Watch may be the least needed upgradable product Apple makes

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Very satisfied with my series 4 model. Unless it breaks, or the battery dies (Not looking like it will anytime soon), I will likely not upgrade. I can't think of any features they could actually introduce, which would make me upgrade? I have no need for sugar levels, or blood oxygenation, as I know my body quite well after many years of exercising. A markedly thinner watch could make me upgrade, perhaps... (~50% thinner)

 

[Dealmans]

I got my S7 worth $799AUD for $580 only a month old, sold my S5 2 years old for $400, did the same with it got it for $600 few months old after selling my S4. Plenty of people buy them and don’t use them.

 

[Jeven Stobs]

New features, better battery life, aesthetic changes, failed, broken, or damaged device.

App, OS, phone compatibility; performance, screen, size, connectivity, storage needs, different housing materials.
With time you notice what one thing can and can’t do, and if there’s a new version of it you might want to upgrade. Simple.

I don’t know what’s up with all these people asking weird questions lately, have they forgotten how to think? It’s not that difficult to think of reasons to upgrade a device.

 

[CraigJDuffy]

“Watch may be the least needed upgradable product Apple makes”

Have you met AirPods? Can’t even swap the battery on those.

 

[Jim Lahey]

I just upgrade my stuff when either or both of these two conditions are met;

• I need to.
• I want to.

 

[Jeven Stobs]

This makes the case for 5 year or so…most of those greens are yellow

Makes the case for 5 years?
5 years ago we got the Apple Watch S3… you really wanna claim nothing worthwhile has happened the last 4 years?
And if obvious improvements are not improvements to ya, why did you create this thread? Looks like you already made up your mind and don’t see reason to argue.

 

[Xand&Roby]

In your article the guy had chest pains. Any normal person would have gone to the doctor regardless of what the ECG/EKG on an Apple Watch said. Additionally, you need medical grade equipment to perform proper tests regardless. Do you really think people were dropping dead before the Apple Watch?

I’m suffering of high heartbeat since I was a child. No examination over the decades has shown results, also because when peaks were shown I did not have the equipment with me to measure them. In 2018 after several events I bought an S4, with which I monitor the beat at all times. I have been quite clear graphs of what happens and what occasions it happens for 4 years, certainly not thanks to medical equipment, which still does not encounter problems. In this way I was able to avoid certain situations as much as possible and evaluate the solutions with the doctor.

I can understand the uncertified features but, as poor as it is, the ECG function is certified, and it works, as far as it can, but it works. And yes, people with heart problems die exactly as you described, Apple Watch can be a little help.

 

[Apple_Robert]

What do you do with the old ones?

Usually give to family.

 

[bricktop_at]

Usually give to family.

If I decide to part with one of my watches, I usually do the same - either this or I sell it via the eBay and the like.
In general I try to don't overshoot my current personal "3-watches-limit"

 

[the future]

In general I try to don't overshoot my current personal "3-watches-limit"

Careful there, you‘re going to blow OP‘s mind when he realizes that there are folks who own MORE THAN ONE APPLE WATCH ??

 

[Howard2k]

Careful there, you‘re going to blow OP‘s mind when he realizes that there are folks who own MORE THAN ONE APPLE WATCH ??

Wait, you can do that??? ?

 

[Saturn007]

This makes the case for 5 year or so…most of those greens are yellow

I read the chart the same way. Overall, on its own, it doesn't make a compelling case for an upgrade — and that is why many hang onto their 4s and don't upgrade to a 7. It may also explain the popularity of Series 4 and 5 Apple refurbs.

The problem is that so many things in the chart are identical (yellow) or marginal tweaks or small differences (many of the green).

I make similar comparative charts, so take this next remark in that spirit.

Highlighting the benefits in a sentence or two often conveys them much more clearly and forcefully than a chart does!

Someome could legitimately write,

“In key respects, the Series 7 Watch is a substantial improvement over the 4.“

“Compared to the 4, it comes with an Always on display, a 20% larger display, smaller bezels (not in the chart), a better look thanks to the smaller bezels (not in chart), larger battery capacity, rapid charging (not in the chart), on screen keyboard (not in chart), faster or much faster operation (CPU designations are a step removed from declaring ), etc.“

Much more persuasive in laying out the key plusses!

On the other hand, in spite of the chart and the statement highlighting a somewhat (slightly?) larger batter capacity, some or many argue the Series 4 Watch had longer battery life out of the box than the 7 does — again, something that is not in the chart and hidden by the glowing list of advantages!

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

why would you want to upgrade it?

I don’t know many people who upgrade their watch every year.
Really unnecessary, which is why Apple keeps around the old models.
They kept around series one until 2018.
They’re still selling series 3, stupid decision but whatever.

 

[jsmith1]

Agree with OP. Honestly, if I had to live without one apple product, I would probably choose the watch. It's a good product, but phone is so much more important and useful piece of hardware.

My series 4 model was just recently updated; still looks nice and runs nice, battery is about the same it was (I briefly charge it every morning). "Wake on wrist raise" detection is clunky and annoying from my experience though. "Always on" would be a cool feature to have, but def. not a reason enough to upgrade.

so true, when you can lose something and go eh...the first place to look would be on charger

 

[jsmith1]

I just upgrade my stuff when either or both of these two conditions are met;

• I need to.
• I want to.

either would be the majority by far if honest

 

[jsmith1]

Careful there, you‘re going to blow OP‘s mind when he realizes that there are folks who own MORE THAN ONE APPLE WATCH ??

lol, i collect watches just not Apple watches, i need value in the collection

 

[jsmith1]

Usually give to family.

yea pretty much give away is the option

 

[Apple_Robert]

lol, i collect watches just not Apple watches, i need value in the collection

Apple Watches are not about value in a collection as they are about making one's day to day life easier and more enjoyable to navigate.

 

[44267547]

lol, i collect watches just not Apple watches, i need value in the collection

I collect watches as well, anything from Ralph Lauren all the way to a Panerai, but I rarely ever wear them (I think I have 15+ watches), given the Apple Watch really is the primary device I prefer, simply just because of the functionality and it’s a multi tool that benefits me in so many ways.

 

[bingeciren]

Usually give to family.

I do too, but running out of family members at this rate ?

 

[Jim Lahey]

either would be the majority by far if honest

Must admit, getting from 'want to' to 'need to' was once largely a mental leap for me that didn't take much man-maths to take, but as life's priorities change and the basic cost of living soars, I'm increasingly taking the latter criteria more literally. Much happier these days to stick with older gear so long as it still works and performs well. I think this is going to be a general pattern going forward and it's probably why Apple were recently reported to be planning hardware subscription models that tease people into inadvertently paying more over their lifetime instead of less.

 

[Novius89]

I bought the SE on release, was my first Apple Watch. After almost two years I am thinking about a newer watch with more features.

It’s the perfect companion for my iPhone and I will upgrade when I think it’s absolutely necessary for the battery. Or if I break it by accident.
For the foreseeable future it still holds up for my use with 85% battery health. And I will keep on using the SE.

 

[Danfango]

I upgrade to avoid the plague of stuff that is outside AppleCare and has a battery blowing up like a balloon trying to pop the screen off and lugging the charger around all day too.

This is the default state of existence for everyone I know and it’s painful to watch.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I upgrade mine every 3 years as the yearly updates are barely worth it to me and they lose 50%+ of their value pretty much in the first 12-18 months. Its not like you get much value back towards a new watch if you wanted to upgrade every year. It’s definitely like the iPad in terms of not needing to be upgraded every couple of years I would say.

 

[RobCoenen]

Eventually the small, incremental updates do add up over the generations. Determining if I wanted to upgrade from Series 4 to 7, I put this list together. The list was largely unnecessary, because outside of new headlining features that could be useful, for me the biggest reason to upgrade the watch is when battery life is no longer satisfactory. I'd always planned on a 3-4 year upgrade cycle.

View attachment 1993410

Thanks for the inspiration. I've decided to make an overview (based on the Apple technical specifications, as provided on their site) with all models.

https://imgur.com/a/aUhJQOG