Is the Apple Watch worth buying?

[vmflapem]

I'm debating on whether to get an Apple Watch or not. I have an iphone 7 plus so it's kinda annoying to take that giant phone out of my pocket every time I get a notification.

Do you find your Apple Watch useful in daily life? I don't want to buy it if I'm only going to use it for the first few weeks and not use it after.

 

[AustinIllini]

If there is a smartwatch worth buying, it's probably the Apple Watch, however I don't get the feeling the smartwatch is actually a necessary device. YMMV

 

[44267547]

If there is a smartwatch worth buying, it's probably the Apple Watch, however I don't get the feeling the smartwatch is actually a necessary device. YMMV

The Apple Watch is a superfluous device. That said, it serves its purpose differently for everyone. I appreciate my Apple Watch for varied reasons and it does what it's supposed to fairly well. I think it's a niche crowd, but that crowd is expanding with wearable technology every day. Especially with fitness.

OP, if you are in the market for a smart Watch, the Apple Watch is a great device and has many capabilities to suit everyone differently.

 

[576316]

No. I own one. I wear it everyday and it's useless. Spend your money on something else.

 

[Easttime]

I'm debating on whether to get an Apple Watch or not. I have an iphone 7 plus so it's kinda annoying to take that giant phone out of my pocket every time I get a notification. Do you find your Apple Watch useful in daily life? I don't want to buy it if I'm only going to use it for the first few weeks and not use it after.

Yes, I do, from early am to late at night, for work, home and travel. Notifications is very handy, but it's only one of many functions that I use all day. But not everybody does find it useful. Depends on your lifestyle and use of tech.

 

[tomidelucca]

I've owned an Apple Watch series 0 since October 2015 (and I used it everyday) and I would say definitely NO. But there seems to be people who enjoy using it, so I guess its personal preference? idk how, but some people seem to like it. For me, it was the worst tech purchase I've made in the last 10 years.

By the way, you'll probably need to take your phone anyway as the notification UI is absurdly bad (like most of the UI along the OS). I guess if I had to summarize what's bad about the Watch, I would say the OS. Its so terribly bad, and so frustrating to navigate, even the most simple tasks become cumbersome and you end up pulling your phone for a nicer experience. Even with watchOS3 the whole OS is a mess. I think that it can't be fixed. They should start over.

Idk I hate it. It's the first Apple product that I'm really disappointed with. But as I said, some people say they love it. So there's that.

 

[mlourenco9]

This discussion never ends. I own one. I love it. IMO is one of the best Apple devices. Yes it worth the money and the notifications are great for the porpose that you described

 

[44267547]

This discussion never ends. I own one. I love it. IMO is one of the best Apple devices. Yes it worth the money and the notifications are great for the porpose that you described

Agreed. It does exactly what it's intended to do and it does it well seamlessly with the iPhone.

 

[oftheheavens]

I have had an apple watch sport since day one and I found it so useful for my needs I went with the black SS with link bracelet for the S2. I will more than likely skip at least 1 or 2 generations if my link doesn't fit the new models (the link did cost more than the watch...) but otherwise I will continue to upgrade my watch every cycle. Maybe even more so than my iPhone if they keep up the lack of innovation that interests me in a device I use a lot. I love apple, more so when Jobs was alive due to the fact that I know that if I was waiting on a delay product it was because it wasn't perfect but would be upon delivery/purcase. Though, if they don't get innovative fast I fear they are going to lose their reign as king in the next few year.

I keep hearing about these "magical products in the pipeline for this year" but have yet to see one, minus the new MB which doesn't seem to be doing to well but I don't know from personal experience. I love my ipp, more so than my MB air that I sold to pay for it, but it needs some kind innovation to make it more like a laptop hybrid like a lot of the windows machines.

/rant

 

[Eggtastic]

I was eyeing an apple watch for a while now and was going to wait until the Nike series came out as the band would best suit my active lifestyle. However trying it on in the store and playing around with the watch: its bulky and I feel the price isn't worth it.

If apple actually decides to make its thinner (the one product I wish they made thinner but decided to make thicker in series 2 (only by a neg. amount)), then I will consider it. The mock up of the original apple watch floating around here somewhere had a long, wide, screen and was thin. That would be amazing to wear and I am sure it won't happen (oh well).

In the end, as others have said: it is an extension of the iPhone, a very expensive extension at that.

 

[Dodgeman]

The cost is what it is, that's up to you to decide if you want to spend your money based on what you're getting.
For me, I chose to spend my money. I like the activity tracking and I the fact I can leave my phone down and have it quiet and not missing anything that I need to potentially respond to.

 

[DNAppleGold]

I've have a series 0 and have worn it most days since it arrived. On the few days I forget to put it on I miss it. While not indispensable like the phone, the watch is highly useful and a pleasure to use. WOS3 works really well and the apps you use most often open super quick. From fitness tracking, remote control of media, Apple Pay (which is magical on the watch) and the calendar always keeping me on track with my next appointment , the watch makes a multitude of tasks easier. So is it necessary. No. But highly useful and pleasurable, yes.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I'm debating on whether to get an Apple Watch or not. I have an iphone 7 plus so it's kinda annoying to take that giant phone out of my pocket every time I get a notification.

Do you find your Apple Watch useful in daily life? I don't want to buy it if I'm only going to use it for the first few weeks and not use it after.

Only you can make that choice. Good time to buy as the return time is extended due to holiday season.

 

[M-5]

I bought the first generation stainless steel Apple Watch on release build quality was phenomenal and I really loved the weighty feel to it and how shiny it was. It was really expensive though, and it didn't offer nearly the amount of usefulness as the iPhone did, so I ended up returning the product as it cost me almost $700-$800.

I ended up buying the iPad Pro soon after that instead with the money, which I love by the way! It's an excellent product and what I'm typing on at the moment (so excuse typos). I hardly ever use my 2011 MacBook Air anymore, although I do have a maxed out 2013 Mac Pro that I use at work if I need to do anything serious.

I wasn't a watch wearer myself, but I did really want an Apple Watch, so I decided to purchase a used Series 0 watch now that the prices have gone down due to the two new watches introduced. I got an aluminum watch for around $165 which I think is what the device is worth it to me at this price point. I do miss the weight and feel of the SS watch, but this one offers all of the same functionality, and this watch has the same design as the newer ones, so I just could not justify the higher price point of the new ones.

I would only get a newer one if I ran frequently and wanted to track my workouts with GPS, if I was a swimmer, or if I needed the extended battery life. But I don't, so this watch works well for me, and I don't use any third party apps, so the performance of the original processor is sufficient.

The watch is only really useful to me for these basic things: having the time and date at a glance, weather, message notifications, and controlling music. That's it! I don't use any of the other features regularly, but I am maybe going to start working out to use that feature, so that would definitely be invaluable. So if you're wary of the price and the usefulness that it can provide you, I recommend getting a pre-owned first generation watch. You can probably even find some very good deals on a stainless steel version, although just be aware that it's much more weighty and noticeable on your wrist during workouts as opposed to the aluminum watch. But the SS watches are very beautiful in my opinion.

 

[44267547]

I bought the first generation stainless steel Apple Watch on release build quality was phenomenal and I really loved the weighty feel to it and how shiny it was. It was really expensive though, and it didn't offer nearly the amount of usefulness as the iPhone did, so I ended up returning the product as it cost me almost $700-$800.

I ended up buying the iPad Pro soon after that instead with the money, which I love by the way! It's an excellent product and what I'm typing on at the moment (so excuse typos). I hardly ever use my 2011 MacBook Air anymore, although I do have a maxed out 2013 Mac Pro that I use at work if I need to do anything serious.

I wasn't a watch wearer myself, but I did really want an Apple Watch, so I decided to purchase a used Series 0 watch now that the prices have gone down due to the two new watches introduced. I got an aluminum watch for around $165 which I think is what the device is worth it to me at this price point. I do miss the weight and feel of the SS watch, but this one offers all of the same functionality, and this watch has the same design as the newer ones, so I just could not justify the higher price point of the new ones.

I would only get a newer one if I ran frequently and wanted to track my workouts with GPS, if I was a swimmer, or if I needed the extended battery life. But I don't, so this watch works well for me, and I don't use any third party apps, so the performance of the original processor is sufficient.

The watch is only really useful to me for these basic things: having the time and date at a glance, weather, message notifications, and controlling music. That's it! I don't use any of the other features regularly, but I am maybe going to start working out to use that feature, so that would definitely be invaluable. So if you're wary of the price and the usefulness that it can provide you, I recommend getting a pre-owned first generation watch. You can probably even find some very good deals on a stainless steel version, although just be aware that it's much more weighty and noticeable on your wrist during workouts as opposed to the aluminum watch. But the SS watches are very beautiful in my opinion.

That's primarily how I use my Apple Watch Stainless with notifications and E-mails. I weight lift more than I run, so the fitness application I only use temporarily. But it is expensive and worth it if you appreciate what it has to offer.

 

[Mighuel]

I skipped the first generation but finally got S2 a couple of weeks ago. I was a bit skeptic about the usefulness of the watch but it turns out I'm using it quite a lot for different kinds of things like responding various messages directly from the watch, activity tracking, occasionally browsing twitter/instagram etc. I'm from Finland and unfortunately we don't have the scribble feature yet for text input. I think that will improve my experience even further when it becomes available. Also I'm seeing improved battery life on my phone as I turn to watch for many daily tasks.

 

[democracyrules]

That's primarily how I use my Apple Watch Stainless with notifications and E-mails. I weight lift more than I run, so the fitness application I only use temporarily. But it is expensive and worth it if you appreciate what it has to offer.

I am on the same boat as "Relentless Power" comment above.

 

[Lennyvalentin]

Do you find your Apple Watch useful in daily life?

Yes.

It has happened many times before I bought my Watch that I missed important texts, or even phone calls because my phone was stuffed in my pants, muffled underneath a winter jacket, in some noisy environment. I can't miss anything with the Watch buzzing my wrist, unless I choose to myself by activating do not disturb.

Then there's the activity rings. I love them, especially the dedicated rings watchface. I've been using that constantly since wOS 3 came out. Widgets I use on the watchface is weather and reminders up top, with calendar at the bottom. I've stopped using the battery widget since swiping up on the watchface shows remaining battery right away now.

Back when I used to wear Casio watches, I used alarms, timer and stopwatch regularly for various stuffs. Having that functionality available again right at my fingertips even when at home where I put away my phone is very convenient. Creating an alarm with Siri is so quick and easy, even compared to tapping the screen and spinning the crown on the Watch, to say nothing of how it used to work on my old Casio G-Shocks (LOTS of button presses on tiny fiddly buttons!)

Most awesome aspect of the Watch I've discovered so far? Blizzard Authenticator supports the Watch. When I need to authenticate for some reason the Watch buzzes me, I tap the screen once, and bam. I'm authenticated. Super convenient.

 

[Dodgeman]

That's primarily how I use my Apple Watch Stainless with notifications and E-mails. I weight lift more than I run, so the fitness application I only use temporarily. But it is expensive and worth it if you appreciate what it has to offer.

Did you calibrate your Watch? Does you use any other activity trackers besides the stock one?

 

[macdragonfl]

If you already wear a watch it is a no brainer as it does more and costs less or the same than a good analog watch. I would start out with a sport and if you don't need gps or more water protection go with the original. The price is even better and minimize your investment. If you do like it then wait out for the next gen version, if not pass it to someone as a gift who would. I look at it an accessory for the iPhone that has a element of fashion to it. Kind of like a second monitor for a computer. You do not need it, but it makes some tasks much easier to do. I would also think with a plus phone it would be more useful. I have the regular size iPhone and still love the options to get texts and answer calls. The fitness tracking is great although I am not a serious sports person. It makes you more aware of how to alter some of your daily routine to move a little more. The watch OS3 is the biggest improvement to the experience. The new hardware gains and extra features are at best minimum for most people.

 

[nrvna76]

I've had it since it was released. Space grey as I don't think the stainless is worth the price. I only use it as an alarm, notifications (including using scribble and voice to text) activity tracking, and sports scores. So I only use a slight bit of the functionality and I love it. It is by far the device that keeps me with Apple at the moment. That and iMessage. Even my non-techie wife loves hers.

 

[rockyromero]

If there is a smartwatch worth buying, it's probably the Apple Watch, however I don't get the feeling the smartwatch is actually a necessary device.

It's not necessary until it is.

My wife's compelling reason for the AW: used to ping a misplaced iPhone.

Among other reasons.

➰

 

[0003462]

If you find yourself anxious about missing notifications, or you check your iPhone frequently just in case something was missed, the Watch may be useful for you.

It requires an effort in the beginning to customise it to be useful for you though. Faces, complications, alerts, notifications, dock all need to be adjusted (potentially many times) to suit you and your circumstances. Several months in, I think I'm just settling on my settings now.

For me, with all notifications switched off on my iPad and "Hey Siri" switched off everywhere except the Watch, everything is routed and managed through my Watch via my iPhone. Even notifications for podcasts let me know when a new episode is available so I can tell Siri later on "play podcast x" and essentially have my iPhone act as a dumb pipe I don't interact with directly much. Seeing the Watch as my primary device helped me to see its value.

The Watch has made me more aware of how I spend time and more aware of time generally. It's a nice tool for enhancing your physical 'real' life with a digital assistant* (reminders, calendars) but it's almost one that you spend money on in order to neither use it nor your iPhone very much. If you turn to your iPhone in moments of boredom, you may find yourself twiddling your thumbs. The Watch may be a great tool if one wants to spend less time looking at or fiddling with screens and more time living. But, then, so is willpower

Downsides of the Watch for me: I find the Music app fiddly; I find getting to the app I want fiddly; Any seeking of information can be fiddly unless I use Siri; Getting Watch-only notifications (Breathe, Stand) while using my iPhone - looking at my phone and Watch at the same time isn't a good look.

Upsides: Timer, Weather, complications (whether as info or mere shortcuts), Siri, Apple Pay, Messages dictation/scribbling, wrist up-acknowledge-wrist down convenience, Phone "Answer on iPhone" button, silent notifications and a world of silent computers (no beeps and no ringtones yet nothing missed).

Some final thoughts:

Re-reading this, I seem to be positive about my Watch. However, there hasn't been a day gone by in the past months that I haven't considered selling it. My savings account would be happier that way.

The busier your life is, the more useful you'll find the Watch. I don't have a particularly busy life which definitely contributes to my thoughts of selling the Watch on. Conversely, of course, if your life rarely deviates from a series of regular appointments, the Watch may prove it's worth in giving you that Time To Leave notification for that one-off event you had forgotten about.

*The iPhone is a nice digital assistant too, of course, but there is that feeling with the convenience of smart watches that information is coming to you, rather than you checking for it. The same can be said about smartphones vs laptops. Smart watches continue that line.

 

[satchmo]

I bought the first generation stainless steel Apple Watch on release build quality was phenomenal and I really loved the weighty feel to it and how shiny it was. It was really expensive though, and it didn't offer nearly the amount of usefulness as the iPhone did, so I ended up returning the product as it cost me almost $700-$800.

I ended up buying the iPad Pro soon after that instead with the money, which I love by the way! It's an excellent product and what I'm typing on at the moment (so excuse typos). I hardly ever use my 2011 MacBook Air anymore, although I do have a maxed out 2013 Mac Pro that I use at work if I need to do anything serious.

This is my current line of thinking as well. An Apple watch is a nice to have, not a must have. I would love to have a SS Series 2.

But I'm needing a new Mac, so $800 towards a new MBP or iMac, is a probably a better buy. I know that Mac will last me a good 5-6 years and will be used to make my business money. I'm not sure the same can be said about an AW.

But it's about your needs and priorities.
Of course if money is not an issue, then pick one up.

 

[blairh]

I'm debating on whether to get an Apple Watch or not. I have an iphone 7 plus so it's kinda annoying to take that giant phone out of my pocket every time I get a notification.

Do you find your Apple Watch useful in daily life? I don't want to buy it if I'm only going to use it for the first few weeks and not use it after.

For me, absolutely. I keep my iPhone on silent at all times now. I receive all notifications on my wrist so I won't miss a thing. I love getting notifications on my wrist. I can't imagine not doing so ever again. Also voice dictation works very well for responses. And scribble does a fine job too when necessary. (Writing a reply.)

I use Apple Pay daily. Same idea. Once you use it you never want to go back to swiping a card or inserting it in a slot.

I check into my gym daily with my AW. I do not using the tracking features. Kills battery life and I know I already push myself hard enough in my workouts.

I can control my music on the go which is really handy at times. This includes skipping commercials on podcasts. Sometimes when I'm driving I'll want to hear a specific album or song and I can have the Watch play it on my car stereo.

I would get a Series 1 Sport model if I were you.