Apple 2016 iPhone/Watch Event Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Clinton McClure]

While out shopping yesterday, we walked past an Apple Store and I was talking about the Apple Watch. I didn't go in and look because the store was absolutely packed but I did get the nod to buy one if I want to. I'm giving serious thought to a 42mm Series 1 silver aluminum sport. I don't need GPS or full water resistance so the Series 1 would be fine for me. I wish it came with a band other than white (preferably the lime green or light blue) so it looks like I'm going to immediately be out $50 on a new band if I do pull the trigger.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Clinton,

A couple things...

If you are looking to buy an Apple Watch you may want to wait till the fall. A new series will be released then.

That being said, the series 2 watch is excellent and you might find it cheaper.

Don't worry about dropping $50 on a band. You won't have to do that. Get a third party band for under $15 on Amazon.

Let us know how you make out with this.

 

[Clinton McClure]

Clinton,

A couple things...

If you are looking to buy an Apple Watch you may want to wait till the fall. A new series will be released then.

That being said, the series 2 watch is excellent and you might find it cheaper.

Don't worry about dropping $50 on a band. You won't have to do that. Get a third party band for under $15 on Amazon.

Let us know how you make out with this.

Hey Ron.

I thought about waiting until the Series 3 but I don't really want to wait until the fall. I've been using a Fitbit Alta as my watch since last summer and I want more out of it than it can offer, besides, the Apple Watch is just cool tech. I researched a few hours today and reviews seem to be quite mixed on the 3rd party sport bands. I'll look into some of them but I'm ok with spending a little more for quality OEM accessories.

I weighed the differences between the Series 1 and Series 2 watches and couldn't justify the additional $100 for a brighter screen, GPS and water proofing so the Series 1 is what I'm looking at. I'll sleep on it tonight and decide tomorrow if I want to go through with the purchase.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Clinton,

Allow me assist you further....

I owned the Series 1. Am am wearing the Series 2.

The 2 is better than the one. First, it's noticeably faster all around. Second, it's faster with better battery life.

I can't say that you will be unhappy with the Series 1. I think they updated that model to make it just as fast as the 2. Not certain.

On the subject of third-party bands....

The picture below says more words than I could post. I have bought dozens of these cheap bands. They are all quality bands for the most part. I know I can't tell the the difference between the Apple sport and the fake. You really can't. Apple just jacks up the price for the same thing. As far as the Milanese, I have the Apple and a third-party replica. It's sooooo close that it's practically indistinguishable. I could say the Apple Milanese has a tighter weave to it.

If the Series 1 has been improved to match the speed of the Series 2 -- and you don't need the extra GPS stuff -- then absolutely, the Series 1 would be the way to go.


(Click on photo for larger picture)

 

[Clinton McClure]

Wow! That's a lot of bands, Ron! From my understanding, the Series 1 and 2 both have the same processor so speed should be indistinguishable between them.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Clinton,

Okay, so they did upgrade the processor. I knew they did some upgrades with the Series 1.

That would be your choice then.

I have to tell you, this is the best product Apple has made. I work in a workplace that frowns upon constantly looking at your phone. Most workplaces do. The watch allows me to keep up with all my email/text notifications just by glancing at the face.

If you use calendars on your device it's great for appointment reminders, setting alarms and getting breaking news.

 

[DaveF]

My wife has bought a very nice leather band from Etsy.com for maybe $100 less than the Apple band. It looks great.

Neighbors also recommend bands from Amazon

I'm just jealous I don't have my own Watch

 

[Clinton McClure]

This afternoon I stopped off and bought the Series 1 silver 42mm on my way home from work. Quick answer - I love it. I'll post further tomorrow after I update to the latest WatchOS and use it for a while.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Clinton,

Congrats on your purchase.

One quick note...

The watch only works as well as the apps you use with it.

When I have some time I will post some recommendations.

 

[Sam Posten]

I've stopped wearing mine, it just has no compelling draw for me. Will see..

 

[Clinton McClure]

So far, I’m loving my Apple Watch! It’s the sexiest piece of tech I own, and I am putting it up against both my iPhone 6s and MacBook Pro.

I love that I am getting notifications as well as texts on my wrist and I’ve already used Apple Pay with it twice. Battery life seems to be better than advertised but I’m also not constantly playing with it and flicking my wrist to check the time. After charging Monday night, I put the watch on about 4AM when I left for work and wore it until I went to bed at 8PM last night. The battery indicator showed 60% remaining charge after my 16 hour day, so I’ll count that as a win. Yesterday was a bad weather day in Arkansas so a lot of weather alerts were pushed to it from a weather app installed on my iPhone. Today at 1:00PM, I had 82% remaining after wearing the watch for 9 hours. At the time of this writing, I have 69% remaining but have been customizing a couple of faces and playing with the Overcast and Music apps.

While deciding which model to buy, I read at least a dozen articles about both the Series 1 and Series 2 watches, looked at both online and read a hundred or more owner reviews. Finally, after all my grueling research, I cheaped out and bought the Series 1 for two reasons:

First – I like the look of aluminum over stainless steel and ceramic, especially with the sports bands. I’m not a fan of woven, leather, steel link or the much-ballyhooed Milanese loop bands. They don’t look bad, it’s just not my preference.

Second – It’s $100 cheaper than the Series 2.

Sure, the Series 2 has GPS, is waterproof, has a ceramic back and is supposedly faster on paper even though I have read both watches use an identical dual-core processor, but none of those are actual necessities for me. The Series 1 is really quick running WatchOS 3.1.3 and the few apps I have installed open fast and work as they should. I didn’t purchase my watch to play games with or edit photos. I bought it primarily as a replacement for my (now broken) 15-year old analog Fossil watch and the Fitbit Alta I bought last summer but have never been really, truly happy with.

Since I have been using a Fitbit as my primary timepiece, I have made my peace with the fact that I have to charge my watch. I charge my phone every night, so why not charge my watch too? I could actually get three days use out of my Fitbit between charges so I am curious if I will be able to squeeze that much life out of my Apple Watch battery. I’ll have to wear it for a few more days to see what my habits reveal but I’m guessing I can probably get two solid days between charges.

Overall, I’m highly satisfied with my decision and have no regrets.

 

[Sam Posten]

That's awesome Clinton, I fully support that you love yours and that most people who buy one do too. It's just not compelling for ME right now. For what I paid for mine (Steel and Milanese) I wish I could say it lived up to my expectations. It's beautiful but not all that meaningful for me.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Clinton,

I still have to get back to you at some point with some great apps to use with the watch.

Time is not on my side these days.

However, I am so happy you are loving your device. I love mine just as much.

Coincidentally, as I was typing this, this news just came across my radar:

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/03/02/apple-watch-vs-fitbit-q4-2016-idc/