> Like, for example, that I do not want to be defined by a talking point on my wrist.

Ok stupid reason

> But when I started wearing the Apple Watch (the 38-millimeter case with a Milanese Loop band, which is the smaller size with a flexible stainless steel bracelet), it became a subject of conversation no matter where I was: in meetings at work, at the bagel store, at my son’s track meet. It has been so everywhere, marketed to so many people, there was just no mistaking it.

So buy the sport, I've had mine for over a week and only people who knew I was getting it even noticed. I wore a pebble for over a year before so that might have some impact but even then very few people asked about that. That said owning a pebble was made me fall so hard for the Apple watch. Everything the pebble did (other than battery which I don't care about, if it lasts a day I'm fine and mine is consistently at 50% when I go to bed) the Apple watch does better. It's equal parts just better UI/UX and Apple being able to "cheat" by having direct access to the OS that pebble never got.

> Not only does its face effectively span the width of my forearm, but the cool little screen saver that so many reviewers have lauded — the Mickey or the butterfly or the galaxy (which is the one I have) or the pseudo-watch hands (the one that, notably, is always on in every picture of the watch, and actually makes it look like a watch) — is also functionally sleeping most of the time.

So you just bitched about calling out the fact that "look at me I have an Apple watch" and now you are mad that the display isn't on constantly so that.... you can show it off?

> Not that it would do much good. Typing doesn’t awaken the picture. Even when I rock my arm back and forth energetically, it often takes a few tries before up the earth pops. The default position is blank.

I was used to the wrist shake to get the pebble backlight to turn on which doesn't work on the Apple watch but it took less than a day or two to get the gesture down to turn the screen on. This is not an issue as far as I'm concerned. I can rotate my wrist ever so slightly while typing to see the screen just fine and 99% of the time when I look at my watch it turns on. On rare occasions I have to "re-gesture" but I'll trade e-ink and always on (I've seen the new pebble screens in person) for this gorgeous display with much sharper colors and text.

> Just as my default position when trying to read an email or the text of a headline on the small screen involves raising my wrist to near eye level

Are you joking? Get some glasses, you have a problem. I can read my screen perfectly and often better than I could my pebble.

> or, if a phone call is involved and my actual phone is not reachable, talking into thin air. If your children or acquaintances come upon you, it’s pretty much an invitation to ridicule.

Get over it, either don't answer calls on your wrist when with company (sounds like you deserve the ridicule). I rarely answer calls on my watch and only do it when I'm alone and my phone isn't right beside me which is rare.

> It’s a valid question, but after some contemplation I think the answer is simple: A phone is hand-held, and we are used to seeing people read things held in their hands. Like, say, books. But seeing somebody staring at her wrist (or merely sneaking a surreptitious glance at it) telegraphs something else entirely: (1) rudeness or (2) geekiness.

Wow... is this supposed to be a big joke? Glancing at my watch is WAY less rude than pulling out out my phone while talking. As for geekiness again, get over it, it will be commonplace soon enough this is what you have to deal with as an early adaptor. Poor you, you bought a $600+ device and you have to deal with people poking fun at you, get over yourself.

> This doesn’t seem to have bothered the tech writers, most of whom wrote persuasively positive reviews of the gadget, primarily based on what it could do for you. And it is certainly more subtle than Google Glass, though I am not sure that is saying much.

.... The only thing these devices have in common is they are both "wearables" that's where the similarities end. Don't even try to saw wearing an Apple watch is akin to wearing Google Glass.

> And the small screen is simply too small to really read on, so I’ve been more annoyed than happy when it alerted me to texts from my loved ones; and when I saw a headline, all I wanted to do was find the rest of the story.

It's the best screen I've seen on a watch yet and I have no issue getting the info I need from the text displayed or using the digital crown to scroll down

> Besides, the busywork the watch’s apps can replace — handing over airline boarding passes, opening hotel room doors — seems less like an advance than a loss of control. Call me a Luddite, but honestly, I don’t mind unlocking things with my actual hands. The new watches announced this week may change the situation, but I am not sure I have the patience to wait.

Ok, you're a luddite. The less I need to pull out my wallet or phone the better.

> Likewise (and I know this will be heresy to anyone really excited about the coming Fitbit initial public offering), the fitness-app aspect — the tracking of my steps, the measuring of my heart rate, the telling me to stand up when I am in the middle of an article — seems more like a burden than freedom.

I disagree, it reminds me to take a break and walk around the office or if I'm at home I'll get up, move around, do some jumping jacks, etc. All things I didn't do before. Sometimes I'm in the middle of something so I wait till I'm done before I get up but over all I'm very pleased with it reminding me to get up and move around.

> But here’s the thing: The watch isn’t actually a fashion accessory for the tech-happy. It’s a tech accessory pretending to be a fashion accessory. I just couldn’t fall for it.

And as someone who doesn't give a shit about fashion I am on cloud nine. I was utility not some vain attempt to show off I have an Apple Watch. This reviewer complains about people noticing and asking about the watch and then complains that it's more of a tech device than a fashion device... You can't eat your cake and have it to.

The reviewer doesn't even mention things like siri on the watch which I have found to be one of my favorite features and coupled with the advances siri is going to be making in iOS 9 really makes the watch shine. Even now for reminders, timers, unit conversions it's awesome and I don't have to walk across the room to where I left my phone while cooking, I just raise my wrist and ask my question.

Overall this is a terrible review with straight up inaccuracies and focusing on things that to an average user are either not an issue or not a big enough one to outweigh the gains.

I plan on wearing a smartwatch of some kind until some other tech ellipses it and right now (at least for iPhone users) the Apple Watch is the best option on the market.