While the first Apple Watch reviews published over two weeks ago, the devices are now making their way onto customers' wrists, allowing us to see broader first impressions of Apple's first new product since 2010's iPad.
Several posters in our forums have pointed out an unboxing experience fairly unique to new Apple products as it appears that the traditional Apple stickers are not included with the packaging. Additionally, several posters have reported receiving emails notifying them that they can schedule an online Personal Setup where Apple will, through a video session, walk a user through setting up the Apple Watch and pairing it with their iPhone.
Another aspect of the Watch that users are noticing is how comfortable it is to wear. One user on Whirlpool pointed out that while he was originally going to use the sport band for exercise, he thinks its nice enough to wear regularly. One MacRumors reader told us that the Watch is indeed comfortable to wear with the build quality being "perfect", but that he found the sports band slightly awkward to put on at first.
I have a 42mm Apple Watch Sports in Space Grey. Watch is incredibly comfy. However the [black sports band] feels backwards to me, the holes and the pin make it slightly awkward to do up. I’m sure I’ll get used to this. Setup was simple and intuitive, asked me if I wanted to transfer all my current apple watch apps across during the process.
Other bands that have seen favorable impressions include the Milanese Loop, which also has a post dedicated to its unboxing in the MacRumors forums. Other early impressions include users finding certain less advertised features of the Apple Watch, such as the "Ping" feature that allows users to ping their iPhone from their Watch, to be very useful.
Finally, while most users are reporting easy setup and pairing processes, some are having difficulty pairing their iPhone and Apple Watch, with the Watch not displaying the needed pairing code (Update: Restarting appears to fix the problem). Others are noting that syncing a 1 GB music playlist is taking longer than desired.
For ongoing coverage of photos and first impressions, readers are welcome to follow our Apple Watch impressions threads in our Apple Watch forum.
