Are Apple Watch Sales as Good as Reported?

 I came across this Wall Street Journal article about whether Apple is really being completely honest about the sales of their Apple watch. Yes the sales were good at the start but have the sales fallen by 90% since then. Is the Apple watch all it is cracked up to be?  Read More

My view: Best to stick with a time honored Rolex rather than move to an Apple watch which may turn out to be just a passing fad !

Can the Swiss Watch Survive the Smartwatch?

As a follow up to last weeks blog about the Apple watch, I found this story in the New York Times " Can the Swiss Watchmaker Survive the Digital Age?" 

Well the fact is that the traditional analog watches have held their own against digital watches for decades now. Horological enthusiasts love a traditional watch and all the expensive brands so I do not think they will be turned on by a smartwatch.

The thing about an analog watch is the workings of it. An analog watches are amazing complicated mechanical timepieces with numerous painstakingly machined, polished and hand-assembled parts. A work of art.

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This story reports how Pim Koeslag, who  designs and fabricates some of the world’s most complicated mechanical timepieces, set off on a very different, decidedly 21st-century project: a smartwatch. "In response to Apple’s plans to introduce a high-tech watch this year, the chief executive of Frédérique Constant, Peter Stas, decided the company would produce its own. It would not be a minicomputer with a screen, like Apple’s. Instead, it would combine the functions of a Fitbit, a device that tracks physical activity, with a traditional Swiss timepiece, a $1,200 entry-level Frédérique Constant watch. A Silicon Valley company would produce the tiny sensors that count steps and measure sleep cycles, and this information would be transmitted to a phone through a Bluetooth connection. The phone would also control the watch — resetting its hands in different time zones, for example. From the outside, the watch wouldn’t look "smart” at all, but it would be packed with electronics. Koeslag’s job was to bring to life this chimera of Swiss engineering and Silicon Valley wizardry."

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Hence the birth of the smart analog watch. Read the article to find out more about the smart analog watch. However I do not think that smartwatches will take over from the traditional and much loved Swiss analog watch.

Did the Apple Watch Turn out to be a Trendsetter?

There seems to be a general discontent about the Apple watch. 

So is it the trendsetter it was anticipated it would be? I came across this article in the New York Times "Why I Am Breaking Up With My Apple Watch" which puts doubts on the  concept of the Apple Watch and whether it has turned out to be all it was cracked up to be.

Many people now question whether we should be defined by a brand name designer handbagor the latest gadget? Is it actually sociable to wear a smartwatch which takes our attention from the situation at hand,  no matter where we are? Should we be able to access the world through our watches when at work, at dinner, at church or any place else?

So maybe we should stick to a traditional Wristwatch 

like a Rolex or a TAG Heuer

So What Features Does The Apple Watch Bring Into Our lives?

The Apple Watch is Apple’s first attempt at a smartwatch. It is the company’s first new product type since the iPad was launched five years ago. However Apple was not the first to develop a smartwatch and many companies beat them to the race. The fact is though that not one of those companies had really nailed the concept of the smartwatch well which lead the consumer to many a frustrating experience.

So did Apple nail the smartwatch outdo its competitors with its new release? Has the Apple watch become the trendsetter that no-one can do without, like what happened with the iPhone and the MacBook? Does an Apple watch raise your social status or make your life easier? It seems a lot of users seem to agree that the answer to these many questions is probably no.

The Apple watch does some things better than its rivals such as; it is the best-looking smartwatch produced so far; the force touch screen is well integrated; the digital crown is a useful addition and it is really comfortable to wear. However Apple makes many of the same mistakes that its rivals did and even some problems of its own.

Some of the negatives about the Apple watch are; it has unintuitive and buggy software; it can only be used with an Apple iPhone; it drastically drains the iPhone battery; the third-party apps need significant improvement; it is not waterproof; and some of its gimmicky features need attention.

Some Key Features of the Apple Watch:

• 1.7-inch OLED touchscreen
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Optical heart rate sensor
• Large range of straps to choose from
• Compatible with iPhones only
• Siri support
• Built-in microphone and speaker
• Priced about £600.00

 So did the Apple watch turn out to be that anticipated trendsetter? I do not think that this first version cut the chase and it will be interesting to see what improvements are made with the next release, if there I one. What do you think of the Apple Watch? I would be interested in logging your thoughts so please leave a comment about this new piece of technology