In case you haven't heard, a smartwatch from a little fruit company in California started shipping today. It has an Apple Watch in house, along with some early thoughts (very early, mind you, as we're going to take some time before running our full Apple Watch review).
Out of all the big new Apple products from the last 15 years – the iPod, iPhone, iPad and now the Watch – the Apple Watch makes the least striking first impression. Okay, well maybe if you've never used a smartwatch, you'll be blown away from the first moment you see notifications and voice control on your wrist, but we've already been there many times over. There were no "holy shit!" moments after strapping on the Apple Watch.
But that isn't to say this won't be a damn good smartwatch, and potentially a game-changer for wearables. And as the hours pass by in our first day with the Apple Watch, our appreciation has only grown.
First, there's an attention to detail here that we haven't yet seen in wearables. The software is a bit more complicated, with a steeper learning curve, than you might expect from Apple, but once you start getting used to the UI and navigation methods, you realize everything is placed very intuitively.
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For example, "glances" (quick access cards for individual apps) live below the main clock face, just a swipe away. You check on notifications with a swipe down, just like on smartphones. Pressing the Digital Crown button is similar to the iPhone's home button: single tap to either go back or to your app home screen, double-tap to jump between your most recent app and the clock face. A long-press summons Siri. A second button below jumps to a list of frequent contacts.
The Digital Crown makes sense. While many smartwatch makers have used faux crowns as buttons, Apple is the first we've seen to let you actually wind it as a navigation tool. Twisting the crown on your main apps screen zooms in and out, so you can get a broader or closer look on the watch's tiny screen. In other areas, it replaces swiping your finger to scroll through a list or longer message.
While on most smartwatches alerts feel like a tiny motor buzzing your wrist, the Apple Watch feels like your wrist is actually being tapped. Little details like this aren't game-changers on their own, but they do add a more human element to the experience.
Out of all the big new Apple products from the last 15 years – the iPod, iPhone, iPad and now the Watch – the Apple Watch makes the least striking first impression. Okay, well maybe if you've never used a smartwatch, you'll be blown away from the first moment you see notifications and voice control on your wrist, but we've already been there many times over. There were no "holy shit!" moments after strapping on the Apple Watch.
But that isn't to say this won't be a damn good smartwatch, and potentially a game-changer for wearables. And as the hours pass by in our first day with the Apple Watch, our appreciation has only grown.
First, there's an attention to detail here that we haven't yet seen in wearables. The software is a bit more complicated, with a steeper learning curve, than you might expect from Apple, but once you start getting used to the UI and navigation methods, you realize everything is placed very intuitively.
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For example, "glances" (quick access cards for individual apps) live below the main clock face, just a swipe away. You check on notifications with a swipe down, just like on smartphones. Pressing the Digital Crown button is similar to the iPhone's home button: single tap to either go back or to your app home screen, double-tap to jump between your most recent app and the clock face. A long-press summons Siri. A second button below jumps to a list of frequent contacts.
The Digital Crown makes sense. While many smartwatch makers have used faux crowns as buttons, Apple is the first we've seen to let you actually wind it as a navigation tool. Twisting the crown on your main apps screen zooms in and out, so you can get a broader or closer look on the watch's tiny screen. In other areas, it replaces swiping your finger to scroll through a list or longer message.
While on most smartwatches alerts feel like a tiny motor buzzing your wrist, the Apple Watch feels like your wrist is actually being tapped. Little details like this aren't game-changers on their own, but they do add a more human element to the experience.