Anyone still use first Apple Watch

[parseckadet]

It's not about being a snob its about being professional, I find wearing even the stainless steel apple watch to meetings etc pushing it already in regards to what looks professional and appropriate, I would feel very uncomfortable wearing something thats clearly a casual sports watch in to work so the stainless steel is an absolute must.

I used to feel this way too, not at my own company, but when being on client site. I think back in 2015 when the series 0 came out this was a valid concern. But now days fitness trackers of all sorts have become much more accepted. I see them everywhere. Insurance companies give them away and employers encourage their use. When I watch the news just about every anchor is wearing one (the weather woman wears both a fitbit and an Apple Watch); Stephen Colbert is always wearing one. Hell, I work for a major financial company and our CEO wears an aluminum Apple Watch.

The glass used on the screen is a dealbreaker too. My watch gets bashed and scraped all over the place and the screen still looks immaculate. Everyone I know with the sport model has a screen thats scratched to pieces, even the employees in the Apple store admitted their sports models all have scratched screens with daily use. The screen material is the main thing that puts me off the sport model rather than the aesthetics.

Now this I absolutely agree with. I've pretty much decided that any watch I buy should have a sapphire glass. Saving money by getting a watch without one is penny wise, pound foolish in by eyes.

 

[andyp350]

Yea cause Tim Cook, Eddie Cue, Phil Schiller etc would look so unprofessional walking into your meeting wearing apple watches. After all they run a nickel and dime company. Your company must be soooo much more successful and professional.

/s

What a ridiculous response. Apple have a very casual/laid back/hipstery image and attitude. They wear jeans to go on stage and present their new products. Whilst the place I work for isn’t as big and successful as Apple there is a dress code that I am expected to stick to which, regardless of what watch I have on, certainly doesn’t include jeans in any scenario. So comparing what I have to wear to what the people at Apple wear just isn’t a valid comparison.
Also I highly doubt the big shots at Apple wear the cheaper aluminium watch model....
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What makes a shiny watch more professional and appropriate than a matt finish?

Yeah, right? I don't get this logic at all. If anything, its not the case that defines "professionalism" but rather the band. If yo walk into a meeting with a watch with a hot pink rubber watch band, yeah, thats gonna stand out. If you walk in with a nice leather or metal link band the watch, regardless of it being SS or aluminum, is going to look more like a regular watch and blend into the background and not stand out as not "professional"

I agree on the strap/band making the bigger difference. But I don’t feel the smarter straps (that would be the leather and metal ones) look right on the aluminium watches. Obviously this is completely subjective and my own opinion and taste and others will probably strongly disagree. But it’s how I feel and I like to feel comfortable and confident in what I am wearing. It would be like putting on a clothing combination that you didn’t think looked quite right even if your partner said it looked fine, you’re never going to feel comfortable wearing it if YOU don’t think it’s a good look.
That combined with the lack of sapphire glass on the screen means the sport model just isn’t something i’d consider buying. I feel the stainless steel suits me better for all uses.

 

[Zxxv]

What a ridiculous response. Apple have a very casual/laid back/hipstery image and attitude. They wear jeans to go on stage and present their new products. Whilst the place I work for isn’t as big and successful as Apple there is a dress code that I am expected to stick to which, regardless of what watch I have on, certainly doesn’t include jeans in any scenario. So comparing what I have to wear to what the people at Apple wear just isn’t a valid comparison.
Also I highly doubt the big shots at Apple wear the cheaper aluminium watch model....
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I said if they sat in your company. Learn to read before jumping off the handle. If they sat in your company with apple watches on no one in the room would think they look unprofessional. Value yourself. You'll go further.

 

[andyp350]

I said if they sat in your company. Learn to read before jumping off the handle. If they sat in your company with apple watches on no one in the room would think they look unprofessional. Value yourself. You'll go further.

I’m firmly on my handle and can read perfectly thanks. My response stands. In my work, someone turning up to the offices or to a meeting in jeans, whether that person be Tim Cook or anybody else would look incredibly out of place and under dressed.
In my experience you generally respect the dress code of the place you are going, but we’re going off topic now. None of this discussion changes the fact that I feel the stainless steel watch is more appropriate for MY work environment and dress code.

 

[Ffosse]

What a ridiculous response. Apple have a very casual/laid back/hipstery image and attitude. They wear jeans to go on stage and present their new products. Whilst the place I work for isn’t as big and successful as Apple there is a dress code that I am expected to stick to which, regardless of what watch I have on, certainly doesn’t include jeans in any scenario. So comparing what I have to wear to what the people at Apple wear just isn’t a valid comparison.
Also I highly doubt the big shots at Apple wear the cheaper aluminium watch model....
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I agree on the strap/band making the bigger difference. But I don’t feel the smarter straps (that would be the leather and metal ones) look right on the aluminium watches. Obviously this is completely subjective and my own opinion and taste and others will probably strongly disagree. But it’s how I feel and I like to feel comfortable and confident in what I am wearing. It would be like putting on a clothing combination that you didn’t think looked quite right even if your partner said it looked fine, you’re never going to feel comfortable wearing it if YOU don’t think it’s a good look.
That combined with the lack of sapphire glass on the screen means the sport model just isn’t something i’d consider buying. I feel the stainless steel suits me better for all uses.

I agree - the aluminium goes best with the sport or fabric bands.

 

[Mainsail]

Realize that you're cherry-picking the most expensive configuration for the SS, with the link bracelet. That band is $500 by itself, and anyone who has one could continue to use it with their new watch. They're not going to spend $1200 every time they upgrade. The SS starts at $599 for the 38mm, $649 for the 42mm.

Look, I get where you're coming from. I spent over $700 for mine since I got AppleCare with it, which I felt was a good use of money for a 1st generation product. I promised myself, and my wife, that I would wait at least 4 years before upgrading. The point I'm getting from reading this thread is that most series 0 owners who are upgrading are doing so for a specific new feature, either water resistance or LTE. When we bought the series 0 we all knew these would be likely additions in the near future. I honestly don't care about either feature, so I'm not upgrading.

Your situation is different. You're considering the SS with all its current features and wondering if TODAY's watch will last you. To answer that you have to ask what features are likely to be added from here. I think the most likely candidates are an always on display, a built-in camera, better battery life, new fitness sensors/features, and thinner and/or new case design. In the time frame you're talking about I think most of those will be added at some point (if they don't add a camera it will be because Apple makes a conscious decision not to, not because they can't do it). So what you need to be asking is, are any of those things that will make you wish you had waited? If not, then I think it would be safe to say that the SS Apple Watch could last you 5 years or even longer.

Aside from new features, the only other limiting thing about the Apple Watch is diminished battery life over time. But realize that all watches require some kind of service at some point (either a new battery, or a tune up for mechanicals). Let's put things in perspective. I have a nice Tag Heuer watch that my mother gave me as a graduation gift. Every time it needs a new battery I have to take it to a jewelry store to have it done because all the seals in it need to be pressure tested once the battery is replaced. Most stores charge about $80-$100 for this. Want to guess what Apple changes for a new battery? $80.

I think you make some good points, and to be clear, it was not my intent to criticize the decision to purchase a SS Apple Watch. People should buy what they want and enjoy it. Some of the posts have complained about laggy performance in the series 0 Watch, and folks were feeling compelled to upgrade. Personally, if I spent even $500 on a new Watch and felt it was not performing adequately after 2.5 years, it would kind of bum me out.

I would expect a $500 Watch to perform famously for at least 5 years.

 

[parseckadet]

I think you make some good points, and to be clear, it was not my intent to criticize the decision to purchase a SS Apple Watch. People should buy what they want and enjoy it. Some of the posts have complained about laggy performance in the series 0 Watch, and folks were feeling compelled to upgrade. Personally, if I spent even $500 on a new Watch and felt it was not performing adequately after 2.5 years, it would kind of bum me out.

I would expect a $500 Watch to perform famously for at least 5 years.

Yep, and I agree with the sentiment. Us series 0 adapters knew that speed improvements were likely with successive hardware updates. Realize that apps have been slow on the series 0 since launch. Performance hasn't degraded over the last 2.5 years, it's stayed about the same, though it actually got a little better with OS 4. The series 0 is slow when compared to series 2 and 3, but that was expected.

Today it's a different story. Series 3 is not slow, and I don't expect it will feel slow 5 years from now.

 

[DNichter]

Still wear my Series 0 every day since launch, but I am getting frustrated with it as of late. It dies around 3 pm after putting it on at 7 am fully charged. I have tried (I think) everything that I can, but nothing seems to work. I have repaired, reset, etc. If anyone knows of a fix, let me know!

 

[crazee928]

Still wear my Series 0 every day since launch, but I am getting frustrated with it as of late. It dies around 3 pm after putting it on at 7 am fully charged. I have tried (I think) everything that I can, but nothing seems to work. I have repaired, reset, etc. If anyone knows of a fix, let me know!

same here - been talking about it in this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/watch-os-4-battery-life-improved-even-more.2070458/

i’ve been averaging 7 hours battery life since updating to wos4 just for time and notifications. today was worse, i put my watch on at 9:30am and right now (1:15pm) i’m at 5%. i’m pretty upset because the update pretty much rendered my device useless after a few hours. slowing down bc of new features on a dated hardware is one thing, but shortening the usage duration is something else.

 

[DNichter]

same here - been talking about it in this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/watch-os-4-battery-life-improved-even-more.2070458/

i’ve been averaging 7 hours battery life since updating to wos4 just for time and notifications. today was worse, i put my watch on at 9:30am and right now (1:15pm) i’m at 5%. i’m pretty upset because the update pretty much rendered my device useless after a few hours. slowing down bc of new features on a dated hardware is one thing, but shortening the usage duration is something else.

Yea it's been super frustrating for me too. I haven't found any sort of fix. I will wait until 4.1 or whatever to see if anything gets better. If not, I will likely bring to Apple to have them revert back to OS3. I've considered just buying a Series 3, but I don't really see any reason to upgrade at this point (besides getting back original functionality).

 

[HeathH]

Realize that you're cherry-picking the most expensive configuration for the SS, with the link bracelet. That band is $500 by itself, and anyone who has one could continue to use it with their new watch. They're not going to spend $1200 every time they upgrade. The SS starts at $599 for the 38mm, $649 for the 42mm.

Look, I get where you're coming from. I spent over $700 for mine since I got AppleCare with it, which I felt was a good use of money for a 1st generation product. I promised myself, and my wife, that I would wait at least 4 years before upgrading. The point I'm getting from reading this thread is that most series 0 owners who are upgrading are doing so for a specific new feature, either water resistance or LTE. When we bought the series 0 we all knew these would be likely additions in the near future. I honestly don't care about either feature, so I'm not upgrading.

Your situation is different. You're considering the SS with all its current features and wondering if TODAY's watch will last you. To answer that you have to ask what features are likely to be added from here. I think the most likely candidates are an always on display, a built-in camera, better battery life, new fitness sensors/features, and thinner and/or new case design. In the time frame you're talking about I think most of those will be added at some point (if they don't add a camera it will be because Apple makes a conscious decision not to, not because they can't do it). So what you need to be asking is, are any of those things that will make you wish you had waited? If not, then I think it would be safe to say that the SS Apple Watch could last you 5 years or even longer.

Aside from new features, the only other limiting thing about the Apple Watch is diminished battery life over time. But realize that all watches require some kind of service at some point (either a new battery, or a tune up for mechanicals). Let's put things in perspective. I have a nice Tag Heuer watch that my mother gave me as a graduation gift. Every time it needs a new battery I have to take it to a jewelry store to have it done because all the seals in it need to be pressure tested once the battery is replaced. Most stores charge about $80-$100 for this. Want to guess what Apple changes for a new battery? $80.

Exactly right on cherry picking the most expensive option. I think I was the guy he was referencing. While I probably will upgrade the watch, I will get many years use out of the black link bracelet. Considering how well it looks now after daily wear since I got the S0, it will likely still look brand new three years from now. I’m no materials expert, but that DLC coating on the case and band is pretty amazing. I’ve even scraped the band on nails inside wall cavities. The metal from the nail just wipes off the band, no scratch at all.

Interesting how you can’t even order that configuration anymore.
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Yea it's been super frustrating for me too. I haven't found any sort of fix. I will wait until 4.1 or whatever to see if anything gets better. If not, I will likely bring to Apple to have them revert back to OS3. I've considered just buying a Series 3, but I don't really see any reason to upgrade at this point (besides getting back original functionality).

Sounds like a bug. Many of the reports I have read on S0 and OS 4 have been pretty good. My case battery life has been at least the same since upgrading to 4. Might try unpairing and then set up as a new watch (not from backup). Then slowly add any apps or complications. Something isn’t agreeing with OS 4 on your watch.

 

[rdy0329]

My 38mm s0 SS is about 2.5 years old I think and is showing it’s age. The case is scratched quite a lot and cannot get through a day without needing a charge - it’s usually dying after being on for 12 hours. This would be primary reason to upgrade but I’m still annoyed that you can only get the LTE version in SS as I’ve bashed mine loads against walls, etc and the screen is pristine. I’m not going to use the LTE functionality as I’m on O2 here in the UK and it’s only available on EE at present (and the red dot looks silly!). So I’m in a quandary about “downgrading” to a sport...

Same quandry exascerbated by the fact that Aluminum version without cellular ONLY has composite back versus ceramic back. Come on Apple! I was expecting it to be like Series 2! I was very very very close to upgrading until I saw one in-store. Shame.

I’m on S0 launch day unit SS. It got replaced last May due to that HR monitor falling off so I basically got a new watch. The battery life on the new one didn’t seem to improve a lot maybe because of OS4 ~1hr give or take.

OS is slow so I’m using it for notif, siri and workouts ONLY. App usage is rare except for some uber and sms replies. Works for what I need but might replace it when S4 comes out.

If you include Apple’s excellent replacement policies, Health benefit it gave me in 2 years as well as times where I didn’t have my phone and an important call came in, I think the watch is a worthwhile investment.

Get S3 and use it for 3-4 years like some of us S0 are doing.

 

[vista.john]

I know couple people around me still wearing S0 and not upgrade any time soon.

 

[Juandagis]

I've had my Apple watch since day one. About a month ago I gave the screen a tiny crack. It worked fine but then when bathing my little ones water got in and damaged 2/3 of the screen. It still works but I ordered a space grey 42mm series 3 with the olive band from ATT. Should come in around Oct 6-13.

 

[broadbean]

I've had my Apple watch since day one. About a month ago I gave the screen a tiny crack. It worked fine but then when bathing my little ones water got in and damaged 2/3 of the screen.

I had my original one from Launch Day, and had been in the pool every weekend with it without much issue apart from (as it turns out) water blocking the speakers for a few hours afterwards. I worked out how to get the water out later.

It eventually frizzled out a few months later and I'm sure due to water damage, but was replaced under warranty as at the time Apple had no way to deal with these issues apart from sending them back. My suspicion all along was I banged the Watch really hard against the wall (misjudged where I was) thus compromising its seal, and the weekend before it frizzled out I was in a warm pool for an hour and a half.

I haven't really done any more than showering with the replacement since, but I wouldn't be surprised it's still reasonably water resistant. That's not what I could say about my attempt at a "swimproof" Nike+ last year!

 

[44267547]

Yea it's been super frustrating for me too. I haven't found any sort of fix. I will wait until 4.1 or whatever to see if anything gets better. If not, I will likely bring to Apple to have them revert back to OS3. I've considered just buying a Series 3, but I don't really see any reason to upgrade at this point (besides getting back original functionality).

The software patch could repair the issue, it also could be third-party applications sometimes that contribute to battery drain or, you might be needing a battery replacement as well. At least it's an option to replace the battery if you wanted to upgrade to the new Apple Watch whenever we see another iteration. Depending on when you purchase your Apple Watch, I believe Apple rated the battery good for about two years if it's used on a daily basis.

 

[OllyW]

Still wear my Series 0 every day since launch, but I am getting frustrated with it as of late. It dies around 3 pm after putting it on at 7 am fully charged. I have tried (I think) everything that I can, but nothing seems to work. I have repaired, reset, etc. If anyone knows of a fix, let me know!

Mine has been all over the place since updating to watchOS 4.

Some days it will behave normally and easily last all day with plenty to spare and on others it's dead by the evening. On two occasions charging has failed using the official Apple dock and I've had to restart the watch to get it to charge up. I hope there's a patch coming to fix this soon.

 

[ascender]

After an initial period of not getting on with the watch at all, I've been a S0 user since launch. Had it not been for the added GPS and LTE capabilities, I would have kept it for a while longer - the SS still looks great and there's not a single mark on the screen at all which is remarkable given how i've used it.

My wife is now using the watch and its working just as well as it ever did. Its primary use for us both has been notifications, some texting and fitness tracking. Its interesting using an S3 now because its not like upgrading to a new computer where everything is so much faster and responsive and tasks take less time to do - it is clearly more powerful and snappy - but due to how I use the watch and interact with it, i'm having to adjust how I touch the screen to accommodate the new responsiveness.

Its now just the lightest of touches to dismiss reminders... Force Touch doesn't need much force to be applied at all. So while the difference in performance is night and day, its kind of a weird thing to describe. I got used to the lag in the UI, or the perceived lag and just adjusted to it - it became normal. But because of how I used the watch, it really didn't make the watch unuseable or make me frustrated.

 

[broadbean]

On two occasions charging has failed using the official Apple dock and I've had to restart the watch to get it to charge up.

Are you attributing this to watchOS 4? My wife's Launch Day S0 38mm has had charging problems over the years. Couldn't put our finger on it. Sometimes it would be a difference depending on whether it was lying flat or in "Nightstand" mode. We've tried different adapters and charging cables. Took it to an Apple Genius and they didn't see any issues with the battery.

It's one feature I wished came on the Watch - if it had not been worn for say six hours, it should show the battery level when you first put it on, unless it's more than say 90%.

As the wife's Watch only fails to charge maybe once every few months properly, you stop checking if there's enough juice for the day.

 

[OllyW]

Are you attributing this to watchOS 4?

Yes, I am. It has been happily charging away on the dock for the last twelve months without the slightest hint of any problems but has failed twice in the last week since installing watchOS 4.

That issue combined with the out of character erratic battery behaviour means I'm blaming the new OS.

 

[maflynn]

I'm still on the S0, my experience with watchOS 4 has been mixed. There's somethings I like, some things that don't seem to work as well they used to and something that seem better.

 

[blairh]

I'm using a S0. Even though I workout I don't use the fitness features. So my needs are simply notifications and Apple Pay. I really regret updating to 4.0 simply because it strips all music controls from my library. An enormous mistake by Apple that hopefully will change in due time.

Battery life is still fine. I get about 15 hrs without a recharge. I imagine if/when I upgrade battery life will be much better. Not tempted to upgrade unless my S0 breaks. Otherwise I imagine I will get new AW next fall. Series 4. Not tempted by LTE.

 

[nightcap965]

How does the aluminum version hold up? Is the watch crystal easily scratched?

I still have an S0 aluminum, and it's in great condition. No scratches.

 

[zaxven]

too still using the sports watch edition bought when it was released, got glass replaced once but still working great.. don't see any reason to upgrade either. Also, there is no substantial upgrade, cellular & fast processor fine but ain't worth it!

 

[DNichter]

Exactly right on cherry picking the most expensive option. I think I was the guy he was referencing. While I probably will upgrade the watch, I will get many years use out of the black link bracelet. Considering how well it looks now after daily wear since I got the S0, it will likely still look brand new three years from now. I’m no materials expert, but that DLC coating on the case and band is pretty amazing. I’ve even scraped the band on nails inside wall cavities. The metal from the nail just wipes off the band, no scratch at all.

Interesting how you can’t even order that configuration anymore.
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Sounds like a bug. Many of the reports I have read on S0 and OS 4 have been pretty good. My case battery life has been at least the same since upgrading to 4. Might try unpairing and then set up as a new watch (not from backup). Then slowly add any apps or complications. Something isn’t agreeing with OS 4 on your watch.

I unpaired and set up as new. I don't add any apps and the only notifications I get are text messages. It was still dying by 1-2 pm each day. I listened to another post and did a hard reboot on my phone and watch and it seems to have helped, although I had done this before. At 44% currently after taking it off my dock at 730 am.