I confess: The Apple Watch is awesome
Even for long-time Apple fanboys, it’s en vogue these days to make unsolicited statements about not buying an Apple Watch, it seems.
As if not buying something is worth a mention. Or some kind of strange achievement. Resisting the Cupertino marketing machine, so to speak.
I mostly sense envy.
Over at The Next Web Boris explains, why he is going to blindly buy anything from Apple and Rene Ritchie provides a simple, yet compelling reason why.
My 42mm stainless steel Apple Watch shipped on Saturday. That is, I had three full days with it now.
Key observations so far:
- Manufacturing quality is simply the best in the (smartwatch) industry.
This might be no surprise, but it’s good to see Apple keeps its brand promise. - Battery life is absolutely impressive.
When Apple Watch was announced, critics pointed out power consumption as a major concern. Relax. Apple seems to have solved the problem. I end up having 40+ percent of battery power left when I go to bed. And I use Apple Watch a lot. The MagSafe inductive charger makes charging super simple and hassle-free.
- I’ve got more use cases for a smartwatch than I thought I would.
Prior to the Apple Watch, I didn’t find enough essential use cases, to stick with any of the other smartwatches I’ve tried. Apple Watch changed this, mainly because it gets the user experience and usability right. It’s great to receive two-factor-auth codes from 1Password without having to pick up my iPhone. Siri on Apple Watch is fantastic and significantly increased my use of Reminders. Rejecting phone calls while in meetings has become way less invasive, given the subtlety of Apple Watch’s haptic engine versus the iPhone’s not-silent-at-all Vibrate on Silent. Quickly glancing at and responding to iMessages is ultra convenient now. Briefly checking the state of my Twitter account has become so simple thanks to Twitterrific’s fantastic Apple Watch app. I can only see this getting even better, once Apple allows native apps. - The Apple Watch is reduced to the absolute minimum and perfect at it.
Apple’s signature is all over this product: It doesn’t do a lot of things but the ones it does, it does better compared to any other smartwatch. Starting from an absolutely seamless first launch experience up to the ultra smooth, elegant user interface: It’s the first smartwatch that’s actually fun to use. - Why do you need a smartwatch, anyway?
A question I’ve heard far too often. However, the question in and out of itself is a misdirection. It’s the for what part, that’s important, not the why. Nobody needs a smartwatch for survival. As nobody needs a smartphone with a touch screen and hundreds of apps. It’s pure luxury. Convenience. Nice-to have. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!
With all of the above said, I highly recommend giving Apple Watch a try. I’d love to discuss my observations, with other Apple Watch owners.
If you fall into the league of those who are proud of having resisted, there’s no point in discussing an experience, we don’t share. :-)
