Apple Watch Series 3 unboxed: The watch that feels different
17.11.2017
Translation: machine translated
Video: Stephanie Tresch
Apple's new smartwatch comes in a titanically large box, surprises like a snake and explains why boredom can be a really good thing.
Since I'm currently testing the iPhone X, it's clear that I'm taking the opportunity to take a look at the Apple ecosystem. First on the agenda is the Apple Watch Series 3. But not just any edition, or the most expensive one, but the one that wasn't designed by Apple itself. I take a look at the Apple Watch Series 3 Nike+ in white. Why white? Simply because it's white. Because the technology itself is the same.
This won't be a review, for reasons that will become obvious later. But I will unpack the watch in front of Stephanie Tresch's camera, Video Producer.
Why is the box so big?
I already had an Apple Watch in my hand a few years ago. Just the box, not the device. A mate of mine bought one and was like "Here. Hold this". Even then, I thought the box was really strangely big. Such a small watch, even if the Nike+ 42-millimetre edition is the larger edition, never takes up the space that would justify such a box. Or maybe it does. I didn't give it a second thought back then, because who thinks about "Here. Hold this".
Would actually be obvious.
For some reason, Apple thinks it's important that the watch is completely unrolled in the box. Because reasons? If you know why it is justified to make a box with a perceived volume of 17 cubic metres for a watch weighing 34.9 grams, let me know. I don't think it makes ecological or economic sense. Sure, it looks chic and Apple likes design, but a cube-shaped box wouldn't really have done any harm. Well, the long box doesn't hurt either, but I was brought up - hopefully just like you - knowing that unnecessary packaging is bad.
Apart from the watch, the box only contains a user manual, a power adapter and a charging cable. The rest of the box is empty. Simply nothing. Just decoration. That doesn't justify itself.
The other feeling
This unboxing in front of Stephanie's camera is difficult. Because three objects in a gigantic box still don't give anything away. The Apple Watch becomes exciting when you want to use it. Because Apple proves two things with the usual nonchalance of an Apple product:
- Appearances are deceptive
- Boredom can be an excellent thing
The bracelet itself feels completely different than expected. Do you remember the first time you touched a snake at the zoo? You were expecting something cold and slippery and ended up touching a warm, soft animal that felt totally friendly but looked scary.
The Apple Watch band looks like it's cold and slippery to the touch. But that's not the case. Hence the little story with the snake. The Apple Watch feels warm and not soft to the touch, but never as hard as it looks. This is because it is not just rubber, but a so-called fluoroelastomer. Product management has created, or been prescribed, the words "high performance fluoroelastomer" in the description of the watch, but there doesn't seem to be much to say about the performance of a strap, let alone how high said performance can be. According to me, it's something that either performs or it doesn't. It either stays on your wrist or it doesn't.
A fluoroelastomer is a type of caoutchouc, i.e. a type of rubber. But what distinguishes a fluoroelastomer from cold-hard rubber is that it has better thermal properties. You'll be pleased to know that you can easily take a nap in the oven with your Apple Watch, because it can withstand up to 325 degrees Celsius. Not you. Don't go to sleep in the oven. The wristband is quite heavily engineered and should be able to withstand pretty much anything you do to it.
The most boring pairing of all time
I've had a few Android Wear smartwatches in the past. The setup was usually comparable to walking barefoot over glowing coals. Potentially painful if not timed correctly, with an extremely high weirdness factor. Apple is a different story, where I have to commend the mega-corporation. In terms of technology, the Apple Watch is miles ahead of the Android competition, at least when it comes to pairing.
This is probably because Apple continues to rely on a closed ecosystem and builds Apple hardware in such a way that it is seamlessly compatible with other Apple hardware. However, the Apple Watch does not work with non-Apple hardware. This makes pairing a mere formality. After starting the watch, the watch prompts you to hold it close to the iPhone. That's basically it. The device takes care of everything else. Synchronisation with the Apple ID, data and everything else is done quickly. Unless you don't have internet at the moment. Because then a time-out error occurs that you won't get rid of so quickly and which you can fix most easily by restarting the watch when you have internet reception.
With Android, such a simple process is currently unthinkable. By comparison, the competition allows anyone to create and publish their own Android distribution, a so-called ROM. Whereas Apple's ecosystem - macOS for computers, iOS for iPhones and watchOS for the Apple Watch - offers ready-made operating systems with interfaces, Android is more of a platform. A starting point for hobbyists, developers and specific applications. It's totally legitimate, but it does create hurdles if a developer thinks they need to customise this and that or implement their own interfaces.
Why the watch is not for me after all
In addition to the usual functions such as displaying the time, synchronising messages and making phone calls without an eSIM, the Apple Watch Series 3 also offers a series of fitness functions. It's where Stephanie - previously quiet behind the camera - breaks her silence and laughs.
"These are all functions for endurance athletes. You can't even run 400 metres," she says.
Gemein.
Well, she's right. I am a weightlifter. Smartwatches with cardio functions are of no use to me. Especially not when I'm wearing straps for deadlifts or wraps for overhead presses, because then a watch, smart or not, gets in my way. Cardio is a horror for me. Stephanie doubts that I'm a good test subject for the device. That's right.
So I look for someone who can do it better. Someone who moves more than I do. That's why this isn't a review, but just a text in which I tell you "Yes, we have the Apple Watch Series 3 and yes, we're about to test it".
See you then.
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
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