I'm awfully late to the Apple Watch party.
In fact, the Apple Watch 2 is likely right around the corner.
But now I'm an Apple Watch owner.
That's what happens when your 40th birthday and Black Friday fall within 48 hours of each other.
My Apple Watch is the new 42mm Gold Apple Watch Sport, with a blue band.
I'm a little surprised that Apple would introduce a gold Sport to the Watch lineup. The gold finish on the Watch Edition was its primary differentiator.
(Then again, at this point, they've probably sold all of the $10,000 Edition watches that they're likely to.)
This is a really good-looking Apple Watch. The gold finish is the same anodized look you'd see on an iPhone 6, and gives the impression that it's "more special" than the various silver aluminum and stainless steel Watches.
The WatchOS knows that the watch is gold, and subtly adjusts the various faces. Details which may have been gray on the standard watch are now bronze. It's pretty cool.
The Sport band is fine enough - but I'm a watch traditionalist, and I just can't imagine that I'll be wearing a watch with a plastic band for long, no matter how nice the plastic is.
(Frankly, It's crazy enough that I'm wearing a watch with no physical hands.)
I'll likely be swapping the Sport Band out for a black Leather Loop or Classic Buckle. I think that the gold Sport Watch will look *great* with a black leather band.
Wrist notifications are a big step forward. They are more obtrusive, and less obtrusive, in different, helpful ways.
You might miss a notification on your phone - it could be in your pocket, or on your desk.
You aren't going to miss a text or an "Your Watched eBay Auction is Ending!" notification from the Watch. It literally slaps you on the wrist.
This is, obviously, more obtrusive - but in a good way. You set up these notifications, so you presumably want to be notified.
The good news is, after glancing at the notification, you can IMMEDIATELY decide whether to ignore it.
You don't have to reach for your phone, unlock it, and decide which action to take.
Socially, this is a huge leap forward. There's a stigma attached to breaking off a conversation to fiddle with your phone. It's rude.
It's still a LITTLE rude to glance at your watch during a conversation, but substantially less so. People have been glancing at watches for generations!
Bottom line - we are a lot more conditioned to accept people looking at their watches, than we are to accept people looking at their phones.
And psychologically, the Watch makes it POSSIBLE to leave your phone behind. You can finally stop worrying about missing someone's communication.
It's like having a weight taken off your shoulders that you didn't even really notice you were carrying.
I'm obviously new to the Watch, but so far, it seems like a really useful device - even if it ONLY did the notifications. I expect that I'll find new uses for it - and so will Apple.
In fact, the Apple Watch 2 is likely right around the corner.
But now I'm an Apple Watch owner.
That's what happens when your 40th birthday and Black Friday fall within 48 hours of each other.
My Apple Watch is the new 42mm Gold Apple Watch Sport, with a blue band.
I'm a little surprised that Apple would introduce a gold Sport to the Watch lineup. The gold finish on the Watch Edition was its primary differentiator.
(Then again, at this point, they've probably sold all of the $10,000 Edition watches that they're likely to.)
This is a really good-looking Apple Watch. The gold finish is the same anodized look you'd see on an iPhone 6, and gives the impression that it's "more special" than the various silver aluminum and stainless steel Watches.
The WatchOS knows that the watch is gold, and subtly adjusts the various faces. Details which may have been gray on the standard watch are now bronze. It's pretty cool.
The Sport band is fine enough - but I'm a watch traditionalist, and I just can't imagine that I'll be wearing a watch with a plastic band for long, no matter how nice the plastic is.
(Frankly, It's crazy enough that I'm wearing a watch with no physical hands.)
I'll likely be swapping the Sport Band out for a black Leather Loop or Classic Buckle. I think that the gold Sport Watch will look *great* with a black leather band.
But how is the Watch to use?
So far, the Watch is pretty cool. I really do like the concept of receiving texts and notifications on my wrist.Wrist notifications are a big step forward. They are more obtrusive, and less obtrusive, in different, helpful ways.
You might miss a notification on your phone - it could be in your pocket, or on your desk.
You aren't going to miss a text or an "Your Watched eBay Auction is Ending!" notification from the Watch. It literally slaps you on the wrist.
This is, obviously, more obtrusive - but in a good way. You set up these notifications, so you presumably want to be notified.
The good news is, after glancing at the notification, you can IMMEDIATELY decide whether to ignore it.
You don't have to reach for your phone, unlock it, and decide which action to take.
Socially, this is a huge leap forward. There's a stigma attached to breaking off a conversation to fiddle with your phone. It's rude.
It's still a LITTLE rude to glance at your watch during a conversation, but substantially less so. People have been glancing at watches for generations!
Bottom line - we are a lot more conditioned to accept people looking at their watches, than we are to accept people looking at their phones.
And psychologically, the Watch makes it POSSIBLE to leave your phone behind. You can finally stop worrying about missing someone's communication.
It's like having a weight taken off your shoulders that you didn't even really notice you were carrying.
I'm obviously new to the Watch, but so far, it seems like a really useful device - even if it ONLY did the notifications. I expect that I'll find new uses for it - and so will Apple.
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