Apple Watch…my thoughts

apple watchOk, I have always been an Apple fanboy. And I use only Apple. Well, almost. Now that I have to swap my collection of watches, for an Apple Watch. Or do I?

Technology is trying to push the limits of how we consume information, and wearables are the latest in this trend. They have been slow to catch up though, with Google Glass being at the forefront and well…its been a while and Glass seems like it would take time to mature. Smart watches have also been around, and caught a lot of traction after rumours of Apple entering the arena started. Samsung Gear, the only noticeable attempt (of course, since it was Samsung trying as usual to steal a match over its premium rival) failed miserably. So now the industry has its attention turned to Apple to see what they have in their arsenal.

Love the ads. On my HDTV, they are so good that I feel like walking up and plucking one right off the screen…or more. Gorgeous designs, they make all other smartwatches look pedestrian in comparison. The build quality is exceptional, as is expected from any Apple product. Even the straps look wow. To summarize, on the looks front, they have hit the ball out of the park…wait, I haven’t actually seen one in person. But its Apple, so common. No doubts there.

w42ss-llbr-selOk, usability. Hmmm…here is where I start slipping a bit. Of late, I have started to minimize the number of notifications that I receive on my iPhone, coz they are so distracting and create a sense of false urgency. Also, studies haves42si-sbbl-detail shown that such notifications actually end up reducing productivity, and sometimes interrupting ‘the flow’ that is quite difficult to get back once you are done watching that cute dog play with the cuter cat. And sound notifications even more. Changing watch faces are good, but a limited appeal once you have toyed around for a week. Attending calls? Ahem. I remember when bluetooth headsets came out, it was quite amusing seeing people appearing to talk to themselves. Now the humour may shift to the wrist, like in those old James Bond movies where some of this tech was already commonplace…Can imagine the sight of people furtively contorting their limbs, alternating between speaking and hearing, when they could just as well use a headset and their phone which is literally 10 centimeters away. In short, not sold on the calling feature.

e38rg-sbwh-selUnlocking my garage door through my watch, apple pay, instagram…maaayybeee…not sure on that yet.

Sending a heartbeat or a touch to a loved one? Now thats downright cheesy to me. Sounds like the Apple version of those ‘his and hers’ toys that are controlled wirelessly…err..

Healthcare? Yeah now we’re talking. This is one practical approach. In fact, a very sound idea. Using a person’s data to keep track of his or her health remotely, statistics on diseases and symptoms, keeping track of exercise routines (especially ones that involve running, walking and stepping), this is where I guess the Apple Watch can score well.

And then there is the cost. IT IS PLAIN TORTURE, showing us so many options, so many straps, so much variety, and then asking us to choose. I for instance, may end up buying the Apple Watch and then 4-5 straps to go with them. At $249 a buckle, that would end up costing a fortune. Oh wait, the Apple Watch itself is around $900 (thats the silver one I like). The Apple Watch Edition, starting at $ 10,000 and going up to 17k, thats just too much money for technology. Too much even for bragging rights.

e38yg-sbbk-selSo whats my take on the Watch? Well, its gorgeous (+1), costly (-1) and applications? Early days but the applications are what would make or break this product. Remove the cheesy stuff, get more practical applications on it. Make us want to use it as much as we want to wear it. This is no iPad; hell, early reviews of the iPad thrashed the product but we all know how that turned out. But this is different. There is a lot of overlap with my iPhone, and I don’t know if I want to throw out my watch collection just yet.

Apple Watch. The keyword to ‘watch’ is POSSIBILITIES. 

PS: If you like this article, and would like to sponsor me a watch, I would go for the 42mm stainless steel case with link bracelet, and do throw in the black and brown leather loops as well please…thank you 🙂

5 thoughts on “Apple Watch…my thoughts”

  1. If you *think the gear failed miserably, you’re mistaken. If you feel there are no other smart watches, you need to Google search: Android Wear.

    1. Hi, I have been following the Gear closely and the negative reviews, combined with 25-30% returns and hardly any quantifiable sales…all qualify as failures. In fact, in some countries, retailers started bundling the Gear free along with Samsung phones!

      Also, there are many wearables in the marketplace yes, but which one has truly taken the world by storm? None really. Even Google Glass could’t take off as fast as they had hoped.

      The point being that wearables are still new territory, and no one has succeeded yet. It remains to be seen how Apple Watch does, but the watch stands a higher chance of being adopted. That is why I said – POSSIBILITIES 🙂

  2. Reblogged this on Shihanspeaks and commented:

    The Apple Watch preorders begin on 10th April..a replug of my thoughts when it was first announced…

  3. I think the watch is very nice add on if you are already in the Apple ecosystem(at least a recent iPhone). It gives good fitness tracking capabilities with a reminder to move around if you are sitting still too long. the smart watch features are nice too. Apple Pay works better here than in the phone too.

    http://itandtechstuff.com/?p=40

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