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The Apple Watch is a weird product. It’s expensive, almost all of its features mimic functionality of smartphones, and at its core, it’s reinventing a personal accessory widely viewed by (most) technophiles as an anachronism.
It’s also my favorite tech gadget ever. Here’s why:
A Cure for Digital Addiction Syndrome
Touch the side button to access favorite apps
I’ll just say this up front. The Gremlin tends to live in a perpetual state of anxiety. Whether it’s worries about work, the state of the world, or the inherent frictions of daily life, I often end my days with my mind racing, unable to pump the brakes.
Technology has not been helpful in this regard. The endless pings, rings, and shuddering vibrations in my pocket were something I was simply resigned to for years after I got a smartphone.
Then, Apple announced the first Apple Watch. I lapped up the product announcement with glee, but I immediately laughed off Apple’s suggestion that another device strapped to my wrist would somehow reduce my anxiety over the onslaught of notifications.
But after a years of using the watch every single day, I’m sold on the idea. It’s simple, really. In my pre-watch days, every time my phone pinged, I’d want to find it to check in on what was happening. If I didn’t, I’d either miss something important, or worry about missing something important (FOMO takes many forms). Could some serious yoga and self-discipline have solved this? Of course, but I’m simply not the type for whom Namaste rolls of the tongue. Post-watch, a simple flick of the wrist will tell me if a friend is texting, or if the Things app has a critical reminder for my day. If I want to disconnect completely, I can swipe up on my watch face, tap “do not disturb” and tune out. Granualar settings allow you to fine tune in detail exactly what you do or don’t want your watch to bother you with. best of all, the delightful “taptic” haptics engine in the watch makes receiving notifications a subtle and unintrusive event. In short the watch functions as a simple but life-altering habit-breaker.
Health & the Safety Net
My watch mid-EKG
If there’s one feature set that truly sets the watch apart from other devices, it’s health and fitness.
The current tech revolution is all about the internet and the power of instant connectivity. Many prognosticators believe that our next great leap will be in health technology. Apple Watch owners can easily see why.
The sad truth is, a large percentage of deaths are preventable. Whether it’s a heart attack brought on by a lack of exercise, an incapacitating fall, or a freak accident that renders you unable to access your phone, the objective truth is that a good smart watch can be (and for many, has been) the difference between life and death.
As a self-described worry wart, I appreciate having information about my health at my finger tips. Literally. Holding a finger to my Series 4 watch allows me to take a basic EKG anytime anywhere. Not only can I see calorie burn counts from my workouts, but I can also graph my day by day heart rate over time, allowing me to spot trends in my fitness level. It’s a remarkable window into the state of your body, that can force you to reckon with the true state of your health.
My High/Low Heart rates for 2018, from data collected on my wrist
Most importantly though, I can rest a little easier knowing that if I ever trip and fall without my wife around, my watch will detect the fall, call 9-1-1 for me and alert my family. If I’m ever without my phone and need help fast, I can hold down the side button on my device to automatically call the authorities (even if I’m traveling in another country). My wife and parents are similarly protected by their watches. Ultimately, even if it only covers a sliver of potentially dangerous scenarios, it’s a sliver that wasn’t protected before. Bottom line, it makes me feel a little bit safer, and I’ve never had a false positive where it triggered incorrectly.
Glancable Data
Data I keep on my main watch face
At its inception, people made the mistake of viewing the watch as an “iPhone Mini.” They tried to read the news on it. They tried to send e-mails. They even used it to browse inappropriate photos. These things are all possible on the watch, but they’re not really practical or useful. What is useful is a swath of information “nuggets” ; basic info that we regularly need to check, but don’t want to pull out a phone to find out: Think weather forecast. Calendar events for the day or week. Stock prices. Grocery lists. To Do lists. These nuggets are unique for everyone, but having instant access to them builds up into a life changing advantage. Here’s an example. As a California resident, I’ve gotten to experience our annual wildfire scares, which always lead to days of inconsistent air quality in our city. The winds change, and a clear afternoon can become toxic in minutes. During this past (and deeply tragic) fire season, my wife and I were able to keep up to the minute tabs on our air quality, and determine the best time to go out for groceries, or open the windows. We could have found an iPhone app for this data, but having it on our wrists meant we actually took a few moments a day to check.
A secondary face setup for quick access to air quality, heart rate history etc.
The watch also has a smattering of smaller uses that I still appreciate on a regular bases. Having a tiny always connected computer on my wrist makes smart home gadgets like our lock and lightbulbs much more useful, because I know that I can ALWAYS control them, even when I don’t have a phone handy.
Similarly, Siri is always there for me. I’ve found “watch Siri” particularly useful in my car. Sadly, the 2011 Prius has a mediocre hands free implementation that prevents me from using Siri on my phone to initiate calls. On my watch however, it’s no problem. For those rocking older or economy vehicles without bluetooth, Siri on the watch is a great way to safely enhance your web access (and control audio playback) while driving.
Apple Pay on the watch is also far superior to the phone. For me, the real advantage of Apple Pay is being able to check out without pulling out a wallet. With the watch, you simply double tap the side button and touch the reader. It takes a split second, and as a side benefit, it makes you feel like you’re living in the sci-fi future you dreamed of as a child.
Watches are awesome
Even before the Apple Watch, I missed my childhood years of wearing an attractive timepiece. I find it useful and reassuring to always know the time without having to get sucked into my phone. The original iPhone was terrible at being a phone (especially in New York City), but even from the beginning the Apple Watch has always been a really good watch. Not only does the watch synchronize via server for perfectly accurate time, it also features an array of beautiful deeply customizable faces, from elegant, smoothly gliding analog hands, to animated characters dancing across your screen. The classic time, stop-watch and Alarm functionality are quick to access and easy to operate.
Buying guide:
Looking to pickup a watch? There’s a whole lot of options at a variety of prices.
The best Apple Watch, bar none:
The best budget option:
If you’re still struggling to choose, here’s a break down of the options:
Which series?
Apple names it’s watch generations by “series” number. The original Apple Watch was Series 0. The dual core update to the original was Series 1. Series 2 added GPS, improved water proofing, and a processor bump. Series 3 added more performance and a cellular option. Series 4 is the biggest leap since the original. Bigger screen, thinner body, hugely improved performance, EKG heart sensor (USA ONLY for now), and a more sensitive accelerometer for fall detection. If you’ve got the cash, the latest and greatest is a big jump and well worth it. If you’re on a budget, series 3 was the first watch that didn’t feel “sluggish,” and as such is the only other series I’d recommend buying.
Which size?
For series 4, the options are 40 or 44mm. Series 3 offers 38 or 42mm. If you’re buying the watch primarily for it’s functionality, I’d recommend buying the bigger size if it’ll fit on your wrist. If you’re sensitive to aesthetics, consider trying them on at your local Apple store, or measuring your wrist size, as the smaller model might be a better bet. Buying for a friend? It’s by no means a given, but in my personal experience, women tend to prefer the smaller models, and guys usually like the larger size. When it comes to Series 4, more men seem to be opting for the smaller 40mm size, as it’s become a good compromise between screen real estate and physical size.
Cellular or wifi only?
This is a tricky one. Personally, I opted for wifi to save cash, and because I work from home, so I pretty much always have either wi-fi access, or I have my phone with me. The cellular model works very well (I owned the cellular series 3,) but the extra $10 a month wasn’t worth it for me. One big caveat is that even an inactive cellular device retains the ability to dial 9-1-1, so if you don’t want to pay more monthly, you might consider buying the cellular model anyway, if safety is a priority.
Stainless, black stainless, or aluminum?
This is the really hard part. Each style has advantages. The stainless models have saffire coated screens, which makes them very difficult to scratch. I switched to aluminum this year after using stainless since S0, and while I appreciated the lower price, I’ve quickly put a bunch of scratches on the display, which are a mild annoyance. However, the body of the aluminum watch is much more scratch resistant than the silver stainless. Notably, the black stainless models use a special coating method that apparently makes them more resilient to scratching.
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