The floodgate has opened, and the Apple Watch reviews are out, including Mashable's.
After months of appearing in fashion magazine spreads, you'll finally be able to pre-order an Apple Watch for yourself this Friday at 3 a.m. ET (you read that time right).
But is the Apple Watch truly the next big thing for Tim Cook and company? It earned our coveted Mashable Choice award, but what's the verdict from everyone? We've compiled (and will continue to update) a meta-review on the Apple Watch. Here's what other reviewers had to say.
Reviewer
Watch model
Verdict
Thumbs up / Thumbs down
Lance Ulanoff
42mm
"The Apple Watch is an excellent, elegant, stylish, smart and fundamentally sound device."
Farhad Manjoo
42mm
"Indeed, to a degree unusual for a new Apple device, the Watch is not suited for tech novices...It takes some time getting used to, but once it clicks, this is a power you can’t live without."
Nilay Patel
42mm
"For all of its technological marvel, the Apple Watch is still a smartwatch, and it’s not clear that anyone’s yet figured out what smartwatches are actually for."
Geoffrey Fowler
42mm
"I’ve found the Apple Watch isn’t a replacement for the iPhone, but it’s the right screen for many important things."
Joanna Stern
38mm
"Apple’s new watch wants to be your all-day helper. But the promise doesn’t always match reality."
Joshua Topolsky
42mm
"The Apple Watch is cool, it’s beautiful, it’s powerful, and it’s easy to use. But it’s not essential. Not yet."
Lauren Goode
42mm
"It is a well-designed piece of technology that will go through a series of software updates..."
David Pogue
42mm
"The Apple Watch is light-years better than any of the feeble, clunky efforts that have come before it."
Scott Stein
42mm
"You don't need an Apple Watch. In many ways, it's a toy: an amazing little do-it-all, a clever invention, a possibly time-saving companion, a wrist-worn assistant."
Ed Baig
42mm
"Apple Watch is an elegant combination of style and purpose, even if it indeed often serves as a stand-in for the iPhone tucked away in your pocket or purse."
Matt Warman
42mm
"It’s beautifully designed and frequently rather useful - but history suggests version two or three will be even better."
John Gruber
42mm
"Time telling is where Apple Watch fares worst compared to traditional watches. That was inevitable. "
Ben Bajarin
??
"Apple’s implementation delivers on the promise of notifications done right."
Marissa Stephenson
38mm
"I can say that the Watch is useful, fun, inspiring — but it can also be a little frustrating, needy, and redundant with my ever-present iPhone. It certainly demands attention."
Nicole Phelps
??
"Our wrists simply can’t support a device big enough for everything we do on screens these days. I came to think of it as a filter instead, bringing what’s essential or pleasurable to me closer to me and editing out the rest."
Mark Prigg
42mm
"Apple undoubtedly has another hit on its hands - but like the iPad, it isn't really obvious why you would want the product, until you try it."
David Phelan
??
"If you’re tempted by a smartwatch, Apple’s is easily the best, with the most enjoyable interface, the most intriguing range of apps, immaculate build quality and a highly attractive design."
Liz Plosser
38mm
"After one week with the Watch, what amazes me even more is how it’s managed to untether me from my iPhone. It looks so cool, I’m more apt to wear it—and use it—all the time."
Katie Linendoll
38mm
"I think it does live up to the hype in the sense that it's both fashion and function. I think Apple nailed it in the sense that it's a statement piece as much as it is a timepiece."
Bani McSpedden
42mm
"Is it a replacement for a traditional watch? No. It’s not so much a mesmerising machine as a mighty module, and it doesn’t have the same character or charisma. But it’s better than just being another way of telling the time, and in many respects is a real advance on the traditional watch."
Bonus: Pharrell (who totally broke embargo)
Woah. A video posted by Pharrell Williams (@pharrell) on Apr 6, 2015 at 8:16pm PDT