The Apple Watch is set to go up for pre-order on the 10th of April, and if you were wondering whether you should order one for yourself, then here’s a roundup of some of the best reviews available for Cupertino’s first ever wearable.
According to the NYTimes, the Apple Watch is something that may not initially click to all kinds of users from day one. “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.” Not the most perfect device, yet a smart and sharp one nonetheless, according to NYT’s Farhad Manjoo, who further adds: “What’s most thrilling about the Apple Watch, unlike other smartwatches I’ve tried, is the way it invests a user with a general sense of empowerment. If Google brought all of the world’s digital information to our computers, and the iPhone brought it to us everywhere, the Watch builds the digital world directly into your skin. It takes some time getting used to, but once it clicks, this is a power you can’t live without.”
The review is aptly ended with a one-liner which reads: “The first Apple Watch may not be for you – but someday soon, it will change your world.”
Meanwhile, the WSJ says: “if you can tolerate single-day battery life, half-baked apps and inevitable obsolescence, you can now wear the future on your wrist.” They end their review with: “For now, the Apple Watch is for pioneers. I won’t pay the $1,000 it would cost for the model I tested, only to see a significant improvement roll in before too long. But I plan to pay $400 for the 42mm Sport version once it’s on sale. That’s worth paying for a front-row seat for what’s next in tech.”
According to Mashable, the Apple Watch is currently the best smartwatch available on the market: “Apple Watch does as much, maybe more, than competing smartwatches, but it doesn’t demand that you pay attention to it. It also succeeded in its most important task: Getting me to keep my iPhone in my pocket. That’s a pretty impressive feat.”
Re/code attempts to answer the question that is staring Apple Watch right in the face; “Will it change your life” as Apple seems to suggest and even believe so? “Apple Watch is not a cure-all, and it’s likely not a timepiece you will pass down to your grandkids.” Unlike NYT however, Re/code believes that the Watch OS is as “easy to navigate as an iPhone,” but the fact remains that while smartwatches remain largely unproven, “Apple has made a pretty strong case for them.”
As for John Gruber of DaringFireball, the Apple Watch is not exactly the time-teller you would expect it to be. “Time telling is where Apple Watch fares worst compared to traditional watches. That was inevitable.” However, as for the quality and feel of wearing the Apple Watch, Gruber offers no real-person take on the matter, but goes on to suggest that this aspect of the watch is something that “may well appeal more to those who aren’t currently watch wearers than to those who are.” As for the Digital Touch which Apple is fervently marketing, Gruber rightly points out that “The single most innovative feature of Apple Watch – the most intimate feature of the company’s most personal device – will only matter if some of the people you care most about wear one too.” And for battery life: “After more than a week of daily use, Apple Watch has more than alleviated any concerns I had about getting through a day on a single charge. I noted the remaining charge when I went to bed each night. It was usually still in the 30s or 40s. Once it was still over 50 percent charged.”
The general consensus out there seems to be that Apple Watch is the most capable and advanced smartwatch available on the market, but it may not be essential.
Now, the big question is: will you be getting an Apple Watch for yourself? Let us know in the comments section below.
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