Apple Watch? Digital Jewelry? Let's Discuss!

[BAGLADY-SHOEFLY]

Ordered mine yesterday, sport white, 38mm... Come on June..
When the second gen comes around, if the apps and tech are there, I will definitely get the steel version but for now the entry level is best when the technology is new. I will need to get some different bands at some point though to change it up.
Reasons for me to buy it, I run. I have a bluetooth headset. The run apps I like, particularly Zombies run which integrates a story with my music, are coming to the watch. To have music on my wrist and not have to carry my phone ( you can add up to 2 gigs of music directly to the watch via playlist with out needing to carry the phone, add to that fitness tracking, bye-bye fitbit, and I have less to carry with more functionality.
On a personal note, I have been a type 1 diabetic since I was 12. I wear a monitor that tells me my sugar every 5 min. This is an additional piece of equipment to carry. Dexcom (the Co that produces the monitor) made an app for the watch that will take away the need to have the monitor on me to know where my sugar is. 1 less thing to carry. Now on a run all I need in my pocket are my key and some glucose for emergencies, no phone, no meter, yay!
Ultimately for me this is a must have:
A time piece, an iPod, a Fitness tracker, Heart rate monitor for running and fat burning, and for me specifically its also a medical device.
What more could I ask for? I am so excited and already looking forward to the next gen!!

 

[Florasun]

I bought the Opening Ceremony / Intel MICA bracelet, mainly for the looks. I ended up returning it because (a) it was defective and (b) too complicated to use with not enough tech support. Oddly, if it had just been a bracelet I may have kept it.

 

[baglici0us]

Apple watch in Vogue and other fashion magazines. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it doesn't look out of place in a fashion shot and actually looks pretty good!

 

[baglici0us]

More photos from Vogue Paris, Elle Australia, East Touch HK, Style, Fitness and Flare

 

[saligator]

It's funny, the put it on all those fashion models but it still looks super geeky to me!

 

[saligator]

I feel like I am too "plugged in" already with my immensely powerful smartphone on me at all times, I don't need more connectivity on my wrist. Sometimes it's good to disconnect, not let notifications, alerts, measurements, appointments, calendars, email, apps, etc. get in the way of real life.

My programming friends are really excited about it because they can glance at their wrists to see messages without having to disrupt their typing or their coding window to see messages or take hands off the keyboard. Lame, but people are bounded.

 

[jmaemonte]

I ordered the stainless with the milanese loop band on launch day at midnight. I was able to try it on at the store and really liked it. I am someone who is constantly missing texts and calls because my phone is at the bottom of my cavernous purse :shame: so I think this will be nice for me to have the alert on my wrist. My 15 year old son is constantly berating me for not answering my phone.

 

[ArmCandyLuvr]

Think about how many pieces of technology you currently own and use that 3+ years old. I am not talking about TVs or Bluray players, I am talking about laptops, tablets, phones. The tech moves so quickly and we're constantly primed to replace it with new, shiny stuff.

This is the first Apple product that's aiming to revolutionize the market that I am not itching to purchase. At all.

You pretty much said what I said when I saw it on TV. I especially thought the 18k gold one was ridiculous for these reasons. In a year or so, there will be a new version of the product. Once it reaches the point of obsolescence and can no longer be updated or paired with newer phones, what are you supposed to do? Rip the components out of the 18k gold case, so you can at least get the money for the gold? It's certainly not the same as buying an 18k gold Rolex, which I don't need to tell anyone here will last a lifetime and beyond.

Edited to add: I down even own a smartphone. I use a cheapo Kyocera flip phone. I don't need to be connected anything 24/7. I only have the phone to make calls in an emergency.

 

[baglici0us]

More photos of Apple Watches in the wild on Beyonce at Coachella and Anna Wintour at a Burberry event

 

[phillj12]

think about how many pieces of technology you currently own and use that 3+ years old. I am not talking about tvs or bluray players, i am talking about laptops, tablets, phones. The tech moves so quickly and we're constantly primed to replace it with new, shiny stuff.



This is the first apple product that's aiming to revolutionize the market that i am not itching to purchase. At all.

+1...

 

[Notorious Pink]

That was why Christy Turlington was on stage to launch the product with Tim Cook. Over time they hope that men will end up influencing women into seeing this as a fashion statement.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA [emoji38][emoji38][emoji38][emoji38]
Emphasis on "they HOPE".

Apple watch in Vogue and other fashion magazines. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it doesn't look out of place in a fashion shot and actually looks pretty good!

No. It only works on the fitness model.

I LOVE technology and am addicted to my iPad, but technology is not fashion. The closest the two ever came was for about three minutes when Diane Von Furstenberg designed for Google Glass. The watches are not pretty, they do not speak to the heart. No one is buying it for form - they are buying purely for function.

Even Anna Wintour's wearing it does not make it fashion, as Vogue is as much about advertising and promotion as it is about anything else (IIRC they ran a verrrry flattering piece on Asma Assad [Mrs. Bashar Al-Assad] a few years back....hm, wonder how that happened....)

Let a jewelry designer influence future versions.....then we'll see!!!

 

[squidgee]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA [emoji38][emoji38][emoji38][emoji38]
Emphasis on "they HOPE".




No. It only works on the fitness model.

I LOVE technology and am addicted to my iPad, but technology is not fashion. The closest the two ever came was for about three minutes when Diane Von Furstenberg designed for Google Glass. The watches are not pretty, they do not speak to the heart. No one is buying it for form - they are buying purely for function.

Even Anna Wintour's wearing it does not make it fashion, as Vogue is as much about advertising and promotion as it is about anything else (IIRC they ran a verrrry flattering piece on Asma Assad [Mrs. Bashar Al-Assad] a few years back....hm, wonder how that happened....)

Let a jewelry designer influence future versions.....then we'll see!!!

I respectfully disagree on this. I think the Watch does a good job of bridging the gap between tech and fashion, as does many of Apple's products, and to me the best kind of fashion is the kind that is also functional. If I didn't know some of the model shots posted above were of the Watch, I'd think they were just normal square-shaped watches.

In terms of design, I tell ya, years ago I loathed any Apple products, mostly because I was a Windows gal, but even then I could not deny their products looked darn good, and the fashion and art worlds seemed to agree that Apple's products were by far the best-looking computers out there.

Apple has also inspired other companies' designs and the direction of the whole industry, like how the Macbook Air was the first wedge-shaped laptop and spawned the ultrathin, lightweight laptop trend and how the iMac revolutionized the "all-in-one" computer by eliminating the need for a separate tower and monitor. I think we could call those "defining moments of fashion IN technology and design."

I think tech and fashion can definitely exist together and inspire one another, and while I want the Watch mostly for its functional aspect, I am already thinking of what other watch straps to buy so I can mix and match that with my outfits, so there's the fashion element right there haha!

Bottom line, for some folks yes, the Watch will always remain a tech gadget first and never a true fashion piece (or a "proper" watch as my watch collector uncle would say), but for others, it's a way to combine the form of a watch, with the function of a computer/phone and have a little bit of fun with different colored straps and watch faces and the like.

I am definitely with you though on hopefully seeing jewelry or fashion designers influence the later models and, once the technology gets better, we'll probably get a lot of really cool-looking watches in the future.

 

[jmaemonte]

i respectfully disagree on this. I think the watch does a good job of bridging the gap between tech and fashion, as does many of apple's products, and to me the best kind of fashion is the kind that is also functional. If i didn't know some of the model shots posted above were of the watch, i'd think they were just normal square-shaped watches.

In terms of design, i tell ya, years ago i loathed any apple products, mostly because i was a windows gal, but even then i could not deny their products looked darn good, and the fashion and art worlds seemed to agree that apple's products were by far the best-looking computers out there.

Apple has also inspired other companies' designs and the direction of the whole industry, like how the macbook air was the first wedge-shaped laptop and spawned the ultrathin, lightweight laptop trend and how the imac revolutionized the "all-in-one" computer by eliminating the need for a separate tower and monitor. I think we could call those "defining moments of fashion in technology and design."

i think tech and fashion can definitely exist together and inspire one another, and while i want the watch mostly for its functional aspect, i am already thinking of what other watch straps to buy so i can mix and match that with my outfits, so there's the fashion element right there haha!

bottom line, for some folks yes, the watch will always remain a tech gadget first and never a true fashion piece (or a "proper" watch as my watch collector uncle would say), but for others, it's a way to combine the form of a watch, with the function of a computer/phone and have a little bit of fun with different colored straps and watch faces and the like.

I am definitely with you though on hopefully seeing jewelry or fashion designers influence the later models and, once the technology gets better, we'll probably get a lot of really cool-looking watches in the future.

+1

 

[Notorious Pink]

I respectfully disagree on this. I think the Watch does a good job of bridging the gap between tech and fashion, as does many of Apple's products, and to me the best kind of fashion is the kind that is also functional. If I didn't know some of the model shots posted above were of the Watch, I'd think they were just normal square-shaped watches.

In terms of design, I tell ya, years ago I loathed any Apple products, mostly because I was a Windows gal, but even then I could not deny their products looked darn good, and the fashion and art worlds seemed to agree that Apple's products were by far the best-looking computers out there.

Apple has also inspired other companies' designs and the direction of the whole industry, like how the Macbook Air was the first wedge-shaped laptop and spawned the ultrathin, lightweight laptop trend and how the iMac revolutionized the "all-in-one" computer by eliminating the need for a separate tower and monitor. I think we could call those "defining moments of fashion IN technology and design."

I think tech and fashion can definitely exist together and inspire one another, and while I want the Watch mostly for its functional aspect, I am already thinking of what other watch straps to buy so I can mix and match that with my outfits, so there's the fashion element right there haha!

Bottom line, for some folks yes, the Watch will always remain a tech gadget first and never a true fashion piece (or a "proper" watch as my watch collector uncle would say), but for others, it's a way to combine the form of a watch, with the function of a computer/phone and have a little bit of fun with different colored straps and watch faces and the like.

I am definitely with you though on hopefully seeing jewelry or fashion designers influence the later models and, once the technology gets better, we'll probably get a lot of really cool-looking watches in the future.

I do love a good argument now and then! I hope you don't mind if I have a bit of fun here? [emoji6]

When I read your response there was not much I disagreed with, but then again, I didn't really see anything to convince me that you are arguing for the "fashion" point, which is very specific. It seemed to me (and I may be wrong) that you are trying to equate design with fashion, and the two are not the same.

Design is form, yes, but fashion (though definitely related) is different. And even here, the design of the watch merely serves its function, not its form, which in fashion is just as much an end in itself as the function is. By that I mean, in fashion, form is just as important as function, or might be in itself the reason we buy something - we buy a dress because it's pretty, or striking, or has the right hemline or some avant-garde third sleeve or whatever that no other dress has, and it functions as a dress (for a cocktail party or a wedding or a sunny day) but we buy that particular one for the form. Is anyone buying this watch for the form? Quite frankly, it reminds me of a Timex with nicer strap options - which is not dissimilar to your opinion that it looks like a "normal square shaped watch".

I am not saying that Apple didn't try to design something fashionable (which again can be different from fashion!) but (and of course this is just my opinion) there is nothing about this first iteration of the watch that, to me, is "fashion" - it is wearable technology. Design, yes; fashion, no - as with the all-in-one computer design. Fabulous design!!! Not fashion.

As much as I love Apple - and computers! And impressive technology design! And Mickey Mouse! - and having had Apple devices all the way back to the IIe and the IIc and the first Mac which was called "Macintosh" - this first foray into wearable tech and design has to BE more before it is fashion. The design needs to serve the form as well as the function.

And it can and probably will be done. Looking forward to it! And looking forward to your response, that is, if I have made any sense at all and have not taken this thread completely off topic! [emoji254][emoji254][emoji38]

 

[squidgee]

I do love a good argument now and then! I hope you don't mind if I have a bit of fun here? [emoji6]

When I read your response there was not much I disagreed with, but then again, I didn't really see anything to convince me that you are arguing for the "fashion" point, which is very specific. It seemed to me (and I may be wrong) that you are trying to equate design with fashion, and the two are not the same.

Design is form, yes, but fashion (though definitely related) is different. And even here, the design of the watch merely serves its function, not its form, which in fashion is just as much an end in itself as the function is. By that I mean, in fashion, form is just as important as function, or might be in itself the reason we buy something - we buy a dress because it's pretty, or striking, or has the right hemline or some avant-garde third sleeve or whatever that no other dress has, and it functions as a dress (for a cocktail party or a wedding or a sunny day) but we buy that particular one for the form. Is anyone buying this watch for the form? Quite frankly, it reminds me of a Timex with nicer strap options - which is not dissimilar to your opinion that it looks like a "normal square shaped watch".

I am not saying that Apple didn't try to design something fashionable (which again can be different from fashion!) but (and of course this is just my opinion) there is nothing about this first iteration of the watch that, to me, is "fashion" - it is wearable technology. Design, yes; fashion, no - as with the all-in-one computer design. Fabulous design!!! Not fashion.

As much as I love Apple - and computers! And impressive technology design! And Mickey Mouse! - and having had Apple devices all the way back to the IIe and the IIc and the first Mac which was called "Macintosh" - this first foray into wearable tech and design has to BE more before it is fashion. The design needs to serve the form as well as the function.

And it can and probably will be done. Looking forward to it! And looking forward to your response, that is, if I have made any sense at all and have not taken this thread completely off topic! [emoji254][emoji254][emoji38]

Thank you for these good points! I love a good discussion as well and appreciate all viewpoints, and what you said definitely enriches this thread, at least in my opinion!

I see where you are coming from with regards to "fashion", especially with this statement: form is just as important as function, or might be in itself the reason we buy something and in this case I can definitely agree.

A gorgeous ring or bracelet need not be or do anything other than exist; its form (and the beauty we perceive from it) IS its function and the reason why we buy it. In this case, you are right, the Apple Watch has not yet achieved the "fashion" status because we do not buy it for its form alone, its purpose is first and foremost as a functioning timepiece/computer.

So I guess this brings me to ask, where is the line drawn between something just being a watch to becoming wearable or digital jewelry- and then I guess a fashion piece?

I am reminded of a story I read years ago about Princess Diana, and I'll try to relate it here as best I can, paraphrasing from memory:

Diana was all set to purchase a beautiful watch, but then upon closer inspection she realized there were no indicators on the watch face (a la Movado), so she exclaimed "I cannot buy that, it would be so hard to tell time!"

So on that note, I do wonder then if we can consider watches in general to be purely fashion items? If a watch is gorgeous to look at but doesn't work, would we still consider it a "watch" and purchase it? Or does it just become a bracelet with a curious design?

I can think of a few watches we could consider fashion items in their own right, like Rolexes, but again, if they stopped working, I don't think any of us would buy them? And that's where the "fashion" aspect gets muddled for me, because I won't buy an irreparable Rolex, no matter how gorgeous.

So anyway, whew! That's my train of thought on watches and fashion and I hope I haven't also gone off tangent here as well

But at the end of it all, taking away the whole philosophical "is a watch still a watch if it doesn't tick" musings, I agree with you, the Apple Watch definitely has a ways to go before it is considered fashion.:okay: