Most early reviews of the Apple Watch didn’t do it justice. It’s fine, they said, but not for everybody.
Come on! COME ON!!!!
The Apple Watch is the most exciting gadget for years. Its ambition is huge. It does a ton of stuff. It’s not some silly smartwatch — it’s a computer for your wrist. And I’m loving it.
Yeah, it has its quirks, and it’s far from perfect, but it’s a great vision, and it’s only going to get better!
It’s a ton of fun, and it works great — except when it doesn’t.
The fun begins with the unboxing, which is the best yet.
I know this sounds precious, but taking the Apple Watch from its box is a beautifully designed experience. It’s a little bit of product theater, introducing all the elements of the Watch to the new owner.
I was delighted by the super-clever Sport band — which tucks under — and the quality of the fluoroelastomer material (I got the basic aluminum Sport model with a rubber strap). It’s sturdy and seems long-lasting, and the texture makes it feel a little luxurious. I loved that the watch came with two wristbands in the box — big and small — so that it fits everyone.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
But that was just the beginning of the fun. Here’s what I’ve done with the Apple Watch so far (with a hat tip to Eric Alba):
Customized the watch face: I gotta admit, after following the prompts in the setup app, I was completely flummoxed. I had absolutely no idea what to do! This is the first Apple device ever that I couldn’t figure out on my own. I wanted to change the watch face, but couldn’t figure it out. I had to watch a video — Force Touch! Duh! But I was soon playing with every customization I could think of. After figuring it out, it became tons of geeky fun.
Selected the Modular digital face: It displays several things, including date, battery power, activity and a stopwatch. Data — it’s what this thing is designed for.
Took several phone calls on my wrist: I loved this. I’m a big fan of speakerphone in general (mostly so I can continue to stare at my computer while talking). Calls are great on the Apple Watch, even outside. Not for in public, though; that still feels too weird.
Asked Siri for directions to a sandwich shop: The lunch spot popped right up and the watch directed me via haptic feedback. One glitch: It took a few minutes to alert me that I had arrived. Still, the experience was easy, cool and helpful.
Checked my resting heart rate: Not dead yet!
Sent some emojis to my wife: She was freaked out by the animated gif. She thought I’d done something bad and was trying to soften her up.
Dictated some messages with Siri: I was surprised that the dictation worked so well. So far, it’s been about 90 percent — much better than my experience with the iPhone.
Bought coffee: At Whole Foods, I got some coffee and then some groceries. It was super-easy and scary-fast. It’s so easy to spend money this way.
Played some music: The tunes were on the iPhone sitting in my pocket. I’m still not sure if using the Apple Watch is easier than clicking a button on my headphones or fishing out the actual iPhone. Handy for skipping tracks, I guess, but the jury’s out.
Controlled the Apple TV: It is a great remote control for the Apple TV.
Set several cooking timers: So handy for not burning everything while cooking dinner. The Watch is great for setting timers, reminders and calendar events via Siri.
Sent a heartbeat: I used the Friends button to send my heartbeat to to @roblef. The heartbeat function is freaky-strange and something you want to reserve for intimates, not colleagues. The Friends button is OK, but I’m finding it easier to initiate most contacts via Siri.
Kept it stealth all weekend: No one commented on the watch. I was expecting it’d be spotted everywhere and I’d be mugged in the street, but it passes the subtlety test. Nobody noticed it (or at least, nobody said anything to me).
Recharged it: There’s been so much unnecessary fuss about Apple Watch battery life. It lasts all day and then some, even with a lot of use.
Took three showers: After losing a couple of fitness bands at the gym, I’m relieved I won’t have to take the Apple Watch off post-workout.
Shazamed a song (is that a verb?): Tried it twice; worked twice. Shazam on your wrist is totally great, and I’ve read reports that it works even in noisy bars.
Checked my activity level: I like the idea of closing the circles in the Activity app. However, it reminded me to stand when I was already standing, and so far it hasn’t pushed me to run a marathon.
Checked the time: Multiple times. I know it’s old-school wearing a watch to see the time, but I’ve been a watch wearer forever. I’m a big fan of lifting your arm to see the time. Apple Watch’s motion detection has been pretty good — about 95 percent — and more reliable than the old Casio Pathfinder I wore for years (which lit up).
Adjusted the strap tighter: It’s only been a few days, but so far the Sport band is comfortable to wear all day. I had it loose to start but pulled it tighter. I thought it’d itch and get sweaty, but no problems.
Checked a steady stream of notifications: The screen stays dark when you get a message or notification — a clever touch. The watch sends a gentle haptic tap, but only lights up when you lift your wrist to look. I was initially a bit puzzled by this; why wouldn’t it light up? But eventually I realized it’s deferential. You check your messages in your own due time; by staying dark, the watch is not screaming for your attention. It’s quieter and more subtle.
Apple Watch: an indispensable device
Photo: Jim Merithew / Cult of Mac
This list adds up to — dare I say it? — an indispensable device.
The Apple Watch has already become an essential gadget for me. I honestly can’t imagine I’ll set it aside.
For a lot of things, it offers a better experience. It’s a better way of doing things.
Apple Pay is infinitely better. So is taking phone calls, funnily enough, and messaging is great, too. But most of all I like notifications. The Apple Watch allows me to stay in constant touch with my online life in a way that’s thoughtful and unobtrusive. It actually helps me manage and respond to the endless stream of messages, texts and updates.
But will the Apple Watch be a mainstream hit? Will it become a must-have device like the iPhone? So far, reviewers says it’s cool, but will not be adopted by the masses.
I think it will.
It’s the first vision of a wearable computer that isn’t embarrassing. It doesn’t make you a weirdo cyborg, and it enhances your other devices in meaningful ways.
Right now, it’s a great accessory to the iPhone, but it will soon enough become an indispensable device in its own right.
It’s clear Apple is laying the foundation for a very, very ambitious computing device.
“The functionality of the product that we’re making is absolutely incredible, the power of it,” said Tim Cook earlier this week.
Yeah, the Apple Watch is confusing and a bit muddled, but that’s testament to Apple’s ambitions. It already does a ton of stuff, and it’s a platform for a ton more.
With the addition of new apps, new features and maybe new body sensors, it’s possible to imagine that at some point the Apple Watch will become the iPhone — and a lot more.
Just as the iPhone enabled previously unimaginable things like Uber and Snapchat, the Apple Watch is a platform for stuff that we can’t imagine right now.
It will bring personal computing to your body in ways that are difficult to imagine.
The possibilities will only grow. It’s the promise of the future, and I’m extremely optimistic about it.
As much as apple has hyped Apple Watch, they’ve actually undersold it.
Leander Kahney is the editor and publisher of Cult of Mac.
Leander is a longtime technology reporter and the author of six acclaimed books about Apple, including two New York Times bestsellers: Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products and Inside Steve’s Brain, a biography of Steve Jobs.
He’s also written a top-selling biography of Apple CEO Tim Cook and authored Cult of Mac and Cult of iPod, which both won prestigious design awards. Most recently, he was co-author of Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition.
Leander has been reporting about Apple and technology for nearly 30 years.
Before founding Cult of Mac as an independent publication, Leander was news editor at Wired.com, where he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the Wired.com website. He headed up a team of six section editors, a dozen reporters and a large pool of freelancers. Together the team produced a daily digest of stories about the impact of science and technology, and won several awards, including several Webby Awards, 2X Knight-Batten Awards for Innovation in Journalism and the 2010 MIN (Magazine Industry Newsletter) award for best blog, among others.
Before being promoted to news editor, Leander was Wired.com’s senior reporter, primarily covering Apple. During that time, Leander published a ton of scoops, including the first in-depth report about the development of the iPod. Leander attended almost every keynote speech and special product launch presented by Steve Jobs, including the historic launches of the iPhone and iPad. He also reported from almost every Macworld Expo in the late ’90s and early ‘2000s, including, sadly, the last shows in Boston, San Francisco and Tokyo. His reporting for Wired.com formed the basis of the first Cult of Mac book, and subsequently this website.
Before joining Wired, Leander was a senior reporter at the legendary MacWeek, the storied and long-running weekly that documented Apple and its community in the 1980s and ’90s.
Leander has written for Wired magazine (including the Issue 16.04 cover story about Steve Jobs’ leadership at Apple, entitled Evil/Genius), Scientific American, The Guardian, The Observer, The San Francisco Chronicle and many other publications.
Leander has a postgrad diploma in artificial intelligence from the University of Aberdeen, and a BSc (Hons) in experimental psychology from the University of Sussex.
He has a diploma in journalism from the UK’s National Council for the Training of Journalists.
Leander lives in San Francisco, California, and is married with four children. He’s an avid biker and has ridden in many long-distance bike events, including California’s legendary Death Ride.
You can find out more about Leander on LinkedIn and Facebook. You can follow him on X at @lkahney or Instagram.
69 responses to “In praise of the ambitious, indispensible Apple Watch”
Yea, so far my friend loves it. I wouldn’t mind trying it except i don’t have my iphone anymore. Hopefully this keeps pushing the wearables market to improve in battery life. My friend also had the moto 360 and he said it’s lasting about the same as his moto and does almost everything the same except for emoji’s which is getting added with an update. Looking good so far.
I was surprised at how junky the Moto 360 is. It looks great in pictures, but is really cheaply made and flimsy.
If you say so. So far the stainless steel of my moto 360 hasn’t scratched, screen looks great and haven’t had any issues with it. It’s too bad you got a dud.
Hmm. All stainless steal scratches, and its crazy easy to remove the scratches. Even down to the tiniest scratch. That’s what I love about stainless steal.
They also don’t charge you $600-$7,000 for a strap.
No strap is over 600 bucks for the Apple Watch. (exclude the gold straps because I don’t know the prices there)
You mean $50 to $449. Nice hyperbole.
And those are decent prices as the bands are FAR better quality than the competition, no contest. A quality stainless steel link bracelet for a typical Swiss made watch will cost you $500 to $1000 easy, and the Apple one is just as quality if not better thanks to the buttons for link adjustment rather than push pins. This makes it even better than typical swiss watch bracelets.
The gold ones don’t count…they have solid gold components and for the 1%ers.
This Apple watch is just so damn nice. I already cant live without this watch. The Apps are making this watch a frekin must have.
How many screens do you need in your life? You need a watch to tell you your TV shows? Change the channel? While you have your phone in your pocket?
So you’d rather work with this on a 1.5″ screen when you can just reach for a remote? Or do it on an iPhone that is just a few inches away?
Hehehe.
Well, at home the iPhone connects to the watch over wifi, so its not actually a few inches away. But the notifications and glances for my favorite show times are just amazing. I’ll usually get them, then tell the watch to go to that channel. The convenience is truly irreplaceable.
As for screens. I love how I can just do things faster. A quick task completed. And if I need to do more, that’s the only time use the phone. Ex: A quick tap on the wrist using an app called Waterlogged lets me monitor the exact amount of water I need per day. Its allot easier than taking out my phone every time I take a drink of water. These apps are making this watch frekin irreplaceable.
You need to use it to believe it. I could say the same thing about a tablet… Just use your computer. You kinda have to use it to see if its actually worth it. Even to this day I think tablets are pointless, although I haven’t yet purchased one. I’m optimistic though.
The Apple Watch costs $85 bucks to make. That’s a real number. I didn’t make that up.
It’s an analyst figure. They don’t factor in R&D. Also that’s for the sport model…
No it doesn’t. It’s an analysts figure for the cost of components. That means nothing. How about the billions of initial investment and ongoing investment and overhead to make the thing a reality? I work in manufacturing, and cost of materials and actual total production/development costs are completely different things.
Thanks for the un cynical review! I’m not saying that everyone has to fawn over the Watch, but I do feel like many reviewers’ criticisms were unfounded or misunderstood.
They complain about battery life, when 1-1.5 days is great considering all it does – and it has Power Reserve. They call it expensive, when it is the cheapest new Apple device in years and in line with high end watches. IMO they even twist history, comparing the Watch unfavorably to the beautifully simple one-button iPhone that is instantly understood – which actually has a dozen input methods and took 3-4 years to become mainstream.
Anyway I agree with this article. It’s not perfect but a damn good first gen device and, like all great Apple products, a slice of the future.
I don’t mind if people like it. I personally hate it. I don’t see this becoming mainstream over the long run because most people prefer not to wear a watch at all.
The fact that people don’t wear watches now is not an impediment. We didn’t used to carry phones either; or charge our gadgets every night. It’s easy enough to change peoples’ habits and preferences if the devices provide enough value.
It isn’t just that people don’t wear watches it is that people stopped wearing watches.
People stopped wearing watches because the use case died when mobile phones became ubiquitous. Smartwatches, if done properly, create a new use case for a device on the wrist.
We will see
I see plenty of people wearing watches daily, including me.
The Apple watch is called a watch, but its much more important than a watch. No different than the iPhone being called a phone. I can say for the first time in decades, there is now a reason to where a watch again, because its now so much more than just a time piece.
The Apple Watch isn’t a watch at all.
I say it, and Jony Ive himself said it. It is just another computer that they decided to put on your wrist, because many things are designed for the wrist. It is a logical place to wear things. I didn’t say that, Jony Ive said it.
That’s where a real watch and the Apple watch similarities end. They’re worn on the wrist. Just like a bracelet is worn on the wrist
Unfortunate name, but the Apple Watch has 0 to do with real watches.
And you know 0 about real watches.
Except watches tell time…. so does the Apple Watch. and not to mention it’s on the wrist? So it’s a watch. Technically.
That’s statistically false. Most people do wear watches. The wristwatch industry shipped 1.8 Billion watches in 2014. Billion with a B. if you really pay attention, most people wear watches. But that also depends on your environment. College? Probably not so much. Rural areas? Probably not much. Economic centers like big cities and surrounding areas? Lots of people wear watches.
I am at a restaurant and I just looked at everyone’s wrist….out of 20 people only 2 were wearing watches. According to most surveys less than 30% of Americans wear watches and that number continues to fall. Shipping and using watches are two different things. I own no watches and my wife owns three or four but NEVER wears any of them.
Uncynical review? I thought it was an advertisement.
I’m a fan, I admit. And I am enthusiastic. I wanted to counter the initial reviews, which I thought were knee-jerk cynical. I’m getting a real kick out of it. I genuinely dig it; already find it indispensable; and thing future versions will make it indispensable to everyone else.
I found the initial round of Apple Watch reviews to be over-the-top in their negativity, especially when compared to reviews of other smartwatches. It seems like tech journalists are bending over backwards these days to demonstrate a lack of pro-Apple bias. As a result, Apple is held to a double standard that borders on the ridiculous. It’s as if journalists are afraid to give any Apple product a glowing review lest they be labelled a fanboy or fangirl.
They don’t find it any less useful than an Android Wear watch.
It’s just that fanboys are more sensitive.
Nope. In Apple Watch reviews, the authors universally heap praise on the craftsmanship, the little mechanical details, the UI, and various software features, then strangely they conclude that the Apple Watch is not very useful.
I own an Apple Watch and the praise is justified. I strongly disagree with the typical conclusion that it is not worth buying. The Apple Watch is a terrific piece of personal fashion that feels great and looks worth every penny of its price. It also provides tons of convenient utility for iOS users.
In Android Wear reviews, authors have had little positive to say throughout.
I think there is a general anti-smartwatch bias that is not limited to the Apple Watch. (Purely anecdotal), I think people balk at the price of many of these watches, the fact that they already have something that does all of the same things in their pockets and the comparisons to high end watches.
That said, I personally don’t feel that one review should be written to “balance” other reviews. Just didn’t feel objective to me, but then maybe that’s not what I should expect from Cult of Mac. I have only been reading for a little while.
Many review sites are in the pockets of Apple. Everything they do will be awesome.
Check The New York Times. I’m sure they wrote the Apple Watch is the best device to ever be conceived by men. Don’t listen to Internet review people. They are paid, owned and sponsored by companies who have conflict of interests.
The monkeys who type up the reviews are just typing for a check.
High end watches? You do realize a high end watch you can pass down to your kids and they to their kids? This is a disposable very expensive unnecessary device.
Well, these watches are the true definition of useless. They can only tell the time. Having used the Apple Watch, I can confidently say I can never use a plain Dumb Watch again. I don’t think smart watches are unnecessary at all. I think dumb watches are truly unnecessary.
Usually men without class think the same.
Hmm LOL, I’m pretty sure this argument was given at some point in the past, when men started to slowly switch from Pocket Watches, to wrist worn watches. I don’t even know what to say about the class statement. What I will say is, classical watches aren’t going anywhere, but technology cant, and wont be denied. If the presentation of more information, can find its way into phones, device made solely to make phone calls, there is no reason to think it wont find its way into watches, which sole purpose is to give information in the form of telling the time of day. Hell, if frekin Tag Heuer is nervous enough to start making a smartwatch, than what else is needed. But! To each its own Bro.
And if I see a man judging me because of the watch I wear, I know he’s an elitist prick. I wear a Citizen… judge away.
Slow. Very slow. The battery life is great as long as you don’t use it….Wait did I say if you don’t use it? Kinda defeats the purpose of having a $350-$17,000 watch now doesn’t it?
I’ve found the battery to be pretty good. I’m getting a day-and-a-half out of it with constant, all day use. I charge it for a couple of hours in the morning at work — when I’m sitting at my desk — and then wear it all day and night.
Its not slow at all and the battery is great. I’ve had mine since Friday and its pretty fun. Considering you use a device more in the first few days as your playing with it, and I’ve used it each day to work out, the battery has been left with 20% each day. I’m not sure why it would need to last more than a day, I take it off at night and throw it on my night table anyway. I’m not as crazy about it as Leander, but I think its an excellent evolution of the watch.
That defeats its purpose of gathering health data even when you sleep. You obviously aren’t using it as much as most.
Ok then. I guess you know best.
Gathering health data? Haha. All of a sudden now people are into Health. They can’t live without it.
This is what you do. Diet and exercise every day. That’s it. You don’t need a stupid watch to be healthy.
Yup you don’t. But hey, the obesity “epidemic” in the US exists for a reason. And I think I read somewhere Americans spend 40m dollars a year on health and fitness things. It’s a business.
I agree but that is a selling feature Apple uses not me. If you have to charge it often then you obviously won’t have it on.
You hit the nail in the head.
Fun and Play.
That’s it. It is just a toy. It doesn’t give me anything I can’t do with my iPhone.
Actually, it gives me allot of what I can do with my phone, only faster, and way more convenient.
It does the same you can do with your phone, only you can’t really do much with a 1.5″ screen.
It’s a new toy and I get it. Once the luster wears off I see this crap in a drawer.
Its no more a toy than how much the iPad was a so called toy, or how much the iPhone was a so called useless expensive toy (Steve Ballmer). Hell, if you cant do anything on a 1.5 inch screen, why use a 4.7 inch screen over a 9.7 inch screen. Or, hell just use a laptop (15 inch screen) even better, because none of theses devices are as powerful as that. But there is one thing that makes each one of these devices better than the other: Convenience, Portability, and a UI made just for the screen size in use (also Apps).
When at home my phone is usually on the charger, because what I would usually use my phone for, I’m doing on the watch, unless I want to play some games or get some light work done, or use my Ipad. On the watch I’m dictating messages, and even using the Xfinity App to change channels.
Its even more of a must have on the go. There are simply lots of things done better in a quick task on the wrist than pulling out my iPhone 6+ every few seconds.
Look! We will surly see if this thing is a toy in the near future, and you could be right, but remember this was the exact same argument given for every other Apple device before it, and they all managed to find there place in peoples lives.
So I take it you don’t like iPads too?
It isn’t an evolution of a watch. It isnt a watch. At all.
Why isn’t it a watch?
Actually lasts all day under normal use for everyone. And it’s not very slow. Occasional lag, but it’s a first gen product and will be optimized. After a day of heavy use I end up with 15 to 20% by bedtime, and on average 20-30% battery which includes many notifications, a couple short phone calls, many time checks, a workout etc. It’s not meant to watch a movie on. On a light day of use I ended at 48%. Both my wife and I have not had either get below 10% by bedtime during a week of daily use. You don’t have one and just like to bash it, sounds like you’re just an Android-sheep troll.
LoL. First I hate android. I have many Apple products and love them. I also have many MS products. One day of battery just isn’t long enough especially since many days you will use it a lot more than “normal”. I have seen it first hand and it slooooow and is a dog to boot and load most apps. You can have your opinion and I won’t even get all offensive like a child like you did.
I love the way it looks plugged into my charger on my desk at work.
Haha. That’s quite an expensive desk clock.
I’ll be very happy when all the apple watch craze & constant stream of articles about it dies down.
I still can’t see spending that kind of money on another device that will will be obsolete in a couple of years…I think I will stick to my real watch until these things start at around $100.
They’ll get better, they’ll get slimmer, they’ll get lighter, they’ll get more and more features, but I doubt they’ll get much cheaper. That’s not Apple’s way.
Yea right. Every product launches at a ridiculous price, then they make the new one twice as better and cheaper.
Watch that stupid 2015 MacBook selling for $999 in the not to distant future.
Who said I would get an apple watch? I’m talking about smart watchs in general…at least the ones that look decent.
You say it is indispensable. Then you go on to list everything you can just do with your iphone and save the $500-$1,000 you spent on this unnecessary toy.
And yes. Most of that, with the exception of sending your girlfriend stupid heartbeats, you can do with Android Wear, which is also an unnecessary toy.
Carlos, you need to relax buddy. It’s just another review…but judging by the number of your responses to the comments, I’d say you’re taking this way too personally. Relax buddy and get a life.
By the way, who was the winner of the CultOfMac Apple Watch?
All it needs is an app that let you know when you left your phone or computer behind via a pulse alert.
when you lose your bluetooth connection you get a pulse. Its only one pulse though. It definitely needs a more consistent warning alert. It also needs geofencing to turn the passcode off when you’re in a certain location – I’d like to not worry about the passcode at home and I’ve found myself taking the watch off to use it on the couch as a remote. It makes a nice little remote
Can’t you just do it from your wrist?
I don’t think you can turn the passcode off once its activated without losing your apple pay cards. Its a pain to keep punching in the numbers. I could be wrong though. Still learning how to do things. I’m also not sure if I was right about getting a pulse when you lose your bluetooth connection – so pulse alerts when the watch is separated from the phone would be a great way to keep an iPhone from getting left behind.