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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

I Beta-Tested The Apple Watch So You Don't Have To

An absolutely fabulous review of the Apple watch.. very long but also very precise as to why you should NOT be buying one of these.  The biggest problem I have with this report is how Sean HOllister-the Gizmodo reporter sounds too much like an Apple Fanboy.  Don't get me wrong, there was one day (back when Steve Jobs was still alive) that I praised almost everything Apple but that was because the tech was so bleeding edge and "cool".. it just worked... but post-Steve Jobs I have yet to find any reason to purchase anything Apple.. and yes, as much as I continue to read the reviews and am all over the latest rumours of the new products, I can not help but realize just how far behind they have become.  They do a great job of promotion and hype, yet what good is it going to be if the actual product is so disappointing!  We knew months before the watch came out that it was going to have terrible battery life.. lucky to get 8 hours out of it and although the rumours were mostly true, they also told us that it would be better by product release. From the sounds of things this is completely not true, and the initial reports of 8 hours is pretty much bang-on correct.  So who wants to where a watch for 8 hours and have to take it off to charge?  That should be enough reason to forget everything else the watch can do or how wonderful it looks and feels.

I switched from my iphone 3G to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 years ago and never looked back. The simple fact that it was not in that walled garden of Apple meant I could actually tether my other devices for one. And the speed--wow pretty impressive.  When the Note 4 came out I was one of the first to get it (international version) and of course I was seriously ready to buy the Galaxy Gear watch (the latest version--complete with its own sim card) and I knew this was going to be a monolith on my wrist but I didn't care because I knew it would be great.. but that being said, I continue to look at Pebble and how the e-ink was so great when it came to battery life--a week seems relatively ok to me for taking my watch off for a few hours to charge.. and the fact that the Pebble Steel offered a waterproof option whereas I could actually go swimming with it and the apps that included MISFIT meant I would not need to use my sleep app or the built in fitness app on my phone since the watch would be with me all the time and although it was bluetoothed to my phone, it wasn't necessary to still use the basic watch... and just like any other tech once you buy something, as in the case of me finally deciding on the Pebble Steel, they come out with a new version only weeks later.. no worries, that too is first generation whereas the Steel was the 2nd Generation and just like the new Apple watch which is first gen, the new Pebble will go through its own growing pains with regards to removable bands with sensors,etc.  

The point being, as much as you want to love Apple and their new watch, you seriously have to take a step back and realize just how far behind the Apple Tech is within a world full of new surprises. I am hopeful that Sean's report for Gizmodo--a website that has a serious following will hit home for many and have them realize just how easy it is to get hooked on one company (as I was with Samsung) but to look at the other options available to you (as I did with Pebble).


I Beta-Tested The Apple Watch So You Don't Have To
http://gizmodo.com/i-beta-tested-the-apple-watch-so-you-dont-have-to-1703824830