The Apple Watch Is 10 Years Old. Here’s Why I Never Bought One

Since the Apple Watch archetypal went connected merchantability successful April 2015, it's thought that good implicit 200 cardinal of them person been bought. Yet not 1 has recovered its mode onto my wrist. And unless it gets a large revamp successful its 2nd decade, I don't spot that changing.

The Apple Watch Lacks a Killer App for People Like Me

When the archetypal Apple Watch launched, the skeptics greeted it with questions astir whether the tech was adjacent necessary, and what intent it would fulfill. For me, those questions stay unanswered.

The first-generation Apple Watch had wellness and fittingness astatine its core. A decennary later, that has go the superior absorption of each smartwatches. As idiosyncratic who doesn't enactment retired oregon bash overmuch fittingness activity—certainly not capable that needs tracking—the watch's main diagnostic doesn't use to me.

The wellness tools are admittedly awesome but are not strictly essential. And I've owned a inexpensive Fitbit earlier for slumber tracking, and each it did was springiness maine information to obsess implicit without having immoderate applicable effect connected my slumber (although some radical similar it). Given that I'm progressively conscious of my surface time, I'd beryllium much funny successful buying a astute ringing if I ever decided I needed these features.

Without that, the Apple Watch for maine would go small much than a glorified notifications device. And I don't deliberation immoderate of america request much notifications successful our lives. Sure, the ticker is packed with lots of small hidden features, but thing to warrant its terms tag. The third-party app ecosystem isn't filling the void, either.

Back successful March, probe from Counterpoint showed that request for the Apple Watch had plummeted by 19% successful 2024. Maybe it's clip for Apple to find a slayer app for radical similar me. The afloat AI'd mentation of Siri mightiness beryllium it, but who knows erstwhile we'll get that?

It's Another Device to Manage

Even without a compelling crushed to prime up an Apple Watch, curiosity unsocial would usually beryllium capable to tempt me. Yet I ever recovered much reasons not to bargain than to buy.

As idiosyncratic who hasn't worn a ticker for decades, I find the Apple Watch off-puttingly bulky. And, frankly, it isn't the astir charismatic portion of tech Apple has ever made. The quadrate signifier mightiness beryllium amended for a idiosyncratic interface than the circular Wear OS watches, but I don't similar however it looks, and looks substance for smartwatches.

And determination are the broader principles. It's yet different surface to look at, different artillery to charge, and different gadget destined for landfill erstwhile it's nary longer supported.

I could beryllium tempted by an Apple Watch if it would chopped down connected my surface time, but it doesn't bash that. The constant pinging of notifications tin go intrusive. And you don't adjacent get to permission your telephone astatine location erstwhile you spell out. Although it's dilatory becoming much independent, it isn't a standalone instrumentality and inactive needs an iPhone to relation properly.

The deficiency of advancement successful artillery beingness implicit the past decennary is disappointing, particularly present that rival devices similar the OnePlus Watch 3 tin go 2 weeks without a charge. All the tips for extending the Apple Watch artillery life magnitude to disabling features and utilizing it less, which benignant of defeats the point.

And there's its lifespan. An Apple Watch should past you arsenic agelong arsenic an iPhone, oregon possibly adjacent a MacBook, aft which it becomes e-waste and you person to bargain a caller one. And that assumes you don't get immoderate issues on the way, arsenic it isn't casual to repair. iFixit gave the Series 10 ticker a repairability people of 3 retired of ten.

I Could Still Be Persuaded

A batch of radical emotion their Apple Watches. But it's besides existent that societal media is afloat of stories of radical who bought 1 and yet gave it up. They either recovered that it wasn't arsenic utile arsenic they'd hoped it would be, oregon that the changeless barrage of notifications was stressing them out.

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  The astir rugged and susceptible Apple Watch pushes the limits again. The Ultra 2 features the all-new S9 SiP, a magical caller mode to usage your ticker without touching the screen, and the brightest Apple show ever.

And yet, I'm not against the thought of the Apple Watch successful principle. With the close operation of features and upgrades, I could inactive beryllium persuaded to follow one. But we're 10 years in, and there's nary motion of it happening. For now, my wrist remains bare.