Editor’s Note: Rather than talking about the OS, apps, Digital Touch, and other technical features of the newly released Apple Watch, we wanted to bring you a look at how the Apple Watch applies to daily life in terms of style and functionality.
As a millennial male with a modest amount of disposable income and equal parts love for style and tech, there was no denying that the Apple Watch was on my radar from day one, offering a unique convergence of the material things I love the most. And as someone who has been wearing a watch since I was a teenager, as proud early adopter of new technology, and as a bit of an Apple loyalist, as the launch date inched closer, I knew I had to have it.
But despite its overall appeal and its ability to touch on all areas of my general interest, I remained skeptical. Would it be a suitable fitness tracking replacement for my Fitbit Force? Could it ever replace a traditional watch like my Raymond Weil as a fashion accessory? Would its usefulness as a gadget and iPhone companion be worth the hefty price tag? These questions could only really be answered after taking the plunge. And at $599 – the entry price for the cheapest stainless steel or Apple Watch model – it’s an expensive risk to take.
Read Between the Lines
Sure, there is a cheaper Apple Watch Sport line, but as someone who wears a stainless steel watch regularly, I couldn’t justify what I felt would be downgrading my style sense just to save money on the Apple Watch Sport – which is a great choice for non-watch wearers or those just looking for some new tech to play with or even a highly functional fitness tracker. I wanted a watch that’d be at minimum on par with what I already own and see as a mandatory fashion accessory – I simply don’t feel “dressed” if I’m not wearing a nice watch.
For those with a considerable amount of disposable income, Apple is offering a luxury Apple Watch Edition range of models sporting a yellow or rose gold case and matching luxury bands. Way out of my price range, but for anyone who can afford it, they make one hell of a statement.
Fashion and Function
The Watch range in stainless steel also offers the largest variety of band options. Bands are easily swappable with the push of a button, allowing you to quickly dress down from a Milanese Loop band to a fluoroelastomer Sports band to get gym-ready. This and the potential of third-party Watch bands from designers like Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, and others means the personalization of the Watch is nearly endless.
The biggest qualm I have with the Watch from a style perspective is the square face with rounded edges. Every watch I’ve ever owned has had a traditional round watch face, ideal for the sole purpose of timekeeping, but not at all ideal for displaying a wealth of information as the Apple Watch does. However, the stainless steel model retains the air of class associated with high-quality watches so long as you pair it with the right band.
It tells time, but it also has a wide range of apps – both native and third-party – up to 3,000 available as of the time of this writing. These vary from extremely useful to an outright waste of time. Many of the apps at the moment will display a snapshot of an iPhone app, and little more, prompting you to open your iPhone if you want to interact with it. While others open up a new world of practicality.
Everyday Application
How the Apple Watch will work for you isn’t immediately apparent. I knew ahead of time much of what it does, but there’s no telling how it’ll apply to your daily life until you have had enough time with it to customize it to your liking. There’s a reason why Apple is calling it their “most personal device yet.”
My weekend started with a short trip away. As I entered through the lobby doors of my hotel, I was able to check in with my Watch through the Marriott app – at some Starwood hotels, you can even use the Watch as your room key. I also was able to pay for my coffee at Starbucks with the Watch, using Passbook. It wasn’t until I was carrying a coffee in each hand back to my hotel room when the usefulness of the Watch hit me. Rather than putting down a coffee and fishing around my pocket for a room key card, I used Siri to text message my wife to open the door without ever touching my phone.
The next morning I used Yelp to find a local breakfast place and opened up the Maps app for turn-by-turn walking directions to the restaurant. The Watch would use Apple’s new haptic feedback to tap me on the wrist when it was time to look at the prompts for the next turn or direction.
Disconnect From Your iPhone By Connection To Your iPhone
But these are specific interactions with the Watch using specific apps for specific reasons. The real value of the Apple Watch was the ability to disconnect myself from my iPhone… partially. While the Watch is in constant Bluetooth connection with the Watch, I found myself using my smartphone a lot less overall. Now, instead of my phone vibrating constantly from emails, texts, and Twitter and Facebook notifications demanding my attention, my Watch would gently tap me on the wrist. After some tweaking of the notifications, I set it up so only the important emails and the like go through to my wrist, and everything else could wait.
Now, if I had an important email come through, I could then make the decision to open up my phone and give a proper response, make a quick response from the Watch itself, or just ignore it completely. This may not sound like much, but who doesn’t open up their iPhone to check an email, only to then remember something you’ve been meaning to Google, which then leads you onto ten other tasks and apps and eventually you forgot why you opened your phone in the first place. Smartphones have begun to consume our lives, we’re so attached to it, reliant on it, and connected to it at all times. With the Apple Watch being connected to it, you don’t have to be, and it’s cut down on my iPhone face time considerably.
The argument could be made that you’re now looking at your Watch instead, but these are mere glances, lasting only a couple of seconds versus the process of opening and unlocking your phone, then risking being distracted by another app vying for your attention. Whereas on the Watch, many of the apps are designed to be so simple, you couldn’t spend much time with them if you wanted to.
Worth The Price of Luxury
Let’s be clear here. No one “needs” an Apple Watch the same way we “need” a smartphone. Although it does offer plenty of functionality, it won’t help you be more productive, you can already access nearly every feature of the Watch from your iPhone, and on the iPhone it is ten times as robust of an experience. Apple has designed a luxury item here in every sense of the word – from the top of the line luxury Apple Watch Edition costing as much as $17,000, to the completely unnecessary costs of paying $349 for an Apple Watch Sport, when it’s little more than an iPhone accessory and fitness tracker. There is no killer app. It isn’t going to change the landscape of electronics and communication the way the original iPhone did.
Simply put, you don’t need it. But Apple has done their diligence to make sure you want it. And just like any luxury item, your disposable income and financial priorities will define if the Apple Watch – in any model – is worth it to you.
