Okay, usually I reserve meta-reviews for video games; however, with Apple’s review embargo expiring on their first original piece of hardware since the iPad, it seems necessary to look into what all of the experts are saying. I for one am still not convinced on the necessity of the smart watch, as I have yet to feel the inconvenience of pulling my phone out of my pocket. That, and I actually prefer wearing watches as fashion pieces and refuse to give up my analog Tissot for a bulky computer strapped to my wrist. My compatriot, Mike, has jumped whole-heartedly in to wearable tech, proudly supporting the Pebble watch since its original Kickstarter and he uses it continuously. Maybe one day I will be converted, but as of today I remain a wearable Luddite. All of that being said, here is what the experts have to say:

Mashable: “Apple Watch does as much, maybe more, than competing smartwatches, but it doesn’t demand that you pay attention to it. It also succeeded in its most important task: Getting me to keep my iPhone in my pocket. That’s a pretty impressive feat. Is my life better because of it? It’s too soon to tell. But what I do know is that I thoroughly enjoy wearing it.”

The New York Times: “For now, the dreams are hampered by the harsh realities of a new device. The Watch is not an iPhone on your wrist. It has a different set of input mechanisms — there’s the digital crown, a knob used for scrolling and zooming, and a touch screen that can be pressed down harder for extra options. There is no full on-screen keyboard, so outbound messages are confined to a set of default responses, emoji and, when you’re talking to other Watch users, messages that you can draw or tap.”

The Telegraph: “So with the Apple Watch, again, existing functions are rethought and combined in a new and uniquely appealing way. That’s not, however, to say that even Apple fans with £299 burning a hole in their pocket should rush out and buy this first generation Watch. It’s beautifully designed and frequently rather useful – but history suggests version two or three will be even better.”

The Verge: “There’s no question that the Apple Watch is the most capable smartwatch available today. It is one of the most ambitious products I’ve ever seen; it wants to do and change so much about how we interact with technology. But that ambition robs it of focus: it can do tiny bits of everything, instead of a few things extraordinarily well. For all of its technological marvel, the Apple Watch is still a smartwatch, and it’s not clear that anyone’s yet figured out what smartwatches are actually for.”

Follow Tom on Twitter @thomaskagar