The biggest theme in the critiques was about performance. Many thought the Apple Watch was too slow, particularly around data retrieval and third party apps. The other was about battery. Many commented on their desire to have the watch face be visible at all times and not have to charge daily. Another interesting thread in the comments was the high number of people who said they would have liked it more if it was more independent from the iPhone. This is a similar thread to comments from our larger Wristly panel of satisfied owners. Another common thread I saw from this group was the price. Many who commented suggested the price was too high and we know from this panel 65% of those who responded bought a Sport. This indicates that even $349 felt too expensive for the value for this group.
Lastly, following the consistent theme we discover with the Wristly research, there is a heavy negative bias from those who work in the tech industry. In this panel, like many others we have run, the most critical and less satisfied Apple Watch owners are the ones who work in tech, evaluate tech for a living, or are fairly technical. 45% of the respondents of this dissatisfaction panel work in tech and in a tech related function (like a developer).
Ben Bajarin
Good follow-up to the original survey about Apple Watch satisfaction. It’s something I criticized back then and I’m glad to see the people behind the survey are aware of this.
Unfortunately, the results also highlight one of the Watch’s biggest long-term problems: if people working in tech, developers especially, are among the least satisfied users, they will be less inclined to work on apps and invent new use cases for the Watch. This could negatively impact the growth of the Watch as software platform and, in the long run, mass adoption, because the perceived value of the gadget will stay low.
The full results of the study are available on Medium.
I reply to a large portion of text messages from the watch, using customized quick responses. Tracking my exercise has helped me lose 10 pounds.
But that’s about it. And they are pretty much the same ways I used the watch when I first got it.
The platform simply feels stalled.
I don’t think I’m being lazy. I’ve searched for new and compelling new uses of the device, but they are nowhere to be found. That’s despite several months having passed since Apple launched the second version of watchOS, which gives app makers more control over the watch, including its sensors and digital crown.
Dan Frommer
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