How much technology do we really need/want in our lives?

[derekshank]

I'm late to this thread... but this is something I've been thinking about lately.

None of us "NEED" the products that Apple makes. They are all luxury items that we hope will make our lives more convenient. In many ways, they do.

The down-side is that this luxury is able to distract our attention from things that matter far more. It's far too easy to let an evening go by with your nose buried in an electronic device, rather than having a real interactions with people you care about.

For me, it often takes an intentional act to put my phone away and choose to live in the moment with the people around me. The problem for me is that even when I do that, the iPhone can try to pull me back in.

For my job, I'm always on call. So any time my phone buzzes at me, I have to at least look at it to see if it is an emergency. And by pulling my phone out of my pocket to look at it, I've taken is a step toward checking out of the moment and into my phone.

Here is where I am hopeful that the Apple Watch will help with this. A notification is no longer something I have to pull my phone out of my pocket to check - risking the urge to be distracted by one of it's other functions. (I've found that even replying quickly to a text can sometimes result in me seeing other badge notifications that drag me further into my phone).

Instead, I want to look at my wrist, and if it's not something that requires interaction, I can check right back in to my life.

Even if it does require a small interaction, I can do that menial task with the watch, so the iPhone doesn't even have the opportunity to distract me further with one of it's other many functions.

In other words... I'm hoping that the Apple Watch frees me from the amount of time I spend looking at my phone - and at screens in general.

Time will tell if this hope is a realistic one... or if the Apple Watch is merely another device that will vie for my attention. But I'm certainly hoping it is the former.

 

[flur]

The iPhone is the only device I always upgrade every year. It's the only device that I want so much, I camped outside of Apple stores, waiting to get one on day one. This won't change.

Then maybe the watch isn't for you. It doesn't need to be.

It seems like the watch isn't something you want, but you want to want it, and you're looking for someone to convince you to want it, bus as soon as someone tries, you rebel against it. It's okay to not want it.

 

[simonx314]

Something else to consider about wearables, it is very difficult to use a wearable like the Apple Watch for a long period of time. I can sit down and watch movies and play games on my iPhone for hours. The longest I can use my Apple Watch before my arm gets tired or I run out of things to do is only a few minutes.

The Watch is not suitable for long-term interaction, so you'll actually spend less time with technology by adopting wearables like the Watch.

 

[petvas]

Then maybe the watch isn't for you. It doesn't need to be.

It seems like the watch isn't something you want, but you want to want it, and you're looking for someone to convince you to want it, bus as soon as someone tries, you rebel against it. It's okay to not want it.

That's an interesting observation. Yes, I want to have it, I want to want it since I love gadgets (especially Apple's), but I don't see much benefit in using one. I think that I will just start finding reasons to like it.

 

[whatos]

What is wrong with this forum? Why do you need to make it personal? Read the original post please. If you don't feel like I do and disagree with me it's perfectly fine. You don't need to start posting that I lack self control. What is wrong with you?

I've been attacked here as well, for no reason. It's the nature of some, not all Apple customers. It happens in other Apple forums too. The attackers seem to have a close personal highly emotional love of Apple and become easily enraged if they disagree with a post.

They assume a lot, instead of reading and understanding the post they respond to, they assume things randomly then go on the attack. It's just how they are. They also like to pile on, one after another ganging up on the victim.

To the topic of how much technology. I think it's very individual. With the right balance one can enjoy the benefits without it being all consuming. That's the key. In my case I'm eager to return the Apple Watch I bought.

There's nothing wrong with it, a gadget that is fun to play with, it simply fails to offer anything useful for me. My very organized daily fitness workout and training routine, in which I've been using a very accurate comprehensive SUUNTO fitness watch, iOS App with my iPhone and their excellent tracking, logging, web site. Therefore I'm set in that area.

For others I can respect their preferences are different. Apple will see to it that the watch is successful.

 

[CooKieMoNs7eR]

I see your point and I understand that the Watch can be useful for you. I don't want to use my iPhone less
I am also worried that I will start upgrading every year to the next version of the Apple Watch, just like I do for my iPhone. At some point I need to think about how much money I want/can spend each year for my Apple gadgets. So it's not an easy answer.
It's also my lifestyle that makes me think that the Apple Watch will be a toy for me. I work from home most of the times and I commute once or twice a month. I don't wear a watch now, I stopped doing wearing watches when I started using SmartPhones. The irony is now, that we are supposed to start using SmartWatches in order to use our SmartPhones less.

I know what you're saying, but usually when I buy a new Apple product I sell the previous one and end up either not spending money or spending just a small portion of the full price so it doesn't really effect me financially...the honest truth is I love Apple so much sometimes I convince myself that I need the new product which in reality I don't, but I've never been disappointed in their previous products so I just can't find a reason not to buy the next one YET...

 

[greytmom]

I purposely followed the Apple Watch project very closely since the early rumours. First because I'm an Apple customer and long time user. Second because I couldn't imagine wanting one. Out of curiosity the more I learned about it the less I wanted one, but enjoyed keeping up to date.

Turns out I decided to buy one for the first hand experience. Now after a four day stint of heavy usage my initial impression was correct, I have no compelling reason to use Apple Watch.

A fun gadget, but a time waster. It's too easy to just play with it. Having read the manual watched all the videos to insure I was being fair to myself and not missing out, I'm now very happy I took the time and money to find out for myself. The watch is being returned.

Suddenly I'm appreciating my iP6_Plus more than ever.

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I too upgrade to a new iPhone each year, always have since the original.

Now after trying Apple Watch, I find I'm enjoying not having tired eyes from the tiny Watch screen after only four days.

Returning the watch I now know more than ever just how ideal and wonderfully multipurpose my iPhone 6 Plus is.

Um, you just posted two hours ago the following on the watch faces thread:

I do like the variety. In this case I keep trying different ones and will continue until I get tired of constantly changing...

 

[whatos]

Um, you just posted two hours ago the following on the watch faces thread:

I do like the variety. In this case I keep trying different ones and will continue until I get tired of constantly changing...

That's right, I might as well keep playing with it on my day off, it goes back tomorrow...

If the smartwatch sector ends up being a lasting category, I'd expect Apple to have a much more useful model as it matures, not too much unlike the iPhone did.

I never say never, while it doesn't meet my needs presently, nothing changes faster than the field of tech. Devices are likely to be much different in just a few short years.