Sorry, Apple Watch, I'm Ditching You

The reviews for the new Apple Watch have been mostly glowing, but Vanessa Friedman offers a counterpoint today in the New York Times. After about six weeks with the device, she's reached a decision: "I am breaking up with my Apple Watch." Friedman ticks off a number of a reasons, the first being that as someone who typically avoids designer anything, she's tired of being "defined by a talking point on my wrist." She could get past that, though, if the watch were transforming her life the way her iPhone did. But none of its celebrated features have wowed her, including, yes, the fitness-tracking aspects. To her, that's more "burden than freedom."

A friend suggested that she's not the target market, but Friedman begs to differ, describing herself as "a nontech person who wouldn’t otherwise have too many gadgets (a phone, an iPad, a laptop), but who could be seduced into buying another because of its desirability." That's long been Apple's sweet spot, but it's not working here. "The watch isn’t actually a fashion accessory for the tech-happy," she writes. "It’s a tech accessory pretending to be a fashion accessory. I just couldn’t fall for it." Click for Friedman's full column. (More Apple Watch stories.)