Don't agree with our verdict? Here's the inside story of the Wareable Watch debate
Wearable tech, even more so than smartphones, probably isn’t going to produce one device that’s right for everyone.
Your boss might have a LG Watch Urbane-shaped hole in his life but your mum could be better off with a Fitbit.
Read this: Apple Watch review
But we still have to put a star rating and a numerical score on our reviews. Admit it, you love that bit! You scroll down to check first, don’t you? And so we come to the Apple Watch with its score of 3 1/2 stars or 7/10. Bit underwhelming isn’t it?
The Apple Watch reportedly sold more units in a week than any smartwatch has sold so far and still it might not be right for everyone.
Here at Wareable, you no doubt think we speak with one voice, in the manner of a cult worshipping at the altar of a future where wearable tech fits seamlessly into our lives, improving our health, fitness, time management, smartphone addiction, stress levels and overall attractiveness to the opposite sex.
In reality, opposing opinions rage beneath the surface. We’ve tested every wearable that matters since our launch and there have been some spats along the way.
For one day only we thought we’d give you a peek into how we discussed – to put it politely – the final score on our in-depth Apple Watch review written by senior editor James Stables. Here it is, #nofilter, or whatever those hipper-than-thou tech bloggers say (beware, we are quite a sweary bunch).
Also included in the chat are editor-in-chief Paul Lamkin and (me) contributing editor Sophie Charara. We decided to publish it afterwards – usually James and Sophie are both at least 23% wittier than Paul. Honest.
[30/04/2015 13:18:48] It Begins
Paul Lamkin: score?
James Stables: 3.5
James Stables: torn for 4…
James Stables: think 3.5
sophiecharara: thought the verdict was fair
[30/04/2015 14:38:47] Does it struggle with the basics?
sophiecharara: that bit about Facebook messages not showing up is huge
sophiecharara: that means it can’t display iPhone notifications properly
James Stables: whatapp’s been a bit flakey
James Stables: need to investigate a bit more
James Stables: i think it’s a problem with multiple messages
James Stables: Facebook, you don’t see shit
sophiecharara: right ok
sophiecharara: still Android Wear and Pebble do that fine
sophiecharara: just some on Pebble are cut off if it’s a long message, on AW it stacks multiple Gmails but can’t do that for everything
Paul Lamkin: Facebook app isn’t ready, http://mashable.com/2015/04/25/facebook-apple-watc…
James Stables: can you send me some whatsapps plz
Paul Lamkin: but you should still get the generic notification, surely?
sophiecharara: yeah I think we shouldn’t slate it too much for anything to do with third party apps I suppose
sophiecharara: they will all come, it’s Apple
James Stables: you do get a generic notification
Paul Lamkin: whatsapped you
sophiecharara: as did I
James Stables: got Lamkin’s number in a photo again
Paul Lamkin: don’t publish my phone number again
[30/04/2015 14:39:27] The best (?)
sophiecharara: also one more thing, in verdict we need to say clearly that we think it is the best smartwatch you can buy (if we do)
Paul Lamkin: Do we? We don’t if it’s a 7
sophiecharara: Stables said yesterday he does
Paul Lamkin: Garmin Vivoactive and Sony SmartWatch 3 got 8s
Paul Lamkin: It doesn’t have GPS and the run tracking doesn’t work. It’s not the best
sophiecharara: I know we would have to bring them down or something
sophiecharara: they got 8 before the Apple Watch existed slash was tested
Paul Lamkin: we shouldn’t change other reviews to make the Apple Watch look better
Paul Lamkin: I think the SW3 is better than the Apple Watch
sophiecharara: I’m not saying that, we have now tested the Apple Watch, we need to decide what is best overall and then make sure scores reflect that
James Stables: i think it’s a tie between the SW3 and Apple Watch
James Stables: Apple Watch is more wearable and has potential. SW3 is great and has GPS, and the power of Google
sophiecharara: SW3 = best for Android, Apple Watch = best for iPhone
[30/04/2015 14:42:30] The old scores debate
sophiecharara: if we don’t change old scores, it’s misleading for people who read them now
sophiecharara: if they need to be changed
Paul Lamkin: the Sony SW is still an 8/10 though. I thought that then and I still think that now.
James Stables: this is the eternal reviews debate
Paul Lamkin: If James thinks Apple Watch is 8/10, that’s fair enough
sophiecharara: well then if it’s a tie the Apple Watch should be 8
James Stables: I’m sticking with 7 for AW
Paul Lamkin: I would
James Stables: the AW could be an 8, if it sorts its shit out.
James Stables: it can’t be more than an 8.
[30/04/2015 14:44:00] Price matters
sophiecharara: you think the SmartWatch 3 is better for most people than Apple Watch? I think it’s better for fitness but not better for everything
Paul Lamkin: it’s also fucking expensive
James Stables: The SW3 doesn’t do a lot wrong…
Paul Lamkin: I don’t think scores are totally compatible anyway. The SW3 costs £180. The Apple Watch costs, minimum, £300.
Paul Lamkin: The OnePlus One scored massively, not because it was necessarily better than the HTC One M8, but because it offered more for your buck
sophiecharara: also not many people will decide between them, they will have iPhone or Android and probs stick to that
Paul Lamkin: So the Sony is a 8/10 £180 device, the Apple Watch is a 7/10 £300 device.
sophiecharara: but the absolute best/no.1 should be what we think is the best
Paul Lamkin: SW3
Paul Lamkin: I’m dead against changing old review scores though. A review is a review, it shouldn’t change because something else comes out.
James Stables: i don’t think we should knock off half stars here and there. I think there’s value in re-reviewing things. The landscape does change.
sophiecharara: exactly the scores are in relation to everything else
Paul Lamkin: The only way I think you can change a review score is if the product changes due to an upgrade etc. That way, it’s a new review
sophiecharara: we gave the SW3 8 because it was better than Moto 360 on 7 etc
sophiecharara: anyway, Stables if AW is 7 and SW3 is 8 and the best, the verdict needs to change
[30/04/2015 14:52:23] This is hard…
James Stables: this is hard, as I have the basic SW3 on right now and I already want to take it off. The screen is horrid and the strap keeps slipping.
Paul Lamkin: It’s personal preference though right? I wear a SW3 everyday. And if you are judging things on screens then the Gear S is the best…and it’s clearly not.
James Stables: the SW3 Steel is much nicer than the basic
Paul Lamkin: You could say something along the lines of the Watch being, arguably, the best smartwatch but, because of the cost and basic errors, you can’t score it as highly as we did the SW3 as the Sony offers much more value for money
Paul Lamkin: Price is important in reviews
sophiecharara: I honestly feel that for most people the Apple Watch would be better – they’d wear it more, use it more, the apps will get better. But with one big caveat that this isn’t a fitness watch. The SW3 is best smartwatch for fitness/sports.
sophiecharara: how much is the steel SW3 though?
Paul Lamkin: I’m sick of Apple getting good reviews just because it looks good. Is it actually good? Not really. The apps are fiddly, the digital crown is bollox and the fitness aspects just don’t work.
Paul Lamkin: And it’s fucking expensive. You could buy an Xbox One or PS4 for the same money.
sophiecharara: I agree but I asked Stables yesterday which he would have (admittedly if someone gave him the money) and he said the Apple Watch
Paul Lamkin: James uses an iPhone out of choice. I never would. It’s all down to personal preference.
sophiecharara: squabble squabble
[30/04/2015 15:00:49] That killer feature
Paul Lamkin: I’ve read a lot and not once have I read about a feature that stands out.
Paul Lamkin: The Apple Watch should have had a killer feature, one to really raise the smartwatch bar. What has it got? Cock doodles.
sophiecharara: OK how about this – would you recommend the Sony to someone who doesn’t go running?
Paul Lamkin: Yep.
Paul Lamkin: But I like Android Wear and that’s personal preference too. Some people hate it.
sophiecharara: I like Wear but it’s not perfect, can be really frustrating, as can Watch OS
Paul Lamkin: If someone wanted a smartwatch, wasn’t interested in running – I’d recommend any Android watch over the Apple Watch.
sophiecharara: woah OK
Paul Lamkin: James – is there one single reason you could recommend the Apple Watch? And justify its price-tag?
sophiecharara: this is partly why I think in the review we need a para on who we think it is for
sophiecharara: he’s gone
sophiecharara: he’s crying into his smartwatches
James Stables: sorry was making a salt beef sandwich
Paul Lamkin: Social Media Manager – can I tweet this?
Paul Lamkin: “Fierce debate at Wareable HQ as we decide how to score the Apple Watch. Review being published in the next couple of hours…”
sophiecharara: sure
Paul Lamkin: let me know when the review is ready to go and I’ll take a look.
Paul Lamkin: I’m gagging to read it
Paul Lamkin: GAGGING
[30/04/2015 18:37:24] Verdict time
Paul Lamkin: that first pic
Paul Lamkin: it looks like you’ve got a broken arm – how have you even bent it that way!
James Stables: new pic in
James Stables: it’s done
James Stables: Apple Watch gets 3 1/2 stars, the Sony SW 3 stays on 4 stars. That’s taking into account the price and the chance that software updates and more apps will make the AW better.
James Stables: you two pipe down, I’m off to shave my arm
Read this: The full, in-depth Apple Watch review
How we test
Most of our squabbling above is about what smartwatches are for, who they are for, how we should compare them and how important the design, or wearability, is. The nuts and bolts of the review took place over the course of the full week we had the Apple Watch before we published this first review.
We didn’t rush our review because we want to be fair, thorough and balanced. Between us we know its competitors inside out – not just Android Wear but Pebble and sports smartwatches such as the Garmin Vivoactive. We tested out the Watch’s heart rate monitoring with a chest strap for comparison and we’ve tried as many third party apps as we’ve been able to so far.
We will update the Apple Watch review, maybe even increase that score, when new features, apps or accessories become available. It’s still very early days for the most important wearable yet.
