Calling time on the Apple Watch

Why the Apple Watch sucks and you’d be mad to buy one

I’ve been an Apple fangirl for several years now and never once questioned myself, but it was the launch of the Apple Watch that made me take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Many of my friends and colleagues were raving about the smartwatch, and making excuses for its poor battery life and extortionate price tag and it got me thinking for the first time ever that I’m never going to call myself an Apple fangirl again.

That’s not to say that I don’t like Apple any more. Far from it, in fact. I love my iPhone and despite using many different Android smartphones in recent months, I’ve always been eager to go back to iOS. I also think the iPad is the best-looking tablet around and you wouldn’t be able to convince me to go back to using a Windows PC.

But when it comes to the Apple Watch, I just get annoyed. Yes, it’s good looking. I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But spending more than £299 on a smartwatch that’ll be replaced within a year by something a thousand times better is something I just cannot justify. Worse still is the fact that there are smartwatches out there (and there have been for years) that can do a better job at many things than the Apple Watch and for at least half the price.

Admittedly, I haven’t spent loads of time with the Apple Watch. I wore it for one weekend and gave it back. I’ve also never been its biggest fan. Back in the May issue, I wrote about how bored I was of the Apple Watch, and that was before it had even been released to the public.

But now that it’s here, I still cannot fathom why anyone would spend £299 (and let’s face it, many people are spending a lot more than that if they’re opting for the bigger watch face or the stainless steel model) on a product that is unnecessary, a first generation (come on people, you know better than that), and insanely overpriced when compared with the competition.

I’ve heard people say (and they’re owners/ fans of the device don’t forget):

“The most useful thing about it is that if my phone was rings when I’m out, I know. I can’t always answer, but at least I know that I’ve missed a call.”

“You can make the battery last all day, but you’ll have to turn off lots of the features.”

As noted by Matt Egan on page 10, some Apple Watch users have said that although it is at first tricky to use, over time it becomes ‘intuitive,’ which completely defeats the meaning of the word.

Those statements are exactly why I’ve made the decision never to say I’m an Apple fangirl again. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to buy an Apple Watch unless they’ve got their eyes completely closed to the competition, and that’s what makes me angry because maybe they have.

What’s the time?

Even the fundamental feature of telling the time is more difficult than on a normal watch. You have to let the Apple Watch know that you want to look at the time by moving your wrist in a twisting motion or pressing the Digital Crown on the side. If you’re sitting at a desk and want to look at the time it should be a case of glancing down at your wrist, but to save the battery, you’ll see a blank screen unless you move it.

If this was the first smartwatch around I would not be writing this, but we all know it isn’t. There are many, many other devices that can do lots of the things the Apple Watch can do. Some of them can do it better and the vast majority of them are much cheaper. Plus, lots of them work with the iPhone, so you don’t need to switch to Android if you don’t want to.

For example, the Pebble Time Steel costs about £160 (it’s coming out in July, so the price isn’t official yet). Yes, it’s not as good-looking as the Apple Watch and its features are more limited, but it has a colour e-paper screen that means the battery can last for up to 10 days and the display is always-on so you’ll be able to see the time with a quick glance.

You’ll still get notifications, you’ll still be able to dictate replies to messages using the built-in microphone and there’s a dedicated app store with thousands of apps. It’s water resistant like the Apple Watch, it works with any standard 22mm watch band, so if you fancy a change it’s easy-peasy and there are three finishes available (silver, gunmetal black or gold).

Also, as the name suggests, the Pebble Time Steel is made with Stainless Steel – to get that from the Apple Watch you’ll be forking out a minimum of £479. It also comes with a leather strap for that price, something Apple charges an extra £170 for (yes, that’s not a typo. £170, more than the price of the Pebble Time Steel itself).

Of course, the Pebble Time Steel is just one of many Apple Watch competitors (before you start accusing me of being paid by Pebble, which is absolutely not the case I’m afraid). Some of my favourite Android Wear smartwatches include the LG G Watch R and Motorola Moto 360, both available to buy for under £225 (in fact the Moto 360 is under £150). You won’t be able to use them with your iPhone, but they can help you achieve most of the same things as the Apple Watch and I really love that round watch face, too.

All that ranting and I haven’t even touched upon the Apple Watch Edition’s price tag, which reaches up to £13,500 (again, not a typo). £13,500 is a price some people would pay for an incredible timepiece, but those are the kinds of watches people pass down to their kids after 50 years of wearing them. This one’s going to be as useful as a chocolate teapot in a couple of year’s time.

There, I’ve said it. I really, really don’t like the Apple Watch.