Basic Apple watch 4 Q’s.....

[sjleworthy]

Hi guys, excuse the extreme basicness of my question, and if this is featured in another thread please feel free to point me in the general direction of it

Looking to purchase a new apple watch 4 gps

1) must i have an iphone too? I dont have one (i do have an ipad pro with latest ios)
2) if i need a phone, whats it for?
3) if i need a phone, can i use the watch without it , albeit i loose certain functions?

Not into music, messages, emails etc etc etc, just want a fitness tracker for my walking and jogging. Plotting my route or seing where i’ve walked on my ipad later on would be great too

 

[Monkswhiskers]

Get a Garmin

 

[Julien]

1) Yes
2) Everything
3) Not without syncing

 

[iPhysicist]

For your use case scenario I also would strongly recommend a stand alone running watch. These are device independent and still do more "smart watch things" than you seem to need. They also outperform the Apple Watch as running watch.

 

[oeagleo]

While this is an Apple Watch forum, you really don't need an Apple Watch for no more than you want. A Garmin Fitness tracker such as the VivoActive 3 will do what you want at half the price of the AW. Also look at Fitbit, as I believe they make some relatively decent fitness tracker/smartwatches. The Apple Watch requires an fairly new iPhone to even get going, so you'd be out another $300-$1,000 just to get an image on the screen. If that kind of expense is worth it to you, then get the Apple Watch, it's a fine piece of kit, but if you don't want to drop that kind of money, I'd say look at the alternatives.

 

[sjleworthy]

Thank you guys.

Can anyone suggest a great smart wearables forum to chat in as well maybe?

 

[Moakesy]

Not so much a forum, but there is nothing this guy doesn't know about the wearable market...

https://www.dcrainmaker.com

Look at the buyers guides and reviews. Personally I'm a big fan of Garmin devices (triathlon watches and bike computers), as they own the patents to some tech which means there competitors have to deliver functionality in a more clunky way, but to each their own. Have a look and see what you prefer.

I own the Apple Watch, but still use my Garmin kit when I want to record 'serious' stuff, like my races or particular training sessions. Apple fitness tracking is improving all the time, but still a long way off what dedicated devices provide.

Also, the DC Rainmaker guys must be about due an update on his best of 2018 buyers guide....normally happens at the end of the year.