Well it looks like total crap. But you must admit that the horror of this image has less to do with the round shape of the display than the color scheme selected and the design choices made. Apple could do a much better job with a round display than this, no doubt.
I have an ? Watch. I wear it every day and enjoy it for many reasons. But I must confess that as a wearable, I would prefer it to be round, even if it means some loss of screen utility and more challenges for software developers, Apple included.
That's an image of the Huawei Watch running Android Wear. The Gear S2 is running Tizen with a UI for a round watch face.
It charges all night and while I'm showering in the am, then it's on from 7 am till 11 pm. No way two days straight without charging.
For you for myself and apparently others, yes actually. Might depend on how many apps are active on the watch? With a lot of background activity, perhaps calling out to the iPhone (and maybe at a distance?) then the battery would drain faster.... and to reduce clutter I've been deleting redindant apps such as multiple weather.
There were already other Samsung watches that made calls... So, what? As for the 2-3 days... I'll actually beleive it when I see what they consider "normal". The Apple Watch already do 2 days under pretty decent usage and it actually not crippled like Tinzen. If you do NOTHING, yes I'm sure you can milk running time a long while on any smart watches.
BTW, the Apple watch can make calls as long as you have your phone within bluetooth/WIFI range, which is just about all the time for most people. Only time it is not the case is while exercising on the road.
1) Interesting that you think Samsung's "normal" is not as precise as Apple's "pretty decent"
2) I'm sure you think it's an asset to have the phone around.
I'm curious who thinks reading curved text or text at an angle is a good idea. To me it see,s like a pain in the ass that would give me a headache. Right now on my ?Watch modular watch face I have 5 complications. That's because with a rounded rec display the corners are useable. With round there is less usable space. Where would I fit 5 complications on the display above? I guess they'd all have to curve around the screen? Not sure how that would work with icons though...
Well it looks like total crap. But you must admit that the horror of this image has less to do with the round shape of the display than the color scheme selected and the design choices made. Apple could do a much better job with a round display than this, no doubt.
I have an ? Watch. I wear it every day and enjoy it for many reasons. But I must confess that as a wearable, I would prefer it to be round, even if it means some loss of screen utility and more challenges for software developers, Apple included.
For me utility is most important. I find it interesting that we keep hearing that smartwatches are a non starter because nobody wears watches anymore. Well if that's the case then the watch as a fashion statement obviously isn't a big deal to many people because if it was they'd be wearing a watch. So the idea that a smart watch has to be round in order for someone to wear it or find it fashionable makes no sense to me. Also I think people that do wear watches purely for fashion reasons would probably never buy a smartwatch anyway. Especially people spending a lot of money on them. I have yet to see one Android Wear smartwatch in real life that looked as nice as traditional, mechanical watch. They all look like cheap quartz watches you could get at Target. There's a reason Jony Ive said he didn't think ?Watch was in competition with traditional mechanical watches.
I'm curious who thinks reading curved text or text at an angle is a good idea. To me it see,s like a pain in the ass that would give me a headache. Right now on my ?Watch modular watch face I have 5 complications. That's because with a rounded rec display the corners are useable. With round there is less usable space. Where would I fit 5 complications on the display above? I guess they'd all have to curve around the screen? Not sure how that would work with icons though...
Don't confuse your lack of imagination, or cognitive difficulties reading curved text, with defects in adapting information to a round format.
Don't confuse your lack of imagination, or cognitive difficulties reading curved text, with defects in adapting information to a round format.
This has nothing to do with imagination, it's common sense. There's a reason TVs, smartphones and computers aren't round. There's a reason books and magazines aren't round. If all I'm using my watch for is to tell the time then I'll just get a analog watch with a battery that last years.
This has nothing to do with imagination, it's common sense. There's a reason TVs, smartphones and computers aren't round. There's a reason books and magazines aren't round. If all I'm using my watch for is to tell the time then I'll just get a analog watch with a battery that last years.
You are correct, there is a reason that smartphones, TVs and computers aren't round, nor books and magazines. None of which has to do with the watch or how Jony Ive stated it was best used -- for "glances".
You are certainly free to use your watch any way you want, or not buy one because you don't see the usefulness of any of the numerous other things it can do besides tell time, or give you text boxes to read. If you want to watch a widescreen movie on your watch, analyze a spreadsheet, read a book, type a multi-page document, nobody is stopping you. But trying to impose your lack of imagination on others and limit their choice in the process is fruitless. Nobody is forcing you to buy a round watch -- you have a choice. But there is nothing in your endless diatribe against round smartwatches that is anything more than your personal opinion on the subject, despite your desperate attempts to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that round is the wrong shape for a smartwatch, as if reading text is the only consideration for such a device.
You are correct, there is a reason that smartphones, TVs and computers aren't round, nor books and magazines. None of which has to do with the watch or how Jony Ive stated it was best used -- for "glances".
You are certainly free to use your watch any way you want, or not buy one because you don't see the usefulness of any of the numerous other things it can do besides tell time, or give you text boxes to read. If you want to watch a widescreen movie on your watch, analyze a spreadsheet, read a book, type a multi-page document, nobody is stopping you. But trying to impose your lack of imagination on others and limit their choice in the process is fruitless. Nobody is forcing you to buy a round watch -- you have a choice. But there is nothing in your endless diatribe against round smartwatches that is anything more than your personal opinion on the subject, despite your desperate attempts to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that round is the wrong shape for a smartwatch, as if reading text is the only consideration for such a device.
It may not be the "wrong" shape - but it's certainly not the "best" shape. For people mostly interested in the "smart" features, a square shape is the best shape for displaying the information they want. For people more concerned with fashion and simply telling time, a round shape may be more pleasing to them. But a round shape is much less suited to displaying text than a square shaped device and with the same sized wrist footprint, there is less space available on a round watch for displaying information of any type. Advantage: Square!
I'm curious who thinks reading curved text or text at an angle is a good idea. To me it see,s like a pain in the ass that would give me a headache. Right now on my ?Watch modular watch face I have 5 complications. That's because with a rounded rec display the corners are useable. With round there is less usable space. Where would I fit 5 complications on the display above? I guess they'd all have to curve around the screen? Not sure how that would work with icons though...
An AppleWatch has 0 complications. It's just software
For me utility is most important. I find it interesting that we keep hearing that smartwatches are a non starter because nobody wears watches anymore. Well if that's the case then the watch as a fashion statement obviously isn't a big deal to many people because if it was they'd be wearing a watch. So the idea that a smart watch has to be round in order for someone to wear it or find it fashionable makes no sense to me.
I'm not talking about the (relatively small) set of people getting watches purely as a fashion statement. I'm talking about the set of people that would start wearing a smartwatch, rather than a traditional watch, because of the added utility but wouldn't dare wear one if it doesn't also look nice on them. It has to do both (utility + complement their person) for a significant fraction of people. I know several Apple fangirls (I am a fan too, btw) who are interested in the ? Watch but tell me they probably won't get one because they think it won't look good on them. In spite of of the Jony Ive craftiness, the ? Watch still appears to them like a gadget, and the dark rectangular screen is a part of that perception. The fact that you care less about what it looks like than others do only tells me that you are a bit more of a gadget freak than they are. But that's OK because I am too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
So the idea that a smart watch has to be round in order for someone to wear it or find it fashionable makes no sense to me.
First off, I hope I clarified above that I think that a significant fraction of people do need the smartwatch to be both useful and fashionable. With regard to what is fashionable in watches, might I suggest that you simply do an Amazon search for wristwatches and see what comes up. The vast majority of watches on the market are round, so you can surmise that that is where the demand is. Perhaps over time people will become more accustomed to seeing the rectangular shapes on our nerdy wrists, capabilities will improve, ? Watches will enter mainstream, and tastes will shift. But for now, round is where the watch demand is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
Also I think people that do wear watches purely for fashion reasons would probably never buy a smartwatch anyway. Especially people spending a lot of money on them.
I agree! But as I said above, these are not the people I am talking about. I am talking about your normal mainstream person who perhaps doesn't even wear a watch today but would gladly wear a smartwatch if it could manage to bring some new use cases but not look so much like a gadget. Many people don't want to wear gadgets in public. They'll carry and use them all day long (iPhones, etc) but not wear them. One of my friends shouts out "nerd alert" every time I do something on my ? Watch in his view. Childish I know, but the sentiment is out there and will only be overcome as more people start to buy in. Making a round watch would certainly help for selling to the ladies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
I have yet to see one Android Wear smartwatch in real life that looked as nice as traditional, mechanical watch. They all look like cheap quartz watches you could get at Target.
That's only because it's made by an Android vendor with no taste and in a hurry. Apple could do much better. The arguments against a round smartwatch are purely functional. (Although these are significant challenges, I admit!)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
There's a reason Jony Ive said he didn't think ?Watch was in competition with traditional mechanical watches.
Sure, but that's probably more a function of the limited lifespan of electronics and the need for daily charging rather than Apple not being able to make one that looks as nice. I'm sure they could eventually. Other than less efficient display of text and lists on a round screen, the main problem I see is with display shape fragmentation that third party developers would have to account for (assuming both rectangular and round shapes become available). But I wouldn't put it past Apple to figure out how to mitigate those worries using Xcode templates.
I sincerely hope that Apple is looking into what it would take to overcome the challenges with making and selling round smartwatches.
being forced to read curved text is stupidity. Just as bad as reading text that is cutoff at the top 1/4 and bottom 1/4 of the screen. Both of problems with a round screen.
This isn't even a debate. The rectangle screen is far superior as a computing device to a round screen. We have literally 50 years of facts and billions of users to prove this point.
You are correct about rectangular screens begin superior for computing devices. But when it comes to something worn on your person, for whatever reason, many people want the computing device capabilities without the computing device look. As a hypothetical exercise only, suppose Apple could overcome all of the challenges with the round display and they made both rectangular and round smartwatches. I assert that far more people would opt for the round. Even without appealing to the way the content fits in either screen, the round object just looks more elegant.
Stepping back away from the hypothetical, it's true Apple can't overcome all of these challenges, so we are faced with a clash of function, form, and fashion. However, I do think that there may actually be a way to address some of the main concerns.
An AppleWatch has 0 complications. It's just software
And even though it's just software, Apple calls them complications, and Rogifan was correct for pointing out that there would be less room for them if the watch face were cropped to the inscribed circle.
It may not be the "wrong" shape - but it's certainly not the "best" shape. For people mostly interested in the "smart" features, a square shape is the best shape for displaying the information they want. For people more concerned with fashion and simply telling time, a round shape may be more pleasing to them. But a round shape is much less suited to displaying text than a square shaped device and with the same sized wrist footprint, there is less space available on a round watch for displaying information of any type. Advantage: Square!
Great point tenly.
However, I do believe that there are a large set of people that would love to have something on their wrist that provides computing device capabilities but doesn't look like a computing device most of the time. They want it to look elegantly understated until the moment they need to use it as a computing device. Advantage: Round!
Seems like a tie to me. A titanic clash of function and form! Different strokes for different folks.
What amazes me is that so many people here see the square advantage but don't even know what I'm talking about when I highlight the round advantage. All I can guess is that those folks are so locked into geek land that they can't imagine people feeling any other way.
However, I do believe that there are a large set of people that would love to have something on their wrist that provides computing device capabilities but doesn't look like a computing device most of the time. They want it to look elegantly understated until the moment they need to use it as a computing device. Advantage: Round!
Seems like a tie to me. A titanic clash of function and form! Different strokes for different folks.
What amazes me is that so many people here see the square advantage but don't even know what I'm talking about when I highlight the round advantage. All I can guess is that those folks are so locked into geek land that they can't imagine people feeling any other way.
All of your points are well taken and valid - with the exception of your guess that if both shapes were available, more would opt for the round. I disagree and it appears that Apple also disagrees - at least for now. I'm not saying that the market for a well designed round smart watch is insignificant, but I do believe that it is smaller than the market for a square one. I firmly believe that in the future we will see both round and square options available - but that even then, this argument will rage on!
However, I do believe that there are a large set of people that would love to have something on their wrist that provides computing device capabilities but doesn't look like a computing device most of the time. They want it to look elegantly understated until the moment they need to use it as a computing device. Advantage: Round!
Seems like a tie to me. A titanic clash of function and form! Different strokes for different folks.
What amazes me is that so many people here see the square advantage but don't even know what I'm talking about when I highlight the round advantage. All I can guess is that those folks are so locked into geek land that they can't imagine people feeling any other way.
I appreciate your arguments in favor of fashion. Apple has clearly made this a priority in both designing and marketing the watch, as evidenced by their actions and statements, particularly those of Jony Ive himself.
But the assertion that the square display has the advantage in a direct comparison doesn't work due to Apple's significant border frame-bezel.
The only comparison that matters is a direct direct one, being the size of an ?Watch display as compared to the area it would fill in a circular display, since the actual pixels have nothing to do with what the user ultimately sees. And the current 42mm display (30.42mm x 24.32mm) easily fits inside a Huwei-styled watch with the same 42mm height. The 38mm display (26.52mm x 21.22mm) fits into it with room to spare!
So in a direct comparison, the round watch has more area to display information without sacrificing anything from the Apple display. The only argument here, is one of UI design. Obviously having empty semicircles around a text box isn't the most aesthetic, or practical design, but that's software. The hardware is otherwise comparable to the same dimensions the ?Watch currently occupies on the wrist. That is not to say that any of the current Moto, Android, Samsung, et al, watches achieve the same ergonomic design aesthetic as the ?Watch, but the failures of others to conceive of as elegant a design should have no bearing on whether a comparable round watch is possible. Certainly Apple has built a reputation on delivering where others fail.
All of your points are well taken and valid - with the exception of your guess that if both shapes were available, more would opt for the round. I disagree and it appears that Apple also disagrees - at least for now. I'm not saying that the market for a well designed round smart watch is insignificant, but I do believe that it is smaller than the market for a square one. I firmly believe that in the future we will see both round and square options available - but that even then, this argument will rage on!
I don't think Apple disagrees that people would prefer round, if all else were equal. I think that they understand that all things are not equal, and in their view the best trade-off of function (rectangular) versus fashion (round) comes down on the side of function... and I think I agree. I do think, though, that in time someone may find a way to bring the functionality of round up to "close enough" such that fashion may win. I think that we agree here, just using different words to express a hazy concept.
I'm just glad that someone else here can step out of the geek-world that most of us live in long enough to even grok where I'm coming from.
Comments
Samsung was found guilty of copying. Deal with it.
You just proved again that you are one of those I had referred to. 'Deal with it'.
Well it looks like total crap. But you must admit that the horror of this image has less to do with the round shape of the display than the color scheme selected and the design choices made. Apple could do a much better job with a round display than this, no doubt.
I have an ? Watch. I wear it every day and enjoy it for many reasons. But I must confess that as a wearable, I would prefer it to be round, even if it means some loss of screen utility and more challenges for software developers, Apple included.
That's an image of the Huawei Watch running Android Wear. The Gear S2 is running Tizen with a UI for a round watch face.
It charges all night and while I'm showering in the am, then it's on from 7 am till 11 pm. No way two days straight without charging.
For you for myself and apparently others, yes actually. Might depend on how many apps are active on the watch? With a lot of background activity, perhaps calling out to the iPhone (and maybe at a distance?) then the battery would drain faster.... and to reduce clutter I've been deleting redindant apps such as multiple weather.
There were already other Samsung watches that made calls... So, what? As for the 2-3 days... I'll actually beleive it when I see what they consider "normal". The Apple Watch already do 2 days under pretty decent usage and it actually not crippled like Tinzen. If you do NOTHING, yes I'm sure you can milk running time a long while on any smart watches.
BTW, the Apple watch can make calls as long as you have your phone within bluetooth/WIFI range, which is just about all the time for most people. Only time it is not the case is while exercising on the road.
1) Interesting that you think Samsung's "normal" is not as precise as Apple's "pretty decent"
2) I'm sure you think it's an asset to have the phone around.
So if you run it just as a watch, the battery will last two days. I'll stick to a dumb watch that runs for 20 years non stop.
I'm curious who thinks reading curved text or text at an angle is a good idea. To me it see,s like a pain in the ass that would give me a headache. Right now on my ?Watch modular watch face I have 5 complications. That's because with a rounded rec display the corners are useable. With round there is less usable space. Where would I fit 5 complications on the display above? I guess they'd all have to curve around the screen? Not sure how that would work with icons though...
For me utility is most important. I find it interesting that we keep hearing that smartwatches are a non starter because nobody wears watches anymore. Well if that's the case then the watch as a fashion statement obviously isn't a big deal to many people because if it was they'd be wearing a watch. So the idea that a smart watch has to be round in order for someone to wear it or find it fashionable makes no sense to me. Also I think people that do wear watches purely for fashion reasons would probably never buy a smartwatch anyway. Especially people spending a lot of money on them. I have yet to see one Android Wear smartwatch in real life that looked as nice as traditional, mechanical watch. They all look like cheap quartz watches you could get at Target. There's a reason Jony Ive said he didn't think ?Watch was in competition with traditional mechanical watches.
Don't confuse your lack of imagination, or cognitive difficulties reading curved text, with defects in adapting information to a round format.
This has nothing to do with imagination, it's common sense. There's a reason TVs, smartphones and computers aren't round. There's a reason books and magazines aren't round. If all I'm using my watch for is to tell the time then I'll just get a analog watch with a battery that last years.
This has nothing to do with imagination, it's common sense. There's a reason TVs, smartphones and computers aren't round. There's a reason books and magazines aren't round. If all I'm using my watch for is to tell the time then I'll just get a analog watch with a battery that last years.
You are correct, there is a reason that smartphones, TVs and computers aren't round, nor books and magazines. None of which has to do with the watch or how Jony Ive stated it was best used -- for "glances".
You are certainly free to use your watch any way you want, or not buy one because you don't see the usefulness of any of the numerous other things it can do besides tell time, or give you text boxes to read. If you want to watch a widescreen movie on your watch, analyze a spreadsheet, read a book, type a multi-page document, nobody is stopping you. But trying to impose your lack of imagination on others and limit their choice in the process is fruitless. Nobody is forcing you to buy a round watch -- you have a choice. But there is nothing in your endless diatribe against round smartwatches that is anything more than your personal opinion on the subject, despite your desperate attempts to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that round is the wrong shape for a smartwatch, as if reading text is the only consideration for such a device.
An AppleWatch has 0 complications. It's just software
For me utility is most important. I find it interesting that we keep hearing that smartwatches are a non starter because nobody wears watches anymore. Well if that's the case then the watch as a fashion statement obviously isn't a big deal to many people because if it was they'd be wearing a watch. So the idea that a smart watch has to be round in order for someone to wear it or find it fashionable makes no sense to me.
I'm not talking about the (relatively small) set of people getting watches purely as a fashion statement. I'm talking about the set of people that would start wearing a smartwatch, rather than a traditional watch, because of the added utility but wouldn't dare wear one if it doesn't also look nice on them. It has to do both (utility + complement their person) for a significant fraction of people. I know several Apple fangirls (I am a fan too, btw) who are interested in the ? Watch but tell me they probably won't get one because they think it won't look good on them. In spite of of the Jony Ive craftiness, the ? Watch still appears to them like a gadget, and the dark rectangular screen is a part of that perception. The fact that you care less about what it looks like than others do only tells me that you are a bit more of a gadget freak than they are. But that's OK because I am too.
Quote:
So the idea that a smart watch has to be round in order for someone to wear it or find it fashionable makes no sense to me.
First off, I hope I clarified above that I think that a significant fraction of people do need the smartwatch to be both useful and fashionable. With regard to what is fashionable in watches, might I suggest that you simply do an Amazon search for wristwatches and see what comes up. The vast majority of watches on the market are round, so you can surmise that that is where the demand is. Perhaps over time people will become more accustomed to seeing the rectangular shapes on our nerdy wrists, capabilities will improve, ? Watches will enter mainstream, and tastes will shift. But for now, round is where the watch demand is.
Quote:Also I think people that do wear watches purely for fashion reasons would probably never buy a smartwatch anyway. Especially people spending a lot of money on them.
I agree! But as I said above, these are not the people I am talking about. I am talking about your normal mainstream person who perhaps doesn't even wear a watch today but would gladly wear a smartwatch if it could manage to bring some new use cases but not look so much like a gadget. Many people don't want to wear gadgets in public. They'll carry and use them all day long (iPhones, etc) but not wear them. One of my friends shouts out "nerd alert" every time I do something on my ? Watch in his view. Childish I know, but the sentiment is out there and will only be overcome as more people start to buy in. Making a round watch would certainly help for selling to the ladies.
I have yet to see one Android Wear smartwatch in real life that looked as nice as traditional, mechanical watch. They all look like cheap quartz watches you could get at Target.
That's only because it's made by an Android vendor with no taste and in a hurry. Apple could do much better. The arguments against a round smartwatch are purely functional. (Although these are significant challenges, I admit!)
Quote:
There's a reason Jony Ive said he didn't think ?Watch was in competition with traditional mechanical watches.
Sure, but that's probably more a function of the limited lifespan of electronics and the need for daily charging rather than Apple not being able to make one that looks as nice. I'm sure they could eventually. Other than less efficient display of text and lists on a round screen, the main problem I see is with display shape fragmentation that third party developers would have to account for (assuming both rectangular and round shapes become available). But I wouldn't put it past Apple to figure out how to mitigate those worries using Xcode templates.
I sincerely hope that Apple is looking into what it would take to overcome the challenges with making and selling round smartwatches.
being forced to read curved text is stupidity. Just as bad as reading text that is cutoff at the top 1/4 and bottom 1/4 of the screen. Both of problems with a round screen.
This isn't even a debate. The rectangle screen is far superior as a computing device to a round screen. We have literally 50 years of facts and billions of users to prove this point.
You are correct about rectangular screens begin superior for computing devices. But when it comes to something worn on your person, for whatever reason, many people want the computing device capabilities without the computing device look. As a hypothetical exercise only, suppose Apple could overcome all of the challenges with the round display and they made both rectangular and round smartwatches. I assert that far more people would opt for the round. Even without appealing to the way the content fits in either screen, the round object just looks more elegant.
Stepping back away from the hypothetical, it's true Apple can't overcome all of these challenges, so we are faced with a clash of function, form, and fashion. However, I do think that there may actually be a way to address some of the main concerns.
An AppleWatch has 0 complications. It's just software
And even though it's just software, Apple calls them complications, and Rogifan was correct for pointing out that there would be less room for them if the watch face were cropped to the inscribed circle.
It may not be the "wrong" shape - but it's certainly not the "best" shape. For people mostly interested in the "smart" features, a square shape is the best shape for displaying the information they want. For people more concerned with fashion and simply telling time, a round shape may be more pleasing to them. But a round shape is much less suited to displaying text than a square shaped device and with the same sized wrist footprint, there is less space available on a round watch for displaying information of any type. Advantage: Square!
Great point tenly.
However, I do believe that there are a large set of people that would love to have something on their wrist that provides computing device capabilities but doesn't look like a computing device most of the time. They want it to look elegantly understated until the moment they need to use it as a computing device. Advantage: Round!
Seems like a tie to me. A titanic clash of function and form! Different strokes for different folks.
What amazes me is that so many people here see the square advantage but don't even know what I'm talking about when I highlight the round advantage. All I can guess is that those folks are so locked into geek land that they can't imagine people feeling any other way.
All of your points are well taken and valid - with the exception of your guess that if both shapes were available, more would opt for the round. I disagree and it appears that Apple also disagrees - at least for now. I'm not saying that the market for a well designed round smart watch is insignificant, but I do believe that it is smaller than the market for a square one. I firmly believe that in the future we will see both round and square options available - but that even then, this argument will rage on!
Great point tenly.
However, I do believe that there are a large set of people that would love to have something on their wrist that provides computing device capabilities but doesn't look like a computing device most of the time. They want it to look elegantly understated until the moment they need to use it as a computing device. Advantage: Round!
Seems like a tie to me. A titanic clash of function and form! Different strokes for different folks.
What amazes me is that so many people here see the square advantage but don't even know what I'm talking about when I highlight the round advantage. All I can guess is that those folks are so locked into geek land that they can't imagine people feeling any other way.
I appreciate your arguments in favor of fashion. Apple has clearly made this a priority in both designing and marketing the watch, as evidenced by their actions and statements, particularly those of Jony Ive himself.
But the assertion that the square display has the advantage in a direct comparison doesn't work due to Apple's significant border frame-bezel.
The only comparison that matters is a direct direct one, being the size of an ?Watch display as compared to the area it would fill in a circular display, since the actual pixels have nothing to do with what the user ultimately sees. And the current 42mm display (30.42mm x 24.32mm) easily fits inside a Huwei-styled watch with the same 42mm height. The 38mm display (26.52mm x 21.22mm) fits into it with room to spare!
So in a direct comparison, the round watch has more area to display information without sacrificing anything from the Apple display. The only argument here, is one of UI design. Obviously having empty semicircles around a text box isn't the most aesthetic, or practical design, but that's software. The hardware is otherwise comparable to the same dimensions the ?Watch currently occupies on the wrist. That is not to say that any of the current Moto, Android, Samsung, et al, watches achieve the same ergonomic design aesthetic as the ?Watch, but the failures of others to conceive of as elegant a design should have no bearing on whether a comparable round watch is possible. Certainly Apple has built a reputation on delivering where others fail.
Rectangular: yet a classic, elegant, analog watch, I give you the Cartier Tank. Not much computer device look that I can detect...
http://www.cartier.us/en-us/collections/watches/mens-watches/tank.html
One model is $51,500 and they don't even GIVE you a face! How rude is that? lol
http://www.cartier.us/en-us/collections/watches/mens-watches/tank/tank-louis-cartier/w5310012-tank-louis-cartier.html
All of your points are well taken and valid - with the exception of your guess that if both shapes were available, more would opt for the round. I disagree and it appears that Apple also disagrees - at least for now. I'm not saying that the market for a well designed round smart watch is insignificant, but I do believe that it is smaller than the market for a square one. I firmly believe that in the future we will see both round and square options available - but that even then, this argument will rage on!
I don't think Apple disagrees that people would prefer round, if all else were equal. I think that they understand that all things are not equal, and in their view the best trade-off of function (rectangular) versus fashion (round) comes down on the side of function... and I think I agree. I do think, though, that in time someone may find a way to bring the functionality of round up to "close enough" such that fashion may win. I think that we agree here, just using different words to express a hazy concept.
I'm just glad that someone else here can step out of the geek-world that most of us live in long enough to even grok where I'm coming from.