The always-on display (AOD) which Apple introduced with their Series 5 Apple Watch last year is still something that people ask me about all the time. And my response is always this. If you have to ask whether you need it, you probably don’t. Because for the rest of us, we couldn’t get it soon enough and we could never go back. Here’s why.
I really hate being that guy who looks at his watch impatiently when someone is talking to me. The last thing that I want to do is send the message that your presence is annoying me because I have better things to do. However, I’m cursed with an overwhelming desire to never to be late for appointments. And my workday consists of sporadically placed meetings that I need to attend. Prior to the Series 5, my Apple Watch would infuriate me at times.
When you’re wearing a regular watch and not a smart watch, you can always sneak a peak at your watch if you’re standing and your arms are crossed. Or maybe your sitting in a conference room and your arm is outstretched on the table or your knee. It’s not that hard to slyly glance down and see what time it is. If you have a 3 p.m. meeting and you know that you need to disengage from a conversation at 2:58, being able to keep track of time is invaluable.
The Apple Watch did away with all sense of decorum. You basically had to become that jerk that would abruptly flip his watch in front of your horrified conversation partner. I would always say something like “I’m sorry, I’m listening, but I have a meeting in a couple of minutes.” However, the damage was done and the mood was gone. It was the same problem sitting in conference rooms during meetings. There was no way to see the time without everyone sitting at the table watching you do the ridiculous wrist flip necessary to awaken the watch.
I distinctly remember one day in church during a long sermon thinking that my pastor wouldn’t notice if I flipped my wrist to take a quick look at the time. I thought surely he must be about to wind this up pretty soon? I did the Apple Watch exaggerated wrist flip only to look back up and see that my pastor had locked eyes on me. I instantly felt ashamed. The only thing missing was a rooster crowing. Curse you Series 4 Apple Watch!
So, needless to say, when the Series 5 was announced, I knew I had to have the always-on display. A watch that shows nothing but a black void when I glance down at it is something that, with God as my witness, I shall never endure again.
Series 5 vs Series 6
The upgrade from Series 4 to 5 was huge. I felt like my Apple Watch had finally matched my analog watches in telling me the time. But the upgrade from Series 5 to 6 is fairly small. The standby screen is only brighter when you’re outdoors.
Since most of my time is spent indoors, I’m not really tempted to upgrade to the Series 6. When I’m outside it’s because I’m exercising or working in the yard. In those situations, I have no problem simply turning my wrist to see the full brightness. And even outside, the Series 6 is no brighter than the Series 5 when you flip your wrist.
Brighter Indoor Standby Screen
Now if Apple made the INDOOR standby screen 2.5 times brighter I’d upgrade in a heartbeat. Not because I can’t see the screen. But more from a fashion standpoint. Even now at the current standby brightness, it’s nice to choose designs that make your watch look like a watch when you’re going about your day. I like to choose some kind of analog watch face with hands.
Having a brighter standby screen would allow me to start using colored designs or pictures. This would open up a whole new world of customization where you could start choosing designs that match your wristband color or outfits. As I mentioned yesterday, I’d love the ability to have different active vs standby screens. I would definitely choose a standby screen which had as a sole purpose of matching my shirt or band.
One of the complaints about the old Apple Watch is that there was no individuality to the design. Everyone had a black rectangle on their wrist. But starting with the Series 5 that is no longer true. You can now choose a design to fill up that black void. Yeah, it’s fairly dim today, but it’s a start.
Conclusion
It seems like every conversation I have regarding the future of the Apple Watch always ends up with “Someday when Apple can make some serious improvements to battery life”. That’s one of the reasons why I’m convinced that the Apple Watch is destined to get larger and not much slimmer. Besides giving it more utility, it needs more battery.
When you’re wearing a regular watch and not a smart watch, you can always sneak a peak at your watch if you’re standing and your arms are crossed. Or maybe your sitting in a conference room and your arm is outstretched on the table or your knee. It’s not that hard to slyly glance down and see what time it is. If you have a 3 p.m. meeting and you know that you need to disengage from a conversation at 2:58, being able to keep track of time is invaluable.
The Apple Watch did away with all sense of decorum. You basically had to become that jerk that would abruptly flip his watch in front of your horrified conversation partner. I would always say something like “I’m sorry, I’m listening, but I have a meeting in a couple of minutes.” However, the damage was done and the mood was gone. It was the same problem sitting in conference rooms during meetings. There was no way to see the time without everyone sitting at the table watching you do the ridiculous wrist flip necessary to awaken the watch.
I distinctly remember one day in church during a long sermon thinking that my pastor wouldn’t notice if I flipped my wrist to take a quick look at the time. I thought surely he must be about to wind this up pretty soon? I did the Apple Watch exaggerated wrist flip only to look back up and see that my pastor had locked eyes on me. I instantly felt ashamed. The only thing missing was a rooster crowing. Curse you Series 4 Apple Watch!
So, needless to say, when the Series 5 was announced, I knew I had to have the always-on display. A watch that shows nothing but a black void when I glance down at it is something that, with God as my witness, I shall never endure again.
Series 5 vs Series 6
The upgrade from Series 4 to 5 was huge. I felt like my Apple Watch had finally matched my analog watches in telling me the time. But the upgrade from Series 5 to 6 is fairly small. The standby screen is only brighter when you’re outdoors.
Since most of my time is spent indoors, I’m not really tempted to upgrade to the Series 6. When I’m outside it’s because I’m exercising or working in the yard. In those situations, I have no problem simply turning my wrist to see the full brightness. And even outside, the Series 6 is no brighter than the Series 5 when you flip your wrist.
Brighter Indoor Standby Screen
Now if Apple made the INDOOR standby screen 2.5 times brighter I’d upgrade in a heartbeat. Not because I can’t see the screen. But more from a fashion standpoint. Even now at the current standby brightness, it’s nice to choose designs that make your watch look like a watch when you’re going about your day. I like to choose some kind of analog watch face with hands.
Having a brighter standby screen would allow me to start using colored designs or pictures. This would open up a whole new world of customization where you could start choosing designs that match your wristband color or outfits. As I mentioned yesterday, I’d love the ability to have different active vs standby screens. I would definitely choose a standby screen which had as a sole purpose of matching my shirt or band.
One of the complaints about the old Apple Watch is that there was no individuality to the design. Everyone had a black rectangle on their wrist. But starting with the Series 5 that is no longer true. You can now choose a design to fill up that black void. Yeah, it’s fairly dim today, but it’s a start.
Conclusion
It seems like every conversation I have regarding the future of the Apple Watch always ends up with “Someday when Apple can make some serious improvements to battery life”. That’s one of the reasons why I’m convinced that the Apple Watch is destined to get larger and not much slimmer. Besides giving it more utility, it needs more battery.
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