The Apple Watch Series 1was released in April 2015 and I remember the reception at the time being pretty mixed. You’ll find reaction videos showering it with love or expressing a strong dislike for the design. For me, at the time as an early adopter, I felt compelled to try it out. I hoped that it would be a companion device that would reduce my on-screen time on the iPhone.
I couldn’t really give you an accurate answer as to whether the watch delivered on that ideal. I do recall feeling that the inability to escape the native notifications was at times an overwhelming and annoying aspect of everyday wear. It was only by dedicating some time to truly thinking about the Apps and associated notifications that I really wanted and needed to feel on my wrist.
Despite some of these frustrations, I was impressed by the Apple Watch Series 1 to remain a customer for quite a few generations and regardless of its flaws and the typical Apple routine of minor iterative changes every single year, I enjoyed the level of UI polish, closing rings, even answering the occasional voice call like Inspector Gadget.
Being a loyal customer for all those years, I paid my way to the Series 4 and throughout that time I can confidently and proudly say that I have made the journey toward being a more active and athletic person. I attribute at least some of that success and motivation, to wearing the Apple Watch.
Eventually though, something clicked, it was the daily recharge hustle.
I found that I was frustrated by this litany of devices each needing a nightly dose of electro-therapy. Cables snaking around the bedside table. One-ish day of battery life just doesn’t cut it when you want to deal with fewer devices, and more importantly, as I was getting into marathon training I really needed something with battery life that I didn’t have to worry about by the end of the day after a long run. So I made the switch. Quite some time ago in fact, and I haven’t really missed the Apple Watch.
What did I switch to? It doesn’t really matter, but there are a maybe 5 or 6 other big fitness watch brands that deliver the basic features you need, with battery life lasting days or even weeks instead of hours. The Polar Vantage V2 lasts me around a full week depending on my exercise frequency, and I think thats my main requirement that can’t be done with the event the mighty Apple Watch Ultra. It isn’t quite as pretty, but it is tough. And sure, the software could use some polish, but few other companies can challenge Apple when it comes to design and if that’s your primary focus then you’re probably also willing to accept the compromises that come with it.
I didn’t, and I’m happier for it.