Why I Changed My Mind About Apple Watch

I’ll admit that I wasn’t a fan of the Apple Watch when it came out. I really feel like the usefulness of a watch has been eliminated by the smart phones that we carry in our pockets everywhere anyway. It is like the smartphone came to replace the old time pocket watch, and the wrist watch became nothing more then a fashion accessory. And when you are wearing a watch for a night out, you should have a real, high class, mechanical watch like a Rolex, or an Omega. I mostly viewed the Apple Watch as the successor to the ridiculous Casio calculator watch everyone had in the 80’s. At best, I thought of the Apple Watch as an overpriced Fitbit for Apple freaks.

But Then, I Bought An Apple Watch

Over the past couple of years, I have had some personal issues come up that caused me to let my fitness go to the wayside. This year, I decided to change that. But as a middle aged, out of shape man, I was worried about over doing things at the gym, and wanted something that I could monitor my vitals and make sure I didn’t give myself a heart attack. I seriously considered the Fitbit because, as a friend of mine pointed out, that is all it does, and it does it extremely well. However, that was also it’s downfall. I didn’t want to get something that only does fitness in case I failed miserably at my fitness ambitions. I wanted something that wouldn’t end up never being used because I was no longer doing the stuff that it does extremely well.

A friend of mine decided to quit Apple, and was going to Android (I think they like to suffer). They offered to sell me their Apple Watch Series 2 for a fair price, and since the only difference between the series 2 and series 3 is the wifi and cellular (which I still don’t know why it is there), I decided to get it.

First Impressions

To be honest, I wasn’t that impressed with the Apple Watch when I first got it either. It reminds me of the first iPhone… before they opened the apps to developers. It has potential, but it doesn’t do a whole lot yet. Sure, the heart rate monitor is great and the fitness apps do what they need to do. And yes, being able to check the weather, my email, and text messages on my wrist is great, as is having quick access to my calendar.

The truth is, the Apple Watch doesn’t do a lot, but it doesn’t need to. Just having the ability to get the information you need with a quick glance at your wrist makes the Apple Watch a great day to day watch. (I would still suggest the Rolex when you are going to a formal event).

What it really boils down to is “Is the Apple Watch worth 20 times more then the Casio calculator watch?”… Probably not. But, “Is the Apple Watch worth a fraction of the cost of a Rolex?”… Absolutely. “Is the Apple Watch worth the same amount as a Victorinox Watch?”… Yes.

So if spending over $300 on a watch isn’t your thing, then maybe the Apple Watch isn’t for you. But if you like to have a few watches for different occasions, then picking up an Apple Watch and a few extra bands is a good choice. It make getting through the day, and getting everything done a bit easier… and that is what technology is for, isn’t it?