The Apple Watch, and the curse of the Early-Adopter
Not since the launch of the original iPad on the 3rd April 2010 had there been as much anticipation as there was for the launch of Apples latest must have gadget – the Apple Watch earlier this month. Many people have questioned Apple’s innovation since its inspirational leader, passed away on the 5th October 2011, the new watch was the first fresh and innovative concept since the tragic death of Steve Jobs.
Over the last few years we have only seen new generations of the game changing iPad and gradual upgrades to its fleet of powerful desktop computers and laptops as well as the launch of the new iPhone 6 generation of phones. We have been starved of that next ‘must have’ product that the early adopters like myself craved. There was talk of a new Apple watch dating back a number of years as rumors started to surface that a launch was on the horizon, but we had to wait until September 2014 to get the news that we all had waited to hear.
They were to launch their first wearable device.
Apple fans then had to wait a long seven months for the release date, with Apple working their magic and inspiring fans by developing some thought provoking videos in the build up to the launch. For some reason I didn’t jump to purchase as soon as they came on the market, I was still unsure of its place. I personally don’t like wearing watches but quite liked the style of this one. I liked the fact that you could change the face of the watch depending on the mood you were in that day – go digital or old school. It actually took me until the official release day to bite the bullet, this was after seeing all of the happy faces on Instagram with people wearing their new technology! I now wanted to be one of them and own the new cool piece of tech on my wrist. What I actually needed it for I wasn’t sure, but I could work that out later.
I went onto Apple.com to purchase my new investment, only to find that I wouldn’t get my watch until June at the earliest… Was that a true indication of the demand or were Apple trying to enhance the perception of the demand? I was disappointed that I hadn’t bought one earlier now, but begrudgingly paid the money and contemplated the long wait.
Funnily enough only a few days later I got an email from Apple confirming that my shipping date had actually slipped a little, and my new dispatch date was going to be the 1st July. I was now even more gutted I had missed the boat on the initial release. But the following day I got a surprise email that confirmed my new watch had actually been shipped. It was nice to get the surprise of an early delivery, but couldn’t help think that Apple was playing the demand game, but hey, it fooled me so I guess the plan worked.
Obviously coming from a design background, I have always been in love with how Apple delivers their packaging. It’s pure genius. I’m a fan of ‘less is more’ and Apple execute this brilliantly. When my new watch arrived I was just as excited about the packaging as I was about the watch. It was no let down. The simple clean white lines with brand deboss were up to the usual exceptional standard.
Anyway, I’ve had the Apple watch for a few weeks now, and as much as I like the look of it as a fashion accessory, the jury is still out on whether it was worth the investment. Does it enhance my life? Well no, not yet.
However, with my optimistic head on, there are still a lot of apps in development, and so as more and more come to the market, it might start to offer a better user experience and be more useful in my everyday life. At the moment, most of the apps on the watch are powered by your phone which has to be Bluetooth distance away…so I find myself using my phone instead, which obviously has a bigger and easier to use screen.
The first time my watch rang with a phone call, it was a little embarrassing! And although it works well for a quick call, anything over 1 minute makes your arm ache.
The main benefits I have found are within the health app, which I find pretty useful. Another feature which I have found useful, is when using Google Maps for navigation on your phone, it sends the data to your watch and displays a nice and simple interface. When you get close to making a directional change during your journey, the watch pulses on your wrist leading up to the turn making it nice and easy to find your destination without burning out your phone battery looking at the screen. That however, brings me on to a negative of the watch - The battery.
Now Apple have never been renowned for great battery life in any of their products, but it can be a little frustrating having to charge your watch every night. It hasn’t been too much of an issue for me as I don’t like wearing a watch in bed, but it does makes the nightly chores a little more difficult when trying to find a spare plug socket! Especially when you also need to charge your iPhone 6, Mac Book Air and iPad each night!
As with most Apple products, the first version is always a beta, and the 2nd and 3rd generations are always much better in every way (after the clever bods in Cupertino, California use the early adopters feedback to develop their products)
Maybe I should have expected the watch to under deliver, and I probably shouldn’t have got all caught up in the hype on launch day, but then again, that’s what Apple do best.
They didn’t sell me a watch that could tell me the time, Casio can do that. They sold me a lifestyle and a belief that I buy into every time I buy an Apple product.
That belief got me to buy an unnecessary product, which deep down I already knew would be a disappointment before it arrived.
But it’s that belief which makes us all (yes all, I’m not the only one!) buy into Apple, and it’s exactly that, which makes their brand one of the best businesses in the world today.