Does Anyone Have a Genuine Use for the Watch?

[MICHAELSD]

Beyond novelty watch faces which I'm sure look great animated, I see no actual functionality in owning an Apple Watch. 90% of the reason I'd want one is for the design and the coolness factor of early adopters.

Does anyone have a usage beyond this to justify paying $349+?

 

[T5BRICK]

At a glance notifications on my wrist seems kinda cool, but I don't typically wear a watch. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if I can actually justify buying one.

 

[kdarling]

Quick and subtle notifications are the main attraction for many people.

Of course, if you're one of those people who MUST answer every call, text or email... and have a job/life where you can do so... then you'd be better off simply dragging out your phone each time

-- Other uses

As someone who keeps his phone in a pocket, I've also found being able to send an incoming call to voice mail is handy, and of course, seeing the current date and time!

Down the fun list are being able to set little timers, using the watch to ask Siri or Google for help, and seeing the weather forecast at a glance.

Okay, and playing games, reading news, email, you name it. My old WiMM smartwatch could even remotely display almost any widget I had on my Android phone. That was very cool.

-- Going back to basics

Still... all this talk has made me realize that my number one need is for a watch that does not fail me. Number two is notifications. Number three is not charging all the time. Everything else is gravy.

That's why I'm doing an experiment. Now, I already wear a watch, 24/7. If you do not, then skip ahead to another post, because you probably don't need this.

I bought a couple of Martian Notifiers off eBay (one black, one white). Their list price is $130, but you can get new/ nearly new ones on eBay for $60-$80, easy.

The Notifier doesn't have the mike/speaker like the bigger Martians, but it does

• look like a regular watch, and use 22mm straps,
• has a regular two year battery run watch inside of it, and
• just a little notifier window which runs for about five days between charges.

I'm going to see how it like it. Previous smartwatches drove me crazy after a while because it felt like I was constantly charging them. I sure couldn't rely on their clocks past a couple of days.

(Okay, technically I wouldn't call this a smartwatch. More like a notifier watch. But hey, that's 95% of what I used smartwatches for.)

 

[Cashmonee]

-- Other uses

As someone who keeps his phone in a pocket, I've also found being able to send an incoming call to voice mail is handy, and of course, seeing the current date and time!

Down the fun list are being able to set little timers, using the watch to ask Siri or Google for help, and seeing the weather forecast at a glance.

Okay, and playing games, reading news, email, you name it. My old WiMM smartwatch could even remotely display almost any widget I had on my Android phone. That was very cool.

I guess my question would be, isn't it worth using the device that is far superior in every single respect at those tasks? I mean, we are talking about taking out a phone like it is some Herculean effort. The phone will have to be with you, likely easily accessible. I'm not reading the news on a 1.5' display, and the weather ain't that important.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

I mean, we are talking about taking out a phone like it is some Herculean effort. The phone will have to be with you, likely easily accessible.

It's not so much that but rather to avoid taking your iPhone out of your pocket 50x a day for some people merely to screen something.

 

[Cashmonee]

It's not so much that but rather to avoid taking your iPhone out of your pocket 50x a day for some people merely to screen something.

I get that. I don't think that's worth the asking price here, but I get it. The use cases given above were weather, email, news, etc. I can't see forgoing using my phone for those things.

So, then I will echo the OP. What genuine use cases are there, other than notification center on your wrist?

 

[akhilleus]

I have been thinking about getting a watch recently but for no other use than telling the time. It's just easier than pulling out my phone every time I need a time-check. That said, I don't have a need for the Apple Watch if that's my only desire for owning a watch. Maybe down the road if it becomes something exceptional, it could be something I'd look at more seriously.

 

[SingingSabre]

I'm upgrading to the iPhone 6+ and I'll usually keep it in my bag or suitcase. I'm almost always using a bluetooth headset, so my interest in the watch is to see easily who's calling before I pick up.

I'm also interested in the haptic feedback for directions, as it will help me keep my face out of my phone while I'm walking somewhere.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

So, then I will echo the OP. What genuine use cases are there, other than notification center on your wrist?

Personally, I'm most interested in initiating Apple Pay, having turn-by-turn navigation and being able to screen messages/email all without taking the iPhone out of my pocket.

What's big for many people (although not for me) is it doubles as an activity tracker like the fitbit.

 

[I am Sampson]

I normally wear a watch (though by complete coincidence have recently lost it, much to my dismay).

Anyway, I want an apple watch to see what a text/call is when it comes in.
I'm a reception class teacher (4-5 year olds) and I simply can't look at my phone during the day. Going an entire day without contact from my wife is frustrating for both of us. I need to be able to send quick replys back to her and need to know of more important things like if she texts that our baby has to go to the doctor or something.

Also, it would help to send a discrete message that I am, once again, going to be late due to some pointless meeting.

Health stuff is just a bonus.

 

[capitanbuzo]

I always wear watches so it's already a no brainer. I also work a lot with a team around me so it's good to know to see if the call or text that I get is worth being disrupted for or if I can just wait a while to deal with it. It is also more discrete taking a glimpse at a watch than pulling out your iPhone.

 

[MarcoCapa]

An alternative to bluetooth connection in car... You talk via watch.... No headset needed...
Change song in gym while running or outside without taking out the phone....
Shaman a song on radio while driving...
Another thing that seems stupid navigation when you are in a vacation... Maybe in a city with high theft rate... No need to use a 1000€ phone

 

[firewood]

I guess my question would be, isn't it worth using the device that is far superior in every single respect at those tasks?

In actual practice, no.

I know 2 people who wear Pebble watches just so the can adjust music volume and deny un-important calls without reaching into their pocket or bag. Especially if they are carrying tools around in one hand, working in the yard, jogging or riding a bicycle, etc.

I'm going to try the same, but I'm willing to pay for something nicer looking than a Pebble.

 

[username:]

Activity and heart rate tracking, and also a nice looking watch.

 

[FatMax]

I'm one of those who HAVE to check every notification and call coming in. Now, that's self inflicted and something I want to stop doing. Not so easy as it seems though...

I'm hoping the watch will instate a self calm on me, where a quick glance is enough to know if this is really important to act on..

 

[kdarling]

I guess my question would be, isn't it worth using the device that is far superior in every single respect at those tasks? I mean, we are talking about taking out a phone like it is some Herculean effort. The phone will have to be with you, likely easily accessible. I'm not reading the news on a 1.5' display, and the weather ain't that important.

In my case, I don't always take my phone with me. But I always have a watch on.

If Google hadn't bought WiMM, I'd probably still be wearing one of their smartwatches.

Their prototype which they sold, had WiFi (and GPS, but not turned on because the antenna wasn't right) built into it. Which meant it didn't need a phone. It would constantly (per my settings) sync RSS feeds, weather, etc.

It was surprisingly easy to read news with a banner photo for each article on it. So even without my phone, if I got stuck in a waiting room, I was entertained

(The other thing they did right, was to use a dual mode display. Color mode when you woke it up to use the apps. B&W low power otherwise, with the time only updating once a minute, so the watchface was ALWAYS visible without doing a wrist shake thing.)

Anyway, I want an apple watch to see what a text/call is when it comes in. I'm a reception class teacher (4-5 year olds) and I simply can't look at my phone during the day. Going an entire day without contact from my wife is frustrating for both of us. I need to be able to send quick replys back to her and need to know of more important things like if she texts that our baby has to go to the doctor or something.

This is exactly why I gave my daughter, also a teacher of young children, a Samsung Fit earlier this year. Not only can she get texts from her husband all day without needing her phone, she has preset quick replies that she can send back with a tap.

The pulse reader, pedometer, etc were a bonus since she runs marathons.

 

[Cloudsurfer]

I am personally looking forward to wearing a watch again, the notifications and fitness apps are going to be a nice bonus for me but I don't see myself using a lot of apps on it.

To me, a watch has to be able to show information that takes only a few seconds at most to interpret. Time, temperature, notifications, that stuff. I'm really not going to browse the web or anything on this thing. I'll just flip out my phone for that.

 

[gorkt]

1) Fitness, especially heart rate monitor combined with pedometer.

2) Payment system. It reminds me of the Magicband system at WDW, which I loved because it was super convenient.

3) Notifications.

4) Remotes for Apple TV, stuff around the house.

5) Things I haven't even thought of yet.....

 

[ditzy]

The main things that attract me are the fitness stuff. I currently use my iPhone, which is suboptimal as I have to remember to pick it up every time I want to do something which invariably I don't remember to do.
Second is pay. While I'm not sure exactly when this will hit British shores, I want to use it when it does, and I don't really want an iPhone 6.

 

[dannyyankou]

Payments and hopefully a healthier lifestyle.

Plus it looks good IMO.

 

[soco]

Been said before, but my genuine use is not having to take my giant 5.5" phablet out of my pocket all the time.

Can't believe I'm getting this thing...

 

[Beavix]

Been said before, but my genuine use is not having to take my giant 5.5" phablet out of my pocket all the time.

So that's why they keep increasing the size of the phones. To make us buy a smaller companion device. I look forward to the Apple Watch Mini which will require Apple Watch which wil require an Apple iPhone.

 

[StoneJack]

1) Fitness, especially heart rate monitor combined with pedometer.

2) Payment system. It reminds me of the Magicband system at WDW, which I loved because it was super convenient.

3) Notifications.

4) Remotes for Apple TV, stuff around the house.

5) Things I haven't even thought of yet.....

Can it do remote for AppleTv and other rumored Apple house stuff?
If it can, maybe this was the solution to TV Jobs talked about? no need to search for remote, its always on your wrist?

----------

Payments and hopefully a healthier lifestyle.

Plus it looks good IMO.

Image

First I didn't like the design because I had an impression of those fitness band images in my head; but after looking at all other smart watches the Apple one is really good looking. The LG one is nice, Moto is hideous.

 

[bransoj]

Can it do remote for AppleTv and other rumored Apple house stuff?

Not confirmed about the House stuff but definitely acts as a remote for Apple TV etc.

Apple TV and iTunes. Navigate Apple TV and control the iTunes library on your Mac or PC from Apple Watch. Swipe around the main menu, scroll through lists and collections, select movies, listen to iTunes Radio, and more.

 

[StoneJack]

Not confirmed about the House stuff but definitely acts as a remote for Apple TV etc.

That can be a game changer for home electronics (Apple and AirPlay)