I’ve spent four days with the new Apple Watch, and have finally worked out the learning curve issues.
Am I in love? Not yet. And if I was looking at buying the year’s most-hyped tech device, I’d certainly wait for Apple to iron out the kinks first for versions #2 and #3.
Day 1 with Apple Watch: My rough first day
Day 2 with Apple Watch: : Passcode issue solved, but the apps are a problem
Here’s my bottom line.
— The watch is a beautiful timepiece, designed elegantly in Apple fashion, and fun to play with.
It’s best at notifications and telling time. But navigation can be rough — with as many as 30 apps visible on a screen that’s less than 1-inch high, they’re hard to select.
After using the tiny watch for four days, I’ve never been more enamored with the iPhone 6 Plus and that massive 5.5-inch screen.
The Apple Watch began shipping Friday and starts at $350, although most models are selling for $500 on up all the way to $17,000. Analysts project initial shipments of 1 million watches, with another 2 million going out to consumers in the next two months.
The watch is sold out at Apple Stores through June, and is only available via preorder online, unless you’re in Los Angeles and can visit the Maxfield store in West Hollywood. Most of the watches have sold out there, too, but the store reports that a new shipment is expected Tuesday.
What you need to know: While the Apple Watch has been sold as a timepiece that works like an iPhone on the wrist, it’s not. It’s an add-on that works hand in hand with the iPhone, sometimes to its detriment, for quick glances at information.
You will be nagged many times during your early days to open the iPhone app first, to either register apps, as in the case of many, like Chipotle, Pandora or Uber, or to finish the transaction.
What the watch does well:
— Twitter and text notifications are good examples of things that worked for me 100% of the time.
— The Apple apps are well-designed and thought-out. Sunday, I took a hike through the mountains and wanted to see how many steps I had walked. It was nice to be able to reach over to the wrist, hit the digital crown, open the Pedometer app and see that I’d crossed 10,000. Otherwise, I would have reached into my pocket and yanked out the phone.
— The watch is beautiful to look at, with a nice assortment of watch faces to choose from. (Nothing beats the animated Mickey Mouse for me, though.)
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SOURCE: Jefferson Graham
USA TODAY
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