Second look at Apple Watch 3 LTE - why does it smell like original iPhone and AT&T deal?

I was very curious to see where Apple takes their Watch. I am looking not for an iPhone companion, but for a stand alone wrist communicator.

Recent propaganda from Apple got me all salivating - things were moving into the right direction, cellular support for iPhoneless functionality.

I felt like it would be nice to have a device that would work in L.A., and would still function for some bar hopping in Tijuana or for trekking in Peru, but that does not look to be the case. Not at least with my prepaid, T-Mobile based, virtual carrier. 

• "Wireless service plan required for cellular service." (All good there). "Apple Watch and iPhone service provider must be the same." (Ugh oh, no mention of Apple Watch on my providers site) "Not available with all service providers." (Excitement is lessening) "Not all service providers support enterprise accounts; check with your employer and service provider. Some legacy plans may not be compatible." (More fluff) "Prepaid plans are not supported." (Bang! And on this Bombshell...)  "Coverage dependent on carrier network." (Makes sense - need to have a signal for LTE to function) "Roaming is not available outside your carrier network coverage area." (Huh? Not sure about that one - so if my carrier supports roaming, shouldn't the watch would be able to take advantage of it too?) "Contact your service provider for more details. Check www.apple.com/watch/cellular for participating wireless carriers and eligibility." (Sounds restricted and limiting)

That's a total deal buster, will wait till there is a watch for a common man that supports any carrier with any plan. So far looks like a play from original iPhone playbook when it supported AT&T only. Thanks, but no thanks. At least not yet.

P.S. When I travel I either stay on wifi (for very short trips) or purchase a local pre-paid SIM with data. That is way cheaper than paying for roaming. In the past, when Apple locked the phones, it was a pain and there were all kinds of workarounds, but now it is no longer an issue. The same parity in time will come to the Apple Watch too.

New iPhone needs to be the new iWatch

My iPhone is just fine the way it is - it makes calls, sends iMessages, and checks email. The way phones have been evolving  (getting thinner, bigger screen, longer talk time) are not really promising anything revolutionary.

What I want to see is my iPhone being replaced by a smart watch.

I remember when my organizer (Palm Pilot) and my cell phone (PacBell McDonalds blue phone by Ericson) got replaced by a SMART phone (Palm Treo). Suddenly, there was less items to worry about! I want to see the same with a new iWatch - with "SuperSiri" - that would take the voice interface to the level of Star Trek computer. When I can converse with it and get things done via voice, screen size becomes irrelevant.

So there, less is more!