Got the Watch for my wife...she loves it! The thing she likes the most is the ability to make and receive calls on it, keeping her iPhone in her purse. Unlike the reviewer, we found the sound quality good and useful even under noisy conditions. The Watch was easy to set-up. Also, my wife was able to easily put on the band on her wrist without any instructions. I am really impressed with it, much better than I had imagined!
Siri is essential to the Watch, but the few issues I described discouraged me from using it often. Bottom line: audio feedback, sending a message without having to tap the screen, and better "Hey, Siri" reliability are needed.
Funny, I know several people around me that say "hey Siri" on the watch is great, much more useful than on the phone; I've heard a lot on the net groups too. But, you, have a totally different experience. You sound incredible blase about the whole thing, like using the watch was kind of a chore... I've been into tech (as an engineer and user) since the 1980s and haven't reached this level yet....
I've had my 38mm sport with white strap since Friday morning. I love this device - way more than I expected. It looks great, is not hard to learn how to use (despite some other reviews) and isn't that sluggish or "rough around the edges." There are some software quirks, but they aren't show stoppers in any sense. I was excited to get this product and it has more than lived up to expectations.
In contrast, the first iPad, released 5 years ago, was a rough product. The second generation there really helped. Strangely, that was "just a big iPod Touch" - and yet it was still rough despite having a template. This watch is impressive. I really think Cook/Ive hit it out of the park.
Also: to address some things here:
* Siri is fantastic on the watch - better than on my iPhone 6. More accurate and faster.
* Third party apps aren't as slow as I expected. Some work needs to be done by developers to make glances better. When the apps can go native to the device, we'll see big improvements.
* I don't use the crown to scroll as much as the reviewer. I guess I'm just in the habit of using the touchscreen.
* Force touch is amazing
* The battery life I've been getting is better than advertised (or than the reviewer got). I'm at 32 percent right now (nearly midnight) and put the watch on at 8 a.m. Used it moderately all day.
I received the Apple Watch sport 42mm black band yesterday. I'm extremely disappointed on the look and feel of the sport watch model. Cheap toy like look and feel to it. It puzzles me how apple will approve of such materials for production. I think this Is seriously going to hurt them, Short term. Many people like myself will be returning the watch for that reason only for an exchange????????. Apple fans Have standard this is not acceptable coming from apple for an entry level device. It has the cheapest look and Feel on the market on that price range, Is horrible. I sold my watch immediately After playing with it for about 6 hours. & Immediately ordered the stainless steel model????????????. I was delighted and amazed of the software how initiative it was to use. is my first smart watch im totally content With the software. Totally disgusted of the hardware on the sport model is filthy. A buch of people should get fired!! Over this. I recommend all of u to go to the apple store and try what u can afford on. Before u further delay the process of u being happy with an apple watch witch I was %100 but couldn't not stand the look and fill my mother and wife couldn't believe it was maid by apple.
I liked the review. Tthe frustration of not showing the clock face without a wrist raise might be maddening for me. Its a matter of trading off the effortless functionality of an "always on" watch, for the convenience of notifications and other communications.
As far as referring to this as a 1.0 device, I agree with others that a lot of the issues are software related and can be fixed relatively quickly. People shouldn't hold their breath for the Apple Watch 2.0, because I'm sure it won't be out for a few years at least.
Uh, ok. So we agree then? The article's point has nothing to do with being a more competent parent.
Hate to be rude, but your reasoning is weirder.
But seriously... being distracted by technology is a challenge for many in the developed world.
For many, having a minimalist display (i.e. Apple Watch) is BETTER than having to pull out an iPhone/iPad.
Well, if leaving your phone on the desk in the living room while bringing your children to bed is challenging – then probably keeping your phone with you all the time, even during bed time, is probably an addiction. If, as a parent, you can't control your addiction, then probably you have a problem with parenting. Not that you are a bad parent, but your not fully yourself while parenting and you have difficulties all that is necessary in certain times, such as bed time of your children.
Sure, you might find this a weird reasoning. I think the opposite.
-The photos app doesn't really work for me. I selected "Mirror iPhone" but only my "Favorites" folder synched, and screen shots do not show up on my watch, or anywhere. I have yet to contact Apple about this, so maybe there's a simple fix I'm not aware of.
It by default syncs the Favorites folder. You have to sync a different folder (Recents or All Photos) to see other photos as Watch is not going to by default sync all your photos and max out space on the watch. I synced the Recently Added folder:
-I agree with the description of Passbook/Starbucks in the article. But it wasn't too much of a hassle, and, for starbucks, no more effort than using my iPhone.
Just drove through Starbucks. No Passbook notification appeared on the Watch.
Yep I don't get a notification. I have to swipe down and look at the Notification Center to see passbook which is different from iPhone. iPhone gives you a notification on the lock screen. On ? Watch passbook's notification should come up (just like Messages/Mail/etc.) without the need to swipe down for the notification.
I see the trees. I see more of the forest than most could appreciate. The problem is that people are seeing this as a sapling (1.0). Apple transplanted fully grown sequoias to make this device. A 1.0 device implies that this is the first product. Its not. Apple have been heading to this device since I had my first MP110 (Newton). The form factor keeps improving. The UI evolves. But this is a natural branch of that lineage. Calling it a 1.0 device ignores that heritage and what has come before. Apple's 1.0 watch device is arguably the 6G iPod nano. Think (differently) about it.
Your statement "Apple's 1.0 watch device is arguably the 6G iPod nano" pretty much ends the debate in my book. There's no point going on when we are so far off in our understanding of things that we don't even agree on the premises, let alone the conclusion.
So, having a contrary opinion is trolling. Whatever. You'll get over it.
My credit card just got charged. The 42mm SS aWatch I ordered has changed status. I'll be happy with my aWatch. It might be the first product from Apple to carry that name, but its not the first time Apple have done something in this form factor or with this function. Not so sure about everyone else who is here to complain about it.
The primary functions of the ? Watch will reveal themselves, once you have it and begin using it, as things that the iPod Nano could never do. Telling the time is about as important to this device as making phone calls is to the iPhone... which is to say relatively low importance.
What's 1.0 about it is that it comes with a host of "deficiencies" (don't worry Apple fans, I am a fan too, and I ordered an ? Watch too) that will be addressed little by little as we move forward into generations 2, 3, ...
Your statement "Apple's 1.0 watch device is arguably the 6G iPod nano" pretty much ends the debate in my book. There's no point going on when we are so far off in our understanding of things that we don't even agree on the premises, let alone the conclusion.
=====
The primary functions of the ? Watch will reveal themselves, once you have it and begin using it, as things that the iPod Nano could never do. Telling the time is about as important to this device as making phone calls is to the iPhone... which is to say relatively low importance.
If I described an Apple product to you that was 37.5mm x 40.9mm x 8.78mm, had an aluminum case in multiple colors, a touch screen face, had 16GB of RAM, a battery that lasted for 24hr of continuous use and weighed 21g ... you would probably be pretty excited.
That size is somewhere between the 38 and 42mm aWatch, but is thinner by approx 2mm. The battery performance is better as well (since the aWatch goes to sleep). That product was the 6G iPod nano. No, its not as technically competent as the new watch, but Apple learnt a lot of lessons from it.
Back to the review, the hardware got good marks (it pretty much has in all the reviews), but the software (esp 3rd party software) is letting things down. That is easier to fix.
OK, maybe it wasn't the 1.0 version, but it was certainly a backdoor pilot or beta version. The point is, Apple have been doing this longer than people realise.
Without the experience Apple have, those deficiencies you refer to would have been greater. Look at the hardware. This is not a 1.0 design for hardware. Compare it to the 6G nano - it had a +/- button where the crown is, and a home button where the contact button is. Look at the watch faces Apple supplied with the nano - pay particular attention to the Mickey Mouse face. If you are saying that telling time is secondary to the watch, then what about the nano? Are you saying that the aWatch is actually an iPod nano 6.1?
Funny, I know several people around me that say "hey Siri" on the watch is great, much more useful than on the phone; I've heard a lot on the net groups too. But, you, have a totally different experience. You sound incredible blase about the whole thing, like using the watch was kind of a chore... I've been into tech (as an engineer and user) since the 1980s and haven't reached this level yet....
I think it works OK, but it's pretty useless. Half of the responses are "Of course, man, just pull your phone out since I'm busy smoking weed" (or something along these lines). Also, this "throw you to handoff" is quite annoying, because it seems to conflict with touch-to-unlock which always sends me to the HomeScreen, or maybe I am doing it wrong...
At the end of the review the author points out that his kids weren't interested in it (though he made that out to be a positive). Which made me wonder what the average age of an Apple Watch purchaser is.
Health features are not something young people would care much about, since you're largely automatically healthy when you're young. And even Apple Pay - young people don't have much money and prefer ad-supported content I would imagine. And there's no web browser. And kids haved stopped wearing watches. Games - does it have many games? I guess social networking features are one possible thing of interest to them.
We'll see over time. It might end up being something that mainly adults buy.
Beautiful but rough around the edges title seems a tad rough and probably written to grab attention. I could hardly call it rough around the edges as that insinuates its fraught with buggy problems and doesn't quite work.
Funny, I know several people around me that say "hey Siri" on the watch is great, much more useful than on the phone; I've heard a lot on the net groups too. But, you, have a totally different experience. You sound incredible blase about the whole thing, like using the watch was kind of a chore... I've been into tech (as an engineer and user) since the 1980s and haven't reached this level yet....
I'm not blasé about the watch but have had trouble with Siri -- big delays in it firing up and then when parsing my commands. Sit and spin. Not sure why. After a couple seconds it finishes and carries out the command, but the delay is a buzzkill.. Odd because some users and reviews say Siri works better than on the phone for them.
I received the Apple Watch sport 42mm black band yesterday. I'm extremely disappointed on the look and feel of the sport watch model. Cheap toy like look and feel to it. It puzzles me how apple will approve of such materials for production. I think this Is seriously going to hurt them, Short term. Many people like myself will be returning the watch for that reason only for an exchange????????. Apple fans Have standard this is not acceptable coming from apple for an entry level device. It has the cheapest look and Feel on the market on that price range, Is horrible. I sold my watch immediately After playing with it for about 6 hours. & Immediately ordered the stainless steel model????????????. I was delighted and amazed of the software how initiative it was to use. is my first smart watch im totally content With the software. Totally disgusted of the hardware on the sport model is filthy. A buch of people should get fired!! Over this. I recommend all of u to go to the apple store and try what u can afford on. Before u further delay the process of u being happy with an apple watch witch I was %100 but couldn't not stand the look and fill my mother and wife couldn't believe it was maid by apple.
Wait -- first you say you will be returning yours, then you say you sold it on eBay, which is the lie?
At the end of the review the author points out that his kids weren't interested in it (though he made that out to be a positive). Which made me wonder what the average age of an Apple Watch purchaser is.
Health features are not something young people would care much about, since you're largely automatically healthy when you're young. And even Apple Pay - young people don't have much money and prefer ad-supported content I would imagine. And there's no web browser. And kids haved stopped wearing watches. Games - does it have many games? I guess social networking features are one possible thing of interest to them.
We'll see over time. It might end up being something that mainly adults buy.
Wait - so people in their twenties and without children don't count as adults? Because in my twenties I cared about fitness and also owned a credit card for making purchases in brick and motor, which is largely the point of Apple pay on the watch. I was considered an adult.
Beautiful but rough around the edges title seems a tad rough and probably written to grab attention. I could hardly call it rough around the edges as that insinuates its fraught with buggy problems and doesn't quite work.
Agreed.. The only thing that flat out doesn't always work for me is third party apps -- sometimes they just fail to do anything. I can't tell if that's a system problem or the app's problem. Confident it will be sorted out tho.
I really like my 42MM Milanese loop and the ease of getting wrist notifications when traveling and (in particular) ordering Uber's with one tap. The current quirks/slowness with the third party apps will be ironed out soon. The Delta app is annoying as hell as you need to launch the iPhone app to get it to work right now. It also times out and you have to relaunch it on the iPhone. I find the battery life to be pretty remarkable. Rarely drops below 40% over a day. Is it essential? No. Neither is the iPad and people bought the hell out of that. I would say 4/5 right now.
Comments
Siri is essential to the Watch, but the few issues I described discouraged me from using it often. Bottom line: audio feedback, sending a message without having to tap the screen, and better "Hey, Siri" reliability are needed.
Funny, I know several people around me that say "hey Siri" on the watch is great, much more useful than on the phone; I've heard a lot on the net groups too. But, you, have a totally different experience. You sound incredible blase about the whole thing, like using the watch was kind of a chore... I've been into tech (as an engineer and user) since the 1980s and haven't reached this level yet....
I've had my 38mm sport with white strap since Friday morning. I love this device - way more than I expected. It looks great, is not hard to learn how to use (despite some other reviews) and isn't that sluggish or "rough around the edges." There are some software quirks, but they aren't show stoppers in any sense. I was excited to get this product and it has more than lived up to expectations.
In contrast, the first iPad, released 5 years ago, was a rough product. The second generation there really helped. Strangely, that was "just a big iPod Touch" - and yet it was still rough despite having a template. This watch is impressive. I really think Cook/Ive hit it out of the park.
Also: to address some things here:
* Siri is fantastic on the watch - better than on my iPhone 6. More accurate and faster.
* Third party apps aren't as slow as I expected. Some work needs to be done by developers to make glances better. When the apps can go native to the device, we'll see big improvements.
* I don't use the crown to scroll as much as the reviewer. I guess I'm just in the habit of using the touchscreen.
* Force touch is amazing
* The battery life I've been getting is better than advertised (or than the reviewer got). I'm at 32 percent right now (nearly midnight) and put the watch on at 8 a.m. Used it moderately all day.
As far as referring to this as a 1.0 device, I agree with others that a lot of the issues are software related and can be fixed relatively quickly. People shouldn't hold their breath for the Apple Watch 2.0, because I'm sure it won't be out for a few years at least.
Uh, ok. So we agree then? The article's point has nothing to do with being a more competent parent.
Hate to be rude, but your reasoning is weirder.
But seriously... being distracted by technology is a challenge for many in the developed world.
For many, having a minimalist display (i.e. Apple Watch) is BETTER than having to pull out an iPhone/iPad.
Well, if leaving your phone on the desk in the living room while bringing your children to bed is challenging – then probably keeping your phone with you all the time, even during bed time, is probably an addiction. If, as a parent, you can't control your addiction, then probably you have a problem with parenting. Not that you are a bad parent, but your not fully yourself while parenting and you have difficulties all that is necessary in certain times, such as bed time of your children.
Sure, you might find this a weird reasoning. I think the opposite.
It by default syncs the Favorites folder. You have to sync a different folder (Recents or All Photos) to see other photos as Watch is not going to by default sync all your photos and max out space on the watch. I synced the Recently Added folder:
Yep I don't get a notification. I have to swipe down and look at the Notification Center to see passbook which is different from iPhone. iPhone gives you a notification on the lock screen. On ? Watch passbook's notification should come up (just like Messages/Mail/etc.) without the need to swipe down for the notification.
I see the trees. I see more of the forest than most could appreciate. The problem is that people are seeing this as a sapling (1.0). Apple transplanted fully grown sequoias to make this device. A 1.0 device implies that this is the first product. Its not. Apple have been heading to this device since I had my first MP110 (Newton). The form factor keeps improving. The UI evolves. But this is a natural branch of that lineage. Calling it a 1.0 device ignores that heritage and what has come before. Apple's 1.0 watch device is arguably the 6G iPod nano. Think (differently) about it.
Your statement "Apple's 1.0 watch device is arguably the 6G iPod nano" pretty much ends the debate in my book. There's no point going on when we are so far off in our understanding of things that we don't even agree on the premises, let alone the conclusion.
So, having a contrary opinion is trolling. Whatever. You'll get over it.
My credit card just got charged. The 42mm SS aWatch I ordered has changed status. I'll be happy with my aWatch. It might be the first product from Apple to carry that name, but its not the first time Apple have done something in this form factor or with this function. Not so sure about everyone else who is here to complain about it.
The primary functions of the ? Watch will reveal themselves, once you have it and begin using it, as things that the iPod Nano could never do. Telling the time is about as important to this device as making phone calls is to the iPhone... which is to say relatively low importance.
What's 1.0 about it is that it comes with a host of "deficiencies" (don't worry Apple fans, I am a fan too, and I ordered an ? Watch too) that will be addressed little by little as we move forward into generations 2, 3, ...
Your statement "Apple's 1.0 watch device is arguably the 6G iPod nano" pretty much ends the debate in my book. There's no point going on when we are so far off in our understanding of things that we don't even agree on the premises, let alone the conclusion.
=====
The primary functions of the ? Watch will reveal themselves, once you have it and begin using it, as things that the iPod Nano could never do. Telling the time is about as important to this device as making phone calls is to the iPhone... which is to say relatively low importance.
If I described an Apple product to you that was 37.5mm x 40.9mm x 8.78mm, had an aluminum case in multiple colors, a touch screen face, had 16GB of RAM, a battery that lasted for 24hr of continuous use and weighed 21g ... you would probably be pretty excited.
That size is somewhere between the 38 and 42mm aWatch, but is thinner by approx 2mm. The battery performance is better as well (since the aWatch goes to sleep). That product was the 6G iPod nano. No, its not as technically competent as the new watch, but Apple learnt a lot of lessons from it.
Back to the review, the hardware got good marks (it pretty much has in all the reviews), but the software (esp 3rd party software) is letting things down. That is easier to fix.
OK, maybe it wasn't the 1.0 version, but it was certainly a backdoor pilot or beta version. The point is, Apple have been doing this longer than people realise.
Without the experience Apple have, those deficiencies you refer to would have been greater. Look at the hardware. This is not a 1.0 design for hardware. Compare it to the 6G nano - it had a +/- button where the crown is, and a home button where the contact button is. Look at the watch faces Apple supplied with the nano - pay particular attention to the Mickey Mouse face. If you are saying that telling time is secondary to the watch, then what about the nano? Are you saying that the aWatch is actually an iPod nano 6.1?
Funny, I know several people around me that say "hey Siri" on the watch is great, much more useful than on the phone; I've heard a lot on the net groups too. But, you, have a totally different experience. You sound incredible blase about the whole thing, like using the watch was kind of a chore... I've been into tech (as an engineer and user) since the 1980s and haven't reached this level yet....
I think it works OK, but it's pretty useless. Half of the responses are "Of course, man, just pull your phone out since I'm busy smoking weed" (or something along these lines). Also, this "throw you to handoff" is quite annoying, because it seems to conflict with touch-to-unlock which always sends me to the HomeScreen, or maybe I am doing it wrong...
At the end of the review the author points out that his kids weren't interested in it (though he made that out to be a positive). Which made me wonder what the average age of an Apple Watch purchaser is.
Health features are not something young people would care much about, since you're largely automatically healthy when you're young. And even Apple Pay - young people don't have much money and prefer ad-supported content I would imagine. And there's no web browser. And kids haved stopped wearing watches. Games - does it have many games? I guess social networking features are one possible thing of interest to them.
We'll see over time. It might end up being something that mainly adults buy.
I'm not blasé about the watch but have had trouble with Siri -- big delays in it firing up and then when parsing my commands. Sit and spin. Not sure why. After a couple seconds it finishes and carries out the command, but the delay is a buzzkill.. Odd because some users and reviews say Siri works better than on the phone for them.
Wait -- first you say you will be returning yours, then you say you sold it on eBay, which is the lie?
Wait - so people in their twenties and without children don't count as adults? Because in my twenties I cared about fitness and also owned a credit card for making purchases in brick and motor, which is largely the point of Apple pay on the watch. I was considered an adult.
Agreed.. The only thing that flat out doesn't always work for me is third party apps -- sometimes they just fail to do anything. I can't tell if that's a system problem or the app's problem. Confident it will be sorted out tho.
I really like my 42MM Milanese loop and the ease of getting wrist notifications when traveling and (in particular) ordering Uber's with one tap. The current quirks/slowness with the third party apps will be ironed out soon. The Delta app is annoying as hell as you need to launch the iPhone app to get it to work right now. It also times out and you have to relaunch it on the iPhone. I find the battery life to be pretty remarkable. Rarely drops below 40% over a day. Is it essential? No. Neither is the iPad and people bought the hell out of that. I would say 4/5 right now.
"Apple Watch- the most personal device ever.
*that requries your iPhone to be on you at all times."