The rumors, flying for many moons now, have turned out to be true. Meet Apple’s first wearable, the aptly, if uncreatively, named Watch. While the name’s a bit mundane, Apple’s making a big effort to make the thing as customizable as it can, with two sizes, three materials and a slew of different watch bands. We didn’t get to put our fingers on every permutation of the Watch, but we did get to try on a couple of them. Join me after the break, won’t you, and find out what they’re like.

_when_.eng(“eng.galleries.init”)

Unfortunately, Apple wouldn’t let me actually interact with the Watch’s UI, as the demo units were simply rolling through screenshots while it was strapped to my wrist. I got to try on both the regular polished steel with a leather loop strap and one of the aluminum Sport versions. As you’d expect, the build quality of each model was impeccable, with a smooth scrolling crown control and a satisfyingly solid snick happening when pressing it or the button situated alongside. Whether gold, steel, or aluminum, its clear that every Watch has been designed and crafted with care — and manufactured to Apple’s usual lofty standards. That said, it’s still a fairly bulky thing to have on your wrist (in both sizes), and no matter how many bands Apple makes for it, we’re not sure that the Watch’s looks will appeal to everyone.

The bands were both comfy, though I preferred the look and feel of the leather loop. The magnets inside the leather seem to do the job of clasping well, though without the same magnetic force as those accustomed to the MagSafe connectors found on Apple laptops. As for the rubber sport band, I had some trouble fitting the metal nubbin into its appropriate hole, and I got a little pinch on the underside of my wrist when tucking it into the band. We imagine we’d get the hang of fitting it quickly and painlessly eventually, but our first time strapping it on was not all pleasant.

Still, I did get to see the Watch in action, albeit only under the control of an Apple employee. During our brief demo, the wearable performed admirably, switching from app to app, and zooming in and out with the crown. That crown control along with the swipes and pressure-sensitive touch UI seemed to work well together, and from afar, looks like the most user-friendly way to use a wearable we’ve seen. That said, it was clear why Apple didn’t let us futz with a Watch on our own — long presses and the haptic engine in the Watch didn’t always work.

In our short time with Apple’s wearable, we can certainly see its potential, and we’re looking forward to seeing what it can really do once its ready for release.

 Hide Comments 0Comments

_when_.eng(“eng.livefyre.init”, { articleId: 20959636 , domain: “engadget.fyre.co” , siteId: “296092″ , el: “livefyre_20959636″, initialNumVisible: 2 })

_when_.eng(“eng.perm.init”);

Apple iPhone 6

specs Reviews • 0 Prices Discussions Type Smartphone Operating system iOS (8) Screen size 4.6 inches Internal memory 16 GB Camera 8 megapixels Dimensions 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 in Weight 4.55 oz Announced 2014-09-09

see all specs →

There are not any reviews for this product yet.
Why not be the first to write one?

Apple Watch

Key specs Reviews • 0 Prices Discussions Form factor Other Operating system iOS Storage type Internal storage Announced 2014-09-09

see all specs →

There are not any reviews for this product yet.
Why not be the first to write one?

lab.scriptBs(‘gravity.js’)

onBreak({ 0: function(){}, 320: function(){ (function() { var a = { mobilePlacementID: “348-14-15-135a”, width: “320″, height: “115″ }; madserver.requestAd(a); })(); }, 768: function(){} });

onBreak({ 320: function() { adSetType(“F”); htmlAdWH(“348-14-15-14b”, “320″, “50″, “f”, “ad_20959636″); adSetType(“”); }, 980: function() { adSetType(“F”); htmlAdWH(“93399740″, “RR”, “RR”, “f”, “ad_20959636″); adSetType(“”); } });