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Is the Apple Watch too complex for its own good?

Published Mar 10th, 2015 12:30PM EDT
Apple Watch Software Features
Image: Apple Inc.

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Years in the making, the Apple Watch might be Apple’s most ambitious product yet, as the company is trying to convince both loyal fans and first-time Apple customers that the device is worth investing in. With prices starting at $349 for the cheapest, smallest version, the Apple Watch isn’t exactly affordable, and it’s significantly more expensive than competing devices. However, the Watch has a plethora of features, some in-line with what’s available from existing products from the competition, while others are unique for now.

But is the device too complicated for its own good?

DON’T MISS: 5 key ways the Apple Watch crushes Android rivals

A new report from MIT Technology Review details a brief hands-on experience with the Apple Watch following Apple’s Monday press event, revealing some of the cool software features the device has to offer. But at the same time, the publication wonders whether the Apple Watch doesn’t have too much to offer compared to other similar products, potentially overwhelming users, especially those people that aren’t that tech-savvy and thus, might not need that many features in a wrist-worn device.

“Shortly, though, I started to feel like the device might actually be too capable,” MIT writes about the Apple Watch hands-on experience. “There’s a cute home screen showing all your apps as little bubbles, but more than, say, 10 of them, makes the screen look crowded. You can swipe up to see all kinds of ‘glances’—things like weather, your calendar, music controls, stock prices, and more that you swipe across the display to see one at a time.”

The site continued, “And you can customize watch faces down to minute details like whether you want to show the phase of the moon in one corner and your activity in another, or vice versa. Oh, and you can pay for things with the Apple Watch. And check in at the airport. And look at a live feed of a video camera, receive calls, read full emails, check Instagram, hail an Uber, send your heartbeat to a friend who also has an Apple Watch, and more.”

Whether the Apple Watch is too complex for its own good or not is yet to be determined, of course. But it looks like Apple made sure it really can offer users as many weapons as their disposal as possible to fully customize the appearance of the watch, and the watch’s functionality, even if that meant possibly sacrificing battery life in the process.

What’s certain is that analysts expect Apple to sell millions of Apple Watch units in the coming months, far exceeding the performance of any other smartwatch that has launched before.

MIT’s full Apple Watch report is available at the source link.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.