The Apple Watch is a Watch
Apple perfected small details that let people feel in control of their devices, like its accelerometer that rotates to portrait automatically when a device is turned. An iPhone literally follows your lead. This is why the inelegance of the Apple Watch is so striking. Its ponderous clasps, the corny immaterial faces — one of its options is an animated Mickey Mouse stamping his foot in time with each passing second — deny the myriad ways people chose to wear a piece of fashion. Apple refuses the possibility that you know what looks better on your wrist than Jonathan Ive. The website says “There’s an Apple Watch for everyone,” but what they mean is, “There’s an Apple Watch for everyone who loves novelty ties.”
An interesting take from Joanne McNeil who argues that the Apple Watch is “not a fashion accessory” but rather “something hostile to our personal taste.” I tend to disagree as I enjoy the look of the Apple Watch on my wrist. Is it the most beautiful watch in the world? Definitely not. But is it the most useful watch I’ve ever worn? Easily. By a long shot.