My parents have Fitbit Charge 2s which are falling apart and they put the Charge 3 on their Christmas list. However, I’m debating giving them apple watches instead. I personally love my S4 and I think they would love the watch more. What is everyone’s opinion, buy them the Fitbit (which I can get half off) or buy them the Apple Watch?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Christmas Gift
- Thread starter dball4
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
My wife's daughters (which are 19 and 21) always make Christmas lists for their fathers. Their fathers always disregards the list and buys them presents which he views as better. They are always really pissed at that fact.
I would say stick to the list, always. Unless you know that they would prefer getting an Apple Watch (as in, they've looked at it and said it looked much better than their fitbit) but they put the fitbit on their list because they knew it was less expensive.
I would say stick to the list, always. Unless you know that they would prefer getting an Apple Watch (as in, they've looked at it and said it looked much better than their fitbit) but they put the fitbit on their list because they knew it was less expensive.
If they want Fitbits, shouldn't you respect their choice? Or are you more of their tech guru and when they say Fitbit, they really mean health tracker?
In any event, what phones are they using? I believe the new AWs require iOS11 and maybe even iOS12 to work. If they're on older iPhones, they may not be able to use the new AW at all.
This is the question I was actually typing... Do they even have iPhones?
If OP is not their tech support person, they will be for the new watches every time the parents want it to work the same as the fitness trackers they had.
Be prepared to know what apps they need as complications on the watch face so they see the same data they currently see...
Exactly. My 82 year old mother has a Fitbit and she like the simplicity of it. Of course an Apple Watch can be pretty simple to use, but I'd need to curate a few simple watch faces and complications for her to swipe between, and configure her notifications to be useful but not annoying. Otherwise she will get frustrated with it. Ultimately she just wants something that counts her steps and encourages her to move about more. She has an iPhone 8+ and knows how to use the camera, iMessage, phone, and other basic features... but she isn't a power user nor is she really into fitness.
That said, I am starting to wonder if the fall detection might be worth getting her the Apple Watch. For elderly who live alone, that can be a nice feature. Unfortunately it's only going to work if they remember to charge the watch. If I gave my mother an Apple Watch, I could see it spending more time forgotten on the charger than actually being worn on her wrist. Maybe I will let her play with mine to see if she likes it. She really enjoys her iPhone and that has inspired her to spend more time learning how to use its features.
My 80-year-old mom wanted Series 4 specifically because of fall detection.
She was excited when she tripped, but didn't fall, and her watch asked her if she had fallen.
My fiance has a fitbit that she loves, but after she saw my Apple Watch.. she was expressing some jealousy.
I got her a AWS3 for Christmas and a bunch of bands along with Apple Care and a few other things.. If money isn't an option for you, I'd get them the better product.
I got her a AWS3 for Christmas and a bunch of bands along with Apple Care and a few other things.. If money isn't an option for you, I'd get them the better product.
Concur---As an "older" parent stick to the list. If they haven't expressed obvious interest in your watch, don't buy them the S4. Good Luck
They both have iPhone 8’s. They were interested in the Apple Watch as well but the cost for them was too high. They specfically like the idea of the fall detection and the coming ECG feature. They also love the sharing feature of fitbit and competing for the most steps at the end of the day. I can see them loving closing their rings each day.
I think you've answered your own question right there.
I might have but I still like opinions or stories from others about it just to confirm my own ideas.
From my experience with smart watches, there is no better integration between watchOS and iOS. That’s the most magical part about the Apple Watch aside from the band changing, is it’s completely seamless how it communicates with the iPhone when viewing fitness tracking, handoff with notifications, LTE capabilities, Apple Pay, etc. Nothing personal against Fitbit, but it doesn’t even compare to the Apple Watch. If you can justify the price point, it’s the best smart watch on the market uncontested.