Apple Watch Try On Thoughts

Over my lunch, I went to the Apple Store in Columbia to try out the Apple Watch. Now, I stayed up until 3am on the 10th and preordered the 42mm Space Gray Sport, but I really wanted to try one on to make sure that 42mm wasn't too big. I wore a watch back in high school, but I really haven't since then. I wasn't really looking to try on every watch, just to try what I had preordered and check out the Milanese Loop band, because I had heard so many good things about it.

I had a few minutes before someone was able to get to me, so I also had a chance to play around with the demo units. Here's a quick list of my thoughts:

• The Space Gray looks really, really good. Darker than the Space Gray on the iPad, much closer to black than gray.
• 42mm was a perfect size for me.
• The Black Sport band felt "silky". It's kind of hard to explain, but it didn't feel like rubber, that's for sure.
• Like others have said, the Sport band is a little weird to put on, but felt really secure once it was on. A couple of tries and I had figured out a way to put it on that worked for me.
• Milanese Loop was way better than any link bracelet I've ever worn, but I did feel it pull hair here or there. Still, it looked great and I really liked how closely it laid to the skin.
• The "demo mode" that they put the watch in was pretty much forgettable. It was nice to feel the taptic engine stuff, but that was about the only useful bit.
• I didn't notice any real sluggishness with the tabletop demo units, but that's a pretty carefully crafted experience, so we'll see if what I've seen in reviews holds true on the release units.
• When I compared the Watch with the Sport, the Sport was way lighter, but even the steel Watch wasn't particularly heavy by any means.
• I asked about buying a Milanese Loop band to put on the Sport, and I was told that they were "incompatible." When I asked why, I was told "well, it's something about the different types of metal, there's a chemical reaction, I think." That was... something.

I've seen some people say that trying on the Watch made them rethink whether they would keep their order, but for me, it confirmed my order. I don't think it'll be a perfect device by any means, but I've definitely been interested in a smart watch, and I'm pleased with what I've seen about the Apple Watch. Now I really can't wait until the 24th. Once I have it for a few weeks, I'll definitely do a write up of how I use it.