A week or so ago, an Android developer posted this proof of concept video showing an iOS notification triggering a notification on an Android Wear watch. Now there’s news that Google is said to be planning official iOS support for Android Wear, meaning you’ll soon have a choice to make when it comes to iPhone compatible watches.
So take a moment and scan through this gallery of Android Wear watches. As you might expect from the loosely controlled Android ecosystem, there are a number of different designs, shapes, finishes, and bands.
Now spend a minute to look through this Apple Watch gallery. One thing that certainly strikes you is the uniformity of fit and finish. There’s variety in the design, but every finish, every band, every aspect of the line meets the high standard of design found in all Apple products.
Finally, ask yourself this question: If price was no object, if every single watch in both of these collections cost exactly the same, and if both watch lines worked equally well with your personal choice of platform, which watch would you choose?
Personal preference is personal preference. Me, I just love the power of focused design that is the Apple Watch. This consistent level of excellence in every small detail of both the watch body and variety of bands is the result of a company with design in their DNA. Apple values design as much as they value functionality.
The price of that highly focused design ethos is the consistency found in all Apple products. While you might think of the Android Wear line as a hodgepodge of design, the Apple Watch is striking and similar, just like the iPhone.
And just like the variety of cases and accessories are the splash of color that lets you personalize your iPhone, the variety of case finishes and bands (and no doubt, the eventual arrival of accessories to decorate the Apple Watch) are what allow you to make your Apple Watch your own.
It should be noted that aside from a very few photos, every one of those beautiful images on apple.com is a computer generated image. There are no close ups of a real watch.
Not really sure of your point, lepton.
The device exists, Jim and many other Apple pundits, had one on his wrist way back at the announcement event. Pretty sure some real close ups were taken that day. Not used in marketing materials, of course, but certainly no one was claiming that the stuff worn on stage and the stuff played with were different devices, unlike Microsoft’s bizarre Hololens demos.
So? All the iPhone product shots are computer generated too, and plenty of other sources have close-ups of the actual product. In addition to the many photos taken at the Apple Watch debut event, ‘A Blog to Watch’ has an excellent series of close-up shots.
http://www.ablogtowatch.com/apple-watch-hands-on-review/
Being a fan of traditional analogue automatic watches I tend to prefer the round watches and havn’t gotten used to the more square looking Apple Watch yet, but I’m sure I will in time.
No one is really answering the question. Which would you guys prefer?
Wear all day. They look like watches, the round one’s at least. I had the flat slab before and it just doesn’t fit my style.
Comparing one line from one company to multiple lines from different companies then concluding it is a hodepodge is silly though. Compare Watch to Moto 360 line or LG’s or any other singular line. We don’t choose products based on other products lumped together; ex – “I’m not buying a Toyota. Did you see the gas car from Chevy? I’m going electric.”
For absolute clarity on the comparison I made above, compare Apple Watch to Huawei: http://consumer.huawei.com/en/accessories/gallery/huawei-watch.htm.
I don’t see how anyone could think Apple has the better looking watch but that’s subjective and our right.
Pretty soon all the Android Wear watches will look alike. All the Android OEMs are tripping over themselves to get round watches on the market.
That’s because the answer is blindingly obvious.
I suspect the Hunwai, which in my opinion is a rather standard-looking watch, will not be significant competition for the Apple Watch for one very obvious reason.
Functionality. There is no contest.
Another being branding. Hunwai? What else do they make?
But then what do I know? I’ve only photographed a book about watches. From cheapos to Da Vincis. 🙂
Actually they’re usually photos of real products: http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/8/4311868/the-illusion-of-simplicity-photographer-peter-belanger-on-shooting
The question wasn’t who will push more off their shelves. That is clear. Apple could put out a turd and it’d push millions (hello iPad 3). The Huawei is actually a pretty well known brand just not in the US. They have made quality phones for years.
Functionality isn’t an issue w/ Wear. It’s different, sure, but v1 of both are rather limited to being a vessel for notification viewing. Watch has a few other things (sending your heartbeat [gimmick], etc) but overall they’re both limited. Expect Google I/O and WWDC to show much more watch functionality.
As for style, exactly. It’s a watch. I’m not saying it is a Rolex but I want a watch, not a slab computer on my wrist. Thx for proving my point w/ your photography expertise.
Just like the phones duplicated themselves, right? If round is your bar, sure; otherwise, won’t happen.
“I don’t see how anyone could think Apple has the better looking watch”
And then you admit its subjective. I could say the same thing, I don’t see how anyone could say anything on Android Wear looks better than what Apple created. And I’d be willing to bet money that any hardware designer worth a damn, or any true craftsmen from the watch industry, would similarly look at the Android Wear stuff and scoff at it for looking like knockoff watches. They look like huge wafers on an average wrist. I haven’t seen any Android Wear watch that is similar in size to the 38mm Apple Watch, which is a much more natural-looking size on the majority of wrists. Being round or trying desperately to emulate a “watch” appearance, doesn’t suddenly make something a better looking SMARTwatch.
It just reminds me of the skeumorphism debate. Making something look like the object it replaces doesn’t make it better. A smartwatch should look different in certain ways from a typical watch, because its not a typical watch, and its design should suit its purpose.
But of course, everything I said is subjective 😉
Well, I’m impressed. Obviously there’s a lot of Photoshop involved in making the final images, but I assumed they were entirely generated. Of course, this means the Apple Watch photos are real too, so the initial comment is disproved.
I can see why many people would call the “send heartbeat” function a gimmick, but that said — and feel free to call me a sentimental fool for this — I would’ve given anything to see my dad’s heartbeat during the last days he was alive (I wasn’t able to travel to him in time before he passed away.) 🙁
Sure functionality isn’t a an issue when it’s not even close. If you think they are going to be equivalent in functionality, you’re going to be surprised. As for round vs square, that’s simply practicality at work.
People forget that practicality, in terms of functionality, is at the heart of what Apple does. As Steve Jobs once said, design is not just about how it looks, it’s about how it works. Not only that, round watches are great for sweep hands, but there are plenty of square watches out there as well.
As for the claim that Apple can sell anything regardless of what it is, that’s bunk. Apple socks anyone? They just tend to have fewer bad examples, because they apparently find it easier to say no to things than their competitors.
More like the Android Wear stuff looks like what you find at the outlet mall store that has thousands of designs crammed together in shelves.
Focused design indeed. But there’s more to it than described herein. And I’m befuddled why this has not been mentioned anywhere else either. Look at AppleWatch and the remarkable top to bottom (or front face to back) symmetry. And look at iPhone 6 as well. Nearly seamless too in both cases. To achieve such remarkable symmetry and near-seamlessness with metal and glass interfacing is not easy. Not only has Apple accomplished this, they make this a constant design language across the iPhone and Apple Watch product lines.
That’s the real focus here.
I really like how some of the Android Wear watches look, but “outlet mall”??? I was thinking that the Android Wear gallery looks more like a swap meet table. :-/
I’m pretty familiar w/ Watch functionality. Doing more stuff doesn’t mean better functionality. I’m nixing the gimmicks when I mention equivalency.
You’re 100% right about practicality. I could be wrong but that’s what they didn’t do here. They aren’t the gimmick company but sending a heartbeat? They don’t do thing like that.
Yep, plenty of square watches but not many bulky one’s like this, right?
Of course it is subjective. My tastes aren’t yours.
As for the mm, Apple has a 42mm and Huawei matches that. For the 38mm, LG has the Urbane: http://www.digitaltrends.com/wearables/lg-watch-urbane-smartwatch-news/.
As for sensors, maybe you should look at this page: https://www.apple.com/watch/technology. I never said that’s what makes it better though. It’s a non-issue since it’s on your wrist.
I absolutely hear you there BL. There’s a definite sentimental factor there but I bet in his last days putting a watch on him and sending a heartbeat was less important than time with him.
But…I do get your point though. Aside from a few times, it’ll probably never get used.
Oh, two KILLER features Watch has that Wear doesn’t yet:
1) Apple Pay
2) NFC (or maybe it is BTLE) unlocking hotel rooms
The latter obviously won’t be widespread but if you stay at those hotels…wow that’s better than a hotel key.
I forgot about those two so I’ll concede the point they are similar in functionality. Those are absolutely two ways Watch will be better than Wear watches at launch date.
+1 Hrunga.