than I do on the phone. After all, the watch isn't meant to replace my phone, only compliment it. It feels pretty finished to me, and I'm not even apologizing for it being 1st gen. If I lost this watch in a year or two and Apple announced that they weren't ever going to create a Watch 2, but would continue selling and supporting the Watch 1, I would buy it again.
I didn't specifically respond to your post to call you out about anything. Your opinions are very valid to your experience with the watch. I'm not implying they are incorrect in any way. I only responded to your post because you were pretty detailed in what you don't like about the watch and on almost every point I found myself (honestly) disagreeing with you. It's interesting that we're both using the same product, and we're having a totally different experience. Given that, I think the only way someone can know for sure if the Watch is for them or not is to try it out for themselves.
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I bought the 38 mm sport and I've had it for about a month now. I don't regret it at al. I find it very useful for notifications fitness tracking and using the timer and stop watch features.
Last night I had some gunk on the case of my watch. In my tired panic state I thought it was a scuff and I grumbled to myself that I'd probably have to buy the SS. This morning I realised it wasn't a scuff after all. However the fact that I was willing to buy a SS watch, being first gen and all, showed me that I've come to value the thing.
Last night I had some gunk on the case of my watch. In my tired panic state I thought it was a scuff and I grumbled to myself that I'd probably have to buy the SS. This morning I realised it wasn't a scuff after all. However the fact that I was willing to buy a SS watch, being first gen and all, showed me that I've come to value the thing.
I returned mine then realised how much I actually missed having only the alerts I was interested in and therefore relying on the phone less. It's been re-ordered and a new one should be with me in two weeks. So the only regret I have is having returning the original.
No regrets here. It actually does far more than I need it to.
The rough edges (and there are a few) don't really bother me since I'm only using a minimal set of features anyway. What they do reveal, however, is tremendous potential to improve this device. Hopefully just a free software update (you listening, Tim?)
Am I missing the Swiss automatic I'd worn daily for almost three decades? A bit. But I guess times change and I can stay stuck in the past or move forward. It is rather sad seeing it sitting on my desk, unworn, with the second hand motionless and the date number stuck on sometime last week. I give it a shake every so often and bring it back to life. It's nice to see there's life in the old dog still.
The rough edges (and there are a few) don't really bother me since I'm only using a minimal set of features anyway. What they do reveal, however, is tremendous potential to improve this device. Hopefully just a free software update (you listening, Tim?)
Am I missing the Swiss automatic I'd worn daily for almost three decades? A bit. But I guess times change and I can stay stuck in the past or move forward. It is rather sad seeing it sitting on my desk, unworn, with the second hand motionless and the date number stuck on sometime last week. I give it a shake every so often and bring it back to life. It's nice to see there's life in the old dog still.
I'm happier with it than expected.
The doodle thing is a novelty but it's fun with my friends slowly getting their watches, I send them pics and they love it. In a month I'll probably have forgotten the feature.
Over all it's been great! My expectations were realistic and it exceeded them mostly. The few issues I'm hopeful software updates will take care of. It is gen 1.
The doodle thing is a novelty but it's fun with my friends slowly getting their watches, I send them pics and they love it. In a month I'll probably have forgotten the feature.
Over all it's been great! My expectations were realistic and it exceeded them mostly. The few issues I'm hopeful software updates will take care of. It is gen 1.
Actually I have the sport 42mm SG and have no regrets. Actually Im considering purchasing a SS 42mm Classic Leather Buckle and wearing my sport to the gym. I don't see myself working out or playing sports wearing a stainless steel watch.
Only a few days in, and I'm pretty happy with mine. 3rd party apps and glances do need to run faster though. Having come from several garmin watches/fitness bands, the notification is so much more subtle and being able to dismiss or action the notifications (e.g. Deleting emails) has been great. I need a peaceful hour to recreate some of my phone workflows as watch ones (running late for example). As others have said there's a lot that's superfluous - I'll not have someone to send drawings or heartbeats to as my husband is an android user, and my friends aren't tech nerds (they may end getting one when the prices come down).
if your watch's friends has space you can add yourself and then you can touch, doodle and heartbeat yourself. The imojiis can be sent to phones as well.
I don't regret my purchase at all I use it every day. It's hard to go back once you used it for a week.
Glad to read most don't regret the purchase. I placed my order last night but have been feeling a little jittery about the price. I'm going SS Classic Buckle, because I think it looks great and I'd feel odd with the sports version just because it looks techie/gadgety to my eye. I know that's all subjective. I can afford it, but I just wonder if I'll regret it when Apple Watch 2 gets announced. If Apple Watch 2 is a couple years away (or even gets previewed next summer or fall at the earliest), then that would make me feel better, but if they announce Apple Watch 2 this September (only a few months from now) like they did the first one last year, I'd feel a little like I got suckered into buying the prototype at full price.