Article aside for a moment, I find it fascinating that with this release so many people are discussing smart watches and their interfaces as something completely new with no established precedents. I've had my Pebble for almost 2 years now and my LG G watch for about 8 months. From my perspective this seems like a late-comer to a market that is already well under-way? I would expect more existing market comparison conversation.
Edit: for the record I love both of them after being initially dubious about the usefulness of such a device.
I suspect Apple have somehow framed the product for reviewers so the alternatives in the market don't come to mind, even if the reviewers don't realise that they're ignoring them.
As one example, they could've picked recipients who they know haven't previously worn a smart watch.
I agree, I have had my Pebble for a year and it works perfectly. Tells me when I get an e-mail or text message. I also keep my phone on silent all the time since I can get the notifications directly and can decide if I need to reply or if I can ignore it for later. I can also check my stocks and there are tons of apps on the pebble appstore.
The battery life is also very nice and lasts a full week.
The SDK is also pretty nice, I've made some simple apps with it.
Late to the party based on what timeframe? 2, 3, 5 years from now it won't look that way.
There were mp3 players before the iPod (I had one! it sucked) and smartphones before the iPhone (I had one! it sucked as well).
Early-adopter products exist in a niche where their shortcomings are accepted and embraced because people like their concept. But we can't mistake that for meeting the high standards of the broader consumer marketplace.
Remember when the iPhone was released? There were other smartphones like the Treo and BlackBerry, but none worked the way the iPhone did. That's what defining a market is about - entering where there may be 'competition' but as soon as you release, nothing competes.
Edit: for the record I love both of them after being initially dubious about the usefulness of such a device.