Thinking about buying an Apple Watch? Is an Apple Watch a waste of money? Well, I thought I would write this article for anyone struggling to decide!
There are some interesting features and things you need to know about Apple Watches! When you’re done reading this article, you’ll know about the practical features of Apple Watches and whether or not they’re right for you.
Is an Apple Watch a Waste of Money?
Most people buy Apple Watches for health and fitness insights. If you aren’t interested in those apps and features, buying an Apple Watch is probably a waste of money for you.
Having said that, most people change their minds about Apple Watches after using them for an extended period of time. I’ve heard people say it’s a waste of money, buy one, and now say they can’t live without their Apple Watch.
But does that justify dropping $400 or more on an Apple Watch? In my opinion, Apple products are more of fashion symbols these days. I’m sorry, I prefer Android products. Granted, Apple does design some really great high-quality products, but they come with a price.
For example, AirPods are very expensive (are AirPods worth it?), and they’re basically wireless headphones with a few extra features.
You can fake AirPods or even Android alternatives like Samsung Buds for a fraction of the price of AirPods, and the sound quality is about the same too. But then you would probably be made fun of for not being on the Apple bandwagon!
Where to Buy an Apple Watch?
When it comes to buying brand-name products, the best place to buy an Apple Watch is either from an official Apple store or their online store on Amazon.
1 – Apple’s Official Online Store on Amazon
Bear in mind, there are lots of refurbished Apple products being sold on Amazon. I generally prefer to avoid buying refurbished brand-name products because you never knowing what condition the product will be in, even when it’s labelled like-new.
Notable Apple Watches:
(Links go to Apple’s official online store on Amazon)
1 – Apple Watch Series 6, GPS & Cellular (Newest)
2 – Apple Watch SE, GPS & Cellular
3 – Apple Watch Series 3 (Budget option)
The Best Apple Watch Features:
Apple Watches, as with most “smart” gadgets, have so many features and functions that it’ll be impossible to list them all, and you would probably fall asleep half-way through the list. So here are a few of the best Apple Watch features that you should know about. These features might vary slightly depending on the model you buy.
1 – Fitness Insights & Apps
As mentioned earlier, the best thing about Apple Watches is the fitness functions. There are apps that can track fitness data and provide insights into all kinds of activities. The most popular is steps-taken tracker, which is relatively accurate.
Other tracking points:
- Steps Taken
- Calories Burned
- Distance
- Level of Activity
- Heart Rate
- Pace Alerts
- Breathing Alerts (on the Breathe App)
- Sleep Tracking
And much more. It’s really useful for people who need to track specific calories burned and other fitness-related activity. It can also help encourage you to exercise more!
Besides fitness tracking, another interesting feature of the new Apple Watches is fall detection. When a hard fall is detected, the watch will start an SOS process, which will either automatically call emergency services or your emergency contacts. It can even automatically send your Medical ID to emergency contacts.
If a fall is detected, the watch will wait for manual confirmation or movement for 30 seconds, after which it will call emergency services. Pretty cool, I imagine the average person won’t need this but it’s an interesting feature. Another fun fact about this is for people over the age of 60 the feature is automatically turned on and you can’t disable it.
Just to clarify, fall detection doesn’t only trigger when you fall off a cliff or something like that, it works for most kinds of falls. It detects a fall, waits 15 seconds to see if you move, and if you don’t move, it starts the emergency process.
2 – View Notifications When Hands are Busy
You might not think this a big one but when you have your hands occupied or you’re wearing gloves, it’s a very useful feature. I think this feature is better for craftsmen or other people that work with their hands on a daily basis.
I know a lot of people that keep their phones tucked away and only access them when their hands are free. It only takes a second. The on-screen notifications can help you keep in touch with people and up to date on info.
You can also reply using speech to text (yes, the watches have microphones). It’s also easier to remember alerts, reminders, alarms, and whatnot.
3 – Find Your iPhone
Are you the type of person that loses track of their phone on a daily basis? It can be nerve-wracking – especially when you’re in a time-sensitive situation. Well, the Apple Watch has an interesting feature that lets you ping your iPhone, down to the GPS location. You can choose the ping too, such as vibrate, alert, or even show the location.
It’s really easy to find your phone if it’s stuck between couch cushions or something like that. The other way to find your iPhone would be to login to iCloud and ping your phone from there, which requires a separate device.
4 – Apple Pay
If you set up Apple Pay on your phone, your Apple Watch can use it too. It makes paying for things at a contactless terminal so much easier, and you don’t have to pull a card out of your wallet. I previously wrote an article about NFC smartwatches for Google Pay, which are good alternatives to Apple Watches.
5 – Control Music
If your hands are busy, for example, you’re driving a car, simply tapping the watch is a much easier and safer way to change music. As opposed to having to dig out your phone, unlock it, and whatnot.
Apple Watches can pair to almost any Bluetooth speaker, so it makes controlling music really easy and convenient. And yes you can use Spotify and other music apps on your Apple Watch.
Speaking of music, most Apple Watches have a sound detection feature that will warn you when you’re in an environment that could damage your ears.
Apple Watch Concerns:
In my opinion, I have two concerns with the Apple Watch:
1 – Pricey
Yes, Apple Watches are a bit pricey. Granted, Apple Watches are feature-rich and most people find the price worth it, but if you’re tight on cash it might not be the best idea.
On that note, Apple Watches work best with iPhones, so if you don’t have an iPhone, you won’t be able to get the most from an Apple Watch. Regardless, there are some cheaper “Lite” models that are worth a look such as the Apple Series 3.
2 – Battery Life & Charging
The second downside would be the battery life. Look, most Apple Watches have a good battery life which is usually around 2 days or more, depending on the model. You can also extend it further by lowering the brightness and other battery-saving practices.
However, you will need to remember to charge the watch, and that can be a bit bothersome because you have to take it off to charge. Most Apple Watches come with a magnetic charging dock that can fast-charge the watch up to the first 80% of battery capacity. It usually takes about an hr and a half to charge up to 80%.
Can You Swim with an Apple Watch?
You can swim with an Apple Watch Series 2 or newer because they are water-resistant. However, submerging an Apple Watch in deep water is not a good idea. There should be no risks at a shallow-depth, such as a pool or a beach.
The Bottom Line:
So now you should have enough information to decide if an Apple Watch is a waste of money or not. If you think the features mentioned above are useful and can be used in your day-to-day life, by all means, go ahead and buy an Apple Watch.
