Let’s step through the features one at a time. First and foremost, this is a timepiece. It’s an expensive and elaborate one, but it’s still just a watch. If you’re looking for a quick way to tell time and set alarms, you’re better off investing ten or 20 bucks in a plain old digital watch. And even if you’re looking for an expensive and showy timepiece, you’re probably better off investing in something without firmware.Today’s the day. The Apple Watch is now officially on sale, and the crowd is, in fact, going wild. There’s a lot to like about Apple’s new product line, but there’s even more to dislike. It’s reportedly underpowered as it stands, so what hope do we have of it aging gracefully? At this stage, even most smartwatch enthusiasts should probably wait a generation or two for Apple to work out the kinks. But thankfully, we can still get most of the Apple Watch’s functionality without dropping between $350 and $17k.
Fitness tracking is a big part of Apple’s marketing message for the Apple Watch, but much of that functionality exists elsewhere. The M8 co-processor in the iPhone 6 constantly monitors data from the gyroscope, barometer, compass, and accelerometer to help measure how much exercise you get. And if that isn’t enough for you, third-party apps like Map My Fitness or more affordable fitness trackers fill in the gap.
When we first learned the nitty gritty of the Apple Watch, two features stood out to me as something I would actually use. Number one was the ability to remotely trigger the camera on the iPhone. Since I bought a GorillaPod for video and photography purposes, I’ve been wanting to get away from actually touching the phone to snap a picture. Thankfully, the volume buttons on Apple’s EarPods work as a remote control as well, and those come with the phone for free.
The second feature that struck my fancy was the ability to send quick sketches to your friends and family. It’s a neat idea, and I’d actually like to see that built directly into the Messages app. Until then, you can easily use a third-party app like Skitch to make a doodle, and then send it directly to your loved ones over iMessage or MMS. It’s not as slick, but it’s a lot cheaper than buying an Apple Watch.
Of course, Apple Pay, Siri, and notifications are already built into the iPhone. Sure, having these features available on your wrist might be a nice bonus, but they’re not exactly compelling reasons to drop another 350 bucks on something that will be obsolete in a year. Unless you have some strong aversion to taking your phone out of your pocket, you should probably stay clear of this initial release.
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