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showboat apple watchI was going to write this post last week but I felt I needed more time.  More time with my new Apple watch, more time to get used to wearing and using it and more time to study how it was changing the way I did everyday things.

There is no doubt this is yet another transformational product.  Apple doesn’t really sell hardware as much as they sell and support experiences.  Instead of selling us a phone with “the most USB ports ever!” they choose instead to sell you the best communications experience ever.  See the difference?  Apple is very busy working out what people actually do with their technology, and what they would like to do and then coming up with products and services that match those needs.  It’s not an easy business model and it can be confusing for consumers that are used to living with their technology rather than having their technology blending seamlessly into their lives.

AW FacesOn the face of it

The Apple watch comes in two sizes and three kinds of metal cases.  Basically it’s a square watch with a big black face that lights up when you need it to.  There are currently 12 standard faces that are built in and they are all customizable to a certain extent.  For example the watch face can show the day, date, temperature, sunrise sunset, amount of power, extent of the wearers activity and so on.  It’s possible to crowd a lot on to any one of the available faces, as well as change the colors.  That in itself is pretty awesome, being able to change faces anytime, very cool.  At this year’s Apple developers conference we learned that new faces and capabilities are coming as well as more “Complications.”  Complications in a mechanical watch are the functions that show the Day, Date or possibly moon phase.  Complications in the Apple watch are pretty much the same but don't have to be related to time, for example stock prices, the weather forecast or just about any information available on the Internet. Developers are going to have a ball.

GlancesDown one level

Swiping up on the watch face brings you to the section called “Glances,” which is a number of individual information panels.  The Glance panels are like little windows of information.  You select which glances are available using the watch app on your phone or iPad.  These include, current location or route guidance, heart rate, calendar events, etc.  Any app running on your phone or iPad can relay information to a glance screen.  I've found them all useful at one time or another.  The only glance I’ve removed is the Zillow glance, I just couldn’t understand why I wanted up to the minute home pricing in my area, call me a cretin.  The rest are pretty handy.

TextUp one level

Swiping down on the watch face brings you to the notifications area.  This is a string of the latest events going on in your life.  It can include Facebook posts that mention you, calendar warnings, latest news and just about any other notifications you want.  Which brings up texting.  The notifications area includes incoming texts, and also one of the most useful and delightful functions of the Apple watch.  I can now speak my answers to texts and have them either translated to actual text or send them as a short recording.  We use texts a lot in our family, everything from some lazy boots asking when’s dinner going to be ready to updates on grades from a son far away in school.

AW SiriTalk to the watch

The easiest function to love is the voice interface on the watch.  You can speak texts, answer phone calls, set times and calendar events, build lists or take notes all without using your hands.  I love it because I’m the guy who always gets a call when I’m mucking out the kitchen sink, scrubbing something or working on dinner.  No longer do I have to stop, clean off my hands and take out my phone to answer a call.  All I do now is twist my wrist to see who it is and tell Siri to answer the phone (or ignore it).  Because Siri has gotten a lot more capable there is a wealth of information now available just by saying “Hey Siri” to the Apple watch.  Do I feel weird talking to my watch?  Do you even know me?  Actually, it took a few tries to get used to it, but now it doesn’t bother me at all.

App screenWatch apps

There are already lots of apps for the Apple watch, and expect thousands more in the coming months.  Usually these are extensions of apps already running on your phone.  However, now that Apple has opened the developer flood gates a lot of the new apps will run on the watch without a connection to the phone.  Right now the watch talks to the phone even if you don’t have it in your pocket, and will “ping” your phone when you lose it making it easy to retrieve.  This is still based on proximity which is close enough for bluetooth connections, as much as 330 feet (often less depending on the environment) or a shared WiFi network for longer distances.  Alone, far from the phone, the watch can still use all of it’s built in functions like play music, monitor your activity, tell the time, ect.

AW routingAll the other stuff

There is so much to the Apple watch and it does so much, it’s hard to relay it all.  Instead let me say this, it blends in and empowers without interfering.  When I’m cooking and I’m a little worried about taking something off the stove in time I say “Hey Siri set a timer for 10 minutes”  I no longer take my phone out during a meal, I don’t have to.  Messages, calendar events, phone calls come in and I can feel it through a tap or two on my wrist.   No one is disturbed or distracted.  Even the health monitor just taps you gently when you’ve been sitting for a while, reminding you to stand up and move around for a minute.  I’ve been quite surprised how much I use the watch without looking at it.

AW SidewaysBottom line

The Apple watch is not intrusive.  It’s handsome without being gaudy, techie without being weird looking.  I think the characterization I heard that really sums it up was from a swiss watchmaker (paraphrased), “It’s not in the competition for someone who wants a $30,000 masterful Swiss time piece, but for someone who’s in the market for a fine timepiece under $1200 that tells you the day and date, why not get a $600 watch that tells you everything?”

 

Prentiss Gray is a writer and stay at home Dad with 27 years in the information systems and technology business.  His favorite saying is “If you have to read the manual to use it, I don’t want one.”  He can be reached via his website GrayResearch.net.


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