For me seeing it live makes a big difference. The SS versions are really a big step up from the Sport. Throw in the sapphire screen and the extra $200 seems like a good deal.
No doubt you are correct. Just how bad does the sport look? On some pictures it looks downright awful, on some it's okay. And most (all?) of the reviewers said one should just go for the sport. Would you buy the Steel because it is better, or because walking on the street with the Sport would be downright embarrassing.
Five years from now, imagine the increase in watch faces, bands, capabilities, mature apps, more capabilities without a phone, and better battery life. Obviously this will be the rollout people will remember... And the others will be an afterthought.
Looks like a nice watch overall, but to my taste its to bulky and isn't aesthetically pleasing when the screen is black (which is the case most of he time I guess).
I tend to agree. Comparing the 36mm Rolex to it only emphasized how blocky the ?Watch is compared to something that's sculpted for the wrist, like a classic wristwatch design. Im confident Apple will eventually get into this kind of subtle styling. Otherwise it's just a square brick on a strap, however beautifully executed.
But to each his own. I personally wouldn't own that Rolex either, but I do appreciate the design and contouring.
"While at the store, we also asked the "Genius" employees whether they have any information about the data port found inside the Apple Watch's strap lug. The employees said they were unaware of its capabilities."
Interesting that your photos show the port revealed. Grubbers shot of his review model had it covered. I wonder if it will be covered on the consumer models.
I found Grubbers review but it had no photos. Can you please link to his photo with port covered?
I tend to agree. Comparing the 36mm Rolex to it only emphasized how blocky the ?Watch is compared to something that's sculpted for the wrist, like a classic wristwatch design. Im confident Apple will eventually get into this kind of subtle styling. Otherwise it's just a square brick on a strap, however beautifully executed.
But to each his own. I personally wouldn't own that Rolex either, but I do appreciate the design and contouring.
Has anyone ever manufactured a round computer screen?, Round pads of notepaper? I expect that's a significant part of the design logic. Round works with mechanical hands (though even then I like the Cartier Tank over most round dials) rotating off a center pivot point, but as a multifunctional data display? Notsomuch.
Five years from now, imagine the increase in watch faces, bands, capabilities, mature apps, more capabilities without a phone, and better battery life. Obviously this will be the rollout people will remember... And the others will be an afterthought.
Actually, you want your watch to be linked to your iPhone for many reasons. It is purposely designed that way.
In the case of the Apple Watch, it is technically a beautifully programmed link that you don't want to break.
For example, if you walk away from your iPhone in your car, your watch can tell you.
If someone grabs your watch from your wrist, ApplePay will stop functioning on the watch.
Your Apple Watch can use your iPhone as a server and your iPhone uses your Apple Watch as a display.
The way the 2 devices collaborate is really cool. In a way, it is similar to wireless Apple CarPlay.
I don't think Apple wants to break that link because more wearable devices will use it.
Your Apple devices are as technically beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside.
And that gives Apple and developers a huge advantage over other platforms.
Has anyone ever manufactured a round computer screen?, Round pads of notepaper? I expect that's a significant part of the design logic. Round works with mechanical hands (though even then I like the Cartier Tank over most round dials) rotating off a center pivot point, but as a multifunctional data display? Notsomuch.
Exactly. The hands spin in a circle. It's essence is a circle, form follows function. Owning a spin in a circle clock today is strictly fashion. Sure it tells time but the quaint hokey aspect of it now is more akin as women wearing earrings or lipstick. Mens tties or collecting stamps, building boats in a bottle. Civil war reenactments.
just because we have cars, doesn't mean it's not cool to ride in a horse and carriage at a street fair. The use and value is still there, but it's out of personal entertainment than anything else.
I ordered two at 3 am EST 38 and 42 space grey sport. Some photos from yesterday made the 42 look huge and I am 5'10" 185 and have average size wrist.
I went to an appt at 4 pm today and tried on those watches as well as the SS space black then the SS with Milanese.
The 42 is not bulky at all and the 38 seemed a little small for me. The decision to go with 42 was easy.
The SS space black was beautiful but the way the band connected had less flex on the wrist and was a little awkward. 38 felt better.
Finally the Milanese loop really surprised me. The band fits perfectly and the magnet is hella strong. Then even if it comes undone the magnet will not slide through the watch base so it won't fall off. Brilliant.
I like the darker metals as the lighter is somewhat shiny whereas dark isn't noticeable.
I wanted to see the weight difference and while the sport is very light the SS doesn't feel heavy at all.
I am sticking with the black sport as an entry to this wonderful new world and experience. I run a lot and want to see how useful it can be. I see me getting an SS in a couple of gens.
Also I may buy the Milanese loop band as it will make the dark watch have nicer contrast with the screen off.
One last thing is that band is a different color than the silver aluminum sport however the different metals would not be noticeable with the space gray.
Hope that helps those some that can't try them on.
Overall I was more impressed than I expected to be and I set my alarm for 3 am this morning to get one as soon as possible.
isn't aesthetically pleasing when the screen is black (which is the case most of he time I guess).
look -- if you want a watch that looks good when its powered off, it aint gonna be a smartwatch. with todays tech, powering off the display is a must. thats a given. its an entirely different use case than a mechanical watch.... in the same way that a lovely old phone is a different use case than a smartphone.
don't you and mac128 get that? two different use cases. if you want hands and faces even when not in use, then you don't want a SW. admit that. accept that. and move on.
Exactly. The hands spin in a circle. It's essence is a circle, form follows function. Owning a spin in a circle clock today is strictly fashion. Sure it tells time but the quaint hokey aspect of it now is more akin as women wearing earrings or lipstick. Mens tties or collecting stamps, building boats in a bottle. Civil war reenactments.
just because we have cars, doesn't mean it's not cool to ride in a horse and carriage at a street fair. The use and value is still there, but it's out of personal entertainment than anything else.
[quote]"While at the store, we also asked the "Genius" employees whether they have any information about the data port found inside the Apple Watch's strap lug. The employees said they were unaware of its capabilities."[/quote]
It plugs into the user's nervous system.
(Actually, probably for diagnostic purposes when the watch becomes unresponsive)
I know I can't. But you'd think that the editors of this site or someone with credentials could get a unit to show off functionality. Pharell had one last week. When you go to Edmunds, you wanna see the guy actually drive, not just poke at the radio for a few mins.
Finally the Milanese loop really surprised me. The band fits perfectly and the magnet is hella strong. Then even if it comes undone the magnet will not slide through the watch base so it won't fall off. Brilliant.
I like the darker metals as the lighter is somewhat shiny whereas dark isn't noticeable.
I wanted to see the weight difference and while the sport is very light the SS doesn't feel heavy at all.
[...cropped...]
That Milanese loop was indeed strong. I didn't even think about its non-sliding surprise feature. I wasn't as keen on the bulkier end where it needs to double up on itself to go 180° back. I doubt it would bother most people though.
I originally ordered the black sport, but after seeing them in the flesh this evening, and trying a few on, I cancelled that order and went with the black stainless. (Losing a May arrival to a June arrival, alas.) The darker metal isn't as dark as it appears due to the shiny reflectivity, so it is more noticeable than I expected, but subtle. And I felt the black sport, with the display off looked too bland. The black shiny steel looked great display on or not.
I also thought I would want the thinner straps like modern buckle or sport, but the stainless link actually makes the case appear less "bulky" in contrast. However all of the sizes looked pretty good, with 42mm not as enormous as I speculated. I remained in the 38mm camp though.
The links detach very easily. I had a Skagen link watch 15 years ago, and I had to go to a jeweler to have links removed. The Apple link removal process was brilliant.
Having a watch with battery that lasts less then a day sounds like another unnecessary pain in my life. Wont getting one unless they get at list 1 month of battery time. It's useless peace of art.
Comments
Wow, that side-by-side Apple Watch vs Rolex picture is the best.
You should have done a watch face for watch face comparison.
Any of the flexible Apple Watch faces would have blown the static Rolex faces out of the water.
The Swiss are toast even if they block the Apple Watch from selling in Switzerland.
No doubt you are correct. Just how bad does the sport look? On some pictures it looks downright awful, on some it's okay. And most (all?) of the reviewers said one should just go for the sport. Would you buy the Steel because it is better, or because walking on the street with the Sport would be downright embarrassing.
Looks like a nice watch overall, but to my taste its to bulky and isn't aesthetically pleasing when the screen is black (which is the case most of he time I guess).
I tend to agree. Comparing the 36mm Rolex to it only emphasized how blocky the ?Watch is compared to something that's sculpted for the wrist, like a classic wristwatch design. Im confident Apple will eventually get into this kind of subtle styling. Otherwise it's just a square brick on a strap, however beautifully executed.
But to each his own. I personally wouldn't own that Rolex either, but I do appreciate the design and contouring.
I found Grubbers review but it had no photos. Can you please link to his photo with port covered?
I tend to agree. Comparing the 36mm Rolex to it only emphasized how blocky the ?Watch is compared to something that's sculpted for the wrist, like a classic wristwatch design. Im confident Apple will eventually get into this kind of subtle styling. Otherwise it's just a square brick on a strap, however beautifully executed.
But to each his own. I personally wouldn't own that Rolex either, but I do appreciate the design and contouring.
Has anyone ever manufactured a round computer screen?, Round pads of notepaper? I expect that's a significant part of the design logic. Round works with mechanical hands (though even then I like the Cartier Tank over most round dials) rotating off a center pivot point, but as a multifunctional data display? Notsomuch.
Five years from now, imagine the increase in watch faces, bands, capabilities, mature apps, more capabilities without a phone, and better battery life. Obviously this will be the rollout people will remember... And the others will be an afterthought.
Actually, you want your watch to be linked to your iPhone for many reasons. It is purposely designed that way.
In the case of the Apple Watch, it is technically a beautifully programmed link that you don't want to break.
For example, if you walk away from your iPhone in your car, your watch can tell you.
If someone grabs your watch from your wrist, ApplePay will stop functioning on the watch.
Your Apple Watch can use your iPhone as a server and your iPhone uses your Apple Watch as a display.
The way the 2 devices collaborate is really cool. In a way, it is similar to wireless Apple CarPlay.
I don't think Apple wants to break that link because more wearable devices will use it.
Your Apple devices are as technically beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside.
And that gives Apple and developers a huge advantage over other platforms.
Honestly, the Apple Watch looks fantastic compared to those horrendous Android watches.
Exactly. The hands spin in a circle. It's essence is a circle, form follows function. Owning a spin in a circle clock today is strictly fashion. Sure it tells time but the quaint hokey aspect of it now is more akin as women wearing earrings or lipstick. Mens tties or collecting stamps, building boats in a bottle. Civil war reenactments.
just because we have cars, doesn't mean it's not cool to ride in a horse and carriage at a street fair. The use and value is still there, but it's out of personal entertainment than anything else.
Honestly, the Apple Watch looks fantastic compared to those horrendous Android watches.
Honestly, everything looks simply fantastic compared to those Android watches. Apple Watch isn't meant to compete with them at all IMHO.
I went to an appt at 4 pm today and tried on those watches as well as the SS space black then the SS with Milanese.
The 42 is not bulky at all and the 38 seemed a little small for me. The decision to go with 42 was easy.
The SS space black was beautiful but the way the band connected had less flex on the wrist and was a little awkward. 38 felt better.
Finally the Milanese loop really surprised me. The band fits perfectly and the magnet is hella strong. Then even if it comes undone the magnet will not slide through the watch base so it won't fall off. Brilliant.
I like the darker metals as the lighter is somewhat shiny whereas dark isn't noticeable.
I wanted to see the weight difference and while the sport is very light the SS doesn't feel heavy at all.
I am sticking with the black sport as an entry to this wonderful new world and experience. I run a lot and want to see how useful it can be. I see me getting an SS in a couple of gens.
Also I may buy the Milanese loop band as it will make the dark watch have nicer contrast with the screen off.
One last thing is that band is a different color than the silver aluminum sport however the different metals would not be noticeable with the space gray.
Hope that helps those some that can't try them on.
Overall I was more impressed than I expected to be and I set my alarm for 3 am this morning to get one as soon as possible.
I think I'm going to hold off for the Apple II Watch ;-)
look -- if you want a watch that looks good when its powered off, it aint gonna be a smartwatch. with todays tech, powering off the display is a must. thats a given. its an entirely different use case than a mechanical watch.... in the same way that a lovely old phone is a different use case than a smartphone.
don't you and mac128 get that? two different use cases. if you want hands and faces even when not in use, then you don't want a SW. admit that. accept that. and move on.
you can't. criticism fail.
wait...what? earrings and lipstick?
It plugs into the user's nervous system.
(Actually, probably for diagnostic purposes when the watch becomes unresponsive)
I know I can't. But you'd think that the editors of this site or someone with credentials could get a unit to show off functionality. Pharell had one last week. When you go to Edmunds, you wanna see the guy actually drive, not just poke at the radio for a few mins.
Finally the Milanese loop really surprised me. The band fits perfectly and the magnet is hella strong. Then even if it comes undone the magnet will not slide through the watch base so it won't fall off. Brilliant.
I like the darker metals as the lighter is somewhat shiny whereas dark isn't noticeable.
I wanted to see the weight difference and while the sport is very light the SS doesn't feel heavy at all.
[...cropped...]
That Milanese loop was indeed strong. I didn't even think about its non-sliding surprise feature. I wasn't as keen on the bulkier end where it needs to double up on itself to go 180° back. I doubt it would bother most people though.
I originally ordered the black sport, but after seeing them in the flesh this evening, and trying a few on, I cancelled that order and went with the black stainless. (Losing a May arrival to a June arrival, alas.) The darker metal isn't as dark as it appears due to the shiny reflectivity, so it is more noticeable than I expected, but subtle. And I felt the black sport, with the display off looked too bland. The black shiny steel looked great display on or not.
I also thought I would want the thinner straps like modern buckle or sport, but the stainless link actually makes the case appear less "bulky" in contrast. However all of the sizes looked pretty good, with 42mm not as enormous as I speculated. I remained in the 38mm camp though.
The links detach very easily. I had a Skagen link watch 15 years ago, and I had to go to a jeweler to have links removed. The Apple link removal process was brilliant.