Should You Get The Apple Watch?
The Apple Watch isn't a great fit for everyone. In this Apple Watch review, Erik Pavia discusses who might get the most value out of the Apple Watch and who should avoid it.
One important disclaimer: you should not get the Apple Watch if you are not interested in getting an iPhone. The Apple Watch doesn’t work without an iPhone, so if you’re on Android, this is a non-starter for you.
1 - You Want an Activity Tracker
If you don’t already have an activity tracker or if you want to upgrade from an older activity tracker, the Apple Watch is the place to start. You’re going to get the same quality activity tracking you would get from a Fitbit or Garmin, but you will also get a great multi-functional device. The Apple Watch allows you to control your phone, see notifications, listen to music (more on that next), and more. It’s waterproof for swimming, includes GPS for running, and will track dozens of different workouts.
The Apple Watch is competitively priced with other smart watches. It starts at $200 if you get the older Series 3, but you can often find that on sale for $170. The new budget Apple Watch SE is $280 and the Apple Watch Series 6 starts at $400.
2 - You Want the Coolest iPod Experience Ever
iPhones are getting bigger, which is not great if you want a lightweight music listening experience. If you miss the iPod Nano or the iPod Shuffle, you can use the Apple Watch as an iPod replacement by loading music into the Apple Watch’s memory using Apple’s Music app. Connect some bluetooth headphones, and you’re free to go anywhere with your music, no iPhone necessary. If you have an Apple Watch with LTE, you can stream any music you want to the watch without having to pre-load it in.
To get the most out of the Apple Watch as an iPod, however, you’re going to have to dig yourself a little deeper into the Apple ecosystem and get an Apple Music subscription (or use your existing iTunes music library). You cannot load music onto the Apple Watch’s memory using the Spotify app, which means Spotify users are stuck taking their phone with them. Spotify is testing streaming to the Apple Watch with select users, which hopefully means that feature will roll out to everyone soon.
3 - You Want a Consumer Friendly Health Monitor
If you have particular health concerns and want a friendly way to monitor vitals, Apple is doing amazing work fitting vital sensors into the Apple Watch. The Series 6 includes a blood oxygen sensor, a heart rate monitor, an electrocardiogram, and fall detection sensor. This means you can measure oxygen levels, heart rate, and heart rhythm without carrying clunky medical sensors with you.
The fall detection sensor will use your iPhone or LTE connection to call emergency services if it detects a fall. This can be valuable for vulnerable populations prone to accidents, such as the elderly. Fall detection is also valuable for athletes like cyclists who might get into accidents.
Who should not get an Apple Watch?
If you’re not interested in Apple products and don’t want an iPhone, the Apple Watch is definitely not for you.
The fitness tracker on the Apple Watch is great, but it doesn’t provide detailed insights or analytics on sleep or recovery. You can get third party apps to help you interpret your Apple Watch data, or you can go with competitors like the Whoop or the Oura Ring.