Trying to understand why I spent ~$450 on an Apple Watch

[Itinj24]

Yes you are missing something... Motivation.

The Watch isn’t going to zap you into working out.

My watch doesn’t motivate me to work out. It tracks and logs my workouts when I’m already motivated. You have to find that within yourself.

 

[deeddawg]

These watches aren’t collector items or heirlooms, hell most of my clients I deal with on a day to day basis that are multi-millionaires only buy the aluminum watch now. In the beginning we all bought into the stainless version then by the 3rd release our opinions all started to change. Mostly on resell value, at the end of the day the watch is worth nothing where the phone has some resell value. Apple only offers a $25 difference on trade in with them as well.

YMMV - different folks live different lives and do different stuff. It's entirely possible for folks to have one or two year old pristine aluminum watches and gain no benefit from the stainless. I'm not one of those folks.

Simply put, I've seen a difference in durability.

I buy the stainless now because seeing the scuffs on my aluminum watches annoyed me, and I was often concerned about damaging the watches. Thus to me, it's worth the ~$18/mo additional cost over a year for the peace of mind and the additional durability that I've experienced in my usage. Resale differential has no bearing on my choice; I expect insignificant resale.

 

[MJ22]

Ok so take it back

 

[afd]

I recently had a Heart Attack. Does the AW always monitor the heart rate or do you have to activate an app and leave it on to get the benefits? Does it sound or alert an alarm when the heart rate is Low/Higher than normal?

I got my series 1 just after a heart attack, series 1s don't do the heart rate notifications but like having the reassurance that my heart rate isn't too high when exercising, which isn't as often as it should be...

 

[BoxerGT2.5]

Hell, I have a new in box series 4 Nike watch you can have for $300. Was going to let my son use it but the 44mm is a bit too big for him.

 

[perezr10]

That distinction wasn't made in the original comment. The statement "no one needs a TV" is plain and simple, false. And that's what I responded to. If an over the top generalization wasn't what you meant, then you should choose your words more carefully. 😘

The context is established by the one asking the question, not the one answering it. I suppose you never learned that.

Everyone in this thread knew what I meant except you. But since you need a little extra help, maybe I should also spell out the other items that go without saying? People on the planet earth who walk-in on 2 legs and that have opposable thumbs like to spend money on Televisions even though it’s not the most practical tool.

 

[throAU]

I got it mainly for the health and fitness reasons. But now I’m kind of wondering why I spent this amount of money just to get notifications on my wrist and something that keeps track of my heart rate.

it’s worth it if it keeps me working out and more fit. But how long will that keep working after the novelty wears off?

Am I missing something?

For me, the watch provides:

• health monitoring / notifications of elevated heart rate, etc.
• motivation to actually get out and do stuff
• trackign of activity
• notifications on my wrist - for me this is a BIG thing as it means i spend less time getting my phone out then getting distracted because of some irrelevant notification i could have ignored with a basic preview
• Applepay - i can leave my phone in the car hooked up to carplay for example and pay for fuel with my wrist. Or i can leave my wallet safely at home on a night out and pay for everything with my wrist.

Is that worth $450 over 2-3 years for you? For me, it's not a need, but i feel i get my money's worth out of it.

Apple watch and health tracking were a large motivator for me losing 20 kg (something like 40-50 lb?) since January. A huge amount of that has been diet, but tracking exercise has also been a motivator as well.

I bought an S2 sport a couple of years ago to "try it and see" whether or not i would get any benefit from it. I did. I upgraded to an S4 last year and will probably get the S6 when it comes out assuming i don't break my S4 in the meantime.

 

[Brien]

I got it mainly for the health and fitness reasons. But now I’m kind of wondering why I spent this amount of money just to get notifications on my wrist and something that keeps track of my heart rate.

it’s worth it if it keeps me working out and more fit. But how long will that keep working after the novelty wears off?

Am I missing something?

I spent $1400, consider yourself lucky!

 

[throAU]

With a year's usage, my Aluminum watches ended up a bit scuffed and dinged, with many fine scuffs on the edges of the display.

My SBSS watch is pristine, like it just came out of the box. No visible scuffs or wear on the display.

I never scratched either the case of screen of my S2 or S4.

Maybe you just took better care of your SS watch as it is more expensive, and also maybe you got more used to wearing a watch again and bump it on stuff less. My S4 takes FAR, FAR less hits from me knocking it on stuff than my S2 did because i had not worn a watch in about 20 years when i got the S2.

 

[shox2k2]

I could certainly do without it. It’s over priced for sure but I still enjoy it and use it often. I like seeing the time, my calendar, date, and temp with ease on my watch face. I like notifications of who’s calling or messaging without having to pull out my phone or control the music I’m listening to.

I do find the ss versions tougher than the aluminum and nicer looking. Maybe someday I’ll go with a ceramic one if I can justify that price. As it is I go with black ss and upgrade every 2 years. It’s time to upgrade. I haven’t yet but maybe will before Christmas or hold off til the next one. My current one is working great although I noticed a couple bubbles under the screen along an edge. Still a great watch.

 

[deeddawg]

Maybe you just took better care of your SS watch as it is more expensive, and also maybe you got more used to wearing a watch again and bump it on stuff less.

Nope and nope.

If anything, I’ve taken less care of my SBSS. I used to regularly put my aluminum watches in a TPU case when embarking on DIY projects and vehicle maintenance. Bought one for my SBSS and haven't ever bothered.

Not sure where you got the idea of “wearing a watch again”... 🤷‍♂️ I wore Garmin running watches as an everyday watch since 2011, Polar running watches for years before that, and various conventional watches for decades prior to that. I can’t remember when I’ve not worn one in my adult life.

Please don’t try to fit my experience to your narrative.

 

[moderniste]

Yes you are missing something... Motivation.

The Watch isn’t going to zap you into working out.

Well, maybe that's an idea for a future update! 🤣

I think they're trying to sort of gamify it so that people do feel more motivated to work out, or at least reminded to move more. Being able to challenge friends seems like it could be motivating. (Unless you're like me and all your friends are couch potatoes too. Maybe if the challenge is to sit still longest while bingewatching Netflix?)

 

[throAU]

Yes you are missing something... Motivation.

The Watch isn’t going to zap you into working out.

My watch doesn’t motivate me to work out. It tracks and logs my workouts when I’m already motivated. You have to find that within yourself.

That said, it does provide evidence that you have or have not exercised enough. And it does nag a bit.

But, more importantly, it is a lot more difficult to lie to yourself and convince yourself you've "done enough today" or whatever when the metrics confirm otherwise and trends confirm that you've been putting it off for ages


Competitions with others are also a motivator.

 

[44267547]

I got it mainly for the health and fitness reasons. But now I’m kind of wondering why I spent this amount of money just to get notifications on my wrist and something that keeps track of my heart rate.

it’s worth it if it keeps me working out and more fit. But how long will that keep working after the novelty wears off?

Am I missing something?

Obviously you have two weeks to make a decision if you’re going to keep the watch or not, I would try to expand and use other capabilities the watch offers, if you don’t find your self justifying what you paid for the watch, then I simply would return it. But the Apple Watch is such a multi tool, it’s a well rounded device. It just comes down to cost v.s. value.

 

[xxray]

Yes you are missing something... Motivation.

The Watch isn’t going to zap you into working out.

My watch doesn’t motivate me to work out. It tracks and logs my workouts when I’m already motivated. You have to find that within yourself.

I think I miscommunicated. I’ve been working out for 8 years, and without the watch. I wasn’t saying I was relying on the watch for motivation. I meant it could provide me with more metrics that could keep me healthier or get me even more on top of my fitness.

I was mainly asking if there’s something more out of the watch I’m supposed to be getting. anyway, I have a month to try it out and I’ll be trying it out for that full month to see if it really seems worth it.

 

[zhaoxin]

I got it mainly for the health and fitness reasons. But now I’m kind of wondering why I spent this amount of money just to get notifications on my wrist and something that keeps track of my heart rate.

it’s worth it if it keeps me working out and more fit. But how long will that keep working after the novelty wears off?

Am I missing something?

You can use USD199 for a s3 if you think 450 is too high.

 

[Dammit Cubs]

450? i'm trying to understand why i'm buying the ceramic is currently the best decision of my life. LOL

Back to the topic, it's hard to say. Everyone has a price for convenience, i can't tell that it's worth it. that only you can justify. I can just say, i like wearing watches and so getting a smart watch was just the move that I'm happy with.

 

[Farrellcollie]

You are wrong on the screens. The aluminum screens scratch much easier than the SS and other higher end versions. There isn’t even a comparison. The aluminum body also scratches much much easier than stainless steel. It’s not even a comparison on how much more durable the SS version is compared to the aluminum watch.

I have had the aluminum watch 1 and am still using my aluminum watch 3 for things like cutting the grass and I never had scratches on the body of either of them. I do use a screen protector but that is more because of my experience with scratching and busting crystals on watches long before the apple watch. I also have a ss watch 4 that I bought used. The body scratch free as well. I wear one or the other every day all day. I really don't find there to be a big difference in anything but the shine

 

[Nama52018]

I recently had a Heart Attack. Does the AW always monitor the heart rate or do you have to activate an app and leave it on to get the benefits? Does it sound or alert an alarm when the heart rate is Low/Higher than normal?

The Apple Watch allows heart rate icon to show on the Watch face, along with a clock or the time and other stuff. You select in settings what high heart rate you want to get an alert of. Have not read of a low heart rate alert. But you can set up timed pill alerts that stop when you say you did take your pills. So, if you don't feel so good, tap the heart rate icon for your heart rate, and sit down. The newer watches can do ECG too. And, can detect a fall. If you don't get up soon, the Watch will call for help. Pretty cool stuff.

 

[MisterSavage]

Have not read of a low heart rate alert.

Good points. I looked in settings today and low heart rate alerts are also supported.

 

[Mabus51]

Good points. I looked in settings today and low heart rate alerts are also supported.

Highly recommend the app HeartWatch. Adds a circular complication that works with the watch faces and shows your heart rate. Much better than a picture Apple’s complication offers.

 

[supertomtom]

For me it’s no longer about the novelty. I’ve had an Apple Watch since launch and I don’t see it as a new exciting toy, but just an integrated part of my everyday. I don’t think anyone really NEEDS an Apple Watch (tho I’m sure there are exceptions) but it’s does so many little things that makes my everyday life just that much easier.

 

[user_xyz]

I got it mainly for the health and fitness reasons. But now I’m kind of wondering why I spent this amount of money just to get notifications on my wrist and something that keeps track of my heart rate.

it’s worth it if it keeps me working out and more fit. But how long will that keep working after the novelty wears off?

Am I missing something?

You No Like Disposable $$450.00 3 year watch??

This man "Gets it".

 

[Spinning Fan]

Seeing AW as a "fitness tool", I used to not understand why people bought it.
I ended up buying a S3 because .. I wanted a new gadget/toy to play with.

I have not worn any of my fancy mechanical watches for 2 years since, because it has (for me personally) become an integral part of my work life.

The two main uses I have are (1) SFDC, Concur, Teams, and other notifications.. many which require me to approve in a timely manner (using an iPhone), and (2) ApplePay for riding on trains and shopping at convenience stores.

You could do these things with an iPhone, but it is much quicker and easier for me.
Would I have continued using AW exclusively if either one of those uses were not there? Probably not. YMMV obviously.

 

[deeddawg]

You could do these things with an iPhone, but it is much quicker and easier for me.

... and this basically sums up much of what the AW brings as value.

For many things it's like having my phone in my hand all the time, without the hassle of actually doing that.

Often the thought is "I already always have my phone with me, why would I need a watch?" without realizing that the AW shifts the paradigm to where you don't feel the need to always have your phone with you. Or when you do have it, there's a convenience factor of not needing to dig out of your pocket or backpack or whatever for many of things we attend to on the phone. Even if I didn't use mine for fitness / activity related stuff I'd still own one simply from the convenience factor it brings to the things I do -- particularly in terms of Siri commands to set a timer, create a reminder, add something to the grocery list, control HomeKit switches, etc.

Now, the value-add in this will be different for different people. The cost impact on the person's finances/budget will also be different for different people. Thus the answer of "is it worth it" will vary.