Apple watch displaying time

10 Impressions on the Apple Watch, 10 Days Later

I bought an apple sport watch, the smaller version, the day it came out, and with the help of a friend, had it shipped to me in the United Arab Emirates. Here are 10 early impressions.

  1. It’s gorgeous and well made. There’s a lot of talk about how this is a 1.0 product and how folks are waiting–but this is a 1.0 product from arguably the world’s best product development company that has been making touch screen devices for almost 10 years. If Daniel Humm makes a new dish, I’d be happy to be at the table.
  2. It reminds me of the most important things on right its face: what time is it, when is my next meeting, where is my next meeting. Added bonus: how hot is it outside (what should I wear.)
  3. Switch it to do not disturb while driving–it presents serious distractions in your line of sight.
  4. Most 3rd party apps seem immature. A happy exception is MusixMatch. Who knew that lyrics on your wrist could be so much fun.
  5. Hands free timers come in very handy while cooking. “Hey Siri, remind me to check the granola in 15 minutes,” (Related: dictation on the watch works well.)
  6. Fitness tracking provides great visuals and it’s easy enough to swipe when sweaty during a run.
  7. I spend much less time looking at my phone. The watch works well enough to let you know if you need to respond and then you can choose the tool that makes the most sense–a simple answer from the watch, a short email from your phone, or a more in depth message later. There’s too much friction for most activities, but that’s good. It promotes engagement with those around you and the real world.
  8. Sometimes notifications are delayed–I have had more than one awkward, “no, I didn’t get that text” conversation, because I missed the tap, tap, or it came an hour later.
  9. I sort of wish there were a running qualifier for messages sent from my watch–pardon the one word or emoji replies…I responded to your text using a pre-defined list of options.
  10. On nine out of 10 days, the battery did not need a recharge until it was bedtime.

More than anything, it’s a watch–and a darn good one. Have one? Want one? Waiting?

 

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