Anyone getting (or by chance already got) one? My IT/computer nerd DH, who normally doesn’t care a whit about anything that requires shopping or an online order, is salivating wildly over the Apple watch. I have looked at its features, but really, can’t he just use his phone and a health monitor (fitbit or jawbone or what have you)? My fitbit was recalled, and am now looking at the Fitbit Charge HR to monitor heartrate, steps, etc.
So for those of you who are looking at the apple watch (not the gold one, the base model), whats the attraction?
My H demands total silence when the Apple watch commercial comes on TV. Lord have mercy on any living thing that munches on popcorn or barks during that special moment. What functions does it have that do not require the phone to be nearby?
I wanted the Jawbone UP3, but it still hasn’t been released. I liked the idea of the gentle wake up when my body was in a particular type of sleep, the monitoring of my sleep and heart rate patterns and the fact that i looks like a bracelet.
If you're a big iPhone user, you need to check your phone all the time. The Watch reduces that need substantially. I don't have one but the various testers I know (or trust) who have say they've found it changes the way they need to relate to their phone.
It's a watch. It's a cool watch that looks really good. People buy watches all the time and this one does a lot more than tell time. There was an ad developed at the beginning of this last season of Mad Men about Bulova Accutron watches in which the proposed ad shows the watch starting a conversation because of what having it says about the wearer. As I remember, the proposed tagline was something like "It's not a timepiece. It's a conversation piece." That is much of the watch business in a nutshell.
I think the marketing company is genius. Everytime the ad comes on, both dh and I stop and watch and neither of us plan to buy the watch but… it is cool looking.
I was in the car too much listening to all the buzz about the watch last Friday, so went in to the Apple store Saturday, thinking I would buy one. I haven’t worn a watch in nearly 20 years, so that alone was enough of an adjustment. Also, my wrists are very narrow so even the child straps seemed large. It was very easy to creep up in price as the more expensive models are more attractive.
I decided that nothing in my life is so important that I need the info flashed on my wrist. I am not criticizing the product, as I can see that some people would find it very useful. I do think this will be a game changer, the way the iPad was, but I also think the second or third generation will be the one that I finally end up using.
We bought the first iPad the weekend it was released, but then held off on updating until the iPad mini came out.
@jym626 - which FitBit was recalled? I am an obsessive user of my FitBit One but do not appreciate their recent active minutes update. I am not sure what software updates they are performing, but it is tracking inconsistently.
When I read the NYTimes review of the watch, I knew this would work for my husband. He travels a lot, goes to tons of meetings and conferences, gets a lot of emails and alerts. He would load his boarding passes onto the watch, so wouldn’t have to fumble for his phone in the airport. He would use it to open hotel room doors. He would use it in meetings to see what messages/emails were coming through without having to get out his phone.
Definitely not a necessity but something that would make his life better/easier.
But he won’t be getting it immediately. We’ll wait for all the software kinks to be worked out first.
I really wonder if Apple will issue a new watch annually, like it does with the iPhone. People might buy a new iPhone every other year since the initial price is kept low by the cell phone companies. But would they purchase a new $400+ watch every year, or even every two years?
CT1417 -
The Fitbit force was recalled. The reason was not one I had a problem with ( the metal was causing a rash on many users) but I had an issue with the poorly designed clasp and the thing kept falling off if the band got caught on anything. I lost it in the house once and it took days of trying to sync my iPad with the Bluetooth to finally find it. They finally agreed to replace it but a few days later they announced the recall and I knew that not only would they
not honor the replacement but they would no longer support the device. So back it went.
My issue with the Watch is it’s new technology and though the software can be upgraded I imagine there will be a number of frustrations with the apps (which have to be slow if they need to connect to the phone) and with other pieces (like the icon sizes). I expect they’ll improve many functions, like cutting lag to display time, etc. and I’d rather they do that before I get one.
I am usually an early adopter and I’m not tempted yet. I don’t trust the battery life if you use it heavily. It doesn’t have GPS (I think that’s true) so would require the phone to be with you for running. I run with a Garmin GPS watch. I think it might be cool to have, but I want to see how it does as people wear it.
NO. For me it’s a too too expensive bit of new technology from a company that thrives on planned obsolescence. I’ve been burned one too many times by Apple’s “newest” tech.
Igloo, counting steps is a very imprecise way of measuring distances. When I run, my stride varies quite a bit depending on terrain. Sure, for a weekend warrior it is ok just like a fitbit or such, but I guarantee that it will be quite off for marathon training. I like my miles to equal miles, not 1.1 or 0.85 miles.
A GPS watch is very precise, is not bulky, and does not cost a fortune. I don’t see how Apple iwatch can replace my Garmin watch.
I’m with Bunsen. Just about any runner who cares at all about their mileage or times uses a GPS watch. That way you are not limited to measured courses and can wander around as much as you like without losing track of your distance, pace, time, etc. I also record heartrate on my GPS watch. The step trackers (and I do use one for daily activity) are pretty much a joke as far as tracking distance or even accurately counting steps, for that matter. I recently read that what you are getting is “You may have walked somewhere around 10,000 steps.” You can record steps while brushing your teeth and standing still, for instance.
Yes @jym626 , but they “highly recommended” a new one. So just now I bought another Samsung tablet(I already have one for work). I like my Galaxy S5 (which I got to replace my IPHONE) so much that I got the inexpensive 8 inch tablet.