Actress Anna Kendrick can probably afford a $10,000 gold watch, but that didn’t stop her from taking a bite out of Apple after it flexed its wrist-computing power Monday.
Known for her brutal Twitter truths, Kendrick offered a sour evaluation of the high-end Apple Watch, which is made of 18-karat gold and comes with a matching luxury price tag.
“We should be thanking Apple for launching the $10,000 ‘apple watch’ as the new gold standard in douchebag detection,” wrote Kendrick.
A simple search of #AppleWatch offers a range of snarky missives, especially aimed at the high-end Apple Watch Edition, which presumably won’t be much of a keepsake once its battery stops charging.
Some of the tweets predicted failure or showed a certain percentage of the public will likely pass on the watch. Others got creative with actual apples, carving or drawing a face on the surface of the fruit and posing it on their wrist.
While the Apple Watch lets you share your heartbeat to let someone know you’re thinking of them, many in the Twittersphere seemed to be sending a message with a virtual middle finger.
“You could buy an #AppleWatch or you could buy 6,840 rolos. I just did the math,” wrote Felicity Morse.
Another tweet, from Gautam Trivedi, editorialized on two institutions.
“If I had to spend $10 K on something which would be obsolete in 2 years, I’d buy an engagement ring,” he wrote.
On Cult of Mac’s Facebook page, plenty spoke their minds in the comments section of stories posted throughout the day.
Two said they would choose watches that were more “timeless.”
“I want a watch that’s battery last more than a day,” wrote James Bass. “I’ll choose a Timex.”
“They are overprice,” wrote William Biggz. “Goes to show Apple don’t give a s— about customers without money to get an Apple watch. Even I had $10,000 to buy a watch, a Rolex is a much better option as it is timeless.”
Below is a small sampling from Twitter:
Emoji recap of Apple Watch event… pic.twitter.com/7kqD9SjX4d
— Jon Erlichman (@JonErlichman) March 9, 2015
Well, that's it! Thanks all for joining us for these horrendous, unnecessary Apple events. https://t.co/YByfS8Xjq7 pic.twitter.com/D3BSzsNNbX
— Anil Dash (@anildash) March 9, 2015
Hey, what time is it? https://t.co/YByfS8Xjq7 pic.twitter.com/LueawghNh5
— Anil Dash (@anildash) March 9, 2015
David Pierini is a former newspaper writer and long-time photographer. Considered a luddite by most of his friends, they did not believe him when he broke the news that he would be writing for a technology website. He is fascinated by human nature and would love to cultivate stories about the people driving the tech bus. Reach out to him at [email protected].
48 responses to “We won’t give Apple Watch the time of day, says Twittersphere”
If you’re worried about how much the $10,000 apple watch costs, you are not the target audience.
I thought this article made it clear, the target audience are dumbass douchebags who are bad with money.
I do not personally know of ANY successful or intelligent person that wastes their time on Twitter. It’s mostly assholes like you Michael and self-obsessed morons that care desperately about what others think of them.
I’ll try the watch on my own wrist first, THEN I will choose to buy one or not.
So, you know, GFY.
How much did Anna Kendrick’s shoes cost? Or her car?
Pot calling the kettle black.
Exactly. You’re comparing the price of an Apple Watch to a car. That should tell you all you need to know about how badly Apple thought this out.
So a douchebag calls people douchebags if they buy expensive things? Hmmm, shall we go through her wardrobe?
Most of her wardrobe, like most of hollyweird, is borrowed or on loan.
Not even borrowed or on loan, most of what they have is given to them in hopes they will be seen using it. I know a guy who’s job it is to store and categorize in a small warehouse the stuff they send his celebrity boss. The celebrity is very generous and gives a lot of it away to friends and family but there is so much of it coming on a constant basis, it can get overwhelming.
Aren’t Rolex watches the “gold standard of douchebag detection”? Perhaps Apple really is a threat to luxury watch makers!
For those who think it is a waste of money. I will agree that gold is a waste of money the same way diamonds are also a waste of money. Colored metal and clear glass trinkets are useless junk that people spend a lot of money on. So count me out on the gold version. But the base watch at around $400 is no more a waste of money then the original iPod was that cost that much. The iPod was a huge hit that gave people great satisfaction and joy for what it could do and I expect the new Apple watch will fill the same need for fun and enjoyment that the original iPod did so many years ago. I can’t wait to talk to the hand with my first Apple watch phone call.
^^^^Techno-sheep.
If the Aluminum watch works for you, go for it. Most aluminum watches tend to scratch, fade, and wear out, which is why most “real” watches (including a lot of cheap Timex watches) still use stainless casings and bands (or at least backs). Difference is, Timex doesn’t charge you $400 for a bleeping watch band..
“We won’t give Apple Watch the time of day, says Twittersphere”
Hmmm, maybe it’s just me, but I don’t recall Tim Cook saying that everyone was forced to buy a solid gold Apple Watch. Did he call “actress” Anna Kendrick to tell her she had to? If not, why doesn’t she just shut her yap and worry about what she •does• want to buy?
As for the so-called Twittersphere, it would be far smaller and irrelevant without all those tens of millions of iPhone users. I rather think Apple Watch will increase “tweeting” by an order of magnitude.
Nobody tweets. 10 million nobodies with nothing to do.
I may not be as beautiful as Anna Kendrick, and nobody told me I had to buy one either, but as a person who has actually bought one of pretty much everything Apple has made since 2007/2008, I feel compelled to point out the failure of the Apple Watch from the $400 stainless watch band (free with most real watches) to the insanity of a $17000 watch that doesn’t even last the day between charges…
Everyone — including you and me — is entitled to express their opinion. Even if others choose to debate and belittle it.
Exactly where did I write that Kendrickn shouldn’t express her opinion? Or you yours? My point was and is that nobody is forcing her to buy a $10k watch. It would be like taking Ferrari to task for making a $1,000,000 sports car. Enzo Ferrari III is not forcing you to buy it. By the way, if you’re working more than 18 hours a day and run out of power on the Apple Watch, you probably need different watch… or a different job.
She simply expressed her opinion, no differently than you and I are here. Your response was that she should “shut her yap”, so perhaps I misunderstood.
As for the battery life thing, I currently wear an original Pebble which I use to help me wake up with in the morning. I’m not a morning person and the vibrating alarm on my wrist helps.
I can run it all week long on a single charge, take it off on Friday night, charge it, and put it on Saturday morning so I’m good-to-go for the week.
The Apple Watch, which only lasts 18 hours with a 2.5 hour charge time, means that I will have to take it off every night to charge, meaning it’s completely and totally useless to me for the one feature I actually do use daily (aside from weather, texts, notifications, etcetera).
Confused. If you would only use the Apple Watch for the one thing you use a Pebble for, why are you complaining about how much charge the Apple Watch has? Like Kendrick, just don’t buy one. Besides, comparing the usefulness of one to the other is silly.
No need for confusion. I actually use my Pebble for a lot of things, from weather to news, to texts and notifications. Pretty much everything that the Apple Watch wants to brag about except for the medical sensors (which don’t really appeal to me).
I am complaining, because I wanted to replace my greyscale Pebble with an Apple Watch because I wanted the integration that Apple is famous for. I am sorely disappointed (like apparently thousands of others) because the Apple Watch is — for all intents and purposes — a disappointment in many areas compared to other already-existing alternatives, INCLUDING but not limited to the worst battery life of any current competitor.
All that disappointment for a premium price just because it’s got Apple branded on it. I think for the first time since Steve Jobs died, Apple has stumbled verily and that’s why I’m complaining.
Does that help clear it up?
“Does that clear it up?”
No. First, I suspect if you turn off all the features of the Apple Watch in order to make it mimic the Pebble, you’ll get significantly more juice. But then, why not just use the Pebble? Also, you, and people like Kendrick, are making pronouncements about a device that has not even been released! If you’re truly an Apple fan, and a Steve Jobs fan (as I am), why not have a little more faith, at least for a while? The first iPod cost as much as the entry-level 42mm Apple Watch (I bought one immediately), and it had more than its share of detractors. Didn’t take long for the iPod to prove itself a worthy device.
I will grant you one fact. We are both seemingly assuming facts not in evidence. There is, for example, absolutely no evidence or even suggestion that you can “turn off’ parts of the watch to extend battery life outside of the “low power, battery is almost dead so it reverts to watch-only mode”…
If you could turn off bluetooth, or WiFi, maybe I could see getting a few more hours, but what would be the point?
$10000+ for an Apple Watch which is the same as the $399 model with a different case is simply asinine, no matter how you look at it or want to spin it. Even if it were pure 24k gold, gold’s only $1600/oz right now, so Apple could have simply gold-plated a watch like every other manufacturer does and sold it for $800-$1000 and no one would have even blinked.
Hell, I just had a random thought that I’d probably have snapped my fingers and set up my tent outside the store on 4/10 if they had released a “c” model in the 5 shades of plastic like the phone for $349.00, but aluminum is just not worthy IMHO, and stainless at $599 plus another $400 for a watch band? Seriously? You can defend that ideal with a straight face?
Maybe. Maybe when I can buy a Stainless Chinese knockoff band from Amazon for $20… :)
Until then, thanks for the interesting conversation.
Well, before you got a Macbook, iPhone, iPad or any other connected device, you probably didn’t know for sure (or even think about) whether you could turn anything on or off. Few people think about those things in advance, because they don’t really matter… unless battery life is an issue. I’m pretty tech-saavy, and I didn’t think about these things. But neither have I yet seen the product that wouldn’t allow toggling of these radios, and I suspect (though of course I don’t know for sure), the same will be true of the Apple Watch.
None of us know how long the Apple Watch power will last, except what we’re told. Personally, I can’t recall the last time Apple (or any company) said “This item will last X-number of hours”, only to find it was significantly less. Steve Jobs didn’t make a habit of outright lying about his products, and neither, to my knowledge, has Tim Cook.
I believe—despite what the people with their hair on fire about this issue think—the Apple Watch will have enough juice for a day’s work, as long as most people wear a watch. If someone works more than 18 hours a day (in which case I pity them), or if they simply wish to wear their watch through the night, I guess the Apple Watch is not right for them; nor would •any• reasonably-sized watch be that is as connected as Apple’s. If, however, the user is simply not near an AC outlet at the end of the day, I suspect there will be many, many lithium-ion battery solutions, just as there are for cellphones, tablets and portable computers.
Regarding the price for the gold watch, just try to keep one thing in focus. Anyone… anyone who wants a solid gold Apple Watch will buy it regardless of the price. Such is the nature of truly status-minded people (or gold lovers), who coincidentally are usually those with enough money not to care. I bet even potty-mouthed Anna Kendrick (as if she were really anyone whose opinion matters except on Twitter), has purchased dresses, shoes and jewelry worth a •lot• more than the price of an expensive Apple Watch. Remember, no one is forcing anyone to buy one of these gold watches. It may be $10 grand, and it may be a lot more than the price of gold, but when did cost ever have anything to do with the value of a luxury item? The diamonds dug from the earth by people who suffer and die—just to be able to scratch out a living—are purchased by others for tens of thousands of dollars. Diamonds are just polished and precisely-cut pressurized carbon. Same with gold. It’s worth what people pay.
And yes, thanks for the conversation.
$350 for the convenience of not having to take a $650 smartphone out of my pocket? I don’t think so.
Did you think the same thing the first time you saw an iPhone?: “$300 for the convenience of a cell phone that I can use to check email, text, check weather and traffic, listen to music and take and store photos… and willingly spend many thousands of dollar on data plans and service? I don’t think so.”
Don’t want an Apple Watch? Don’t buy one.
Good one less person in line
By all means Twitterverse hate on the Apple Watch. Really, you should sink your teeth into say the Apple Sport so there is plenty of stock on launch day for those of us that LIKE it :)
Hey, it is OK, low self esteem Apple fan boys and girls that must be early adopters of a product that has zero utility… Don’t worry, plenty of stock will be on hand.
I credit Cult of Mac…. A cult, no less, has dismissed the watch as nothing more than a curiosity. #readbetweenthelines
A fan is someone who is fanatical about a person/thing/place/band or whatever. It’s a positive thing, it enriches your life.
I’m a fan of the Leaf, and hope to own one as soon as I can.
See? Positive.
A troll is an idiot like you who clicks on articles just to leave asinine comments. That’s a negative.
Trolls are the cockroaches of the internet.
What did you add here to the discussion? Right, nothing. The apple watch is an indefensible product. Perhaps obsessive compulsive types will take great delight in charging a watch every 18 hours and not be burdened with taking their phone out of their pocket.
Let’s see… Next years model will offer a plug in free wireless charger base? (tongue in cheek)… The apple watch S model?
I’m all for good tech products, but the apple watch is nothing more than a gimmick in its present form.
You didn’t add much yourself. You attacked me personally rather than presenting any facts to support your position. By jumping directly to comments about “Apple Fanboy” rather than any discussion of the product you eliminated any credibility you had in this discussion.
Hey dorks, buy a Google Glass. You seemed not to mine looking like a dork after spending $1,500.
The Edition is targeted to people who spend $400K on an automobile and $15M on a third home. It doesn’t matter to me, but it makes perfect sense for Apple to offer it.
Then get the $349 version you dumbasses.
Sssssshhhhhhh. Don’t let the word out until after the rest of us get ours on launch day.
Nothing or rich snobs to tell us how much better the poor folk are than the rich.
‘According to their need…according to their ability….’
The Marxist mantra that no matter how hard you try – will – never – ever- make – sense!
Nothing like rich poor rich snobs to tell us how much better the poor folk are than the rich.
‘According to their need…according to their ability….’
The Marxist mantra that no matter how hard you try – will – never – ever- make – sense!
The same can be said about Tesla or the first Mac.
How dare Apple make a high-class version of their product? Since when can you buy really expensive watches? What’s next? Expensive jewellery? Expensive cars? Where will it stop?!
The point being, for the first time since Steve Jobs passed away, Apple has completely missed the mark, and completely failed to appeal to their base customers. $400 for a watch band? Seriously? ($599 stainless/42mm plus Stainless band = $999)…
Top that with the fact that the “all day” battery life is completely useless (compared to, say, a Pebble’s 7 day battery).
If you can’t understand the ludicrous part of all this, then perhaps you’re more of an Apple Fanboy than I am, or at least was until Monday…
Because we all know how much Cook is screwing up Apple right?
Not saying that. I’m a huge fan of Tim Cook. Neither he nor Apple are infallible however. This is — IMHO — a huge stumble and demonstration that they’re forgetting their key market.
Isn’t the $349 model made for their key market? Apple will always carry a higher premium price, i.e., Mac, iPhone, etc. The Apple Watch is no different. It’s $50 to $100 more than the competition.
The Stainless model is for their key market, and it’s priced almost as much (or more depending on band) than an iPhone which is far more usable…
The $399 model (42mm is for guys, 38mm is for girls ostensibly) is aimed for their cheap-end “5c market” which was a failure.
The $399 model (42mm is for guys, 38mm is for girls ostensibly) is aimed for their cheap-end “5c market” which was a failure.
Well, I don’t buy the “5C” comparison. It’s aluminum, and not cheap plastic.
… as for me, if I get one at all, I’ll probably just wait to pick up a 42mm stainless on ebay/craigslist for $250 when a fanboy gets sick of charging his 3x per day. Then I’ll pick up a $20 Chinese knockoff Stainless band off of Amazon for $20.
Until then, I’ll continue to wear my original Pebble ($129) while waiting on my Pebble Time Steel ($250) in gold with the red band, saving me approximately $16,750 plus tax. Both of which have a 7-day battery life, which actually makes it useful
Perhaps there is a better way to spend $10,000…. Buy Apple stock would be one of them.
Great point, and I would agree, though I suspect Apple stock might fall next quarter after the release of the Apple Watch and the underpowered laptop fails to garner as much business as they obviously expect.
It’ll be fun to sit and watch sites like Cult over the next few months, banter about how many “millions” of Apple Watches were sold, versus expectations from stockholders.