I haven’t owned an Apple watch since the OG version in 2015, but I’m ready to give it a try. I ordered and received an Apple Watch Series 8.
That is its own story.
I have held off on trying an Apple Watch because of my battery life issues. Apple has added features like blood oxygen measuring with the Series 6 and fast charging with the Series 7. It’s much easier to take the watch on and off, thanks to the Sport loop bands, which are ideal for daily charging.
Another update was sent by Apple this year. Given the Watch’s battery life issues, lower power mode is an obvious idea, but other additions like temperature sensor and crash detection don’t really push the needle with regards to my own needs. I focus on cardio and weight training when I go to the gym 4-5 times a week and the Fitness+ service is not where I am at.
Fitbit was the primer driver for me because of its unreliable and terribleUIs. This is ironic given our understanding of the word, as I switched from the Google Pixel 6 Pro to the Apple iPhone 13 Pro due to the same issues, and now is owned by the same company. I like the openness of the platforms of Google, but I don’t like things that don’t work well. I can’t keep up with all of it.
I don’t like my tracker. When the sleep tracking misses hours of my sleep, the sleep data for that missing time syncs immediately, indicating that the device registered what I was doing. At least once a week, I will end a workout on the device and drive home to find it never ended. At least once during every workout, I will look at the device’s display to see my heart rate, but it will instead display a celebratory notification related to steps taken, something I don’t care about at that time. I have to kill the app to get rid of the notifications that fill the screen with “You did it” and the close button that can’t be tapped. You understand the concept.
I thought I should try an Apple watch again. I was curious how the on-ramping experience had improved after 7 years of using the first version. I wanted to know how it would satisfy my needs for fitness tracking. While I don’t like large devices on my wrist, I had hoped that the large Apple Watch display would help with at-a-glance clarity.
I watched the Apple Watch portion of the event and compared it to the Apple Watch SE, a slightly smaller device with a smaller display that lacks a few minor sensors. I decided to go with the Series 8 because it has a few advantages that do matter to me, like an always on display and fast charging. I would have to pay $429 to get the larger 45mm size. I decided to skip cellular connection since it adds another $100 to my monthly bill. I will consider cellular if I convert the Apple Watch to a cellular device. I was pretty sure that I would just return it.
The question was when, since $429 is a lot of money to spend on something that will duplicate the functions of a device I already use. I still have feelings for the Google system, even though I don’t like the idea of a device that’s actually a device. I was going to wait until October to see what the event had to offer. You can’t know.
Today is the day that Apple’s new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods Pro became available, and with another frustrating Fitbit day in the making, it displayed a steps celebration when I attempted to check my heart rate. It’s $429. I have to justify the expense to my wife. This can be delayed.
I remembered that I had some money in my account. Most of the cost could be covered by that. I might not keep it. I checked to make sure I had enough and ordered the watch. There was a single sticking point. I had two work meetings on Friday. I was not going to go to the store today. Just in case.
The new Series 8 was delivered to my house for just $9. If I wanted free shipping, I’d have to wait for October. I have the option of choosing a delivery time. I decided to do it between 2 and 4 pm. I was given a delivery time of 2:38 when I ordered. The car that delivered the watch pulled into my driveway. It was a miracle given how bad deliveries have been since the Pandemic.
I ordered a 45mm Apple Watch Series 8 with a Midnight Sport loop. I decided to go with the larger band size, which supports 170 to 245mm wrists, at no extra cost.
I was confronted with a memory from my original Apple Watch when I took the weird box out of the Apple Store bag. The box has two large tabs on either side and is a bit smaller than the one it used 8 years ago.
One of the smaller boxes was for the watch and the other was for the band.
I think this could be done more efficiently with less packaging. It is quite a mess when you remove all the stuff.
It would take some reading to understand this. The band was attached to the watch and I had toFIGURE IT OUT. The process of setting up and configuring an Apple Watch is the same as it was 8 years ago, and it seems like a lot of work. I soldiered through it and will experiment with it over time. I am most interested in how this handles the activities that I engage in frequently, such as dog walking in the morning, a trip to the gym most days, and sleep tracking, and whether its many other functions are useful. There is a lot of information to be learned.
Some improvements have been made. I made a change to the installed apps because they can now be replaced by a more traditional list. Many apps that were not available a long time ago are now available.
How well charging works will be determined by me. I will experiment with charging when I shave and shower since that is something I do every day. Is it enough? I’m hoping so.
I am most struck by the complexity of this device. There are a lot of functions. Some configuration is done on the device but not on the phone.
Let me watch it.
There is an Apple watch series 8.