Right now, as I type, Apple is about to unveil the details of its latest reason to blow your next paycheck at its Spring Forward event in San Francisco.
Yes, a watch.
Remember those?
Here’s what I find interesting: thanks to companies like Apple, who gave us the smartphone that does more than make phone calls, and the tablet, which makes our laptops feel obsolete, most of us ditched our watches. I mean, why wear a watch when we’re covered with devices that tell us what time it is?
And now the company wants us to wear watches again.
I don’t get it.
I will say, as a former watch wearer, the concept is intriguing. The Apple Watch, the first wearable product from the tech giant, will be like a smartphone on your wrist. It can take calls, receive messages, play music like an iPod, track your fitness like a Fitbit, make purchases via Apple Pay, even act like a remote control for your Apple TV. (It goes on sale in April.)
Yes. It will do all that — and probably more. (I’m just waiting for Apple CEO Tim Cook to explain this part.) And it’s not entirely ugly, either. The device, which will start at $349, will come in two sizes and several styles, including the ultra-luxe 18-carat-gold Apple Watch Edition.
So will I buy one?
That’s a good question.
Lucky for Apple, I just ditched my Fitbit Charge because I didn’t need it anymore. But the one function I did enjoy on that activity wristband was the caller ID function. And Apple will have that and more.
I wouldn’t have to even move to grab anything to see who’s texting me, who’s calling me, who I’m supposed to meet for lunch later today, what the weather will be like. It will be all on my right wrist. I might not even have to stop typing!
It’s almost better than the larger iPhone 6 Plus, which I’m still debating about. I mean, I’ll never have to carry this device. I will be wearing it. Awesome.
The downsides: The Apple Watch — at least the sports version — isn’t waterproof but maybe water resistant. (That’s bad for me, who’s always in the water — and forgets to take off things like Fitbit Charges while showering.)
And it’s just one more thing I’ll have. Honestly, if I buy this watch, I can add that to the collection of Apple products I have: an iMac, a MacBook Air, a MacBook Pro, an iPad 3, an iPhone 5, an iPod Nano, and one of those classic iPods.
It’s Apple overload!
So am I getting the Apple Watch? I guess I have a month to figure out if I really need it in my life.
Or, like usual, I’ll let Apple convince me.
9 Comments
CAT: I cannot buy the watch as my fat fingers and poor eyesight would make it difficult. I have a hard enough time with an iPad!
That’s a good question — I didn’t think about whether it had a keyboard! It can’t possible… can it?
As an Apple corporate shareholder, albeit a minor one, I want you to buy the watch, to buy one for yourself and several to give as gifts. As a person, I’ll confide that the only Apple products I’ve ever bought or owned are an iPod (ten years, and still using it regularly) and an iPad2 (almost four years, and still using it regularly also). Whispering, “Cat, don’t buy the watch; you don’t need more stuff.”
I never carry a phone other than a work phone, and then only during office hours. My favorite watch is Swiss, 60 years old, still very thin and stylish, and I wind it every day. No batteries and no cords. Life is simple; life is good.
I know, I don’t need more stuff. When I told my husband about it, he was, like, “But you don’t even wear a watch!” I had to laugh. He’s right!
Hello Cat,
I don’t need one especially not the first version. Maybe I’ll think about it after version 5 or 6.
It would be better if it’s totally waterproof so I can wear it surfing and paddling.
Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever worn a watch that wasn’t waterproof. Might be a mistake waiting to happen!
They should hire you for marketing! You almost have me convinced. It DOES sound convenient, the way you put it. Let us know if you get one and how you like it. I’m what you’d call a late adopter anyway. 😉
I’m a late adopter, too, though. I’m still using the iPhone 6, which is blasphemous in the tech world!
Second posting on this – I had no reason to dislike the Apple Watch or Apple for developing it, until today. The operating system that supports Apple watch is iOS8.2. I’m certain that I’ll never own such a watch, but downloading and installing the update to the operating system on my iPad today, with a strong wifi signal, took 40 minutes.
When I first got the iPad, I ignored all of the operating system updates, which I learned a year or so later was not a good idea. I figured that I didn’t need them. I didn’t realize that the old apps would stop running.
Consequently, now I update the iOS everytime a new one is pushed to me, and they take 30-45 minutes per update. It’s not a big deal for those wanting to stay current. For me, who just wanted this thing to do what it did when I bought it, like a simple digital camera does, it’s been an unexpected chore to keep the operating system up to date.