While I’m usually not the first person to get the newest gadget, this mostly has to do with how I feel about parting with my hard earned pocket money. I’ve coughed up the big bucks for the latest and greatest Apple products before though. I was one of the first to jump on the 64gb iPod touch because something that could carry nearly all of the music I could want to listen to at any moment still blows my mind. That same iPod touch has been replaced exactly once and used nearly everyday since its purchase, with a small descent in service as I moved into the land of those who own smartphones with my iPhone. Nonetheless, my iPod touch has followed me on many trips, been used as a camera, a workout planner, a phone, and a stereo receiver as well as a music player. It was one of the largest purchases I’d made with the money from one of my first jobs and has made me as happy a some bits of metal and glass really should be able to.
Having said all that, I’m a generation behind the curve on the latest iPod touch as I see that it will soon fall by the wayside given the storage sizes the iPhones are growing to. I can’t see myself investing in another one anytime soon, but it was a great introduction to all the apps and the iOS software that would come with my iPhone. My phone is also not the most up to date as it is the last model still able to run the current iOS and because of this lacks many features that have been rolled out recently. My computer on the other hand is of the latest generation, the bottom of the line 11” Macbook Air has delighted me at every turn as I do nothing too strenuous with it, and the only real complaint I could admit would be that having the least amount of storage means that my music library is a bit of a bloat to the whole machine. This may soon be fixed however as I debate moving to iTunes Match in the near future to free up my computer a bit. With all this rambling on it may seem I haven’t made my point altogether clear, so far that point being that I am wholly plugged into what could be called the Mac lifestyle, or World of Apple. However dated or cheap relative to other apple products mine might be, I will pony up the money if I see it will greatly improve my life.
So the question then is does the Apple Watch fit into that category of worthwhile gadgets? The Apple Watch with all of its hype and buzz has yet to convince me to make an appointment to get one of the first ones off the line. While Pharrell is being seen around town sporting his, we don’t all have his lifestyle and Apple doesn’t quite think I’m influential enough to give me one before the crowds so that I’ll influence others to follow suit. While I’m sure there are many “apple fanboys” who will be lined up for their Apple Watches first thing at the launch, for the regular Joe the reason to purchase hasn’t really become clear yet. There is the potential for loads things about the Apple Watch, or any smart watch really, to be the indispensable gadget of the future but that is all it is so far, potential. With a day long battery they’ve obviously listened to the consumers complaining about not being able to use their iPhone, for what is a reasonable amount of time, during the day and not have to bring their charger with them. With a necessity for he watch to last all day on a charge, some sacrifices have certainly been made. Those who have been given a chance to test on the new Watches have harped on two main things, the slowness of a lot of processes and the lack of focus.
The Watch seems to want to be a liaison between you and your phone with a few added features. After dads all over were admonished for wearing their cell phones on their belt we finally have the answer for them, with the price tag starting only just over a second phone. The Watch works well in the new niche Apple has carved out for it with the introduction of the health apps, but other than this seems to be a mind-blowingly powerful little piece of technology that does little more than show others that you have an Apple Watch. As new software will inevitably be rolled out after the official launch it will be interesting to see how this affects the usefulness of what will certainly still be one of the most popular wearable technologies. However, I’ll need to see more than a fitbit with a built in notification center before I make the plunge to wearing my technological loyalties on my wrist though.
For more reading from someone who reviewed their experience with the Apple Watch throughout the day check out this article on theverge.com
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