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Is the original Apple Watch still worth it?

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boombox15

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 17, 2013
272
22
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
I am thinking about buying an Apple Watch stainless steel model. There are some good ones for sale on eBay. But since they are the ones released in 2015, will they be slow? Are they still usable? Or should I just buy a series 1 or 2 Apple Watch Sport.

Thanks!
 
I bought a Nike series 2 in December and fell in love with the Apple Watch concept, however it didn't really go with my work suit. I decided to buy a rand new series 0 as Watch for£235 to use at work. I have been very happy with it and although it is ever so slightly slower than my series 2, in day to day use I, very happy with it and think it was a great buy.

I will note I only use the stock Apple apps and we don't yet know how well the series 0 will cope with newer so versions, but at the moment I'm very happy
 
boombox15 said:
I am thinking about buying an Apple Watch stainless steel model. There are some good ones for sale on eBay. But since they are the ones released in 2015, will they be slow? Are they still usable? Or should I just buy a series 1 or 2 Apple Watch Sport.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

The first Generation Apple Watch is still very much usable. The S1/S2 has a faster processor and controls tasking at a smoother rate, but it's not a huge upgrade over the First Gen Watch. And I own both models for comparison.

Being the form factor is exactly the same, some don't have the desire to upgrade to the Series 1/2, unless you appreciate the water resistance and GPS.
 
If your budget is very important then original Apple Watch is a good one. I bought one from eBay just to test it and I love it so much. WatchOS 3.1 does not slow down at all. It works well because I don't need GPS or hardcore fitness. Good luck :)
 
If anything, my S0 is a little "snappier" than it was when I got it in late 2015. I plan to keep it until its OS stops getting security updates, at least.
 
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boombox15 said:
Will the series 0 support Watch OS 4 when that is released?
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Badrottie said:
I hope so and they better be! :)
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I strongly believe the first generation watch will be supported to watchOS Four. It's usually later on with technology with more Health sensors and advanced OS what ultimately riddle the first generation watch on unuseful. But I don't see that happening anytime soon in my opinion.
 
boombox15 said:
Will the series 0 support Watch OS 4 when that is released?
Click to expand...
We can only guess and there is no history to look at.

Honestly I'm kind of pessimistic on the outlook. I give it 50/50 (yeah I know that's kind of a cop out). The reasons why I think series 0 might not get watchOS 4 are because it's already gotten 2 major updates and then I look at series 1 as a way of being able to sell a less expensive model, but still with a faster processor. This would allow Apple to phase out series 0. I'm thinking of the iPad. Gen 1 didn't have a long shelf life at all (I think 2 major updates), but then iPad 2 had a lot of longevity. I think Series 1 is gonna be like the iPad 2; kept around at the bottom of the pricing structure and will get updates for many years.

Of course as a series 0 owner I certainly hope it does, and right now it's running great!
 
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Agree with what's been said by others.

I bought an SS when it first came out. Used it for 6-months then sold it as I jumped around Androids for a while.

I moved back to a 7 Plus before Christmas and picked up a brand new SS Link for £300. That's £600 less than the S2.

My usage hasn't changed and I can honestly say since my first purchase on release, battery life is way better (used to end on 25%, now 45-50%. There interface is quicker on os3 since it was and I predominantly use stock apps.

A friend has an S2 and in my usage (notifications, alarms, tracking fitness activities) I don't see £600 of added value in the S2. Yes it's a bit quicker and has better battery plus GPS. But unless the battery can track activity on GPS for 5-6 hours and last the day I'm content to wait for future improvements.

Future updates are the question but I'll be quite happy if it retains this performance over the next two years. If that means no major os updates then that's fine with me.
 
spriter said:
Agree with what's been said by others.

I bought an SS when it first came out. Used it for 6-months then sold it as I jumped around Androids for a while.

I moved back to a 7 Plus before Christmas and picked up a brand new SS Link for £300. That's £600 less than the S2.

My usage hasn't changed and I can honestly say since my first purchase on release, battery life is way better (used to end on 25%, now 45-50%. There interface is quicker on os3 since it was and I predominantly use stock apps.

A friend has an S2 and in my usage (notifications, alarms, tracking fitness activities) I don't see £600 of added value in the S2. Yes it's a bit quicker and has better battery plus GPS. But unless the battery can track activity on GPS for 5-6 hours and last the day I'm content to wait for future improvements.

Future updates are the question but I'll be quite happy if it retains this performance over the next two years. If that means no major os updates then that's fine with me.
Click to expand...

Agreed. And watchOS 3 was the biggest thing to happen to the first generation Apple Watch. Increase in speed, performance and battery life. I'm confident watchOS four will perform really well with the first generation Apple Watch.
 
clauzzz203 said:
Most likely not, due to the last generation SoC
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I disagree with you. I believe the first generation will easily support watchOS four. Where first generation Apple Watch will likely see it's demise is when other health advancements arise and or more tasking applications that we require more efficient processing and battery consumption.

I also think the first generation Apple Watch has adapted really well to watch iOS 3 .1 .2 without any type of slow down and actually has increased the performance and battery life. If it didn't handle watchOS 3 very well, then I would agree with you. But I do believe that watch will manage tasks for the first generation Apple Watch throughout OS4.
 
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My $.05: If you just want to try an apple watch, a Series 0 Sports is absolutely a viable choice, and can be had at a more reasonable price. Then if you like it, save up for the latest SS and enjoy that one for its full lifetime (or until you really, really want a newer one).
 
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