Every now and then I’ll hear someone ask why anyone would need an Apple Watch. I don’t blame the person for asking the question because until you’ve worn one for a while, you don’t really see the utility of it. But it boils down to convenience.
Some things are better suited to the watch then they are the iPhone. When you want instant access to a tool at an unexpected time, it’s easier to flip your wrist than it is to fish your iPhone out of your pocket and unlock it. I’ve tried to categorize what those tools are and place them in watch faces tailored to my activity. I’ll post some examples at the end of this article but here are two that immediately come to mind.
Say for instance, that you walk into a trendy clothing store in the mall. You hear a catchy song playing overhead and you think you might want to add that to your collection. You decide to open a music recognition app like SoundHound to tell you the name. But you have to act fast because you may only have a few seconds of the song left before it’s over.
One of the complications on my shopping watch face is SoundHound. I simply have to flip my wrist and tap the SoundHound button. Bam! I have the name of the song within 3 seconds. It might take someone else that long just to get their iPhone out of their jeans and unlocked. Especially if they’re wearing a mask and have to key in their pin code. Now you could ask Siri to tell you the name of the song too, but the introvert that I am prefers to just quietly hit a button.
Or say that you walk up to the cash register at a CVS drugstore. They ask if you have a loyalty card. Why, yes, yes I do. I simply flip my wrist and tap the Stocard complication. My list of loyalty cards is right there for me to show to the cashier. That’s in stark contrast to getting behind someone who responds to that cashier question by starting to rummage through a purse or big wallet. You can’t help but think to yourself “Couldn’t you have looked for your loyalty card before you got up to the register?”.
With an alarming frequency, I get a delighted response from the cashier who says that they’ve never seen anyone use their watch to do that before and that it looks really cool. And more often than not, they are wearing an Apple Watch themselves and had no idea they could do that.
I could go on and on with situations from the office, the gym, or sitting around the house where I prefer to reach for my Apple Watch than my iPhone but you get the picture.
People Who Dislike Apple Watches
I’ve known a few people who dislike the Apple Watch due to the constant notifications. But to me, the fact that they dislike the notifications says more about their life choices than it does the Apple Watch.
First, you can disable any notification that you want these days. So don’t blame the Apple Watch for buzzing your wrist when you haven’t told it when not to buzz.
If I start to probe further on why they don’t like the Apple Watch, we always end up at the same place. What they really don’t like is…their life choices. They’ve made a series of decisions that lead them to a particular vocation or responsibility. One which results in a lot of communications. Most people don’t have this problem because they’ve chosen a more conventional way of earning an income.
These people miss out on the convenience of the Apple Watch because they are hiding from decisions that need to be made. It’s not that they hate the Apple Watch, it’s that they don’t want to think about or are hiding from their responsibilities.
The Apple Watch is only the messenger. Don’t shoot it. Perhaps they should start by rethinking what they are doing with their life and why. Maybe look for a new job, new friends, or both.
Watch Face Organization
As I mentioned earlier, I like to group my complications based on the occasion. If I’m going shopping I swipe to my shopping watch face. If I’m going to the gym than I swipe to my gym face, and so on. I did the graphics below a few years ago but I’m actually still using most of these complications. Of course with my Series 6, I’m now using the Infograph Modular face so it has one extra complication and looks prettier. But this gives you an idea on how at least one person uses his Apple Watch.
Say for instance, that you walk into a trendy clothing store in the mall. You hear a catchy song playing overhead and you think you might want to add that to your collection. You decide to open a music recognition app like SoundHound to tell you the name. But you have to act fast because you may only have a few seconds of the song left before it’s over.
One of the complications on my shopping watch face is SoundHound. I simply have to flip my wrist and tap the SoundHound button. Bam! I have the name of the song within 3 seconds. It might take someone else that long just to get their iPhone out of their jeans and unlocked. Especially if they’re wearing a mask and have to key in their pin code. Now you could ask Siri to tell you the name of the song too, but the introvert that I am prefers to just quietly hit a button.
Or say that you walk up to the cash register at a CVS drugstore. They ask if you have a loyalty card. Why, yes, yes I do. I simply flip my wrist and tap the Stocard complication. My list of loyalty cards is right there for me to show to the cashier. That’s in stark contrast to getting behind someone who responds to that cashier question by starting to rummage through a purse or big wallet. You can’t help but think to yourself “Couldn’t you have looked for your loyalty card before you got up to the register?”.
With an alarming frequency, I get a delighted response from the cashier who says that they’ve never seen anyone use their watch to do that before and that it looks really cool. And more often than not, they are wearing an Apple Watch themselves and had no idea they could do that.
I could go on and on with situations from the office, the gym, or sitting around the house where I prefer to reach for my Apple Watch than my iPhone but you get the picture.
People Who Dislike Apple Watches
I’ve known a few people who dislike the Apple Watch due to the constant notifications. But to me, the fact that they dislike the notifications says more about their life choices than it does the Apple Watch.
First, you can disable any notification that you want these days. So don’t blame the Apple Watch for buzzing your wrist when you haven’t told it when not to buzz.
If I start to probe further on why they don’t like the Apple Watch, we always end up at the same place. What they really don’t like is…their life choices. They’ve made a series of decisions that lead them to a particular vocation or responsibility. One which results in a lot of communications. Most people don’t have this problem because they’ve chosen a more conventional way of earning an income.
These people miss out on the convenience of the Apple Watch because they are hiding from decisions that need to be made. It’s not that they hate the Apple Watch, it’s that they don’t want to think about or are hiding from their responsibilities.
The Apple Watch is only the messenger. Don’t shoot it. Perhaps they should start by rethinking what they are doing with their life and why. Maybe look for a new job, new friends, or both.
Watch Face Organization
As I mentioned earlier, I like to group my complications based on the occasion. If I’m going shopping I swipe to my shopping watch face. If I’m going to the gym than I swipe to my gym face, and so on. I did the graphics below a few years ago but I’m actually still using most of these complications. Of course with my Series 6, I’m now using the Infograph Modular face so it has one extra complication and looks prettier. But this gives you an idea on how at least one person uses his Apple Watch.
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