Third Party Leather Loop Imitation Apple Watch Band Review

For starters, the Apple Watch band I'm talking about is available on Amazon at the following (US) location: link.

The first thing that you'll notice as you unpackaged this band is that is actually smells like real leather. That shouldn't be that impressive, but it's hard to find in this price range. The packaging is nothing to write home about - just a simple white box - but it's nothing to complain about either. You won't want to keep it for future use, but it protects the product well enough.

Sliding the band into the Apple Watch grooves is relatively painless. The fit is at a pretty tight tolerance compared to most other bands I've tried, but this leads to a secure fit with very little shifting in the grooves. The edges of the lugs on the band do stick out a little bit from the grooves of the watch body, but it's barely noticeable.

The leather feels nice on the skin. It breathes well enough that I never felt like my wrists were uncomfortable. The style of the band allows for a lot of customization in sizing, so I was able to achieve a really comfortable fit. I also think the length is near perfect - this band should fit you whether you have very relatively small wrists or very large wrists. To give you an idea, I wear the S/M size Apple band, and this fits only a little bit longer.

The magnets in the band are quite strong and provide a very secure fit. Interestingly enough, the magnets will also cause the band to stick to metal objects when not connected to the watch. I have not experienced this with other bands. My chief complaint with the band is the magnet in the very tip of the long side. Namely, it's not strong enough to hold all the way down. Because of where that piece sits on my wrist (right at the curve) it ends up sticking out a little bit. While this looks a little weird and bothers me, it hasn't led to an insecure fit or the watch falling off, so it's not a catastrophic problem.

Also on the list of annoyances that don't prevent me from using the band: the band does not slide easily through the opening on the short side. Or, at least, it doesn't slide as easily as other bands that I've tried. However, with the right angle, it slides just fine, and it's not actually anything to worry about, just something that I noticed.

To wrap it up, this band is worth what you pay for it, and I would recommend it if you are looking for what the Leather Loop has to offer, but don't want to spend $150 for it.

Watch has such an excellent unboxing experience…

Watch has such an excellent unboxing experience…

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Beauty.

Beauty.

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techcrunch: Google brings interactive watch faces and Google...

techcrunch:

Google brings interactive watch faces and Google Translate to Android Wear. You’ll be able to install interactive watch faces that allow you to pull up more information and launch apps with a tap right from the watch face.

Google Translate on Android Wear supports 44 languages and works with the built-in microphone in your watch. You simply speak into the watch, flip your wrist, and out comes the translation. Translate will automatically recognize what languages are being spoken.

Click here to read more on the update.

It’s funny that people think this is like new or innovative… This is literally what Apple did in watchOS with “complications” …

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New Watch displays.

New Watch displays.

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Apple Watch Steel

Honestly, I think the steel Apple Watch looks nice on its own, but I don’t really like how it fits in with the rest of the lineup…


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New colors.

New colors.

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Matching.

Matching.

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“Utility” watch face.

“Utility” watch face.

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Apple "Spring Forward" Event Reactions

My immediate reactions to the news of the Apple event that happened today, 3/9 happened over on Twitter, because that's where I was getting the news from (I had class during the event). I compiled them here for your perusing, including links to the tweets. Be sure to check out my full Twitter feed for all of my retweets as well.

Apple Watch is going to be important for the future of #Apple, smartwatches, and tech in general. #SpringForward
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

In typical fashion, Apple's defining a category: "Brands had no interest in smartwatch apps until the Apple Watch" http://t.co/A3mF6xsf0g
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

Apple Pay is spreading to Coca-Cola vending machines, and that's awesome: http://t.co/gRqmNnITpX
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

The new MacBook looks awesome and I want one in space grey: http://t.co/1V4BErFmSa
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

RT @sokane1: "TIL lots of people didn’t read this: "What the Tech World Doesn't Understand About Fashion” http://t.co/6DgdNMctkM"
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

The MacBook port fiasco strikes me as the same chirps we heard about the missing optical drive on the original Air. Who uses disks now?
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

To be fair, Apple's past dropping of I/O's have come earlier than others, but in every case they have been right in predicting market trends
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

We're 1, maybe 2 years away from basically only needing physical I/O for power. In the meantime, it's still very much a power user feature.
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

Let's not forget that Apple sells a laptop for people who *need* a portable notebook with more power and more ports - the 13" MacBook Pro
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

Even if you don't like Apple, you have to admit that ResearchKit is bold, innovative, and incredible. http://t.co/7j37fo8wCI
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

In case anyone cares, my Apple Watch will be the Sport variety and have a neon green band.
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

It's not that I think the others are too expensive, I just prefer my watches to have a matte finish, and I like the fluoroelastomer band.
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

I don't like the look of yellow of rose gold on myself. But I definitely see Edition being worth it to people who can afford it & like gold
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

I'm totally digging the drop in Apple TV pricing. Wonder whether it means a future update or if it's to better compete with Roku/Chromecast
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

Either way, Apple TV is now an even more compelling offer if you own even 1 Apple device. Or if you want HBO without a cable subscription.
— Erik Peterman (@InternetOfErik) March 9, 2015

Let me know what you thought of the event in the comments. Also, let me know if you like this kind of post, or if I should go back to longform writing.

Also, I will leave you with this:

Hashtag can’t innovate anymore, my ass
— Marco Arment (@marcoarment) March 9, 2015

Smartwatch rant

Fair warning: I jumbled all of my thoughts here into one mega paragraph.

Android Wear is better software than what we know of running on Apple Watch, but that's not going to matter in the near future. Apple Watch is a far more elegant solution hardware wise, and that's what most people are going to care about. Every existing Android Wear smartwatch makes some sort of design sacrifice, whereas the biggest/only gripe with Apple Watch is that it is square (which I honestly don't think is a problem, and may actually be part of the solution). Android Wear watches are also universally too big, meaning that their appeal to women is extremely negligible. Android Wear watches are also not uniformly customizable in the way that Apple watch is. Sure, you can get some models in different colors, and some offer interchangeable bands, but the former isn't that great of customization, and the latter isn't incredibly user accessible. Apple's solution is elegant; they make tons of different colors and styles of great watch bands, and users can swap them easier than they change phone cases - no tools required. 

Let me know what you think in the comments. 

Apple Watch is clunky, but...

Apple Watch is clunky in it's first iteration, and I will absolutely support anyone making that argument. The thing about Apple Watch, though, is that in spite of that clunk, it's reimagining what a watch is and should be while at the same time retaining key attributes of watches as they are. In a very real sense, it's the iPod of the wrist.

Android Wear is a great platform, and I kind of want an Android Wear watch. I'm sure that the next round of Android Wear watches are going to be really good, and the platform will continue to grow. Google (and OEM's) did a really great job of adapting Android to fit our current idea of a smartwatch. Motorola did an awesome job of fitting that into a modern round watch.

But that's the problem: they fit smartwatch technology onto a watch.

The Moto 360 is a round touchscreen with a leather strap, so it looks like a regular watch, and it behaves like a smartphone. That's the definition of a smartwatch right now. And that's great.

Apple Watch, on the other hand, is something different. Yes, it's still a touchscreen that delivers notifications, and it still has a strap. The complaint is that it's not a round face, so it's a little more phone than watch. But Apple Watch isn't trying to be a normal watch; most people don't wear normal watches right now. The interface is gross, I agree, and I'm not sold on the contacts button or the crown, but it's trying.

The crown is a new way to interact with devices which is reminiscent of watches of the past, but does something completely different. Most of Apple's bands reimagine the traditional clasp mechanism into something far better and more modern. Most importantly, Apple want their watch to do something, rather than the notification hub with other limited features that Google is pushing with Android Wear. Wear is still a good platform, and it's far more sophisticated than Pebble, but Apple Watch is doing a better job reimagining what a smartwatch is than either of those platforms.

In fact, one might even say that Apple Watch isn't a smartwatch the same way that iPhone isn't a smartphone. iPhone is an iPhone. Apple Watch might just be its own product category.

Let me know what you guys think in the comments. This was literally a stream of consciousness writing (zero editing) so let me know if I even make sense.

What comes first, iPhone 6 Plus (chicken) or Apple Watch (egg)?

Apple watch imagines a world in which interaction with a smartphone becomes a much more intentional action, much the way that interaction with a tablet today is a very intentional action. You don't just whip your iPad out of your  pocket whenever you want to check the time or notifications; you take your iPad out when you want to do things on your iPad. Apple watch will allow you to do this with your iPhone as well.

(In fact, iOS 8 in combination with OS X Yosemite as a whole will allow you to do this on a greater level than before - "this" being using the right device for the job: using each device with intention. However, for the purpose of this post, I want to focus on Apple Watch, because I think it's more relevant to my point.)

The thing is: iPhone 6 won't be so inconvenient to take out of the pocket that it will necessitate Apple Watch. iPhone 5S and older models most certainly aren't inconvenient enough to necessitate Apple Watch; we've been taking them out of our pockets twice every minute since 2007. iPhone 6 Plus will be that inconvenient, however. So perhaps Apple Watch would do better in a world where iPhone 6 Plus is already out and common place.

But on the same note, perhaps iPhone 6 Plus cannot succeed until Apple Watch is available. People won't understand, won't get, the massive screen size until they don't have to use it all the time. I think that the massive 6 Plus will start to make sense and grow in adoption rate when people have the luxury of only taking the phone out when they intend to actually use it for something.

I don't know what the answer is, but we'll see what the market says when the numbers are out. Let me know what you think in the comments.

iPhone Mindshare > Apple Watch Mindshare

Living on a campus made up of university students, I expect to hear plenty of talk about upcoming consumer tech products, particularly phones.

I've been incredibly surprised, however, with just how much I've been overhearing about iPhone 6 and 6 plus. It seems like every phone conversation is about just how big the 6 plus is, and how there's no way that they would want that. Or, it can be about how cool the new iPhone 6 is, and just how thin it is.

The thing is, I don't hear that kind of thing about the recently announced Galaxy Note 4 or the innovative, albeit gimmicky Galaxy Note Edge. I definitely don't hear anything about the new Moto X, despite that being one of the coolest phones announced so far.

At least on my campus, Apple has the main mindshare, and that's crazy.

What's potentially bad news for Apple, though, is I haven't heard a single person mention Apple Watch. I personally am conflicted about it, but I haven't heard a single other person who tuned into the keynote here mention it. That's definitely not going to help Apple win the smartwatch war, nor is it going to help legitimize the concept.

I'm not even hearing that Apple Watch is stupid, useless, or whatever. When iPad initially launched, many people including myself openly mocked it and wrote it off as "just a really big iPod Touch." We were wrong, but it had mindshare. People had heard of iPad, and had a strong opinon  on it. I haven't heard anything about Apple Watch, and I think no news is bad news in this case.

Who knows. Maybe a year from now it'll be a different story. Let me know what you think in the comments.

(Disclosure: I go to UND, not exactly the tech mecca that other places are. We're much more full of average consumers.)

Apple Watch Impressions by MKBHD

This. This video right here is how I feel about the Apple Watch right now:



Watch, enjoy, and leave me a comment with how you feel about Apple's Watch announcement and everything else they announced at their event on September 9th.

Apple takes on Google Now on the wrist?

One of the biggest questions that I had for Apple Watch is how they would make the device a smartwatch, and not just a notifications hub like Pebble.

Google answered this with Android Wear through deep integration with Google Now. More so than being for notifications, Android Wear is about putting the power of Google on your wrist, and in doing so, receiving context relevant information only when you need it.

The problem for Apple is that they haven't really done this with their existing devices. They have Siri, sure, but you have to know what you're looking for to use Siri, whereas Google Now will tell you what you need to know, even if you didn't know you needed to know. Apple also added "Today" view to the notification center in iOS 7, and that displayed widgets with information. The problem was they were the same all the time, not context driven.

So naturally, I was surprised when I was reading "Here's how you use the Apple Watch" today and saw this:

"...One of the biggest UI paradigms on display here is Glances. These are little widgets of information that are quite similar to the Google Now widgets found on Android Wear devices. When you swipe up from the bottom of the watch face, you can cycle through these glances — the usual suspects like calendar notifications, music controls, message notifications, and so forth. Tapping on a Glance will open the full app on Watch."

Apple, it would appear, is taking on Google Now cards on Android Wear with what they call "Glances." This is certainly intriguing, and also makes me wonder if Apple will produce more of their own widgets for iOS 8, or if we might see a full app like an Apple style Google Now in iOS 9. However, you will notice that Glances doesn't sound particularly context driven, and I can't speak on how it compares to Google Now cards until the device actually launches and I have a chance to use it.

Are you excited for Apple Watch? Do you think it needs to be more than just a personalizable notifications dumping ground that tells time? Let me know in the comments.