I Just Came From Under My Rock. Questions About Apple Watch

[Tissue Paper]

Hi,
So I really don't know that much about Apple watches and overall I am not a fan of using too much technology. I only use sports watches to track my calories and HR while workout out. For the past few years I have been using Fitbit but after buying the same watch twice I thought why not try using the Apple watch cuz when I first bought it (years back- first generation) it didn't have a heart rate monitor but I noticed now they do?

So my question is... Are they changing the watches every year just like they're changing the other Apple gadgets? Or can I still use my very old first generation Apple watch and it will still be able to update to the latest system?

How good is the Apple watch overall in tracking sports in particular? Since I'm not really interested in using it for anything else.

 

[BrettDS]

The Apple Watch has has a heart rate monitor since the beginning. They have been adding new features to it, such as automatically calculating your resting heart rate and recovery heart rate (which only works on the newer watches), but even the original Apple Watch had a heart rate monitor.

So far they have been producing a new version of the watch every year. Obviously Apple is Apple and they can be unpredictable at times, but I would expect to see a new watch this fall.

WatchOS5 is in beta now and WatchOS 5 will not run on the original Apple Watch when it is released this fall, but the current version of WatchOS 4 is supported by the original Apple Watch.

 

[Tissue Paper]

Thanks for the feedback

 

[i hate phones]

I recently switched from a fitbit alta hr to an apple watch series 3. I'm loving the apple watch, but that probably has more to do with all the extra techy stuff it can do beyond my fitbit. If I was solely into just fitness tracking, I might prefer the fitbit for its better battery life and automatic workout detection (though in watch OS5 apple is making workouts slightly better)

 

[Tissue Paper]

I recently switched from a fitbit alta hr to an apple watch series 3. I'm loving the apple watch, but that probably has more to do with all the extra techy stuff it can do beyond my fitbit. If I was solely into just fitness tracking, I might prefer the fitbit for its better battery life and automatic workout detection (though in watch OS5 apple is making workouts slightly better)

I don't wear the watch all the time. I don't like the idea of strapping gadgets on my body 24/7 so the detection feature on fitbit isn't really missed. The battery obviously is better but the biggest letdown on the Fitbit Surge specifically is that it stops syncing after a while. When I first bought the watch it sync perfectly- eventually after months of use it slows down until it reaches a point of not syncing at all. I couldn't figure it out. I bought a second one because I really liked it but it ended up doing the same. I will most probably not use the other features on the Apple watch cuz I'm not (and I don't want to be) a tech enthusiast. I went with the Apple Nike series and so far it looks ok. My nephews use the watches for workout so I had a slight idea of how they function but we'll see.

 

[kohlson]

I assume the watch is paired with an iPhone.

I am a bit of a techie, but by far my watch is used to help push/track exercise - at least for me. It keeps track of lots of things, and this has increased the amount of exercise I get.

 

[cynics]

An Apple Watch is a tough sale to someone that prefers not to be strapped down with technology.

Unlike you I bought mine because I love gadgets and technology but really didn't think I'd have much of a use for it. Not only has it replaced my Fitbit but at this point its a device I find that makes my life easier.

I understand the mentality of not wanting to be constantly burdened down with its features like phone calls, messages, emails, etc etc. However for me its the opposite, now I can just quickly and efficiently dismiss notifications. I went from stopping what I was doing to look at email, messages and see who is calling me, to just glancing at my watch and ignoring most of that stuff without even slowing my pace. Plus notifications are customizable so you don't need to get things you dont deem important.

I share my activity with about 10 people and couple of us compete for the most steps or minutes worked out in a day (this is supposed to be improved upon with real competitions with friends in WatchOS5). So its also helped me increase my workout goals albeit mostly through spite. lol

I don't play sports so I can't comment on that. But I would recommend it to an iPhone user in the market for a smartwatch that wants to track exercise and such.

 

[ftaok]

So its also helped me increase my workout goals albeit mostly through spite. lol

Spite is such a powerful motivator!