The Apple Watch is exactly two weeks away from release and early-bird reviewers have already got their hands on the highly anticipated device. For many people an Apple Watch review is about as redundant as the phrase “may cause drowsiness” on a packet of sleeping pills, because they would buy one even if it literally was an apple segment on a strap with a working clock-face. However, for those of you who want to know more about Apple’s first foray into smartwatches, read on and find out what the first Apple Watch reviews are saying.
Bliss, but Only After a Steep Learning Curve
New York Times
Farha Manjoo from the New York Times loved his Apple Watch… once he got used to it. “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,” he said in his Apple Watch review.
The biggest benefit that Manjoo found from the device was the “taptic engine” which gives you different notifications (texts, phone calls, calendar appointments) by vibrating different patterns on your wrist. This means that after you get used to the different patterns you will receive information without having to look at the watch, or by glancing at the screen.
Why can’t the battery make it past 10 PM on days I exercise?
Wall Street Journal
Joanna Stern from the Wall Street Journal says that Apple “isn’t just selling some wrist-worn computer, it’s selling good looks and coolness.” In her Apple Watch review she praises the Apple Watch for succeeding where fitness trackers have failed, with “accurate data and a platform with a big promise,” while being “an accessory I love to wear all day long.”
The watch doesn’t appear to be without it’s faults, Joanna Stern spoke about her frustrations with the functionality of the watch – as well as the battery life. Getting into the exercise app is difficult, plus the workout data is in a different app altogether. A big frustration is that forgetting to click save after a work out means that you lose all of the workout data. The biggest frustration seems to be with the battery life which doesn’t last very long if you use it when you work out.
You’ll Want One, But You Don’t Need One
Bloomberg
Joshua Topolsky from Bloomberg states in his Apple Watch review that Apple have succeeded in making the world’s best smartwatch. Unfortunately, just because it’s the best doesn’t mean it’s perfect! Within one day of receiving the watch Joshua found that the notifications were a source of constant frustration over the first few days. On one particular instance the annoying tapping on his arm provided him with the vitally important information that “Twitter has suggestions for people you should follow.”
Topolsky states that while the watch is incredibly precise, within 50 milliseconds of Coordinated Universal Time, it it lacking because “it doesn’t offer the consistency of a traditional timepiece.”
“I’ve found the experience somewhat inferior to that with a conventional wristwatch, due to one small issue. The Apple Watch activates its screen only when it thinks you’re looking at it,” explained Tolposky. “Many times while using the watch, I had to swing my wrist in an exaggerated upward motion to bring the display to life.
Joshua echo’s the positives of notifications (once you change the settings so that it’s not going off every 10 seconds) and the style of the watch. His final summery is that, “the Apple Watch is cool, it’s beautiful, it’s powerful, and it’s easy to use. But it’s not essential. Not yet.”
Conclusion
The early Apple Watch reviews seem to confirm what most of us expected, that Apple have produced a great watch, with a few faults – which is to be expected on the first go. The beautiful design of the watch is clear to anyone who has looked at one, which means that Apple have succeeded where Sony & Samsung have failed by becoming the first phone manufacturer to create a stylish looking, functional smartwatch.
If you already own other Apple devices then you I imagine you’ll be buying one regardless of positive or negative reviews. For everyone else, the overriding consensus is that the device is beautiful, functional and powerful. But whether you need one just yet… well, that’s still up for debate!
Images: Shinya Suzuki
