It’s been just about seven months since I received my Watch. Since then, it has become an integral part of my daily routine. I’ve read lots of stories recently about others’ experiences with their Watches, many of which conclude with a “I can take it or leave it” type statement. My take: I don’t want to be without it!
Shortly after receiving my Watch (about three weeks), I posted ten reasons why I loved it. I thought it might be interesting to revisit that list after over half a year to see what points I made then are still valid today.
Here goes:
- It saves me time and effort. Yep. That is even more true today than before. My Watch is now running WatchOS 2 and third-party developers have gotten much more clever incorporating watch face complications and notifications. There’s so much information available on my wrist, the number of times I need to go to my pocket for my iPhone has been reduced by a factor of ten.
- My iPhone battery life is phenomenal. Yessir. I still use an iPhone 6 Plus. I start every day with a 100% charge and typically end the evening with a 60 – 70% charge. I’m sure this is due to the Watch drastically reducing the time I spend with my iPhone’s screen on.
- Pay is still extremely convenient and getting better all the time. The number of banks, credit card companies and merchants signing up for Pay has grown tremendously over the past months. It’s gotten to the point where I verbally scold merchants who haven’t adopted it. Squeaky wheel and all that.
- AirPlay control with Apple’s Remote app on my Watch is something I do on a daily basis. I’ve never bought into Sonos or Bluetooth streaming to experience music throughout my home, relying on strategically placed AirPort Express and TV devices connected to existing sound systems. I simply use the Remote app on my Watch or iPhone to direct iTunes Home Sharing on my Mac(s) to play what I want, where I want it and how loud I want to play it.
- Siri just keeps getting better. How do I know this? Because I use Siri several times per day (at least) and my flub percentage is way down, surely into the single digits and I’m pretty sure most of those are due to background noise. So who’s gotten better, me or Siri? Probably both of us, but using Siri on the Watch has become as routine as checking the time. I set timers when I’m cooking, check my schedule, set alarms, get sports scores and schedules and send text messages using the “Hey Siri” method. Siri has become so dependable it’s (she’s?) my default go to method for these tasks.
- OK, so talking to my wrist like Dick Tracy turned out to be a bit of a novelty. Sue me. I still take the occasional call on my Watch, but it’s usually because my iPhone is out of reach. What is really handy is using my Watch to screen incoming calls without taking my iPhone out of my pocket.
- Notifications are easy to miss on an iPhone. They pop up for a few seconds, then disappear into a hidden list I won’t see unless I purposely call it up. There’s no reminder on the iPhone that I have notices that haven’t been read or acknowledged. Consequently, some notices go unread. Not so with the Watch. Now when I get a notification there’s a little red dot atop my watch face that stays there until every notice is either dismissed or deleted. I hate red dots. I will do whatever it takes to make red dots disappear. That means paying attention to notifications and acting on them. It also means spending some amount of time configuring apps to send only the notifications I need or want, to minimize the occurrence of that cursed red dot.
- I use the Camera Remote app maybe once per month. There is the rare occasion when I need to see around a corner or otherwise tight spot, but I mainly use the app for taking group pictures that include myself. I set my iPhone on a stand or shelf pointed at our group and frame us by positioning everyone while looking through the viewfinder on my Watch. When we’re all set, I snap the shutter on my watch face. The resulting group photo has everyone in frame, eyes front and saying “cheese”.
- I’m still a watch guy and now even more Apple guy. In my sunny state where short sleeves are worn eleven months a year, it’s easy to spot us watch guys by the tan lines around our wrists. My kids have been making fun of mine for years now. The only difference is now my tan line is more rectangular that it was when I sported my Citizen Diver. Point is, I’ve worn a watch since I was a kid. On the rare occasion when I’m not wearing one, I absent-mindedly check the freckles on my left wrist trying to discern the time. My Watch simply extends my Apple lifestyle to the wearable realm. It is a very welcome addition.
- I still like showing off. Also, I have no fear of “version 1” products. I bought the new iPhone in 2007, the new iPad in 2010. Both were great experiences. Sure, I had to put up with issues typical of rev one products. Hell, the iPhone didn’t have an app store. I had to jailbreak it before I could even play solitaire on it. But all those type “inconveniences” vanished when I would get a call while in the grocery store or some other public place and turn the heads of the curious folks who’d never seen the magical device. Even months after its release, the Watch still garners that type of attention, especially when I use Pay. Waving my wrist at the NFC device and hearing the little “ding” still makes eyeballs open wide. I like causing that.
- Yes, I know my original list only contained ten items, but I discovered a new reason to love my Watch while traveling over the summer. It is a great addition to Apple Maps' turn-by-turn directions. When the family went to Sedona, Arizona for our summer vacation in July, I used Maps (like I always do) on my iPhone to navigate from Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix to our final destination. I started turn-by-turn as I drove out of the rent car center. Just before the exit, my Watch began tapping my wrist and making a "bing-bong" sound. I didn't know what was happening at the time. I was busy turning left and merging with traffic. About a quarter mile down the road my watch tapped me again, this time with a "bong-bing" sound. Glancing at my iPhone told me there was an upcoming right turn in 500 ft. How cool!? The watch gives you taps and audible indications of your directions so you don't have to take your eyes off the road to know which way to go. Bing-bong to turn left and bong-bing to turn right. Not a huge feature, I know, just another one of those pleasant little surprises that reenforces my love of all things Apple.
A lot has changed with the Watch since my first post about it. WatchOS has gone through a major version upgrade to version 2, the app store is now bursting at the seems with Watch-specific and/or Watch-enhanced apps and the number of watch bands and accessories available from Apple and third-party vendors has exploded. All this adds to the innumerable reasons why I (still) love my Watch and why I’ll be close to the front of the line for Watch 2.0.