No One Really Needs an Apple Watch Today

Dr. Mac’s Rants & Raves
Episode #134

 

I’ve put off writing about the Apple Watch until today because, quite frankly, I didn’t know what I wanted to say. But last night it came to me… The Apple Watch is the coolest gadget in the world that you don’t need (and I say that with all due respect).

I’ll spare you the product details (visit www.apple.com/watch) so I can spend the rest of our brief time together explaining why I love Apple Watch, but don’t think you (or anyone) really needs one (at least not yet).

First, some background: I have collected and worn reasonably priced wristwatches for at least 40 years. I own more than a dozen timepieces — from everyday watches like the Casio G-Shocks I pick up on Ebay for well under $100 to my fanciest and most expensive one, a Tag-Heuer Chronograph I picked up in Hong Kong for around $800 back in the 1980s.

I’ve always enjoyed wearing different timepieces for different occasions and I’ve always been fascinated by tiny, ultra-precise machinery. So when I heard about Apple Watch, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. It appeared that in order to receive maximum benefit from its health and fitness tracking features, I’d need to wear it every day. And while Apple Watch lets you switch between a variety of different watch faces, and is, undoubtedly, a tiny and extremely precise machine, I didn’t relish the thought of wearing the same timepiece every single day.

And honestly, I was concerned about its price; at a minimum of US$349, it would be the second most expensive watch I ever bought.

So although I had trepidation when I ordered my Apple Watch Sport (42mm; $399), I’m not sorry and I have not strapped on another watch since the day it arrived.

My favorite feature is making and receiving phone calls without taking my iPhone out of my pocket. Yes, I feel like a real dork talking into my watch in public. But that doesn’t bother me a bit. And I find it liberating to know who is calling or texting me and decide whether to take the call or read the text with just a glance at my wrist. And reading and replying to iMessages with Apple Watch’s built-in speech-to-text is almost as awesome. Finally, I like that it pesters me to be more active or stand up if I’ve been sitting down for too long.

So I love my Apple Watch and don’t regret buying it for a second. But as much as I’m enjoying mine, I don’t think anyone really needs one.

Hands weighing Apple Watch and the Need for Apple Watch

See, while it’s cool, and convenient, it doesn’t actually do much (if anything) you can’t do with your iPhone. And the few things it does that your iPhone doesn’t can be replicated for a lot less dough. At the end of the day, paying $349 or more for a gadget that replicates some of your iPhone’s functions on your wrist and adds a couple of fitness tracking features seems a bit steep.

On the other hand, unlike other watches and fitness trackers, Apple Watch will gain new capabilities and features over time and could easily become a gadget you do really need someday soon (and probably very soon). Until then, it’s a very cool gadget most people could easily live without.

In the meantime, I love my Apple Watch (even though I don’t really need it) and I don’t really miss my other timepieces at all.

And that’s all he wrote…

Image made with help from Shutterstock.