14 DAY TRIAL // This week, the Apple Watch was launched with bells and whistles to an increasingly crowded smartwatch market.
Even as most brand vendors have rolled out products from this category, the fact remains that smartwatches are here to help us solve a non-existent problem. For most of us, it’s not that hard to pull our smartphone out of the pocket to check our messages or to change the song playing.
But Apple has always had the power to generate a frenzy related to its products, and the recently launched Watch might not be an exception to the rule, even if it will arrive with a premium price tag.
Regardless, in what follows I'm going to try to prove why it might not be a good idea to purchase the Apple Watch right from the get-go (it will be made available in early 2015).
The Apple Watch does not bring anything radical to the world of smartwatches
Even with the Apple Watch out the door, the smartwatch industry hasn’t been noticeably reinvigorated. Sure, the Watch takes advantage of a complete new UI coming in the form of the digital crown, which provides a seamless way to browse through things on your wrist, but it still can do pretty much what the Moto 360 can also do.
Of course, there are some perks here and there, like the fact that you can make and answer calls from your wrist (but you can do that with the Samsung Gear S too), customize and send emojis, take advantage of different vibration patterns (via the Taptic Engine), or use the watch to make payments.
However, if you look at things in perspective, you’ll see there’s nothing truly significant setting apart the Watch from the host of Android Wear / Tizen products.
Buying a first-gen product means you’re going to see bugs
I agree that Apple is known for creating extremely worthy products, but nothing is perfect in the world of men. Therefore, like with every new device, early adopters are bound to get stuck with kinks and problems.
Apple will use the first-gen products to collect relevant feedback from the public and correct these mishaps with future products.
In the meantime, you’ll be stuck at the Apple store trying to get your gizmo fixed.
If you’re willing to wait a little bit, you’ll be able to get it cheaper
With the Watch, Apple is targeting consumers with higher incomes. The wearable will hit retail shelves with a hefty $350 / €350 price tag, which is way above anything coming from the Android Wear garden.
But if you’re willing to wait a little bit, you might get the device a lot cheaper. In all possibility, Apple might soon decide to unleash a round iteration of its first smartwatch, so the prices for the original will certainly drop, following the same pattern as with other Apple products (iPhone, iPod).
On top of that, the Watch might make an appearance on the secondary market on websites like NextWorth, or you might be able to get it refurbished at some point.
Smartwatches remain an accessory not a necessity
As I was saying above, most of us don’t really have a problem with pulling our phones out of our pockets. In today’s world, handsets can be considered a necessity, given the fast pace at which information travels, but we can’t say the same about smartwatches.
Basically, there’s nothing you can do on your smartwatch that your smartphone doesn’t already do better. So buying a smartwatch pretty much resembles the act of you purchasing a fancy diamond ring. You don’t really need it to survive, but it looks nice and shiny and people will think you’re the coolest.