I actually love that the main character is a named Michael even though she's (presumably) a woman. It's a small thing that alludes to the fact this is in the future where names and cultural gender markers will have evolved. I don't know if that was the intention by the writers but that's how I look at it.
I also like the Klingon redesign. They look more alien and hearing them speak so much in their own language reinforced that as well.
I don't mind the redesign in technology either. I look at it more as a retcon than a mistake for these characters to have seemingly more advanced or futuristic looking sets than TOS. A big reason things in TOS didn't look particularly advanced was just because the technology or budget to show futuristic tech didn't exist back in the 60s.
On the downside, this series looks surprisingly similar to the reboot movies. It's got not only a lot of lens flares but has that obnoxious diagonal framing of almost every shot. I thought the reboot movies were alright but I don't think the look of them suits Star Trek very well--especially for a TV series or for stories set in the original timeline.
