6 Things I Learned Wearing an Apple Watch
After close to a year of vacillating about it, I finally have an Apple watch. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I needed it and I’m still not sure it’s a “must-have” accessory. But I can say it’s easy to wear and the data I’m starting to see from it is starting to make it more valuable every day.
In the month or so that I’ve had the watch, I’ve realized a few things. Some good and others…well, I’ll let you decide:
- Realistic expectations are necessary. Getting this watch will not turn you into Jason Bourne, Chuck Bartowski or even Maxwell Smart. And it does take some getting used to. I haven’t worn a watch in years so I was concerned about wearing a watch again. But I did find it a relatively easy habit to develop. The secret for me was keeping the charger near the bed. First thing on in the morning (after my glasses, of course) and off right before bed.
- The battery life is good. I do like that the Apple watch holds a battery charge well. I haven’t had a day yet where I’ve gone into power reserve mode. I’m not thrilled that I have to own a unique charger for it. Even though the charger is very easy to use. You know you can’t get away with only one charger…so one of my first purchases was a spare for travel.
- The watch face is an important feature. I love that I can customize my watch face. And I can change my watch face depending on my mood or what I’m doing. The watch face I use most often has several indicators including my next calendar appointment, battery life, exercise status, etc. I was concerned that the indicators would be too small and unreadable but I haven’t found that to be the case. I can see the watch face being valuable during conference season – just look at my watch to see my next appointment.
- It has the potential to disrupt wellness. I don’t believe we’ve seen the full capabilities of the Apple watch when it comes to health and exercise. I’m still getting used to all of the health data and, so far, I like it very much. Especially the standing goals feature. As someone who works from home, I’m really focused on standing at regular intervals. I get a little buzz on my wrist to remind me to stand up every hour. I’m amazed at the activity trackers that do not have this feature.
- It’s travel friendly…to a point. I’ve taken a couple of trips with my Apple watch. Did not have to take it off at the security checkpoint and it did not beep in the metal detector. In the past, I’ve been asked to remove my activity tracker and had it beep, so this is a nice surprise. I also didn’t have to turn it off inside the plane. Some people might say that’s not surprising, but the Apple watch is more than just a watch. And we get asked to turn our phones and tablets off regularly. So, I wasn’t sure what to expect with the watch.
- It’s still in the early adoption stages. Not every app is compatible with the Apple watch and on some level, I’m not sure every app needs to be. To get the full benefit of the watch, it needs to be “near” your iPhone, which is a somewhat subjective term. I can be on the other side of my house and still be close enough to my iPhone. However, I can take a walk around the neighborhood wearing the watch (without my phone) and it still has some functionality but not all functionality.
I still have some features I need to check out like using Siri for directions in my car, Apple Pay and Time Travel. If anyone is using them, let us know how you like them in the comments. My initial determination so far is that the Apple watch is good looking and an instant win with the face and exercise function. Only time will tell if future apps and upgrades add to its value.
Image courtesy of Sharlyn Lauby
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