I’m Nilay Patel, Editor-in-Chief of The Verge, and I’ve been wearing the Apple Watch nonstop for a week. AMA!

How would you feel about your fellow coworkers revealing all your darkest secrets in this AMA?

code red

Can we all just appreciate The Verge's design/product team for the stunning apple watch review page? Beautiful.

They're the best! I'm trying to get them to participate in this AMA with me.

You said the apple watch is the best smartwatch, but why did you give it just a score of 7, even though the moto 360 got a score of 8.1?

I think when the 360 came out at 249 it was the absolute state of the art, and it was somewhat inexpensive.

This is also the state of the art, but it's also a little bit slow, and the one I reviewed cost $700. You can be expensive or slow, but not both. That's a 7.

Also David scored the 360 and David loves everything. :)

Does the Sport have the same "quality" of display, despite the Ion-X glass? Same color accuracy and lack of air-gap? Is it a better buy?

I didn't review the Sport, but I played with them at the events. They look the same to me, honestly. I would buy the Sport for sure.

Does the Apple Watch have a dialer in the phone app?

Nope. Favorites, Recents, Contacts, Voicemail.

Are people around you noticing the vibration of the haptic engine when you get a message?

No, but the dings are REALLY loud. You gotta turn those off.

Is it fairly scratch resistant?

I have the stainless steel Apple Watch with leather loop band, and I have to say the metal case is already getting a little scratched. It feels like it'll be like an iPod in that regard. Screen is fine, though.

Which gets more compliments, your Apple Watch or your studded bracelet?

Bracelet. It's an icon.

your first impression when you got it?

Same as everyone else I've shown it to: "why does this seem so hard to use?" It really takes a while to understand all the interface metaphors at work.

Can you read the display in the sun outside? And does it get hot on your wrist?

Does not get hot except when it's been on the charger for a really long time. Worked fine in sunlight.

Do the music controls allow you to control 3rd party apps (like Spotify) or does it only work with the stock Music app?

It lets you control third-party music apps and works fine with Spotify. There's no Spotify app, though, so you definitely still need your phone. If you use iTunes you can sync music right to the watch and leave your phone behind.

Does the lag affect the overall experience?

Yes, absolutely. That first iPhone wasn't fast, for example. but it was always, always responsive. This sometimes isn't responsive, and it hurts the experience.

Will you actually buy one?

I think it's like, if you are an Apple fan, and you love gadgets, this will make you happy. It's not terribly useful, but it's fun, and it looks cool. It's jewelry for nerds.

I'm not buying one though -- I feel like I'm going to have lots of different smartwatches to wear in the next few months.

Ok, so what about for those of us who DON'T get handed press devices to review.

I don't know. How much do you spend on clothes? On sneakers? On accessories? This comes out of that budget, not your like "can't live without it" technology budget.

Do you think Apple will update it yearly? (Hardware wise)

I think they'll have to. Will be interesting to see how long this first generation lasts; the first-gen iPad got unsupported REALLY fast, for example, while the second-gen is still kicking.

Do you think circular screens are worth the engineering efforts? Apple apparently didn't.

I do! I think smartwatches should come in all shapes and sizes, just like regular watches.

Why does The Verge have a reputation for being favorable towards Apple products? It seems your opinion is completely dismissed in some circles due to the apparent bias.

iVerge tho

Is the walkie talkie feature shown in earlier marketing materials still there?

You know, it's not. Guess it didn't make the cut for this release.

When you glance at the watch and the screen turns on, how fast do you have to move your arm for it to activate? Does it turn on with a natural motion?

So, I suck at getting the screen to activate. It should turn with a natural motion — other people get it just fine — but I'm out here waving my arms like a clown trying to get it to turn on.

Would the watch without Apple Pay affect your opinions/review of it, as that's essentially what is being sold here in the UK?

Apple Pay is definitely my favorite feature because it's so cool, but it's still pretty niche. Here in NYC, I use it in cabs and at the grocery store, and that's about it.

So, shruggie? Let your heart guide you. Your exploding heart emoji.

Is the digital crown smooth to operate?

Yep. It's one of those cool Apple hardware / software things where it works surprisingly well.

How does the "tap" from the taptic engine feel like? Is it similar to a person tapping you with a finger?

It's kind of like that -- I think of it like the entire watch is pushing down on you sharply. It's really cool. If Apple builds it out more it could really be a thing.

How the battery life on the Apple Watch ?

Fine. That's it, just fine. It feels like it aggressively manages the CPU to make sure it lasts a full day, but you definitely have to charge it every night.

Can the music player in Glances control the Podcast app on iPhone as well?

Yep, works fine.

Is the lack of a laminated screen as jarring as it is on the original iPad Air? I was disappointed to hear that it wasn't laminated in your review and I'm a little concerned now!

It's not "jarring," but it's there. You can see it when the light hits it at certain angles.

You say that the Apple Watch is "easily the nicest smartwatch available." Is this just in terms of the materials (e.g., fit and finish) and the screen? Because I read your review, and I can't find any way in which the Apple Watch is nicer than existing Android Wear devices, other than those two categories.

Yes, it's the nicest smartwatch hardware I've seen. It might be the nicest piece of tech hardware available, period. It is a tiny little miracle of engineering.

Agree on the software front, though. It's all pretty similar, with some mild differences.

Can I hug you?

I only accept heartbeats from smartwatches.

Did you get any adverts on the watch?

Oh god no. But I'm sure someone will find a way to make that nightmare reality.

Why didn't you do this for the smartwatch from other brands ?

We did a big feature with Pebble Time; we are taking the Wear stuff as it comes, but it's all kind of boring right now.

That said, we do big longform every week; we do big features with video and design about other new platforms all the time.

It's not every day that Apple launches an entirely new product and platform, so we thought it deserved some additional production to stand out from the crowd.

What are Vox Media's plans going forward on cross-coverage by Racked/Verge on products like this? You said in the review that you want to do more (and I've seen some crossover pieces on The Verge and Polygon) and I'd like to know what you think would be cool. I thought the Racked video discussion was the best part of the review.

The Racked staff is great! Shooting that video was so much fun.

The Verge and Racked staffs talk a lot, and we're definitely going to do more stuff together. There's so much overlap in tech and fashion right now, and in the end it all comes down to trendy things to buy. It's fun to get a different perspective on that.

What would you like to see? Columns? A podcast? Videos? Possibilities are wide open.

Provided that Apple updates the software to address most of the popular complaints, would you wear one everyday?

If Apple fixes the performance and manages to keep the battery life steady, I would wear one. It's a fun toy. But I don't deal with slow computers. Not anymore.

NOT ANYMORE

How sensitive is the accelerometer that wakes the screen? Does a slight movement as you make a quick glance down at your wrist activate the screen, or do you have to pull the watch up with a full arm movement?

I seem to be terrible at waking the screen. It's supposed to be a quick glance, but I have to like, overact to make it work. It looks like I'm dramatically indicating boredom.

Other people can just get it, though.

Nilay, what were the first things that others asked you about the watch when they saw you actually wearing it?

1. "Oh, does this mean I can leave my phone at home?"
2. "Why would I use this instead of my phone?"
3. "How do I use this?"

I feel like there's a lot of Big Ideas to unpack in that set of questions and expectations.

Were you wearing the 38mm or 42mm in the Periscope video?

1. I have big wrists. The 38 seems REALLY small to me in general though.

Hi Nilay! I'm a big fan of The Verge and all of your work, I was wondering since I'm just about to enter college... where do you start when you want to write about tech? I think I could answer this question myself by saying I should start my own blog to express my views but I was wondering if there are any other tips you could give?

You have exactly the right advice: start writing! The only way to get good at writing is to write a lot. I wrote 14 posts a day, 8 days a week at Engadget. Do half of that, collect your best stuff, and start sending links to people. Get in the conversation on Twitter. We hire out of our forums a lot -- get in there and participate. It's easier than ever now.

What features do you find useful in everyday usage that are not possible with android wear or pebble?

Apple Pay. I keep saying it, but it really is Apple at its best.

How did you find the magnets in the leather loop? Doe it loosen during the day?

Love the leather loop. Doesn't loosen, but I mess with it a lot.

Lots of other people tell me it's ugly, though.

Did you try it with the Dark Sky app? I'd consider it a killer app if it worked well.

Love Dark Sky. Like all third-party apps, it takes a second to load, but the notifications come through.

I think we'll have to wait for native apps before anything is really a killer.

After the first Pebble and Pebble Steel, my major complaint about smartwatches (and this is more general about watches) is how much I have to take them off. I'm on a computer most of the day, and especially with laptops, I have to take watches off for comfort and to not scratch things. Is the Apple Watch comfortable enough that this doesn't feel like you need to take it off using a computer?

And more of an issue with the Apple Watch than other smart watches so far: You take it off to charge it. The Pebbles charge from the side, and you can technically wear it while charging, but it's awkward. With the Apple Watch, you have to take it off to charge it. My experience with trying to commit to smart watches has been that every time I have to take it off, I'm less likely to put it back on. Does the charging process and frequency feel like it hinders committing to putting it back on?

Rock on, Nilay!

I take off my watch like, everywhere. I can't stand to use it at my laptop, and I take off everything the second I get home. Watch, wedding ring, cuff, all of it.

There were a few times when I'd take off the Watch to use my laptop at work and realize I hadn't put it back on like two hours later. Whoops.

Do you think it is worth getting the Apple Watch in its first version, or are there enough bugs / design problems to make it worth waiting for a second version?

If you want one because you're a gadget person, I'd get the Sport. You'll get to follow along as Apple updates it, it'll be fun, all that.

But I personally would wait for the next round.

And is there any comparison you could give to your Nixon Newton, or any regular watch you where?

The Nixon is super light in comparison. My Akteo is bigger in terms of area, but also lighter. It's lighter than my Baume and Mercier. I would say it's like: the Apple Watch is heavier than inexpensive watches, but lighter than expensive watches.

The other thing -- and I couldn't figure out where to work this in the review -- is that when you wear a regular watch, other people can see the watchface all the time. The design matters; it communicates for you. With the Apple Watch, all other people see is a black square. All that watch face customization only shows up for you. It's very different.

in the time you have used it, have you changed your mind about it since your first impressions?

It's less messy on the interface front than I thought, but I never, ever expected it to be slow. So both good and bad changes.