The Verge:
The Apple Watch is amazing and boring at the same time.
After nearly two years of rumors, the Apple Watch has finally been unveiled.
Ignore the stupid words associated with this article but go look at the real world pics they have of the various watch faces and bands.
“there’s nothing so immediately striking about the Apple Watch as to seem really, truly groundbreaking”
On one level, I vaguely understand what he’s saying.
On another level, well, it’s the first wearable I’ve ever seen that looked like a coherent, throught-through product that I might consider purchasing/wearing (once the price drops significantly).
“Not sucking” seems to be pretty groundbreaking in this segment, and this at least has a lot more potential to Not Suck than that-Samsung-watch-they-had-to-GIVE-away.
No interest at all. Watches just aren’t for me; let alone a $350 watch that has to be tethered to a phone, and charged every single night. It’s enough to have to charge a phone. Plus since it’s not lightening, you’re going to have to carry that magsafe charger everywhere.
I see this being a huge miss. Is the average consumer really going to care? All the people I’ve talked to, even some tech nerds like myself, all have the same reaction. It’s neat technology, but seems like much more of a hassle than its worth. This isn’t going to be an iPhone/iPad level hit.
“Come look at this postage stamp sized photo on my watch, I’m too lazy to pull my 5″ screen from my pocket!”
“Plus since it’s not lightening, you’re going to have to carry that magsafe charger everywhere.” Yup. 🙁
I think Apple understands that a wearable needs to connect on a very personal level. It’s not just how you interact with it, but also how you connect to it. Fit and finish is even more important than with a phone or a PC. When I used to wear a watch, I always looked at the attention to detail, how something felt, and that’s the connection you have with the wearable. It’s more than just a device, because you wear it all day and you are in direct contact with it. I get that Apple emphasized that it’s the most personal device they have ever created. Because the wearable is and should be personal on many levels. It’s what Apple gets and other tech companies don’t get — not yet. They see the wearable merely as a device, a gadget with some nice functionality. Apple understands that the wearable is an extension of the user. It reflects the user’s style. But the wearable will also be an extension of one’s life and your connection to the world. And it will be a way to interact with it in a very direct manner.
Somehow reminds me of the things people had to say about toothbrushes: “You have to carry toothpaste with you”. I think we just have to let it sink a few days. And that’s a good sign, because this is similar to the first impressions people had after seeing the iPhone in 2007.
7 years ago, it took most people a few months before they realized that the iPhone is not “just another phone with a horrible battery life” (geez, you have to recharge it every night!).
Now, this thing is not a watch although it looks like one. Let’s wait and see what people make out of it.
I think redefining the wrist device is not easy, but Apple has done a good job. But while the phone needed a complete overhaul in the functionality and design language, the wearable needed to follow a certain heritage of fashion. Apple understood this — and that’s why they invited the fashion industry. Yet at the same time they created something that will define what a wearable from now on will be. I think eventually a watch will not be enough, not even a Casio with all those functions. Those will become the dumb phones. A wearable needs to be an extension of one’s life and an easy and personal way of communication with the world surrounding us, and with our friends and family. Eventually, everyone will wear something like an Apple Watch, even those who say Meh right now.
Everyone?
No, everyone that wants such a thing, which will remain a minority, I think.
(Once the price drops, certainly more people will pick one up.
I know I’m likely to, at a lower price point, if only because it’ll look really sharp with a suit.
But… not everyone. Not even most people.
At very least, the utility function for most people is, shall we say, opaque?)
Yeah, I’m thinking ahead way into the future. So with everyone, for now I’m mostly referring to the new generation who will look funny at the older generation who simply don’t get it. 🙂 So yeah, may the older crowd not so much. But the young crowd is important to Apple and I think Apple understands where things are going.
What would Verge not have been bored by?
I would buy the watch when it becomes available. Hell I might even buy all three versions. At $350 it’s not too expensive a gift either. So consider me an outlier. This is only the tip of the iceberg. With HomeKit the watch can serve to unlock doors. Control home lighting from the comfort of your sofa. Control AppleTV without even reaching for the remote, right from the watch.
“At $350 it’s not too expensive a gift either. So consider me an outlier. “
LOL YA THINK!? 🙂
I saw tweets from “Watch Nerds”
They seem to marvel at the craftsmanship of the watch.
Only down side of it is that iphone is required
because it just a relay for it.
Apple is limiting information in order for competitors not
to be able to copy so easily.
So just hope your relatives will give it you as a gift and
you can upgrade the strap to more expensive one.
So remember Apple is trying to disrupt the Watch business
not your personal taste.
Apple got one thing right here: beautiful, functional and interchangeable bands. The big block, laughed at by many other wearables, while well crafted, is exactly against what I heard as what’s wrong with wearables that Apple would get right.
The ui is gorgeous but overkill. They need that team working on iOS though. Using your 1″ screen to navigate a map isn’t far less desirable in real use. Watching a blue dot while driving is dangerous, hopefully they have a glance type map with static directions. Flicking through pictures is a gimmick along with drawing and sending your heartbeat.
Can they please kill springboard? That’s terrible to have 12+ icons on 1″ devices expecting you to two accurately. Surely they found way to learn the fat-finger selections but scroll wheeling your way closer is a bit bonkers to me.
I was completely shocked they went for more this time when less would be better here. Pleasantly surprised to see the watch faces and Watch Kit. Bravo.
Jony could sell meat to a vegan though so it’ll sell out immediately; “Supple” bands included. 🙂
All statements are immediately reactionary based on the preso. Real use will clarify some of my issues.
LOL… I had just the opposite take. Much more impressed with the UI than the hardware. I had really hoped for a round body, but thats the thing with watches — such personal tastes. I think it makes Android Wear’s UI appear pedestrian. Although, the wearable market is quite likely going to be won by Android simply because it is one that is so driven by taste and the need to have thousands of choices (not just different bands). Unless….. How interesting would it be if this new Watch OS became one that Apple decided to license? They have made it clear that it isn’t running iOS
If you have bundles of cash to spend, I’m sure you can afford to get anything you want. $350 is not too expensive a gift? I wish I rolled in your circles. Got any room for another member of your entourage? LOL
Why couldn’t I do the same with my phone? Its got all the stuff the watch has, plus much more. It’s always in my pocket, even at home.
See I saw the iPhone, and I used some candy bar style windows mobile device at the time. I nearly crapped my draws at the awesomeness of it. I continue to do this now as well; okay, maybe not so much anymore but still.
My point is it’s not even independent of the phone. It requires making sure everything is charged. It requires a second power cord to be dragged around with you. Right now the functionality I see around it just isn’t worth it. I can send heart beats, look at 1″ photos, and look at maps that really are worse than the 4.7″ phone which is going to be in my pocket.
That all said, i was wrong on the iPad. I thought of it as a big iPhone without realizing there was a market and a good use for that. But at the same time, it was an independent device.
The problem with new technical devices is that even big players like Apple cannot foresee what people use these things for. When Jobs introduced the iPhone, he declared it as “a phone, an internet communicator, and a music player”. 7 years later, Apple demonstrates a mobile payment system, photos, films and games on an iPhone. No one talks about visual voicemail or pinching on a website. This has become so common because the devices have evolved in ways even their creators could not foresee.
I think the watch will be used in ways we will only see in a few years from now.
sorry, but no. i have not worn a watch for my entire adult life, despite the plethora of stills and the amazing battery life. some of us just have no desire to wear tech.
and im a software dev — i think im in the generation that “gets it”. just dont want it.
Well, Apple aims at the crowd who “gets it” and “wants it”. So you are simply not the crowd who Apple is aiming for. 😉
I have worn watches my whole life. There has been no real innovation on the wrist. A timepiece is not only about functionality, it’s also about personal expression. But I always longed for more value to be added to a device on the wrist — time is not enough. The Casio watches add value, but most are horrible. Slowly we come to a point that a device on the wrist can add real value to a person’s daily life. I think the smart watch will be a thing that many people will have — and not just the Apple Watch.
The whole square thing is funny though. The amount of egg on the face of iOS bloggers is too much to count. 🙂 Having a square one, I’m ready for the Moto 360. Round is definitely my taste as well.
The UI though is absolutely impressive demo-ware. Springboard is just terrible on a 1″ screen, IMHO. The messaging from the demo wasn’t cohesive on whether to use the dial or touch (Tim blasted gestures and Lynch talked them up).
It is definitely more than Wear and I think that’s an issue. Wear isn’t perfect but what I want out of my smartwatch is simple: time and information. That’s exactly what Wear gives me.
I don’t want to ask for it, tell me. I don’t want to play games, draw on my watch, share heartbeats or any of the other gimmicks they had in the demo.
Edit:
Oh and the tracking stuffs def’ makes Wear watches pedestrian. That’s some pretty good stuff.
What I’m trying to say is that there are a lot of $350+ watches out there that only tell the time, and they don’t even do a good job at that. Some don’t even look nice, but that’s subjective.
The watch is not meant to replace your iPhone, that much is clear. It is a second fiddle, the bass player that everyone overlooks. And as such it always doesn’t get the recognition and respect it deserves.
It is a personal device that reflects your individual style and taste. You can change the strap to something that fits you. You can send those little hand-drawn pictures and your heartbeat to another watch.
Some people view this as a gimmick. I see it as a sign that the Apple of old is alive and well. Yes, that kooky Apple with Clarus the Dogcow. That “Happy Mac” of old when it passes the boot up diagnostic test sequence. That rebellious, playful spirit is still there.
Look at that recent MacBook ad with all those stickers. You hardly see them on Windows laptops. The sticker is saying “This is my laptop. There are many others like it, but this one is mine.” (Hat tip to USMC Rifleman’s Creed).
It’s an emotional bond. And so the watch is the same, but at even deeper level because you are going to wear it the whole time except when it needs to be charged. Apple understands this at the institutional level. They don’t just make products, they make personal computing devices that people adore. This website, and thousands like it, are proof. It’s been going on for decades.
So where does this leave us? No one knows. And I think that’s the allure. Some people see a blank ceiling, but Michelangelo gave us the Sistine Chapel’s frescoes. So give it some time, sit back and enjoy the show. I can’t wait to see what people do with their Apple Watches, and where we go from here.
I agree. When you look at watches, $350 is really nothing. Most of the time, you don’t get that much. I mean, the WATCH gives you Sapphire cover glass, polished stainless steel casing, ceramic back, and has a really nicely understated design.
But having only time on the wrist is not enough for most people. That’s too little functionality for a place on the wrist. And now, finally, you have something for the wrist that adds very useful functionality, and at the same time has a very personal character to it. Rightly so, Apple understands that people still wouldn’t put just anything onto their wrist. It has to be like a piece of jewelry — and not mere technology.
Also personally, I rather have people glance at their watch every now and then, as opposed to having people constantly grab their phone and have their nose buried into it. I think the wrist is very interesting place.