Recently purchased my first smartwatch and my first Apple Watch, got a 41mm aluminum Series 7 on sports loop. Didn't know what to expect, thought I'd probably return it after two days. Well, I was dead wrong. The Apple Watch Series 7 is fantastic, and I am amazed at all the useful, and cool, things that are packed into this tiny box. Was looking to replace a traditional quartz banger watch with another. After using the Series 7, no more "traditional" watches for me. I know for certain I'm sticking with the Apple Watch in the future, can't wait for Series 8 and maybe a titanium model.
If you are on the fence, there are several things that stand out, from my perspective.
Subtle/stealth notifications and communication: Series 7 is squarely on-point with subtle notifications concerning calls, messages, emails, anything. I never understood how much I would like this aspect of a smartwatch -- especially if you use your iPhone for business. Pre-watch, I'd get annoyed if my iPhone was buzzing or ringing during meetings, at dinner, where accessing the phone is a pain (driving, airplanes, conferences, bathroom) or in a place where I needed to be quiet. Apple Watch solves this beautifully. You can set the Series 7 so you get a simple haptic rumble on your wrist. Glance at watch and see who/what it is, take the call/message on your Watch, or grab your iPhone where it immediately switches over, or ignore it. The beauty is I've now totally silenced all devices -- no more ringers/tones/audible annoyance. All I need is that simple wrist rumble. The only person who knows I've got incoming calls/messages/calendared item is me, and I can accept or reject with a simple wrist turn. Love it.
Infinitely adjustable face watches and complications: amazing. Pick any number of watch faces, and you can set four, five, six, even seven individual complications (I think) to do anything you need on a single watch face. Alarms, timers, phone calls, email, messages, weather, gps, day/date, alternate time zones, more -- this just destroys the functionality of "traditional" watches. I'm assuming Apple does it better than the competition.
Fantastic travel watch: this watch is so, so much better for travel than a traditional GMT, and a whole lot easier to use. You can set most of the watch faces to actually spell out a city name, and get a digital time readout, it's really great. Or you can have a traditional GMT watch hand notification if you prefer. The Apple Watch readjusts timezones automatically, of course, and it's so darn simple to set your alternate zones. Also, set up your alarms easily for connections and departures, and calendar syncs beautifully. Traditional watches can be major pain in the ass for this. Never going back to them after traveling with the Series 7. Also, sports loop is comfortable and infinitely adjustable, I find I'm preferring it to steel/precious metal bracelets.
Apple Pay: never knew how much I'd like this feature on a wristband. Two button presses, and make a purchase, and you can set a default credit card on the iPhone. Apple Watch operates just like a Disney band at their theme parks. Works great. Hate fumbling for cash and credit cards while traveling. Again, a real joy to use, makes things much easier.
Finally, the integration between iPhone and Apple Watch, the Apple Watch team has really nailed it. Yes, there is a learning curve to setting notifications, using the apps and complications, and learning the button presses and swipes, as well as a couple notification quirks (looking at you, yellow workout notification dot), but you probably can master the Series 7 within two or three days of unboxing. The Apple Watch does a great job mirroring the iPhone, and I don't think I've missed a call or message yet (this is critically important). Apple Watch has been spot-on.
Anyway, if you've owned an Apple Watch, you know all this stuff. But if you're like me, someone who previouisly thought, eh, Apple Watch is a waste of time and money -- it isn't. It's a great piece of kit and tech, and I'm really glad I made an impulse buy that turned out way better than I imagined.
If you are on the fence, there are several things that stand out, from my perspective.
Subtle/stealth notifications and communication: Series 7 is squarely on-point with subtle notifications concerning calls, messages, emails, anything. I never understood how much I would like this aspect of a smartwatch -- especially if you use your iPhone for business. Pre-watch, I'd get annoyed if my iPhone was buzzing or ringing during meetings, at dinner, where accessing the phone is a pain (driving, airplanes, conferences, bathroom) or in a place where I needed to be quiet. Apple Watch solves this beautifully. You can set the Series 7 so you get a simple haptic rumble on your wrist. Glance at watch and see who/what it is, take the call/message on your Watch, or grab your iPhone where it immediately switches over, or ignore it. The beauty is I've now totally silenced all devices -- no more ringers/tones/audible annoyance. All I need is that simple wrist rumble. The only person who knows I've got incoming calls/messages/calendared item is me, and I can accept or reject with a simple wrist turn. Love it.
Infinitely adjustable face watches and complications: amazing. Pick any number of watch faces, and you can set four, five, six, even seven individual complications (I think) to do anything you need on a single watch face. Alarms, timers, phone calls, email, messages, weather, gps, day/date, alternate time zones, more -- this just destroys the functionality of "traditional" watches. I'm assuming Apple does it better than the competition.
Fantastic travel watch: this watch is so, so much better for travel than a traditional GMT, and a whole lot easier to use. You can set most of the watch faces to actually spell out a city name, and get a digital time readout, it's really great. Or you can have a traditional GMT watch hand notification if you prefer. The Apple Watch readjusts timezones automatically, of course, and it's so darn simple to set your alternate zones. Also, set up your alarms easily for connections and departures, and calendar syncs beautifully. Traditional watches can be major pain in the ass for this. Never going back to them after traveling with the Series 7. Also, sports loop is comfortable and infinitely adjustable, I find I'm preferring it to steel/precious metal bracelets.
Apple Pay: never knew how much I'd like this feature on a wristband. Two button presses, and make a purchase, and you can set a default credit card on the iPhone. Apple Watch operates just like a Disney band at their theme parks. Works great. Hate fumbling for cash and credit cards while traveling. Again, a real joy to use, makes things much easier.
Finally, the integration between iPhone and Apple Watch, the Apple Watch team has really nailed it. Yes, there is a learning curve to setting notifications, using the apps and complications, and learning the button presses and swipes, as well as a couple notification quirks (looking at you, yellow workout notification dot), but you probably can master the Series 7 within two or three days of unboxing. The Apple Watch does a great job mirroring the iPhone, and I don't think I've missed a call or message yet (this is critically important). Apple Watch has been spot-on.
Anyway, if you've owned an Apple Watch, you know all this stuff. But if you're like me, someone who previouisly thought, eh, Apple Watch is a waste of time and money -- it isn't. It's a great piece of kit and tech, and I'm really glad I made an impulse buy that turned out way better than I imagined.
