Originally Posted By: K447
The Apple Watch seems to be following a similar arc. It is not a 'watch', it is a very mobile Internet connected computer. A sensor laden device to boot. Most of the interesting stuff will not have much to do with telling time.

Looking forward a few years and hardware/software upgrade cycles, it seems likely that the Apple Watch will get slimmer, better, and more capable. Feels like the iPhone original launch, but already way more polished. Should be interesting to see where Apple and the developer community can take this.

Pretty much mirrors my thoughts. I wore the Pebble around for a bit, and saw the promise of some of what a wrist device could do. I see a lot of the first attempts at smart watches the same way I saw the first attempts at smart phones. It's amazing to me how quickly these things evolve now though. It took a good decade of various smart phone attempts before the modern approach took over. Watches seem to be changing much quicker.

It was clear from the Pebble that for anything to really succeed, it would need deeper integration. The Apple Watch will do just that coming from the same company as the phone. Similar to how the best of the Samsung watch only comes out when paired with a Samsung phone. The downside is more ecosystem lock-in, but the upsides could be pretty handy.

I'm personally interested in the fitness aspect. I've had an iOS 8 beta already loaded on my phone, and it was keeping track of some stuff due to the M7. The watch would help provide a deeper view into my daily activities.

Both the watch and payment systems show the more conservative side of Apple, but also their long view on some aspects. I appreciate them seeding the hardware needed to talk to the watch in their phones since 2011. The payment side will have to wait for me though, as I'm holding out for the iPhone 6s. The needed NFC bit is new to the iPhone 6, past methods that worked with an iPhone required a phone case with the right hardware. For a time it seemed Apple wasn't interested in NFC at all, and had hoped to push this via Bluetooth iBeacons. Apple Pay does apparently work across Bluetooth too, but I don't expect wide adoption there.

While all this was being announced, my 5s was in a form fitting mount leading me through some great costal areas on the motorcycle. The tick/tock cycle with the design makes more sense for me to wait to get a better accessory selection. I'm disappointed that the iPhone 6 Plus has a camera feature the iPhone 6 lacks. And I'm still on the fence about the size. I appreciate them offering options now to those who want larger phones, but I hope to keep a pocketable for me form factor around. I'll have to hold the 4.7 inch device before my opinion is fully formed there.