Apple Watch float your boat or returning it?

Saxo Appeal

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Now that some of you have had time to play, ponder and make up your mind, has the Apple Watch lived up to your expectations or have you decided to return it for a full refund and never look back?

I recently purchased a 42mm Space Grey Black Sport and drove all the way down to Fife to pick it up from @mikee66. After wearing it for a day I changed my mind and sold it on to a family member who kept nagging me for it. I must say that I, like others, have been underwhelmed by it but it does have lots of potential. It also had a couple of scuff marks just between where the glass met the case, very small but I knew it was there so wanted rid.

Just didn't like the rubber strap which made it feel very cheap for a £340 watch, I realise it's a smart watch but my Boss watch has a SS strap and only cost £250. I know there's 3rd party straps being released soon but as mentioned above the case was marked.

I have the SS style ordered with a classic buckle for dispatch in June and will be making a final decision whether to keep it or not then, but in all honestly I'm not not holding my breath. I think everyone thought the Apple watch was going to be the next best thing but then why is there so many people changing their minds? It's definetly not what the first iPhone did to the mobile but I think it's definetly the way forward with smart watches, a few niggles here and there which can be ironed out by software updates.

My iPhone 6 is always, always with me wherever I go and takes only seconds to lift out my pocket, ok there is features on the watch which are pretty cool like the Activity App and gorgeous designed faces but to warrant a £600 price tag only for my phone to do 90% of them anyway makes me seriously reconsider my options. I've been recently looking at other computers and for a an extra £300 I could purchase the lowest spec Apple iMac on the Apple Store, compare that to a watch that only does a few things my phone can't, and I keep swaying over to keeping my hard earned cash.

Oh the decisions!

A link to 9to5Mac 'A skeptics Apple Watch Diary'

http://9to5mac.com/2015/04/30/apple-watch-diary-decision/
 
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Hi mate, How did it get scuffed?
 
Hi buddy

No idea just had a tiny scuff mark between the glass and the case which was noticeable. Absolutely no idea how it got there, soon as I took the watch out the wrapper I put on the crystal clear Spigen rubber protector.

It's not an issue now as it's been sold but it's something I noticed but my family member didn't lol
 
I love mine. I got the grey Sport as I couldn't justify anything more expensive, but I find the sports band really comfortable. I'm not sure I'd get an aftermarket metal strap even if I could find one.

It's making me think more about my activity levels, and looking at texts, incoming calls etc. on the Watch is handy, rather than wondering what the vibrating alert on my iPhone is about.

It's a keeper.
 
Hi buddy

No idea just had a tiny scuff mark between the glass and the case which was noticeable. Absolutely no idea how it got there, soon as I took the watch out the wrapper I put on the crystal clear Spigen rubber protector.

It's not an issue now as it's been sold but it's something I noticed but my family member didn't lol
You should have returned it to Apple mate. I wouldn't have been happy with it
 
It's cool Mike, it's up to my cousin if he wants to take it back or not. He works on a site as a Joiner so will probably get it marked anyway lol
 
Hi

You may have read my experiences and thoughts with the Apple Watch on other threads but bottom line is I ordered 4 for all family members but sold them all (2 used and 2 unopened) within a week as was very underwhelmed and struggled to see the value of them. Nothing against the watch but just felt they were/are massively overpriced and overhyped, in my opinion, and now have absolutely no desire at all to get one and not even sure whether I will have any interest in V2. In fact a fifth one arrived yesterday (forgot I had placed an additional order with a different colour strap) and that is sat here now unopened awaiting me finding the time to send it back.

Strange though as I have an LG Watch Urbane and love it but think that is down to the perceived value. My wife had hoped the activity tracking on her 38mm SS with Milanese would have been at least half as good as her Up24 band but truth is we both felt the activity tracking was pretty pathetic.
 
I've only had mine for a day but impressed so far.
I mainly wanted mine for fitness tracking to (replace a vivofit) and also a watch I can easily see on the dark and has a decent alarm (to replace a Bluetooth G-Shock)
The G shock was around £150 and vivofit was £90 new so for the money I think the Apple watch is good value as the screen is really good and the fact is works well with and without the phone is great.
I don't have to mess about pairing all the time (G-Shock) and the activity does a lot more than the vivofit (heart rate, altitude, more accurate with using GPS to calibrate)

I have the SS on order but not sure if it's worth the extra but like the idea of a going out strap, but I wouldn't use my TAG unless I wear both.

Mines a keeper but will see what a more expensive one is like. I think it's great for a first gen one.
 
I posted in the owners thread the other day that I was unsure of the outcome on whether I would be keeping the watch or not... I didn't.

As I was saying before, I just could not justify that price for watch faces and the activity tracking (which I was in it for)
I was arranging return for the watch on the Apple store and at the same time decided to check the prices on CEX. Well, I decided to sell onto CEX. I got £465 for it! (mine cost £339) I cannot complain about that.
Dont hate me anyone, I never intended on buying the watch to sell on, but I thought what the heck when I knew I wasn't keeping it.

I am now sitting here with my Fitbit Charge on, lol! It cost me £90 and does the same fitness tracking (apart from HR) as the Apple Watch. Even still I'm thinking I don't think I can justify £90 for it either, lol!

I'm not really bothered though. I was always unsure whether I would keep it or not. It's not something (watches) until Apple's September conference that I had even given a second thought to, so thought I would take advantage of the 14 day return period with Apple. However, like some, I didn't even need that long.

To be honest, I'm not sure if/ when I would dip back in. I can't actually think of anything that they could've added that would make me like it more. It was fine for what it was... I just didn't need/ want it and I certainly couldn't justify the price of it.

It would certainly be tempting and a possible keeper if they were retailed at £199, but I don't think that's happening anytime soon!
 
I have an iPhone 6 Plus, which now mainly sits in my pocket except for internet browsing. Getting messages on the watch is the biggest plus for me, but as I've mentioned before I really like the remote camera app that lets you control the phone camera from a distance.

In essence, the watch can be thought of as a small screen extension from the phone, which a few extra things like haptic feedback, HR monitor, fitness racking etc. It's clearly not for everyone, and that's why Apple's return policy is great. I'm interested in @stoomc 's comment that £199 would be a deal breaker but not £339 -he/she made £126 profit by selling to CEX; take that off the £339 to buy another watch and it's ony £213....
 
I have an iPhone 6 Plus, which now mainly sits in my pocket except for internet browsing. Getting messages on the watch is the biggest plus for me, but as I've mentioned before I really like the remote camera app that lets you control the phone camera from a distance.

In essence, the watch can be thought of as a small screen extension from the phone, which a few extra things like haptic feedback, HR monitor, fitness racking etc. It's clearly not for everyone, and that's why Apple's return policy is great. I'm interested in @stoomc 's comment that £199 would be a deal breaker but not £339 -he/she made £126 profit by selling to CEX; take that off the £339 to buy another watch and it's ony £213....

I did say I'm not sure If I would dip back in. Also I said the £199 would be tempting, not that I would definitely buy it again.
As it stands at the moment though, not missing it in the slightest. :)
 
day 3 of having mine now and its fully integrated into my daily routine.

its been good when out and about getting the latest premiership scores today without the misses kicking off and also took my first call using the watch - sound was clear and no issues at all.

battery easily lasts a day but it goes on charge next to the bed when the glasses come off at bed time.

it has a lot of potential in the future and although i only went for the Sport cos thats all i could justify price wise for me its a cracking piece of tech which will only get better
 
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I'm keeping it.

Yes definitely not something anyone needs, but for me already seeing benefits in day to day life.

At work I can now quickly respond to notifications/iMessages without having my phone out (which at times is a bit of a no no)

At home, I now leave my iPhone in another room. I use to often check on my iPhone for notifications, respond to them and then go on something else on my iPhone and find myself getting distracted (my issue I know!) but I'm more productive now. Respond to the notification on my watch and crack on with what I was doing.

Out and about I love speaking to Siri to set reminders and to reply to texts. I also listen to a lot of podcasts and been using the Overcast app which works well.

Exercise wise it's been motivating me no end, and I've been wanting to fill those rings. I can see how this won't appeal to everyone, but I just want to be more active and it seems to be helping me doing that, plus I like all the info it's giving me while running and it's making me think about my health, walking the slightly longer route etc. £300+ to potentially just make me live a bit longer (hopefully) surely is worth the price of it alone?

Watch wise, easy to read the time night and day, got the info I need all in a quick glance and I like the look of it. I use to have a Nike Fuelband (originally £130), plus a watch £100ish. So for a bit more I'm getting all that, a watch you can change the look off both face AND strap, plus notifications and whole lot of other features.

I get why some people are disappointed, the media and ourselves all hype stuff no end. I already knew what I was getting into when I purchased the Apple Watch. Something that will be the future but not yet. As when I purchased the original iPhone with no app store, no 3G, a battery you had to charge daily that couldn't be removed (mad at the time, the norm now), no mms etc but I was happy to get on board the train, watch the platform grow and enjoy the journey, through its ups AND downs.

When people say the Apple Watch is version 1, they're not joking. Go to about screen and you will see the watch software says "Version 1.0". Hardware wise I'm impressed, it's comfortable, light, battery lasts well, easy to read in sunlight, plus you can change bands without much effort. Software wise is where it needs improving and trust me this will come in the coming weeks, months and years. WWDC is just around the corner and I'm sure Apple are listening to feedback and addressing issues, while app developers are working out how best to improve their apps and make them run quicker, and most importantly what actually works for an Apple Watch app.

So all in all I'm happy. The hardware is pretty much there, now it's time for the software to catch up. If you've returned your watch or sold on for a profit then that's obviously your decision. Me? I would have stuck it out a bit longer and see what comes in the next few months as you would recouped most of the value of it anyhow, but thats me and I'm here for the long haul and the journey has only just begun.

p.s yup, looking at the length of this post, I've got distracted again :facepalm: ;)
 
After saying I didn't want one, I folded and ordered a 42mm Sport (delivered June).

However, I then went to the Apple store to try one and wondered what the fuss was about.

I have therefore cancelled my order, and the more I think about it the more I think I've done the right thing. £340 to get a buzz on my wrist when I get a text message seams a bit overkill.
 
All relative I guess - it's already £789 for the highest spec iPhone. I think the difficulty with the in store experience is the watches are not linked to your phone, so it's not a personal situation. Once paired up, the two devices are acting together. Aside from a temporary loss of money/credit, I still theink the 14 day guarantee period is teh way to go for people who are not sure.
 
My quick thoughts after a weekend with the watch.

i really do like the activity rings, and i would actively try to fill these, for that its great. and for notifications its great, dictation is great, it never did a word wrong in replying to txt etc.
took a call on it while driving, very useful.
Battery has been fine, even with a 38 watch it was still at 45% after a full day yesterday including a 30 min run.

few bad points, it doesn't always come on when i lift me wrist, so i have to press the face, i wish it was a always on mode. even with just the time showing to reduce battery.
I wish there were more digital watch faces. i guess they will come with updates.

Overall: Very nice but not as gamechanging as i thought

I think it will be one of those devices that you dont realise how useful it is till its gone.
I will be returning my white 38 sport, as i definitely want the black 42 now which is still showing as June dispatch.


-----
Just about to return my watch and noticed i can get £45 profit at cex, as i can walk into town and do this i may just, every bit helps as im stuggling to justify the cost currently. (boiler needs replacing at home)



I think the difficulty with the in store experience is the watches are not linked to your phone, so it's not a personal situation. Once paired up, the two devices are acting together. .


Agree with this, the store demos are just physical demo, they do nothing to show off integration and actually sell the watch for what is it.
 
The thing I always say to people is that this is a watch. It's a very nice watch that has a lot of bells and whistles and a lot of potential for amazing things to come, but it's a watch...don't expect it to be mind blowing. That being said. I do like mine and I'm very please with it. The most benefit for me at the moment is actually the activity app. I use various apps on my iPhone, but with the rings right there on my watch I am a lot more aware of my activity. I also really like having the notifications available without needing to take my phone out of my pocket.
 
Sold my sport and have ordered an SS link. (and a Black SS link!)

I'm missing it terribly. Can't wait for the above to arrive. Thought it was fantastic - for me personally. I agree though that other's may not see the need but for me, and the job I do, having notifications on my wrist was fantastic.

Not to mention taking calls on it whilst driving. Never been a fan of the radio suddenly switching to a call and cutting off the music.

Yep, blown away myself - and all this on gen 1. Battery was fine for me too.
 
Defintely keeping my 38mm Green Sport. Being a girlie, it's very very handy to keep the phone in my handbag whilst out and about and seeing who is calling, texting, e-mailing. Also couple of weekends ago, got the all important footie scores to see my local team get promotion to Premier league (Yay!!) and all without removing the phone from my handbag!

The activity monitoring is great for me, as i'm trying to get fit, so it's a good bit of encouragement. I used the Greggs & Subway passbook apps over the weekend, and worked seamlessly. As i've said in another thread, roll on Apple Pay :)
 
Well @RuddyRoad and @leebroath I didnt last long... I miss my watch!!!

I bought a Fitbit Charge, and really liked it (it was £90) however, I was missing certain features (more options, heart rate etc.) so I started looking at the Fitbit Surge (which is £200)
I returned the Charge, in preparation for the Surge when I suddenly thought, why on earth am I doing that! Just spend that little bit more (going by the CEX profit) and order another Apple Watch!

So, I ordered another black sport last night. I cant wait, lol!
What am I like!?! I think I have a deep-rooted fear of spending any significant amount of money on myself that I really need to try and get over.
I have a 3 year old little dude, that is well catered for, wants for nothing and neither do I, so what the heck.

Funnily enough, one of the "features" I am most looking forward to... is having a watch on my wrist again.
I really like the style of the black sport and my other half kept saying to me, when I had it, was that I really suited it, lol! So fashion is one of the main pulls at the moment.
Nothing wrong with that though, people spend a fortune on watches and all they do is tell the time.

It's good to be back... well in July!
 
Well @RuddyRoad and @leebroath I didnt last long... I miss my watch!!!

I bought a Fitbit Charge, and really liked it (it was £90) however, I was missing certain features (more options, heart rate etc.) so I started looking at the Fitbit Surge (which is £200)
I returned the Charge, in preparation for the Surge when I suddenly thought, why on earth am I doing that! Just spend that little bit more (going by the CEX profit) and order another Apple Watch!

So, I ordered another black sport last night. I cant wait, lol!
What am I like!?! I think I have a deep-rooted fear of spending any significant amount of money on myself that I really need to try and get over.
I have a 3 year old little dude, that is well catered for, wants for nothing and neither do I, so what the heck.

Funnily enough, one of the "features" I am most looking forward to... is having a watch on my wrist again.
I really like the style of the black sport and my other half kept saying to me, when I had it, was that I really suited it, lol! So fashion is one of the main pulls at the moment.
Nothing wrong with that though, people spend a fortune on watches and all they do is tell the time.

It's good to be back... well in July!
My mate has the surge and I though it was a lot for what it does. The Apple watch looks like a proper watch but does loads extra. I don't mind charging it up once a day as it only takes about 90 minutes and charge my phone anyway.
 
Im missing the 3 coloured rings already :(

Whats worse is I still have the app on my phone but the rings arnt getting filled in (obviously)
 
I had a look at one today in an Apple store. I couldn't believe how many people thought smart watches were new technology...

Anyway, my thoughts have remained the same. It's an expensive addition to what you already have, that doesn't do anything your phone can't do (well, what some phones can't do).

Looked delicate, most of the ones in the store were scratched and were already in poor condition. Well done for Apple for actually convincing people that they need ANOTHER overpriced 'communication device', because there were plenty of people asking about buying them.
 
Anyway, which one did you buy?
 

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