The Apple Watch is set to be released to the public in only a few weeks, and the device has landed in reviewers' hands over the past few days.
Unfortunately for Apple, however, the reviews for the device haven't been amazing. In fact, apart from the design of the watch, many suggest that it's simply "meh."
"The feeling of the stainless steel model with Milanese loop I have been wearing is certainly that of a high-end quality watch," said Carolina Milanesi, a reviewer of the watch. "Ultimately, we need to understand that, while Apple might be interested in capturing a wider segment of a market over time, for now, as it is dipping its toe into wearables, Apple is most interested in consumers who own multiple Apple devices and are highly engaged with the iOS ecosystem."
The overall feeling seems to be that the device leaves a lot to be desired. It is important to remember, however, that this is Apple Watch 1.0. This is Apple's first real venture into the wearable space, and as such, it can't be expected to produce an incredibly refined and perfect product.
Despite this, it can be expected that the device should make certain tasks easier. Many reviewers suggest, however, that the watch can't really do anything quicker than a user could do with their phone, except, perhaps, to check the time.
Even loading an app native to the Apple Watch often requires the device to load large amounts of data from the iPhone, making it slow enough to cause users to want to simply use their phone. Despite this, most reviewers suggest that future software updates will help with the performance issues.
"There's virtually nothing I can't do faster or better with access to a laptop or a phone except perhaps check the time," said Nilay Patel, another reviewer of the Apple Watch.
One of the main points that is consistently made is that users should probably wait for what will be the Apple Watch 2.0, as the first version of the device will have taught Apple a lot about what users want from a wearable device.
It's not all bad, however. Most suggest that the design of the Apple Watch in person is beautiful, and that it screams quality. Not only that, but contrary to many people's fears, the battery life of the device seems to be quite good.
It will be very interesting to see what the Apple Watch turns into over the next few years, and it is likely that future versions of the device will be far better than the current version.
