# So how are Apple watches doing now? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522 "2015-09-10T15:12:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/21 "2015-09-11T01:34:04Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > This is telling. The fact that they won’t provide sales figures is a huge red flag that the numbers probably suck. In general, I’d agree that would be a red flag, but it’s not too big or important at this point, I think. I’m pretty sure Apple said from the beginning that they wouldn’t be releasing sales numbers, so it was to be expected. Plus, it’s still a small market that no company has a firm hold on yet, so releasing any sales data would benefit competitors. I think it’s more due to Apple managing expectations- they know people expect, unreasonably, huge numbers, but they also know they weren’t going to get them initially. It’s a no-win situation. > [@Diceman](#): > > It’s a geek accessory (like Google Glasses [remember those?] ), and history has shown that geek accesories tend to be a fairly small niche market. Apple has gone out of its way to not position the Watch as a geek accessory. The first magazines given access to the Watch were fashion magazines. At WWDC, a convention expressly dedicated to developers, Apple brought out a famous fashion model on stage to extol it’s virtues. Health is the second area Apple has specifically targeted for the Watch. It’s pretty clear that in Apples view, the Watch is not about geek/tech. I’d say that makes it kind of the opposite of Google Glass. If you go to the Mac, iPhone or iPad homepage, they all have links at the very top to “Tech Specs.” The Watch homepage doesn’t. I’m guessing that’s on purpose. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/22 "2015-09-11T01:49:47Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > This short [Atlantic piece](http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/09/tim-cook-so-thirsty/404566/) from yesterday basically covers what we know. Reports from suppliers suggest that sales are not meeting expectations, but Apple claims customer satisfaction remains high. The Atlantic article is beyond shallow. Their evidence the Watch isn’t selling amounts to hearsay from one single vendor, the fact that it didn’t have a more prominent standing at an event that already had to push out three totally upgraded devices, and one exec who got a little stage fright in front of seven thousand people. That’s some bang up reporting. The Watch might well be selling terribly, but that article sucks at providing evidence of it. (That is not directed at you, steronz, for providing the link, just commentary on the piece itself.) ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/23 "2015-09-11T03:16:11Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > I have been wearing mine since May, and I still don’t feel that it is suitable for anything more than casual wear. In public, I would rather be wearing my Sub or [Speedmaster Pro](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Speedmaster), IMHO the most beautiful men’s watch made. Hunh. You and I appear to have diametrically opposed definitions of [“beautiful men’s watch”](http://us.tissotshop.com/men/classic-watches/tradition-men-s-silver-quartz-classic-watch.html). Which is probably why the Apple watch, or any other smart watch, has zero appeal for me. I want my watch to do one thing - tell time. It’s more a piece of jewelry than tech, for me. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/24 "2015-09-11T12:41:07Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Hunh. You and I appear to have diametrically opposed definitions of [“beautiful men’s watch”](http://us.tissotshop.com/men/classic-watches/tradition-men-s-silver-quartz-classic-watch.html). Indeed. I suppose my second choice, the venerable [Submariner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolex_Submariner), does nothing for you either? ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/25 "2015-09-11T13:00:58Z")
You can have my vintage 70s hexagonal dial Citizen watch when you pry it off my cold dead wrist; it tells the time and looks great, and that’s all I require of it. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/26 "2015-09-11T13:21:08Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’m 33, which puts me in the last generation of watch wearers - the ones who grew up when digital watches made it cheap enough for kids to own them. So I’m a potential customer, or would be if I was an Apple user. There’s a problem: I love my actual wristwatch. It was a ridiculously expensive present from my father many years ago, and it has immense sentimental value. You’d have to offer me some serious incentives to take it off, much less to pay for something to replace it. I own lots of others - I used to run a watch shop - but never wear any of them. Thats pretty much the problem with iWatch and other wearable tech. The current business plan has the tech giants bringing out new gizmos or newer versions of existing ones every couple of years and we are expected to change… I have had 5 phones in the last 8 years (and I tend to stick with one until it dies and all attempts at resurrection have failed). I still wear the watch I got when I turned 18, it like yours has lots of sentimental value. People don’t change watches as often as they do phones. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/27 "2015-09-11T13:38:30Z")
The biggest issue I have had with the Apple Watch is the cost and the possibility of needing a replacement. I’ve been using an iPhone for 7 years now. The cost of the damn things is getting to me. All it takes is one bad fall, or a puddle of water and then I have to go shell out big bucks. Hell, just age can do the phone in (I got rid of my 4S due to how slow it got from the iOS upgrades). There’s no way I’m going to plop down a few hundred for a watch that could easily get destroyed (water damage, impact damage). I paid a lot for my mechanical watch. I’ve been in the ocean with it, I’ve been through crashed with it. It works flawlessly. I really can’t see an Apple Watch holding up. BTW: when the hell is Apple going to make a good “field” proof iPhone - one that can handle water and dirt? And no, I don’t want to put some huge case on it. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/28 "2015-09-11T13:49:59Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > Besides not looking classy, the Apple Watch fails as a subtle timepiece: in a boring meeting I want to casually glance at the time out of the corner of my eye, without moving my wrist or tapping the face to wake my watch up. This is a very good point. I’d rather not make it obvious in meetings or other boring situations when I’m checking the time. Maybe as batteries get better they will be able to show the time constantly. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/29 "2015-09-11T13:59:28Z")
For the sake of the discussion, is Microsoft doing the right thing, then, _not_ to produce an MS Watch, but a “[band](http://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-band/en-us)” with features focusing on health and fitness? PS. I have neither product, and will most likely never buy such a gadget. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/30 "2015-09-11T14:04:18Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > Indeed. > > I suppose my second choice, the venerable [Submariner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolex_Submariner), does nothing for you either? It’s better, but no. Different strokes, y’know? I like a very elegant simplicity: white face, leather band, black numerals. Fancy Rolexes, Tag Heuers and Omegas that clutter up the face with chronometers and moon phases and a bunch of little buttons and dials are simply too busy to be elegant. In my view. ---
**Author:** ![Longshanks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Longshanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Longshanks)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/31 "2015-09-12T21:39:52Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > It’s better, but no. Different strokes, y’know? I like a very elegant simplicity: white face, leather band, black numerals. Fancy Rolexes, Tag Heuers and Omegas that clutter up the face with chronometers and moon phases and a bunch of little buttons and dials are simply too busy to be elegant. In my view. No offence, but the watch you linked to looked rather cheap and tacky. For elegant simplicity this Larsson & Jennings timepiece seems to fit the bill.[http://www.larssonandjennings.com/shop/lader/lader-black-classic-watch?gclid=CNfCkcq48scCFUu6GwodJikKBQ](http://www.larssonandjennings.com/shop/lader/lader-black-classic-watch?gclid=CNfCkcq48scCFUu6GwodJikKBQ) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/32 "2015-09-13T03:01:25Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > In public, I would rather be wearing my Sub or [Speedmaster Pro](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Speedmaster), IMHO the most beautiful men’s watch made. > [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Hunh. You and I appear to have diametrically opposed definitions of [“beautiful men’s watch”](http://us.tissotshop.com/men/classic-watches/tradition-men-s-silver-quartz-classic-watch.html). > [@Longshanks](#): > > No offence, but the watch you linked to looked rather cheap and tacky. For elegant simplicity this Larsson & Jennings timepiece seems to fit the bill.[http://www.larssonandjennings.com/shop/lader/lader-black-classic-watch?gclid=CNfCkcq48scCFUu6GwodJikKBQ](http://www.larssonandjennings.com/shop/lader/lader-black-classic-watch?gclid=CNfCkcq48scCFUu6GwodJikKBQ) Those all look like watches I saw for $10.88 at WalMart tonight. Yours may last longer, but when the battery dies you aren’t asking yourself whether you should put in a new battery or just buy a new watch. 😉 The Apple Watch seems more like the Anti-Watch, given how few of the requirements of a watch it ignores. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/33 "2015-09-13T03:16:33Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > The big announcements about the new iphones and ipads and other Apple things made me curious about Apple’s last big new product, the Apple watch. It seems like I haven’t heard much about them, either good or bad, since they were released. Are people still buying them? Do people who have bought them still like them? Are smart watches poised to be something that everyone will start wearing? > > I was skeptical at first when I heard about them, but I read an article in Wired about them and other wearables that made a good case for the usefulness and how they might be more used in the future. But didn’t convince me enough to go get an Apple watch or other smart watch immediately. To they can find way to bring price down to $100 or less I don’t think 95% of the people are going to go out a buy a watch no better how good it is or the feature it has. I think only small 5% tech nerdy will go out and spend that type of money on it. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/34 "2015-09-13T04:43:19Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Those all look like watches I saw for $10.88 at WalMart tonight. Yours may last longer, but when the battery dies you aren’t asking yourself whether you should put in a new battery or just buy a new watch. 😉 I’ll stick with my battery-less automatic. And that Tissot is beautiful. I have the same one with a steel band and I don’t think I’ll ever want another watch the rest of my life. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/35 "2015-09-13T05:02:19Z")
> [@Longshanks](#): > > No offence, but the watch you linked to looked rather cheap and tacky. For elegant simplicity this Larsson & Jennings timepiece seems to fit the bill.[http://www.larssonandjennings.com/shop/lader/lader-black-classic-watch?gclid=CNfCkcq48scCFUu6GwodJikKBQ](http://www.larssonandjennings.com/shop/lader/lader-black-classic-watch?gclid=CNfCkcq48scCFUu6GwodJikKBQ) It’s not bad - quite lovely, in fact - but I prefer a white face. But yes, it’s better than a huge, clunky, distractingly busy Rolex. > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I’ll stick with my battery-less automatic. And that Tissot is beautiful. I have the same one with a steel band and I don’t think I’ll ever want another watch the rest of my life. I have a similar one, that has Roman numerals rather than lines. Beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/36 "2015-09-13T11:42:47Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > I have a similar one, that has Roman numerals rather than lines. Beautiful. I meant to link to the one with Roman numerals. Its the one I have too. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/37 "2015-09-13T16:40:10Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I meant to link to the one with Roman numerals. Its the one I have too. I think perhaps Tissot no longer makes that model - I can’t find it on their website. Mine is six years old. ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/38 "2015-09-13T22:02:47Z")
A coworker of mine has a Pebble. It look a lot “cooler” for lack of a better word and she always goes on about how good it is? Anyone here have that or used one? ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/39 "2015-09-14T02:10:31Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > There’s no way I’m going to plop down a few hundred for a watch that could easily get destroyed (water damage, impact damage). > > I paid a lot for my mechanical watch. I’ve been in the ocean with it, I’ve been through crashed with it. It works flawlessly. I really can’t see an Apple Watch holding up. > > BTW: when the hell is Apple going to make a good “field” proof iPhone - one that can handle water and dirt? And no, I don’t want to put some huge case on it. I think many people think of the Apple Watch first as an Apple gadget, like an iPhone, and second as a watch. It turns out that the thing is engineered just like a fine Swiss watch, with the singular exception of water resistance. Mine is SS with the sapphire crystal. I have been wearing a SS Rolex for a decade with sapphire crystal, doing plenty of hard work that I had no business doing with a Rolex on, and the crystal is still perfect, while the metal has a light patina of fine scuffs. That is how the Apple Watch will age–dropping it in a puddle of banging it into a wall won’t harm it at all. Sadly, it will become obsolete long before it breaks. Regarding water, Apple CEO Tim Cook says he showers with his on; it seems that they were deliberately conservative about the degree of water resistance, possibly in order to avoid another -gate scandal (not sure what type of “-gate” a water problem would be called :)) I imagine that the next generation will be truly waterproof. Mind you, when I send a mechanical watch in for full service every few years, it costs over five hundred bucks and I don’t see it again for four months. The world of fine watches has a different price scale than that of Casios and Timexes. It doesn’t bother me to pay so much for such a gadget, as long as the $$$ came out of the toy budget. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522/40 "2015-09-14T09:05:35Z")
Smart watches are a nonstarter for me until they make a waterproof one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-are-apple-watches-doing-now/730522.md?page=3)