My (Very) Late Review of the Apple Watch Series 3
My wife and I have had our S3 Watches for over 2 years at the time of this writing. I know that everyone has talked a bit about the Apple Watch and there are a million reviews out there already, but there are 3 specific things I love about it. I've watched and read a lot about this device and I think I can offer a different perspective.
There seems to be 2 different categories of wearable technology that are often lumped together; There are smartwatches with clunky activity tracking features, or there are fitness wearables that have extremely basic smartwatch features. Examples of the former would be some of the Android Wear devices like the Moto360, Asus ZenWatch, or even some of the Pebble watches. Examples of the latter would be activity trackers from Garmin or Fitbit. In the rare event that you get a watch that handles both of these well AND still looks good, then you've got a real contender. Unfortunately, almost all of the smart watches I've found do one decently and the other poorly while looking objectively fugly.
I chose my Apple Watch for 3 reasons; Its abilities as a smartwatch, as a fitness tracker, and the design. I'll explain each of these in depth.
I love my Apple Watch but there's no way I could argue that anybody NEEDS one. They're super convenient but not a necessity. The integration with the iPhone is top-notch, the activity tracking is as good as it needs to be and the fashion versatility (IMO) is a fantastic plus. I'm extremely happy with my purchase and I'd buy one again in a heartbeat.
The Competition
There seems to be 2 different categories of wearable technology that are often lumped together; There are smartwatches with clunky activity tracking features, or there are fitness wearables that have extremely basic smartwatch features. Examples of the former would be some of the Android Wear devices like the Moto360, Asus ZenWatch, or even some of the Pebble watches. Examples of the latter would be activity trackers from Garmin or Fitbit. In the rare event that you get a watch that handles both of these well AND still looks good, then you've got a real contender. Unfortunately, almost all of the smart watches I've found do one decently and the other poorly while looking objectively fugly.
I chose my Apple Watch for 3 reasons; Its abilities as a smartwatch, as a fitness tracker, and the design. I'll explain each of these in depth.
As a Smartwatch
A Smartwatch, while getting more and more independent, is still ultimately designed to be a companion device to your smartphone. A large part of Apple's strength lies in their relatively seamless experience across multiple devices and the Apple Watch is no different. When it first came out, a lot of people's reactions could be summed up as "It's an iPhone for your wrist!" It's actually a very smooth extension of your iPhone. It can perform limited functions on it's own, but for the best experience, you're going to want to keep your phone within bluetooth range. One of the highest compliments I can pay the Apple Watch's smartwatch capabilities is that it doesn't feel like you're using a separate device. It genuinely feels like an extension of my iPhone and the way you use it feels the same as how you'd use your iPhone.
One of the issues with Pebble's smart watches or Fitbit's devices is that they're not made for any one platform. Sure, they might notify you that you got a text but you'll still need to pull out your phone to reply (or even read it sometimes). It might sound dumb but not having to pull your phone out really helps my productivity. I can get lost in my phone and waste a lot of time between Reddit and Facebook. Or when I'm walking to my car and I've got my arms full, it's annoying to have to pull my phone out to respond to a text message or a call. I know, #firstworldproblems, right?
I love being able to respond to iMessage using Siri or canned replies I've configured. Not having to pull out your phone is more about convenience than pure problem solving. Also worth noting is that the haptic feedback on the Apple Watch is more noticeable than the vibrate setting on my iPhone. I almost never miss a message and replying to simple messages is a breeze. Additionally, glancing at one's watch during a meeting feels far less rude than pulling out your phone.
There are other great smartwatch features I like. I find that I notice notifications but only occasionally respond via my watch. For example, I get email notifications frequently, but the value of seeing them on the watch is to see who they're from so I can gauge whether I should pull out my phone and reply immediately, or if I even need to reply at all. Calendar notifications are equally helpful.
Additionally, the app store for the watch is good. It's not as rich as the one for your iPhone or iPad, but it's got a better app selection than many might expect. I don't find the Watch app store a huge selling feature as I mostly rely on the default apps for most watch usage.
I love being able to respond to iMessage using Siri or canned replies I've configured. Not having to pull out your phone is more about convenience than pure problem solving. Also worth noting is that the haptic feedback on the Apple Watch is more noticeable than the vibrate setting on my iPhone. I almost never miss a message and replying to simple messages is a breeze. Additionally, glancing at one's watch during a meeting feels far less rude than pulling out your phone.
There are other great smartwatch features I like. I find that I notice notifications but only occasionally respond via my watch. For example, I get email notifications frequently, but the value of seeing them on the watch is to see who they're from so I can gauge whether I should pull out my phone and reply immediately, or if I even need to reply at all. Calendar notifications are equally helpful.
Additionally, the app store for the watch is good. It's not as rich as the one for your iPhone or iPad, but it's got a better app selection than many might expect. I don't find the Watch app store a huge selling feature as I mostly rely on the default apps for most watch usage.
Fitness Tracking
The Fitness/Activity tracking features of the Apple Watch are very much it's bread and butter. I love the default workouts app. I'm not a huge fitness buff (no pun intended) but I've grown to enjoy working out and I do it 4-6 times a week. I love the rings that track your movement, exercise and stand time. I sit too much, so the stand reminders are a welcome feature to remind me to get up. I'm naturally lazy at home and I sit all day for work. I typically don't have too much of a problem closing any of the rings. Even though I'm typically an active person, I still like the achievements from closing my rings each day. During a normal workday, I do enough walking between buildings on campus where I close my rings easily without even trying. On weekends where my activity levels vary wildly, if I get to a point where it's evening and I haven't gotten much for my rings, I'll go for a walk specifically to close my rings. I'm THAT person in your neighborhood.
You may have seen some reports about how the Apple Watch's health metrics aren't reliable. Studies have shown that it's usually very good, but that wrist-based heart-rate monitoring isn't the most reliable. For better reliability, you can pair most chest-mounted HR monitors with the watch. Based on what I know about competing fitness trackers (like ones from Garmin, Tomtom, and Fitbit), there are some people who will want more data or a device that's more specialized for their activity. However, I believe that the Apple Watch's fitness tracking features are more-than or at-least enough for 95% to 99% of the iPhone-using public.
The convenience of starting/stopping activities, managing music/podcast playback, and seeing information like pace, mile splits, or heart-rate data at a glance without having to dig my phone out is extremely convenient. I also use other apps like Waterminder for hydration tracking/reminders and Pillow for sleep tracking (While not "fitness" related, good sleep and proper hydration are pillars of good workout performance).
You may have seen some reports about how the Apple Watch's health metrics aren't reliable. Studies have shown that it's usually very good, but that wrist-based heart-rate monitoring isn't the most reliable. For better reliability, you can pair most chest-mounted HR monitors with the watch. Based on what I know about competing fitness trackers (like ones from Garmin, Tomtom, and Fitbit), there are some people who will want more data or a device that's more specialized for their activity. However, I believe that the Apple Watch's fitness tracking features are more-than or at-least enough for 95% to 99% of the iPhone-using public.
The convenience of starting/stopping activities, managing music/podcast playback, and seeing information like pace, mile splits, or heart-rate data at a glance without having to dig my phone out is extremely convenient. I also use other apps like Waterminder for hydration tracking/reminders and Pillow for sleep tracking (While not "fitness" related, good sleep and proper hydration are pillars of good workout performance).
Design
I know that looks are subjective. I think the Apple Watch looks fantastic, but I could completely understand someone disliking it. I like the design because it's neither too masculine nor too feminine. It's simple enough that it can go from the gym to the office to a casual gathering with friends, all with the change of the band. With the aftermarket band support and interchangeable band design, you can dress up the Apple Watch to coordinate with whatever you're wearing. Wearing a suit & tie? Pop on a stainless steel link bracelet. Dressing down a bit with slacks and a dress shirt? Go for a black or brown leather band or the Milanese loop. Hitting the gym? Throw on the rubber (thermoelastomer) sport band or the new nylon sport loop (which is super comfortable).
The Apple accessory bands are very nice but sometimes the difference in quality isn't worth the huge multiplier in cost. For example, the silver Milanese Loop from Apple MSRPs for $150. Meanwhile, you can get an extremely similar third party band from Amazon or others for anywhere from $10-$20. YMMV.
The Apple accessory bands are very nice but sometimes the difference in quality isn't worth the huge multiplier in cost. For example, the silver Milanese Loop from Apple MSRPs for $150. Meanwhile, you can get an extremely similar third party band from Amazon or others for anywhere from $10-$20. YMMV.
When I bought my Apple Watch, I got the Stainless Steel model with the Milanese Loop. I really like this band because it's infinitely adjustable, lightweight, and is fashionably versatile. It doesn't look too nice for khakis and a polo, but still nice enough to go with a suit. It's nice, but can be a little casual too, which I like. I typically wear it to work. When I'm dressing down for a day off (think jeans and a t-shirt), I swap out the stainless steel for a very comfy 3rd-party replica Sport Loop that I bought from Amazon. Swapping the bands is very easy and completely tool-less. I can completely change the look of the watch in under 20 seconds.
On one hand, compared to some "dumber" devices like many of the fitness wearables that only need to be charged once a week, the Apple Watch's battery life is abysmal. However, compared to most cell phones which we're used to charging each night, the watch's battery life is very good. I use it for responding to roughly half my text messages, doing a couple workouts a day using the workouts app, and then wear it all night using Pillow for sleep tracking. I wake up, workout, and then charge the watch while I shower and get ready for the day. Within 30 minutes, the charge goes from approximately 60% to low/mid 90%. I don't use the watch for making long phone calls, nor do I spend a lot of time composing messages on the watch. I also tend to keep my phone on my person or at least in the same room, so the watch is almost never using it's own GPS radio. I'm also not utilizing the LTE radio, since I always have my phone and my carrier doesn't support it (Total Wireless, I'm frugal). If you're relying heavily on the built-in GPS and LTE radios as opposed to piggy-backing off of your phone, your battery life performance will likely be noticeably worse.
Battery Life
On one hand, compared to some "dumber" devices like many of the fitness wearables that only need to be charged once a week, the Apple Watch's battery life is abysmal. However, compared to most cell phones which we're used to charging each night, the watch's battery life is very good. I use it for responding to roughly half my text messages, doing a couple workouts a day using the workouts app, and then wear it all night using Pillow for sleep tracking. I wake up, workout, and then charge the watch while I shower and get ready for the day. Within 30 minutes, the charge goes from approximately 60% to low/mid 90%. I don't use the watch for making long phone calls, nor do I spend a lot of time composing messages on the watch. I also tend to keep my phone on my person or at least in the same room, so the watch is almost never using it's own GPS radio. I'm also not utilizing the LTE radio, since I always have my phone and my carrier doesn't support it (Total Wireless, I'm frugal). If you're relying heavily on the built-in GPS and LTE radios as opposed to piggy-backing off of your phone, your battery life performance will likely be noticeably worse.
In Conclusion
I love my Apple Watch but there's no way I could argue that anybody NEEDS one. They're super convenient but not a necessity. The integration with the iPhone is top-notch, the activity tracking is as good as it needs to be and the fashion versatility (IMO) is a fantastic plus. I'm extremely happy with my purchase and I'd buy one again in a heartbeat.
Comments
Post a Comment