Apple Watch
I’ve been wearing an Apple Watch for over three years now. It’s finally time to talk about it.
Imagine a world without your phone. A world where you’re getting all the power of technology, but much quicker, easier, at a glance, and in a way that doesn’t interrupt the flow of your day. That’s what the Watch offers. Where most people see the Apple Watch as a compliment to the iPhone, I see it as a front line of defense against it’s bigger brother, aiming to change the way we use all these amazing features we currently have in our life, but in a much nicer and simpler way.
I wear the Apple Watch about 23 hours a day (only taking it off as I’m getting dressed for the day, letting it charge back up to 100%), so it tracks everything from my heart rate, to the amount of time I sleep, to the steps I’ve taken, and to the flights of stairs I’ve climbed. Prompting Siri to wake me up at specific time, and getting tapped on the wrist when it’s time to wake up, always feels efficient and personal.
The Watch has now become my wallet. I never carry cash, and now, I rarely carry my card. Most places take wireless payments, so it feels weird anytime I have to dig around to grab my debit card. Double tapping the side button immediately brings up my debit card on the Watch screen. I usually do this as the cashier scans my items. She tells me the price, I raise my wrist to the payment screen, I hear the ding on my watch, then I walk out. It really is that simple.
The Apple Watch nudges me when I haven’t been active, with subtle motivation to stay focused on being healthy. With daily ring goals (calories burned, exercising, and stand goals), I get a detailed look at where I’m at each day. The Watch makes it simple to achieve a healthier life: just fill your rings.
It also keeps me updated on the weather, my calendar, phone calls, messages, and my daily todo list. And with AirPods in my ear (if you have Bluetooth headphones, those work too), I listen to podcasts and music, without ever needing my phone.
These are just a few examples of what’s happening each day on a tiny device that is always connected to me.
Table of Contents
Health
- Track calories burned
- Track minutes exercised
- Track sleep
- Track heart rate
Every day, I have a goal of 600 calories to burn, and at least 30 minutes of exercise. On days that I play basketball, I easily double that goal, but the days that I don’t play ball, those numbers seem to take forever to reach.
I’m not a good sleeper. I’ve always struggled falling asleep, and even when I finally do, I constantly wake up throughout the night. The Apple Watch shows me how restless I am throughout each night, sometimes burning more calories sleeping than I do at my desk.
For over three years now, I’ve been able to track my heart rate, and follow the patterns. I don’t have any heart problems, so there’s people that would need this feature much more than I do, but it’s very helpful with my anxiety. I can see the days and moments when my heart rate was higher than usual, and make a note of what could’ve been causing it.
There’s a breathing app that helps me bring all of my attention to my breath for a set amount of time that I use in these moments. There’s also a meditation app that I use as well. Being mindful, and focusing my attention on my breath and heart rate helps me center myself again to get back into the present moment.
Productivity
- Calendar
- Recording audio
- Credit cards
- Flight ticket
- Task manager
Almost every register I go to nowadays, has wireless payment. Double tapping the side button, and then raising my wrist to the card reader is as seamless as it gets. My wallet is usually in my car, or in my backpack, and my watch is the only thing I need for most transactions. And when in an airport, it’s the same for my ticket at the gate. I simply raise my wrist, scan the ticket, and keep moving.
Having my calendar at a glance helps me not miss anything important, or even better, helps me stay prepared for a transition between two events. Having a microphone one tap away helps me take audio notes and capture ideas. And with my task manager on my wrist, I can see what needs to be done each day, and focus completely on those tasks.
Audio
- Stream radio
- Shazam songs
- Listen to albums
- Listen to podcasts
Whether it’s streaming a radio station, scanning to see what song is currently playing in a coffee shop, or listening to my favorite album, the Apple Watch can do all of this without a phone.
I tend to listen to podcasts all day long. It’s my favorite form of entertainment. I follow ones that inspire and motivate me, and I follow ones that keep me informed with the latest sports, tech, and tv related news. Being able to have that daily batch of episodes waiting for me on my wrist is one of my favorite features about the Watch.
Miscellaneous
- Sports scores
- iMessage
- Calculator
- Photos
- Weather
Following a game’s schedule and score, having a conversation in iMessage, or scrolling through Twitter are just a few more ways to enjoy the Apple Watch.
A quick calculation, glancing at some of my photos, or checking the weather are more ways that I find useful on the Watch.
The Misconception
It’s becoming increasingly popular to have a little screen on your wrist, but as I ask around — those who own the Apple Watch and those who don’t — there’s a misconception of what its ultimate purpose is. If it was just an extension to your phone, there wouldn’t be much of a point to owning one.
I often see Watch owners go through this motion multiple times in one sitting: their Watch buzzes, they look down at the screen, then quickly pull their phone out to respond. Put their phone away, the Watch buzzes, then pull their phone out to respond. This is how they primarily use their Watch. I believe that’s adding another unneeded layer, and gives Watch critics fuel to why no ones needs them. In practice, either be in Watch mode, without your phone (for however long you can go without it), with glances here and there to make sure nothing is urgent, and using the watch for 5-10 seconds at a time to quickly make things happen — or be in phone mode, and take care of the few things that have queued up since the last time you’ve opened up your phone.
The best feature of the Apple Watch is to carve out chunks of your day with no phone at all. To practice leaving your phone behind, or in a bag, and only using the Watch. The misconception is that they work as a duo together. I believe that’s shortsighted, due to two things: phone addiction, and current limitations of technology where the Watch can’t completely be untethered from the phone — yet. There will be a day when a version of the Watch allows you to not need the phone at all. It already comes with cellular, so that day is already almost here.
The Bottom Line
The iPad is where I create, write, schedule, and plan — so I would have to consider it the most important device that I own, but it’s the Apple Watch that I look at as my favorite. Even though millions of people own one, it always feels so personal when it’s on my wrist — as if it was created just for me, delivering so many little details about my life, about my body, and about my daily routines. To sum it up in one sentence: The Apple Watch makes me a better version of myself.