Apple Watch is finally out: Here's why I don't see myself wanting this

Apple’s first new product since 2010, the Apple Watch is now out and even though it’s not launching in India anytime soon, the watch is hardly something I’m find myself coveting. This isn’t like the iPhone 6, which piqued my interest, even though I personally hate big-screened devices. If you overlook the price issue, which will be around Rs 21000 for the basic version if you don’t add taxes, there’s very little that motivates me to consider the Apple Watch. For starters, there’s the whole usability factor and this is a problem that even the Pebble didn’t answer. Currently the Pebble Watch (the first edition) I own lies hidden away in a drawer, and except for getting occasionally charged and updated, there’s not much use for it. The reason I didn’t end up using Pebble so much was because it has limitations. Sure I get notifications, alerts, can play music on my phone via the watch and can even use basic fitness apps, but if I need to do something more detailed, the watch doesn’t serve the purpose. For longer replies, listening to music on your headphones (which a lot of us do while travelling or exercising), the smartwatch isn’t the answer. I can use the smartwatch to play music on my phone, but this isn’t a feature that makes the watch special or indispensable. After all, the music is still on my phone. With Apple Watch, the company is promising us the use of Siri, the ability to answer full emails, reply to phone calls, keep a check on Health via apps like Nike etc. You can even send drawings on your Apple Watch screen to another users who have the Watch via the Taptic screen.  Also iPhone/iPad/Mac photos that have been marked as favourite can be accessed from the Watch. [caption id=“attachment_258012” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] Apple Watch during the launch event. Reuters[/caption] All of this sounds great, except that as a user I don’t see myself constantly turning to a Watch to say type out messages or even show photos to a friend. I’d rather do it on the phone, where the screen is bigger and I certainly would not risk typing official emails on a tiny screen. On the Apple Watch you can dictate your answers, which sounds like a cool idea, but not very practical at least on a daily basis. I’m not saying people won’t try it, I would too, but the novelty of something like this will wear off. Personally I’m not enthused with the idea of shouting out my answer to a Watch, and there will be times when I would not want the whole world to know what I wish to type out. In addition to this, I’m not sure how accurate this will be in say in a crowded place. Where Health is concerned, the Apple Watch uses a built-in heart rate sensor, and the accelerometer, GPS and Wi-Fi from your iPhone. The two main features for Health are the Activity App and the Workout App. The Activity app on Apple Watch provides a a graphic of your daily activity, with three rings which show calories burnt, minutes of exercise done and how often a user takes a break from sitting. The Workout App lets users set goals as far as fitness and exercise is concerned and you can monitor your progress on your iPhone as well. Again the Apple Watch is relying on the iPhone to monitor your health-data, so am not sure how useful it will be to someone who say doesn’t have an iPhone. In my own case, where workouts are concerned, I need my music along with my Nike App to run at the same time. Apple didn’t comment on whether the Watch will support bluetooth headphones and if that doesn’t happen, then I guess to listen to music, one will still need their iPhone. Also while Apple CEO Tim Cook described the Apple Watch as having your personal coach (the Watch can remind you if you’ve been sitting for too long and will tell you to stand up), except that I don’t really see how this different from another smartwatch. The market has many smartwatch options like TomTom's GPS sports watches , which are designed for hiking, swimming, etc and aimed solely at fitness freaks and trainers. If I were to go in for hardcore training, I don’t think I’d fancy running with a $549 Apple Watch. Personally with most smartwatches, the one major problem I’ve had is the size. The Apple Watch will come in two screen sizes (38 mm and 42mm ) with the smaller one being aimed at women. However given that I have exceptionally slender wrists, I know that smartwatches are not for me. The Pebble, which has a 1.26-inch screen, is a serious misfit on my hand and I don’t see how the Apple Watch will be an improvement on this. For me, the squarish design, something that hasn’t impressed everyone, isn’t the only problem with the Apple Watch or any other smartwatch. In fact, I’ve tried the Moto 360 before, the Samsung Gear, and frankly they all look like a monstrosity on my hand. The only problem is that a more slender smartwatch will mean a smaller screen which might not serve much purpose. Where design and size of smartwatches are concerned, it really is a Catch-22 situation for people like me. There’s no doubt that this is crucial launch for Apple and Tim Cook. This is of course the first new product line being unveiled without Apple’s iconic founder Steve Jobs. Where smartwatches and smart bands are concerned, the market is expected to grow. For instance last year, over 4.6 million smart wearable bands, which includes Fitness bands, Fitness-related watches, Android Wear smartwatches, etc were shipped, according to Canalys. The good news for Apple: Out of these only 720,000 were Android Wear devices, which means that when it comes to smart-wearables, the market is still largely driven by fitness bands and the Android hasn’t dominated the market. Pebble led in the smartwatch section with over 1 million shipments. As we've noted in this post  that when it comes to Apple products, they tend to get more features with the second and third generation of devices. It’s likely that the Apple Watch will follow this trajectory but for the Watch to succeed, Apple will need to make sure that it becomes an indispensable device, a standalone that doesn’t require the iPhone or iPad or even another Apple Watch. Only then will I be convinced of its need. Only then will I perhaps line up to get one.