I am an owner of an Apple Watch Sport 42mm with a white band since a week and I decided to write my thoughts and what I would like to see improved in the next software updates from an user perspective.
Friends button: I have used the side button to access my friends list very few times. As Benjamin Mayo tweeted, it would be better to add a Friends Glance and give a more important use to the physical button.
Load faster: this is a common lament and apps really need to load faster. Apps are supposed to be used for just a few seconds and you probably don’t want users to wait the same amount of time they’ll use the app in front of a loading indicator.
Digital crown: the digital crown is amazing. It avoids to scroll the touchscreen with your finger and cover the content you’re trying to read. Its use is currently limited to scrolling vertically and increasing and decreasing values in sliders and steppers. I’d love to be able to dismiss notifications with it. Just scroll down to dismiss a notifcation without having to interact with the screen while on your way. Same interaction could be applied to dismiss the notification/glance screen and even to scroll glances horizontally.
Taptic engine: when I first tried the taptic engine, it almost hurted me and it felt a little bit weird. It takes a few days to get used to it and then it’s a great way to come to know about new notifications.
Less iPhone: it feels great to spend less time in front of my iPhone. I can trust my watch to advise me when something needs my attention. Also, having an Apple Watch doesn’t drain the battery any faster than usual and I’m slowly getting used to take out my iPhone only when I really need it. The battery consequently drains slower and I’m usually able to reach home with my iPhone still turned on.
Activity app: I first had my move goal set to 650 calories but based on my daily life (I’m sitting during most of the day at school), I was never able to reach the goal and I was feeling kind of sad. I lowered it to 350 and I was able to reach it for 3 days in a row. Actually, yesterday I was 3 minutes away from my exercise my goal and I decided to do some push ups and abdominal exercises before going to bed to reach my goal!
Zoom in Messages: it’s possible to zoom in a photo with the digital crown in the Photos app but when a picture is received in the Messages app, it is not. I don’t know if this is a bug but I hope it will be improved soon.
Water resistance: I usually take a shower as soon as I get ouf bed in the morning and I tried to take a shower with my watch on twice. It worked fine and I received a notification and I could read it easily. However, I wasn’t able to dismiss it because water and touchscreens don’t really go well together (this issue could actually be fixed by implementing my second point written at the top). I noticed a few minor glitches with the digital crown after showering with it (messages not scrolling and unresponsive menu zoom) but I can’t confirm that those glitches were caused by some water under the digital crown. It could also be a small momentary software issue.
Battery: it’s really not a problem. I never had to use the power reserve mode and I usually end the day with over 30% of battery left.
Comfort: the sport band is very comfortable and I hardly remember to take it off before sleeping.
I’m really looking forward to WWDC and the full WatchKit SDK which will open more interactions and possibilities for both users and developers. I may write more about the Apple Watch and WatchKit over the next few weeks. Stay tuned!