Why I still wear an Apple Watch?

Just over 2 years ago, Apple released the first Apple Watch as an accessory to the iPhone. I was immediately hooked and wanted one.

It is now 2 years later and a lot of people have stopped wearing their smartwatches, so why am I still wearing mine.

Apple Watch Notifications on anywhere.

In my day job I work in a contact centre where I am unable to use my iPhone when at my desk, for obvious reasons, which means if I get an important notification then I would normally miss this. Now, I am not really fussed about the latest e-mail from my favourite company promoting its latest products, but I would hate to miss those important notifications in a family emergency. In the case of my Apple Watch, I can discreetly read a notification without disturbing others and a loud phone beeping or a wolf whistle every 10 seconds (Yes, Samsung owners I mean you!). It’s just a better way of getting notifications quickly..

It gets me moving.

I’ll be honest, when I first got the Apple Watch the stand notifications where a little distracting, but as I use the watch more they have become part of my daily life, and I sometimes preempt them by moving at 10 minutes to the hour.

I am also not the biggest fitness fan in the world, so having that motivation to get a little exercise in my life has reaped wonders. The fitness tools on the watch has give me useful stats that motivate me to be healthier and that motivation to close those rings is very addictive, without being difficult to achieve. I have often given up with exercise regimes because of them being too difficult to stick to and by making some changes to my diet and with the motivation that the Apple Watch brings I have managed to lose 20 kg (3 stone or 42 pounds to all you imperial folks out there!) and for somebody who hates formal exercise that must be a good thing.

Keeps my phone secure.

I unfortunately live in a country where the weather can be a little unpredictable. As I write this I have experienced mph winds and torrential downpours. We are also approaching the season where we have dark nights where darkness sets in around 4.30pm at the earliest. The last thing you want to do when this happens is to get your phone out to change music or read a text, where the conditions are not the best. This is where the watch is most useful, I can change a track with my phone securely in my pocket or bag out of the inclement weather that we have in the UK.

The battery life isn’t that bad.

One of the may complaints I heard with most smartwatches is about the battery life. I’ll be the first to admit that when I got the first Apple Watch, I did struggle to make it last till I got home, which was around 6am in the morning till 5-6pm in the evening, but with improvements to software and better hardware in the series 2, I can easily get to bedtime and my watch is till running, sometimes on 30% power, so the battery life isn’t an issues. Obviously this is going to differ with usage, but I use it at least an hour a day tracking a workout, which tends to deplete the battery the most, and it still lasts. The battery life is only going to improve as Apple refines the watch more.

This is why I use my watch more than ever, prior to the Apple Watch, my watch was used for the sole purpose that it was designed for, telling the time. I get to respond to important messages and e-mails quicker now,  use it to set timers, never late for things now, and also fitter than ever.

I hope you enjoyed this article and I hope this encouraged you to make the jump to a smartwatch. If you love your phone, then you will enjoy a smartwatch. Just remember that it will never replace a phone, but it will definitely improve the experience and what is cooler than talking to your watch like Dick Tracy!