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Fear not lefties, Apple Watch is reversible for left and right-handed use

Lefties fear not, Apple has now confirmed that its new Apple Watch wearable will indeed be reversible for users that prefer the watch on their right wrist.

When Apple unveiled the device and focused a lot of time on the “Digital Crown” dial used for many navigation features on the watch, left-handed individuals were left wondering whether or not the device could be flipped around (with the UI reorienting itself) to wear on the right wrist and still have access to the digital crown and single button using their left hand. That’s because simply moving the watch to the right wrist without any changes would result in reaching over (and blocking) the display with your left hand to reach the digital crown.

The solution, according to several journalists that heard from Apple is that the display can be flipped around. It will, however, also apparently require the straps to be swapped:

[tweet https://twitter.com/gruber/status/509519080596860928]

That would reverse the position of the digital crown and singular button (as pictured at top), but we’re guessing if that was a usability issue Apple would have made the digital crown centred.  It’s also worth noting that it’s unclear if the Apple Watch straps will come preinstalled, and Apple told media that “Apple Watch offers you the option to set the device up for either a left-handed or right-handed user when you first switch it on.”

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Comments

  1. Jonny - 10 years ago

    Picture is misleading, right? Just did a flip of the image I’m assuming as the crown would be on the bottom, button on the top.

  2. dailycardoodle - 10 years ago

    So, they’re showing us how it won’t look? ok

  3. herb02135go - 10 years ago

    I would have thought this would have been announced in the presentation, given the increasing number of left-handed peeps.

    • dailycardoodle - 10 years ago

      is that true?

      • statmike (@statmike) - 10 years ago

        people are living longer so I guess we an increase in everything: Males, Females, bald people, left-handed people, gullible people and bologna lovers.

      • herb02135go - 10 years ago

        Check out the book Micro trends.

        Twinism increase the likelihood of left-handedness.
        IVF and similar advances increase the odds of twins.

      • Jeremy Lawrence - 10 years ago

        Quite possibly as people are not being forced to use their right hand at school anymore. People used to be beaten if they used their left hands at one time.

  4. Anton Teterine - 10 years ago

    How many people here don’t wear normal watches? Every mechanical watch in this world are right/left handie friendly. Or am I missing the sarcasm?

    • Gordon Zimmerman - 10 years ago

      Unlike a standard watch, the crown (knob) is a major user interface control for the Apple Watch. It might be awkward to operate if the crown did not point towards your other hand.

    • herb02135go - 10 years ago

      Gave up a watch about 1992.
      I love a naked wrist.

  5. frikova - 10 years ago

    As a leftie, it wouldn’t bother me using it as it is. Don’t see the big deal here.

    • jorge1170x - 10 years ago

      Your index finger will cover up the screen as you spin the zoom dial. I suppose you can contort your hand a little to avoid that but seems quite awkward (to me) to navigate that way.

  6. I’m not a leftie, but I do wear my watches on my right arm. I was seriously terrified that they had overlooked this major issue. All of the videos, photos and Tim Cook wore the watch on their left!

  7. What about those of us that wear our watch on the underside of the wrist? Will the sensors still work?

  8. Adam Hagymasi - 10 years ago

    Im fucking pissed!!!!!!!! NOW, Im not buying the watch because the crown looks Retarded on the bottom. THANKS APPLE for fucking Lefty’s….. Put the crown in the middle!!!!!! Lefty’s do not want the crown on the bottom and want it up top like you did for the Righty’s. FUCK YOU APPLE … I was gonna buy 3 watches and now I will never buy any until the crown are on the top like it is for the Rightys. Make a real Lefty watch and not some piece of shit Flip with crown on the bottom… SUCKS!!!!

    • Madhouse Martin - 10 years ago

      ADAM

      your a completer dick IDIOT I bet you weren’t going to buy even 1 watch you retard. Shut the fcuk up if you got nothing sensible to say then go and crawl under a rock where you belong!!!!!

  9. Devin Martinez - 10 years ago

    I’m left handed and I own over 20 watches, which I use on my left hand. But due to the nature of this watch , being for texting, browsing, scrolling etc. I’m glad the UI will be reversible cuz I will be wearing this on my right hand, even though I know it’ll take some time to get used to.

  10. Zippo (@ZippoS) - 10 years ago

    Well, that’s good. Even though I’m right-handed, I’ve always worn my watch on my right hand. Don’t know why… just always have.

Author

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.


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