Apple Watch - Buyer's Remorse

hooneeawr · 3 Oct 2017 at 16:15

I bought an Apple Watch 3 GPS and a pair of Airpods at the weekend.

I think I've got the worst buyer's remorse ever on both of these.

First off, the Airpods are pretty uncomfortable for me, so they'll be going back since I can't exactly change my ears.

Then there's the watch. I'm just not liking it as much as I thought I would. I previously had a Garmin vivoactive, and obviously this just looks 100x better. The screen is so bright and crisp compared with that.

But it's the little things.
The screen isn't always on, never seems to be on when I want to look at it, and seems to come on when I'm not looking at it.
The user interface seems very confusing to me. Sometimes it there is a menu to go back, sometimes it's a left swipe, sometimes it's force touch.
Do I really need 24/7 HRM data?
The band isn't particularly comfortable. I was thinking the velcro sports strap looked nice, but that was only bundled if you get the GPS + Cellular option for £70 more, or it's £49 on it's own.

Hmm, in writing this all out I think I've convinced myself already that it's going back too. Does anyone think I'm being unreasonable and giving up too soon?

Feek · 3 Oct 2017 at 16:27

It's a very personal choice and we can't make it for you.

Regarding the AirPods, I found it was very tricky to get them to fit in my ears. They weren't uncomfortable at all but I struggled to get a good fit. I bought a set of EarSkinz ES3 and they made a huge difference to the fit and improved the sound. If I lost them or they broke, I'd buy another set tomorrow because I use them every single day.

The watch is a different matter. Is it just unfamiliarity with the interface? If you've only had it for a couple of days then it might be worth persevering. I don't know how close your nearest Apple store is but perhaps wear it for a week, take it off for a couple of days and if you miss it then keep it. If you don't miss it, then take it back.

I don't find the standard rubber strap to be very comfortable either.

hooneeawr · 3 Oct 2017 at 16:37

Feek said:
Regarding the AirPods, I found it was very tricky to get them to fit in my ears. They weren't uncomfortable at all but I struggled to get a good fit. I bought a set of EarSkinz ES3 and they made a huge difference to the fit and improved the sound. If I lost them or they broke, I'd buy another set tomorrow because I use them every single day.

You have to remove them everytime you want to charge right? I think that would make me hate them even more.

I had been eyeing up some Bose QC35 headphones, as they feel really comfortable. But the price on them is just extortionate and makes the Airpods seem cheap!

Feek said:
The watch is a different matter. Is it just unfamiliarity with the interface? If you've only had it for a couple of days then it might be worth persevering. I don't know how close your nearest Apple store is but perhaps wear it for a week, take it off for a couple of days and if you miss it then keep it. If you don't miss it, then take it back.

Unfamiliar yes, but this is Apple, I think I expected better from them.
I think I misjudged why I wanted the watch. More out of some sort of tech gadget greed than actually needing something.

wozza2k · 3 Oct 2017 at 18:28

hooneeawr said:
You have to remove them everytime you want to charge right? I think that would make me hate them even more.

I had been eyeing up some Bose QC35 headphones, as they feel really comfortable. But the price on them is just extortionate and makes the Airpods seem cheap!

Sorry to hijack the thread but the Bose QC35 are on offer for £260 atm which I jumped on myself and they are amazing if you get on with noise cancelling.

Have you thought about the beatsX instead of the airpod? Uses the traditional silicone earbuds and uses the W1 chip as per the airpods and cheaper to boot. I've got a pair myself and thought they were going to awful being beats but found them to be better than expected, also they fact they charge via lightning was a bonus as if you use them in the office then you have one cable for both your phone and the headphones

glenimp617 · 3 Oct 2017 at 18:37

I have the QC35s and it's one thing I've bought which I'll never sell. Brilliant!

hooneeawr · 3 Oct 2017 at 21:21

Well the Airpods have been returned and the watch has been off for the last few hours, don't miss it yet.

Will probably take it back to the Apple store on Thursday.

Raymond Lin · 3 Oct 2017 at 21:23

You sure you didn't have the left and right hand use the right way round? I tried it in the store and it lights up when i look at it. as for the strap, there are a million of them by 3rd party which are dead cheap.

hooneeawr · 3 Oct 2017 at 22:54

Raymond Lin said:
You sure you didn't have the left and right hand use the right way round? I tried it in the store and it lights up when i look at it. as for the strap, there are a million of them by 3rd party which are dead cheap.

I think it's more that when you're not perfectly upright it doesn't work as well. Eg lying down, or even earlier today while typing at work it kept coming on.

Raymond Lin · 3 Oct 2017 at 22:57

hooneeawr said:
I think it's more that when you're not perfectly upright it doesn't work as well. Eg lying down, or even earlier today while typing at work it kept coming on.

I did notice the guy in the cinema next to me last week, his apple watch keep lighting up, quite annoying actually.

I'd like to try one but I like my automatic watches, the Apple watch isn't really that expensive in the Watch world, at £350 it is a drop in the ocean of some watches but I just moved over to Android so to use it I need to go back to my iPhone 6.

Martynt74 · 4 Oct 2017 at 08:27

I've got the original Vivoactive and i was considering it because i fancy something a bit more watch looking!

Whilst it's not going to be as well integrated as the Apple watch have you considered the new Vivoactive 3 or Vivomove? I think that might be my next move when i finally get my Vitality membership sorted for discounts!

hooneeawr · 4 Oct 2017 at 12:44

Marvt74 said:
Whilst it's not going to be as well integrated as the Apple watch have you considered the new Vivoactive 3 or Vivomove?

Vivoactive 3 is £299 though, still "expensive" for pretty much the same as what I already have. Although as mentioned above, it's all relative to what you consider expensive. I checked, and I got the original when it was £229. I must've had a bonus or something that month!

Marvt74 said:
I think that might be my next move when i finally get my Vitality membership sorted for discounts!

Can this stuff work out to be a good deal?

Martynt74 · 4 Oct 2017 at 12:49

Well i got the original Vivoactive along with the heartrate strap and i think it was £120 as Vitality do 50% discount for fitness things (this includes trainers).

I rarely use the heartrate strap and so a big thing for me is the built in monitor. The Vivaactive 3 also includes "Garmin Pay" which would allow me to pay for things with my watch. I presume this needs a phone in your pocket though and that it's not a standalone device.

Mainly i'd want it for the fact it looks like a watch! Although just seen in the other thread you can get the Apply S3 watch through Vitality for £30 upfront and then the monthly payment varies depending on activity.

I get it through work so couldn't say if it's worth it privately. I think it's around £1000pa.

Tinders · 4 Oct 2017 at 14:50

I have the watch 2, and its works well with the iphone for the most part, better than the Polar M600 I have (android wear). But i still keep the M600 for fitness as the Apple watch is poor for running and fitness in general imo. I certainly wouldnt pay full whack for these things mind, mine was £150 from Ebay.

wingman · 4 Oct 2017 at 15:27

hooneeawr said:
Well the Airpods have been returned and the watch has been off for the last few hours, don't miss it yet.

Will probably take it back to the Apple store on Thursday.

How did you return used pods?

pcfarrar · 4 Oct 2017 at 15:41

Raymond Lin said:
I did notice the guy in the cinema next to me last week, his apple watch keep lighting up, quite annoying actually.

That's a user error, there is a cinema mode you activate on the quick menu.

Raymond Lin · 4 Oct 2017 at 17:08

pcfarrar said:
That's a user error, there is a cinema mode you activate on the quick menu.

It would be good if somehow it knows you are near a cinema via Google maps and enter the mode automatically.

Captain · 4 Oct 2017 at 17:29

I’ve had one turn up today, I’ll post my thoughts in a few days.

First time using a smart watch.

Broken Hope · 4 Oct 2017 at 19:32

Clov!s said:
I’ve had one turn up today, I’ll post my thoughts in a few days.

First time using a smart watch.

Once you start using it for Apple Pay and notifications you won't want to get rid of it.

rdb2012 · 4 Oct 2017 at 20:52

My watch is getting delivered tomorrow. Tbh same with me until now I don’t know why I ordered one, but I’m gonna give it s go too. I find it quite cool and as mentioned above it would be useful.

Feek · 4 Oct 2017 at 22:08

wingman said:
How did you return used pods?

Apple 14 day return policy. It doesn't matter if you've used them or not.