PERSONAL USE CASE ONLY:
While the trend to remove watch apps is potentially disturbing, there is - in my opinion - a greater reality to the situation. A small screen on your wrist can be useful for many things, but the Watch just hasn't decided what to do when it grows up. Exercise apps? Yes! Music? Sure. Tracking time? Of course! But... shopping? Ordering a pizza? Tracking a package? Reading social posts? No... No... No... and No! This is just a market correction. That said, Lyft and Uber (and other ride-hailing services) do seem like a much better fit. Not sure if it's a great fit, but definitely in the grey area.
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Just curious. I never tried the eBay watch app. What, specifically, did it offer beyond notifications? Alternatively, what can you not do now that you could before?
No personal attack here, some people do actually have a need for the little things that personal electronics afford, such as “package tracking” or “weather updates”, etc. Not everyone has the ability to have their iPhone with them at all times, due to business settings, personal environment and so on. While I do have my own business, there are many occasions when pulling out your smartphone would not be possible so having the the Apple Watch that can monitor most apps from your wrist and let you know immediately is more than just a convenience for some. Personally, I do not use nor care about Facebook and Twitter updates, for me it is about heart-rate monitoring, medication and other reminders, doctor’s appointments, etc. but to others it may only be used for “fun stuff” that they could actually forgo until they retrieve that information on another device. Since I am partially disabled but still work full-time little things like the several apps on my Apple Watch are very important to me so so that my day can be safe, have peace of mind, relay knowledge of what is going on in my world like knowing when my prescriptions or other medical supplies have been delivered. When you have limited physical abilities it is nice to receive a notice that a package has arrived instead of having to check the porch many times over because the boxes may be pirated by others that would rather steal than go to work. These things are what allows me to live my life on my own terms and not needing to request assistance every single day for things that I can do on my own provided that I have a little help from devices like the Apple Watch, iPhone and iPad; they allow me to be me…
While I am not paralyzed, my physical limitations are great and having the Apple Watch to monitor things for me is a true asset; along with the ability to use my iPad instead of having to pullout the bigger & heavier MacBook Pro 15” which on some days is simply not possible.
IMHO, everyone really needs to remember that just because “something” is not considered to be beneficial or useful to them, doesn’t mean that it is utter trash and should be done away with solely because it didn’t prove to be as helpful or useful in the minds of some consumers/users. For me, several electronics & other products have become very important in my life as my health steadily declines with each passing year. I routinely have spinal surgeries every year that take considerable time to recuperate from, and the smaller more portable devices do genuinely make tasks a little easier for me to complete without help from others. So each day that I am okay & able enough to work, I run my business and use helpful products like the iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and my MacBook Pro 15”. I am able to utilize my iPad the most to track very important things (to me) such as my medications (which I take about 20 pills daily); I am able to keep my prescription information, medical history documents, imaging scans, etc.
So while something as mundane as a watch app to some could be incredibly useful for someone else that may not be able to pullout their iPhone every single time that they need to do something; and remember that some users may live or travel to areas where being flashy with expensive electronics like an $800-$1,000 iPhone could be an open invitation to be mugged. Personally, I live and pay very high taxes for the home that I have, while the community as a whole appears beautiful on the outside, in reality has somewhat high numbers of thefts when it comes to expensive bags, phones, jewelry, etc. The Apple Watch allows you to be somewhat safer by not flashing your stuff around, but still permits you to access your smartphone and be productive & self-sufficient and not rely on others or setting yourself up as a victim, etc.
Again, I don’t mean to come across as rude… but some products are not only beneficial to some users but can be downright crucial for their existence and many can make the argument that products and services like a smartphone is worthless because they don’t go out much and still have a landline telephone that they can use, while others are mobile part of their day and are benefited by having smart-electronics at their disposal. I personally use the Apple Home services as well along with smart-outlets, etc so that I do not have to reach so much to turn lights on & off, while I would not die if I turned them on or off manually I do have less pain by not having to reach and bend so much and after many surgeries (and other physical limitations) performing everyday tasks can be quite the challenge for those of us living with disabilities.
