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Controversial: Did you change your life for the Apple Watch, or did the Apple Watch change your life?
- Thread starter The Cockney Rebel
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I was already into Fitness. I bought an AW but was not convinced it was for me, particularly with the poor battery life and high price, but my Fitbit had died. I got an SE to start with, figured I'd go cheap and see how it felt. I got used to the charging and fell in love with the tight iPhone integration and Apple Pay. I was using a Fitbit before so already was tracking my fitness stuff. The extras such as controlling my Spotify, Siri, AppleTV etc., were all added bonuses.
When the S8 came out I figured I'd upgrade and get the EKG (I'm almost 50).
I'll likely keep the S8 but may go for an Ultra 2. Just like the EKG is (IMO) a good feature at my age to build up some additional stats and trends, I figure the cellular on the Ultra might not be a terrible idea. Leave it unactivated but it can still call 911 if required.
When the S8 came out I figured I'd upgrade and get the EKG (I'm almost 50).
I'll likely keep the S8 but may go for an Ultra 2. Just like the EKG is (IMO) a good feature at my age to build up some additional stats and trends, I figure the cellular on the Ultra might not be a terrible idea. Leave it unactivated but it can still call 911 if required.
I was completely sedentary before I got the Apple Watch. I used to go for days and sometimes even weeks without leaving the house. I think when the watch was first announced, I was more interested in its notification and communication functions. I was curious about its fitness tracking functions, but didn't expect that to be the most important aspect of my watch usage.
But I quickly found myself addicted to closing the activity circles, and gradually found myself increasing my activity level, until I now do a 20-30 minute walk every day. I also managed to establish a habit of doing 30-minute meditation every day. But this was a gradual process, with a lots of fits and starts.
I don't think the watch changes your life -- it's a tool, you are the one who decides how to use it, and to keep up with any changes the watch enables. And you shouldn't "change your life for the watch," either. That sounds like forcing your life into a shape that doesn't feel natural to you. Did having the watch change my life? Well yes, insofar as I now have a daily habit of meditation and walks. Did it change who I am? No, meditation and walking are activities I've always enjoyed. I'd just never managed to incorporate these activities into my life as daily habits before.
But I quickly found myself addicted to closing the activity circles, and gradually found myself increasing my activity level, until I now do a 20-30 minute walk every day. I also managed to establish a habit of doing 30-minute meditation every day. But this was a gradual process, with a lots of fits and starts.
I don't think the watch changes your life -- it's a tool, you are the one who decides how to use it, and to keep up with any changes the watch enables. And you shouldn't "change your life for the watch," either. That sounds like forcing your life into a shape that doesn't feel natural to you. Did having the watch change my life? Well yes, insofar as I now have a daily habit of meditation and walks. Did it change who I am? No, meditation and walking are activities I've always enjoyed. I'd just never managed to incorporate these activities into my life as daily habits before.
I was into fitness before getting my first Apple Watch (used my iPhone to track my runs). The Apple Watch made it much more interesting (more data) and also comfortable because I didn‘t have to take the phone with me when I went running.
The wealth of health related data has definitely improved the view on my fitness and as I wore watches since I was a school boy, I didn’t have to change my habits for that.
So the AW didn’t change my life in regards to how I live it but I‘d definitely say it has improved the quality of it.
The wealth of health related data has definitely improved the view on my fitness and as I wore watches since I was a school boy, I didn’t have to change my habits for that.
So the AW didn’t change my life in regards to how I live it but I‘d definitely say it has improved the quality of it.
I was somewhat into fitness when I was a teenager, but hadn't been into fitness for well over a decade by the time the Apple Watch came out. It helped me get really fit before the pandemic, things went off the rails, and over the past year I have been getting fit again.
I'm 95% sure I wouldn't have come this far without the Apple Watch. I like the gamification and I'm a data guy. It keeps me at a higher level of engagement and consistently puts health at the top of my mind.
I'm 95% sure I wouldn't have come this far without the Apple Watch. I like the gamification and I'm a data guy. It keeps me at a higher level of engagement and consistently puts health at the top of my mind.
The Apple Watch 3 was exactly what I'd been hoping for for years before its release. Having a watch that can handle calls/ texts and track runs was amazing (still is). Sure the battery life could be better and we've lost some apps along the way, but it's still an amazing watch to take on runs, hikes, and bike rides, and just to wear around the house, so I don't have to worry about having my phone near me.
I think I fall into the former. All the granular tracking of fitness, medications, sleep made me feel motivated to work out and meet the goals I’ve set.
Plus there is an initiative in my country where we do get points (we can trade for vouchers for that) when we meet certain goals by exercising and such.
However back in 2017 I bought the AW just because I was a fanboy for all things Apple and mainly to help me out with the notifications and music player controls. Anything beyond that was secondary, at that point of time.
A bit of both.
I didn’t get the Apple Watch for fitness tracking, and was already exercising before then, not least because there was this annual fitness test I had to pass as part of my military conscription.
What changed was this fitness programme that my country’s health board released in collaboration with Apple, that made me more conscious of closing my rings and exercising more frequently, to earn rewards. It’s easy to cheat some of the activities (the ones that don’t really you to clock any workouts) but it does also make me more mindful when I have sedentary days so I make it a point to at least go out for a walk on those days.
I guess I am still more of a “extrinsic motivation” kind of guy.
On a side note, it also means I am wearing my watch all day, even when at home, which comes in handy for notifications and unlocking my Mac.
The Apple Watch has certainly changed a lot for me and my exercise regime. Before I used to go to the gym, but after getting the watch I felt motivated to do more cardio and discovered a hidden passion and skill for long-distance running. I ran my first half marathon 4 months after getting an Apple Watch, and a full marathon a year later. Before I got the watch I wasn't running at all.
I picked up my first Apple Watch in April, the cellular SE. What a convenience! I no longer carry my phone with me when I’m out and about. Something I never really enjoyed doing, occasionally leaving it behind somewhere resulting in frantic backtracking. Now the phone stays in the car or often just left at home. It’s wonderful!
TL DR - a bit of both. I was already active in my life, but AW provides more insight, features and options than I had previously.
I am a long term use of wearables, primarily for alerting and notification purposes (I’m hard of hearing). I was also already into cycling in a big way.
I had a couple of Pebble watches (superb devices), turn segued into Android Wear/WearOS but found them flaky and generally unloved in terms of features and OS development. I jumped ship and joined the Garmin world for a while, loving the immensely rich fitness data but felt the absence of more lifestyle applications.
When I ditched my Android phone, the scene was set for getting Apple Watch SE2, which covers my fitness needs and offers interesting/useful insights. The low heart rate alerting made me think a lot more about this (I’m 48) and be more aware of my heart health (depressing family health trends are a driver for my love of activity). One thing that has changed me is the Rings concept, which definitely brings more focus to my activity levels and has combined my love of audiobooks with exercise in the guise of Time To Walk.
I’d like to see greater Accessibility features in future AW OS releases but this is a great device.
I am a long term use of wearables, primarily for alerting and notification purposes (I’m hard of hearing). I was also already into cycling in a big way.
I had a couple of Pebble watches (superb devices), turn segued into Android Wear/WearOS but found them flaky and generally unloved in terms of features and OS development. I jumped ship and joined the Garmin world for a while, loving the immensely rich fitness data but felt the absence of more lifestyle applications.
When I ditched my Android phone, the scene was set for getting Apple Watch SE2, which covers my fitness needs and offers interesting/useful insights. The low heart rate alerting made me think a lot more about this (I’m 48) and be more aware of my heart health (depressing family health trends are a driver for my love of activity). One thing that has changed me is the Rings concept, which definitely brings more focus to my activity levels and has combined my love of audiobooks with exercise in the guise of Time To Walk.
I’d like to see greater Accessibility features in future AW OS releases but this is a great device.
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It didn't 'change my life' in terms of a drastic shift, but echoing what marzer said - it changed my life in that I leave my iPhone mostly behind. This is nice so I can be more present in activities and let tech go.
If the Apple Watch ever got a camera built in, that would be life changing!
Unfortunately I don't think we'll see a camera anytime soon, if ever. Samsung tried it with their Galaxy Gear in 2014 and it was a failure. Even their ads were of a man taking unsolicited creep shots of a random woman.
Since my AW4 i wear one everyday.
Far from life changing but does motivate me more then not having one, every excersize/ outing i do i record with my AW. Never really look back at my stats but the idea it has been recorded is soothing.
Far from life changing but does motivate me more then not having one, every excersize/ outing i do i record with my AW. Never really look back at my stats but the idea it has been recorded is soothing.
Prior to switching, I studied a number of AW reviews. Also, I like to think that I somewhat know my way around the Apple ecosystem. Of course, I had to learn a few new habits - but that was to be expected.
Talking about complicated, the thing I actually did struggle with, was understanding the combination of apps on my iPhone: Watch, Condition and Health. Luckily, along with my AW purchase, I got a free call with Apple Support. And that finally helped me to use these apps correctly.
My wife is still using a Fitbit and obviously, by now, I find my AW less complicated.
It's all just about habits I guess
