People who can identify it immediately ask if I like it, and if they should buy one. I’ve told most: No.
Joanna Stern, Wall Street Journal
The reviews are out for the Apple Watch and it’s not exactly coming up all roses and happy talk for the first generation effort. Stern’s review was probably one of the most negative but most others were decidedly mixed.
Nilay Patel for TheVerge: “So should you buy it? I’m not convinced that anyone actually needs a smartwatch yet and there’s nothing about the Apple watch that really changed my mind."
Joshua Topolsky for Bloomberg: “Its second task—making me feel that I need this thing on my wrist every day—well, I’m not quite sure it’s there yet. It’s still another screen, another distraction, another way to disconnect, as much as it is the opposite. The Apple Watch is cool, it’s beautiful, it’s powerful, and it’s easy to use. But it’s not essential. Not yet.”
“Apple will sell millions of these devices, and many people will love and obsess over them. It is a wonderful component of a big ecosystem that the company has carefully built over many years. It is more seamless and simple than any of its counterparts in the marketplace. It is, without question, the best smartwatch in the world.”
Scott Stein for CNET: “The watch is beautiful and promising -- the most ambitious wearable that exists. But in an attempt to do everything in the first generation, the Apple Watch still leaves plenty to be desired. Short battery life compared with other watches and higher prices are the biggest flags for now. But Apple is just setting sail, and it has a long journey ahead.”
“This is the lowest battery life on any recent smartwatch I've seen, worse than Android Wear watches or the Samsung Gears which lasted more toward two days.”
John Gruber for Daringfireball: “The quality of Apple Watch simply as an object is meaningful. When you wear something, it matters how it feels, and it matters how you think it looks. And much like with time-telling as a feature, Apple Watch may well appeal more to those who aren’t currently watch wearers than to those who are.”
“Digital touch is not designed for an isolated product. It is designed as a tentpole feature for a hit product with widespread appeal and adoption. The single most innovative feature of Apple Watch — the most intimate feature of the company’s most personal device — will only matter if some of the people you care most about wear one too.”
David Pogue for Yahoo Tech: “You don’t need one. Nobody needs a smartwatch. After all, it’s something else to buy, care for, charge every night. It’s another cable to pack and track. Your phone already serves most of its purposes. With the battery-life situation as it is, technology is just barely in place to make such a device usable at all.
In the end, therefore, the Apple Watch is, above all, a satisfying indulgence. It’s a luxury. You might buy it to bring you pleasure—and it will—much the way you might buy a really nice car, some really nice clothes, or a really nice entree.Or a really nice watch.”
"The truth is, navigation is a big Watch weakness. There aren’t any visual clues that more options are waiting if you force-press, or that anything will happen when you turn the knob. You eventually learn, but only by trial and error.”
Lauren Goode for re/code: “It’s swiping through pictures of family on your wrist, seeing your heart rate spike when you’re watching an exciting game, and getting a glimpse of a message when you’re rushing between classes or meetings. It’s trying really, really hard not to look at your wrist when you’re in the middle of a meeting. In our new world of too-many-devices, it somehow becomes the second thing you reach for when you roll out of bed. Smartwatches are still unproven, but Apple has made a pretty strong case for them.”
Ed Baig for USA Today: "Apple Watch is an elegant combination of style and purpose, even if it indeed often serves as a stand-in for the iPhone tucked away in your pocket or purse."
"As with most first-time products, it isn't flawless or essential. But among smartwatches, Apple Watch is second to none. I want one."
Farhad Manjoo for the New York Times: “It took three days — three long, often confusing and frustrating days — for me to fall for the Apple Watch. But once I fell, I fell hard. First there was a day to learn the device’s initially complex user interface. Then another to determine how it could best fit it into my life. And still one more to figure out exactly what Apple’s first major new product in five years is trying to do — and, crucially, what it isn’t."
"Still, even if it’s not yet for everyone, Apple is on to something with the device. The Watch is just useful enough to prove that the tech industry’s fixation on computers that people can wear may soon bear fruit. In that way, using the Apple Watch over the last week reminded me of using the first iPhone."
"Third-party apps are mostly useless right now."
Ben Bajarin for Techopinions: “After just a few minutes with the Apple Watch you realize how powerful it is. It feels overwhelming to start, because you are trying to wrap your brain around all that this brand new type of computer can do. But quickly you realize that, while powerful, it is also very simple. Capable, yet approachable, in its user interface.”
“It isn’t just one thing about the Watch that makes it compelling. If it was only good at one or two things, it would suffice for a portion of the market but not satisfy the market as a whole. What I have found is it is the entirety of the Apple Watch experience that makes it compelling. It is an additive experience to the iPhone and one I found particularly valuable.”
Carolina Milanesi for Kantar Worldpanel: “Apple Watch has the opportunity to appeal to a broader segment of consumers, thanks to its looks. While there is no doubt the watch is "smart," the design might catch the attention of consumers who are in the market to buy a mechanical watch.”
“In my opinion, there is no learning curve with Apple Watch; there is a discovery curve. Users will find different ways to perform the same tasks and the Apple Watch will learn more about the user and adapt to them as time goes by, thus refining and enriching the user experience.”
Marissa Stephenson for Men's Journal: “Now, after a week of testing, I can say that the Watch is useful, fun, inspiring — but it can also be a little frustrating, needy, and redundant with my ever-present iPhone. It certainly demands attention. Every form of information goes straight to my wrist, tempting me to constantly check my activity stats or see what I’ve been missing. And managing the stream of incoming emails, texts, calls, and notifications feels more distracting, more falsely urgent, than a phone you can just stuff in your pocket.”
“But without GPS dedicated, runners will likely miss the map functions that provide more granular data like elevation gain, altitude, or an actual map of a run. If those same runners don't really care if their smartwatch looks overtly stylish or whether it can juggle their calendar and push notifications, they might be better off with a traditional sports watch with GPS built-in, like the Garmin Fenix or Fitbit Surge.”
Liz Plosser for SELF: “But, it may not replace your favorite fitness tracker. The Apple Watch has a lot going for it. As a full-time working mom who’s trying to balance regular workouts along with everything else in my crazy world, I love how #onit the Watch makes me feel as it tracks the important stuff in my life. But, I found a few drawbacks, many of which have been discussed when the gadget was initially announced including how it’s splash- and water-resistant, but not waterproof and it doesn’t have a specific built-in sleep app. Plus the battery life is approximately 18 hours—long enough to get you through your long weekend run, but still requires you to juice it up daily.”
Nicole Phelps for Style.com: “There’s a learning curve, just like with any new device, but the Apple designers have maintained the one-touch philosophy that has turned the whole world onto the iPhone, technologically challenged types like me included. That, it seems, will be integral to its success. The screen is too small to support drawn-out interactions—stare at it too long and you’ll go bug-eyed.”
“When It Comes to Wearables, the Apple Watch Is in a League of Its Own: The fashion world has witnessed a few launches in this category lately. Opening Ceremony partnered with Intel, and Rebecca Minkoff launched wearable tech jewelry on her Spring 2015 runway. Being first to market means something to somebody, I suppose, but had they seen the Apple Watch they might not have bothered in the first place.”
Bani McSpedden for watch-next: “And what about my BA (before Apple) timepieces? Will they now simply lie dormant in the sock drawer, ticking over in the hope they’ll be rediscovered or favoured now and then?Truth is I’ve found that if I’m only wearing the Apple upstart I miss them, and obviously won’t stop wearing them – like a fountain pen versus a roller-ball, there’s something truly special about cogs and springs – and, something you never have to charge. (Not that the Apple was such a chore here – the battery lasted all day and evening, I simply charged it overnight alongside my phone.)
The good news is that, strangely, my left wrist seems the natural place for the Apple, whereas I normally wear my watch on the right wrist. What this means is there’s really no contest at all – just a happy answer as to why God gave us two wrists.”
Matt Warman for The Telegraph
Mark Prigg for the Daily Mail
Lance Ulanoff for Mashable
Geoffrey Fowler also for the Wall Street Journal
