Apple Watch - Suprising reviews....

Two words make the Apple Watch a winner for me "Disposable Income" I can see watches and phones being bundled up as Deals, so pay £60/month for your watch and you iphone its a winner. People feel nowt about spending tons on techno-crap nowadays the watch will sell in spades, young people spend all they earn and don't save diddly.
 
I was expecting my Apple Watch Sport to be delivered in June but to my surprise it came on Friday 24th an hour before I was due to go to work.
My first impression now having it a few days is it is smaller than I imagined (42mm) and the UI is straight forward and simple to use. The digital crown is brilliant. All in all I am very pleased that I bought one.
 
steveb said:
I've used Mac's since 1987, my first Mac was a s/h Plus fitted with a Radius accelerator and graphics card, hard disk sat underneath and external 15" FPD. Loved it, and everything I've used since. Will I buy an Apple Watch, no! Unlike other Apple kit I've got no use for it, I'd prefer to put any spare cash towards a new macro lens.
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I also started with a Mac Plus in 1987, coupled with a massive 20mb hard disk!

I won't be buying an Apple Watch either as I prefer automatic watches.
 
1dmouse said:
I was expecting my Apple Watch Sport to be delivered in June but to my surprise it came on Friday 24th an hour before I was due to go to work.
My first impression now having it a few days is it is smaller than I imagined (42mm) and the UI is straight forward and simple to use. The digital crown is brilliant. All in all I am very pleased that I bought one.
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What apps do you have on the screen/linked?

Reading an interesting article yesterday about news feeds having watch type services reducing bulletins to the size of small text messages to fit on the screen.
 
Dont wear a watch and I don't see the latest invention from 'One Infernal Loop' as changing that.

Plus the house is littered with defunct iPods, iPhones and iPads.

I am sure many will buy their latest 'must have' but like newspapers used to be, they quickly become tomorrows 'chip' wrappers.
 
Do those external power pack chargers work with that watch? That could be the solution to the battery life problem. In fact you could have the battery pack on a wrist strap.
 
Byker28i said:
What apps do you have on the screen/linked?

Reading an interesting article yesterday about news feeds having watch type services reducing bulletins to the size of small text messages to fit on the screen.
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I have only put a few on at the moment, Instagram, Twitter and the BBC News. The News app does give you a summary and when you touch the selected news item it opens with a picture and brief details which works well. If you want more in-depth information then you go to your iPhone. I can see some great uses like buying a coffee in Starbucks or opening your room when staying at a hotel etc. I know it won't be for everyone but my first impressions are good even with the battery life.
 
The main flaw I see with the watch is that its price is terrible. If you pick up the edition model, you're spending nearly £14,000. Technology is updated so regularly now, typically one to three years. That's a waste. When you buy say, A IWC, Omega, Patek Philippe or any other type of high end watch, they can be bought as an investment. You'd be likely to re-sell at a high value if not more several years down the line.

I mean, if you have a complete disposable income with disposable sense, then sure. But I don't see the logic in spending so much when it will be useless within 2-3 years. I'd rather have a moto 360 or if I could I'd rather a nice IWC instead! Made in Switzerland by some of the best watchmakers around, with only the best materials and care. Unlike a crowded factory using irresponsibility sourced materials and put together on a mass production line and sold at a price as if it had taken 6 months to make.

It's like a steak, if im paying £20+ I expect it to be free range/organic not factory farmed crap.

Rant over.
 
elliotedwards said:
If you pick up the edition model, you're spending nearly £14,000....

I mean, if you have a complete disposable income with disposable sense, then sure.
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That's who it's for. Anyone who can afford to spend £14,000 on a gadget will not be worried about the second hand price. They'll just buy the next upgrade. It'll be better anyway. It's only money. It's not for poor people.
 
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People wear watch to tell time as well as enjoy a piece if precision engineering. I don't think people who has £500+ watch will be lining up outside the apple store for this gimmick.
This item is not to compete within an existing or established market. But this watch is to create a new human need for all things connected and smart. I am not sure at this point of time anyone would particularly want such thing.

For health buffs yes, for years heart rate monitors have been incorporated into a digital watch. But other than that...what else is an improvement? Furthermore the display is so tiny I am not sure it can adequately show any complex set of information properly. I think apple got this one wrong. It won't be a mass sell and probably the die hard apple fan boys and girls will get these and get bored and frustrated with them also.

Wearable tech has been around for 2 years now. I can barely see anyone on the street, in the office, during social environment wearing one. Is there a market for these sort of thing??? Maybe, all the commercial experts seem to think so. But will the population buy into the BS? I don't know. Personally I don't get overly excited about this.

I remember the days of iPods and I had a conversation in my car with my friends who plugged ipod into my car stereo...I excited say, would it be amazing if they combined iPods and mobile phones together. And 3 years later, the iPhone arrived and everything else was history. I don't think anyone in the world said "would it be amazing if we shrink all the smart phone down to the size of a watch"
 
People 'wore' watches just to tell the time. Past tense. Things change. Although you could question whether 'watch' is the right term for the Apple device.
In fact previously people paid £500+ for something that just did one thing. How crazy is that? A smart watch should do several things.

But yes, this is still looking like a niche at the moment. If there was a £49.99 wrist accessory for my smartphone I'd definitely want one. But would it be worth £49.99? Would it be useful enough to bother to put it on every day? Shaky hand gesture.
 
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Jayst84 said:
You realise of course, that the primary purpose of a 'smart watch', is not telling the time. They aren't competing with all these other stupidly expensive brand names people are throwing around.
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You're right, but what else does it do? Apps, emails, sms.... Oh, you mean like the iphone?:D

I'm a gadget freak and can't rule out the possibility I'll end up with one in the future, but adding another personal device that will be updated every couple of years at that price point is scandalous IMO.
 
I just don't get hem - I had a play with one in the Apple Shop on Sunday - Very plasticy unless you spend a lot of dough , smaller than I thought and the need to carry your iphone with you to sync to which drains its battery too. Id rather have a Garmin Vivioactive. Oh and a 'proper ' watch
 
ianp5a said:
That's who it's for. Anyone who can afford to spend £14,000 on a gadget will not be worried about the second hand price. They'll just buy the next upgrade. It'll be better anyway. It's only money. It's not for poor people.
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I get what you're saying, being that it does x,y,z. But still. You're spending 14k to essentially show off... why not spend £20k on a piece that can be kept and something that has more of value. I mean the do the features of the apple watch really make it worth that, banding aside, how do they justify it? If I was super rich I'd rather keep a phone in my pocket and one of these on my wrists http://www.iwc.com/en/collection/portugieser/IW5033/ :naughty: but i guess ultimate its down to preference.
 
elliotedwards said:
I get what you're saying, being that it does x,y,z. But still. You're spending 14k to essentially show off... why not spend £20k on a piece that can be kept and something that has more of value. I mean the do the features of the apple watch really make it worth that, banding aside, how do they justify it? If I was super rich I'd rather keep a phone in my pocket and one of these on my wrists http://www.iwc.com/en/collection/portugieser/IW5033/ :naughty: but i guess ultimate its down to preference.
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You and me both but then Apple has always been good at inventing what you don't really need! ( But then we all said that about the ipad!)
 
elliotedwards said:
why not spend £20k on a piece that can be kept and something that has more of value.
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They did that as well. Their problem is, what can they buy next?
We get this with cars. Someone has the top of the range BMW. And next year they want to upgrade. But they already have the best. You have to come up ideas for new, exclusive goodies to make it even more expensive.
 
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UaeExile said:
You're right, but what else does it do? Apps, emails, sms.... Oh, you mean like the iphone?:D

I'm a gadget freak and can't rule out the possibility I'll end up with one in the future, but adding another personal device that will be updated every couple of years at that price point is scandalous IMO.
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Agree completely. I especially don't 'get' the Apple Watch, seeing as there have been more useful smart watches (actually function without a phone, etc.) out for several years now. I was just pointing out that everyone saying, oh but you could buy an XYZ overpriced branded watch instead, were missing the point (and apparently the irony in the point they were making).
 
ianp5a said:
In fact previously people paid £500+ for something that just did one thing. How crazy is that? A smart watch should do several things.
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That's pretty I'll advised isn't it. An expensive watch comes with impeccable engineering and precision movements. Not to mention design and use of precious stone and metal. So they keep their value and over time they actually become more valuable.

Unfortunately I can't say the same about a piece plastic with silicon inside. So smart watches maybe smart now but there will always be smarter ones out there...
 
I just can't get over the limited battery life...If it wasn't for that I would have gotten one....My Pebble easily lasts a week, and my Band about 4-5 days albeit when using the INBUILT gps it drains it in about 20 miles...Luckily I never run that far ;)
 
That chart just shows the result of lack of choice. If iOS users had a bigger choice of hardware, they too would spread out and not all buy one model. Samsung alone have a stupidly huge choice of handsets. Then add in all the others and the choice for Android users is massive.

Sadly, it seems all handsets from all vendors are very samey these days. With just the odd gimmick to differentiate them. Unlike the camera world where vendors are coming up with different concepts and formats and including as much as they can to tempt photographers.
 
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Such an old chart, no samsung 5 or 6 no iphone 6. Instead of really old figures let's look at the real figures from January, which shows the android market slipping slightly and the iphone 6 increasing iOS market share. It's 47.4% for iOS and 48.4 for android. I'd expect a slight reversal in trend when the figures for the samsung 6 come out, but in real terms it shows they are about equal.
 
I'm reading reports showing iOS on 20% and Android much larger. Are you sure yours are world figures?
 
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Anyway, isn't this about the apple watch? Not some boring Android vs IOS boring contest....
 
I should have said that was just a chart I found from an image search rather than any in depth analysis. I didn't bother comparing the Galaxy 6/iphone6 because the Galaxy has only just been released so sales figures may not be the best comparison yet.

Either way, I agree with the point above about not needing yet another flame war!
 
ianp5a said:
I'm reading reports showing iOS on 20% and Android much larger. Are you sure yours are world figures?
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Yeah figures from January were for the us market
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2866441/iphone-6-boosts-ios-market-share-android-slips.html

You're right, worldwide is 80/20 in androids favour.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile...claim-96-of-the-smartphone-os-market-in-2014/

However us and European marker is currently swinging towards iOS, whilst android is losing market share, mostly because of the new iphone 6. Android still leads slightly in both these markets.
 
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dejongj said:
Anyway, isn't this about the apple watch? Not some boring Android vs IOS boring contest....
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But you need to look at the offerings of smart watches, so comparisons will be made. As there are many android watch offerings, it's only right to compare the apple watch against the others on the market. All of those age android based.

I saw the apple watch in store, reminded me of the first iphone with it's curves
 
I agree, but that was just a daft smart phone conversation and in my opinion totally irrelevant. I've got two smart watches. I'd like an Apple watch but battery life has to improve. Looking at them instore they are also rather thick.

Screen is lovely though.
 
I had a look at one today - smaller than I expected and not bad looking. Wifey asked how much they were so I said " expensive -£500-ish " and she said " so cheap compared to your watch.

She had a point. But I don't think it's for me this time round
 
dejongj said:
Anyway, isn't this about the apple watch? Not some boring Android vs IOS boring contest....
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Sorry to drift a bit. Do all these watches need to connect to a phone? And if so, can any connect to both apple and Android?
 
Apple only and yes they Bluetooth to the phone. Same as the android ones :). I think they have limited functionality on their own.
 
ianp5a said:
Sorry to drift a bit. Do all these watches need to connect to a phone? And if so, can any connect to both apple and Android?
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The Apple Watch requires an iPhone for the full experience...Pebble is multi functional, Microsoft is multi functional, Garmin is multi functional....All have much much much better battery life...
 
1dmouse said:
I am in need of a new watch anyway. I would like a Panerai but at £5000 it's way out of my league. I like the design which in my opinion is beautiful and as for the battery life. I am not awake for 24hrs, won't wear it for 24hrs also back in the day you used to have wind your watch up daily. So for me it's not a problem.
One function which I will find useful is the watch will vibrate when receiving calls which to me is helpful as most of the time I don't feel my iPhone vibrate.
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You might not normally be awake 24 hours a day, but things happen outside of our control, break downs, emergencies ect, so you could be away from power a lot longer. I'm often out and about longer than 15 hours, and thats just in normal life. Yes you use to wind a watch each day but it took 10 seconds and could be done anywhere, even in the pouring rain in the middle of nowhere.
Beside which some people are getting a lot less than 15 hours, I'm hearing as little as 3 hours.
 
swanseamale47 said:
You might not normally be awake 24 hours a day, but things happen outside of our control, break downs, emergencies ect, so you could be away from power a lot longer. I'm often out and about longer than 15 hours, and thats just in normal life. Yes you use to wind a watch each day but it took 10 seconds and could be done anywhere, even in the pouring rain in the middle of nowhere.
Beside which some people are getting a lot less than 15 hours, I'm hearing as little as 3 hours.
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So far the battery life has been fine for me. I have had no issues at all.
 
I know 2 people with them and battery life has lasted the day for them (~7am to ~10pm) but has been critically low at the end of the day. I'm still of the opinion that 1 day is shocking given that everyones 'day' is different, for instance I'm up and on the way to work at 8am and sometimes wont be home until 2am, and sometimes not until the next day. For someone who hates to keep checking battery life and has no desire to carry a charger this is why smartwatches in general don't appeal to me.

From seeing and wearing my friends Apple Watch I'm still not impressed and don't see a need for this or an Android Wear watch, to each his own.

I have my Citizen Eco-Drive, sure it's not as expensive as the Apple Watch and doesn't have the wow factor that some people desire, but for me it's accurate, water-resistant, has no need to recharge it and has a nice feel and weight to it. It's all I need and want.

If I did happen to break it, the Skyhawk or Nighthawk would probably be my next, or if I was splashing the cash a Breitling
 
Had mine for over a week now and more impressed than I expected to be. No issues with battery life (still loads left at the end of the day), everything seems to work well and intuitively, milanese loop strap is possibly the most comfortable watch strap I've ever owned... can't see what's not to like!
 
So if the battery last the day. But critical at the end of the day. How will it record the sleep patterns etc? Or is it just being used as a watch? And what about battery life when doing intense training and running and the Bluetooth keeps streaming info with your iphone? Is that noticeable?
 
Well, I've had mine on since 8.00 this morning (about 13 hours) and here is my battery meter:

awbat.JPG


I think it'll be fine for me! :)
 
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