

Ask HN: Are you planning on purchasing an Apple Watch? - jmduke


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amagumori
while apple has made some beautiful products like the ipod and unibody
macbook, i honestly think the apple watch is pretty ugly. to me, it looks
outdated today. i also think it's ugly from a design standpoint. the ipod and
macbook were both takes on already existing technology that overstepped their
competitors through holistic design that made the product more functional. the
apple watch does not make a watch more functional, it just adds a bunch of
tech shit to it.

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zcdziura
As an Android user, it would be completely useless for me to buy one; I
couldn't use it!

However, even if I did have an iPhone, I'd still prefer the Pebble Time, just
for the battery life alone. I currently have a Moto 360, and it lasts about 2
days on a single charge (depending on how often I'm checking it/how often my
girlfriend texts me). While that's over twice as long as the Apple Watch, it
still doesn't hold a candle to the longevity of the Pebble.

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stevekemp
I have a nice mechanical watch already, I wind it up every day and put it on
when I get out of bed.

Although I like technology a watch is as much about fashion as it is about
knowing the time, and on that basis the classy mechanical watches are never
going to look out of place.

(People compliment me on my watch at least once every month or two, although
my wife teases me at about the same frequency; "Only old people wear watches
..")

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anigbrowl
Nope, although I'm sure they'll have many takers, the prices are high but not
outrageous. Except for the $10,000 gold one - I don't see them selling many of
those and think that will backfire badly on them, and will become a symbol of
excess rather than class. They should have just alluded to its existence and
said 'price available on request.'

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swalsh
No, i'm a freelance international spy, and i'm worried this will blow my
cover. I need something more subtle.

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BorisMelnik
no, I am in front of a computer all day, and already use my phone way too
much. I got rid of my tablet because "do I really need it?"

being more connected for me is not a positive, I'm not looking to turn into a
robot, I'm trying to humanize myself a bit more. more or less the same reasons
I won't get Google Glass.

------
Someone1234
No.

My reasoning is:

\- This is not the best smartwatch around. If I was going to buy a smart watch
I'd buy the Moto 360. That thing actually looks like a regular watch, Apple's
attempt is fugly, and looks like what everyone else was making a year ago. It
might actually look worse than Samsung's attempts, and that is saying
something... LG and Motorola are ahead.

\- It is expensive, starting at $350, the Moto 360 is $250 (both plastic
straps). Most other manufacturer's are cheaper than Apple's Watch too.

\- I am not convinced that the software on smart watches is "there" yet.
Either on iOS or Android. Both seem to be more novelty than actual use.
However my mind on this can be changed, it just hasn't happened yet. Right now
smart watches seem to be really expensive fitness trackers. Most other
functionality requires you to use your smartphone anyway (therefore why have a
watch? Is removing something from your pocket REALLY that time consuming?).

------
downandout
I'll probably grab a sport for development purposes. I don't get the purpose
of the Edition version...$10K-$17K for a watch that will be worthless when the
next version comes out. They don't seem to understand that high-end watches
hold their value over time, and that is why people are willing to pay such
outrageous prices for them. It's similar to putting money in a bank.

When the next version comes out, the people wanting to buy an Edition version
will just buy a new one.....if you can afford $5K to buy a used watch, you
have $10K to buy a new one. Accordingly, old versions will be worthless.
Everyone knows that, so the only people that will buy the Edition version will
be a few production companies for use in rap videos.

~~~
rowofpixels
I've been wondering if they're just having the expensive version so they can
look more like a legitimate high-end watch maker. Maybe more of a marketing
thing than a "we're going to make a ton of money on the expensive version".
We'll see though.

------
camhenlin
Yes but I am getting the sport watch this year since I think these
technologies will move very quickly. I might buy one of the higher end models
in a year or two depending on usefulness.

------
Jeremy1026
Not planning on buying Gen I. Perhaps Gen II. I have a Pebble currently and
have been scorned on the smart watch thing by it not living up to their
promises.

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schappim
Yes. 2 of them. My wife and I run a startup and are trying to raise a young
family at the same time. Because of this our phones are often playing white
noise (to help a baby get to sleep) or are on silent in a bag (whilst the
child is a sleep) and we often miss important messages. I'm hoping this will
fix the problem. We've had pebbles in the past, but they are no good at
forming replies to messages.

~~~
girishso
> our phones are often playing white noise

why not get some cheap radio and tune it to some frequency where there is no
reception/station?

That's how I do it!

~~~
schappim
We actually have a couple of white noise generators, but for some reason my
wife prefers the phone at work...

------
carlosdp
Yea, I'm grabbing a Sport the first chance I get. I've been wanting a good
smart watch for a while. The Pebble came close, but this is a whole other
league.

~~~
Someone1234
Are you able to explain why? I legitimately don't see what this has over the
Pebble or the dozen of other smart watches that came out before it.

------
philippnagel
No.

I bought a phone to replace a lot of tools at once. Including a watch.

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aravan
Sun and my hunger are my best time tellers. What after sunset? my wife and
daughter calls me every 15 minutes 'when are you coming home?'.

In fact, I need smart-watch/device if that helps me to show me the driving
direction during the rush driving in Indian cities on two wheeler (motor bike)
when going to new places.

------
onhopwood
I love android, so short answer is No.

But i still think there are possible other watches i would get over this. I
think apple is trying to make the rolex of smart watches, especially with a
price tag of 10,000 for the higher end ones. But I think anyone who wants a
nice watch like that will still buy a nice mechanical or Rolex watch.

------
sdrothrock
Also an Android user. I'm perfectly happy with the Moto 360 and don't really
see what an Apple Watch would offer me that the Moto 360 doesn't already. It's
hard to judge, though, since:

1\. A lot of the judgment is based on aesthetics and the 360 is great for me.

2\. There isn't much out there about what the Apple Watch can/will actually
do.

------
akhilcacharya
Currently no, as I own a Nexus 5 as my daily driver. If I end up upgrading to
the iPhone 6, then I may pick up a sport if I have an extra $400 burning
through my pocket.

I love the fact that it has built in NFC, WiFi, and a speaker, and do hope
this carries over to the Android Wear ecosystem.

------
drewnick
No.

I don't wear a watch now, but I get lots of phone calls. I was interested in
the phone via watch concept, but really I think it'll be a few years before
that's bulletproof. I noticed a delay in the demo, similar to taking phone
calls from the iPhone on the Mac using continuity.

------
saluki
No, I don't miss wearing a watch and don't see any must have apps/features at
this time. (If it was stand alone and didn't need to tether to my iPhone I
might consider it, but even then probably not at this time).

------
mathgeek
No, for two reasons:

* The cheapest model is not at all fashionable in a business casual setting (without swapping out the band).

* There is no clearly defined "this will make my life easier/better" function (yet).

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rilita
No; the price is ludicrous compared to even existing smart watches.

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jedanbik
Yes, at some point. I am very interested in the HealthKit integration. I'm
also interested in the timekeeping interface complications.

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clarky07
yes, with the caveat that i'm an iOS developer making apps for it. I probably
would anyways, but it's a no brainer for me. The price is rough though. not
sure if I'll get the cheap one or the one i actually want (not talking about
gold obviously, just steel+sapphire vs aluminum+glass)

------
wsc981
Not really planning to, but I might need to get one for professional reasons
(I'm a freelance iOS dev).

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thejrk
No. I hardly even wear my other watches. Simple as that.

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MiddleEndian
No, but I use Windows Phone and hate wearing watches.

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EpicEng
No; I'll stick with my automatics.

