The Apple Watch, released in 2015, almost two years ago, was a huge turning point in the role of smartwatches. While it was ridiculed for its mere 18-hour battery life, the Apple Watch made waves across the world. The battery life hasn’t increased one bit, but the Apple Watch continues to be bought and worn everywhere. This is thanks to its utility, and the terrific way that Apple has utilized the small retina display. From checking interesting news around the world to the weather tomorrow, everything is available at a glance for Apple Watch users, thanks to the “complications” on the watch-faces. Today we’ll be looking at why an Apple Watch might make your life easier.
#1 Notifications
We’ve all had that moment. Walking from car to home, both hands full with groceries, and a buzz lights up your phone. Without the dexterity required to juggle your phone as well as bags of groceries, we’re forced to wait until we’re able to put down those groceries. Sure, it’s only a few seconds, and a minor inconvenience, but if this happens to you often, the feeling of receiving spam email as opposed to a text from a loved one after waiting minutes to read it is disappointing to say the least. With an Apple Watch, you don’t need to wait at all. Simply lift up your arm and you’re greeted with a notification you can quickly ignore or action upon. In addition, you can use “hey Siri” to act upon those notifications if you need to. For example, “Hey Siri, message Bob saying I’ll be 15 minutes late” does exactly that. Siri isn’t perfect, but using it on the watch is a breeze, and if developed further, could mean your phone stays in your pocket for longer.
#2 Apps
While the apps are hidden away a bit, they’re still a useful part of the Apple Watch experience. You can use Apple Watch apps in conjunction with smart lightbulbs to turn your lights on and off at home – even when not at home. In addition, there are multiple news and RSS feed apps, which allow you to check out interesting news around the world. An example is the AutoSleep app, which automatically records your sleeping patterns, without doing anything yourself. There are other apps which track sleep, but none do it as well and as effortlessly as AutoSleep.
#3 Complications
Traditional watches show you the time, and maybe the date upon a glance of its watch-face. With the Apple Watch and the “Modular” or “Utility” watch-face, you can have up to five “complications” which give you more information at a glance. This is one of the most underrated features of the Apple Watch. Glancing at the screen on your Apple Watch, you’re able to see: the time, date, your next calendar appointment, activity progress, and the current weather. This is vital information, which is all delivered straight to you in a single glance. You can even have news show up on your watch-face, provided you have a news app on your Watch. Apple Watches are rather expensive. They don’t last long on a single charge either, and they don’t work at all without an iPhone. However, despite these flaws, the Apple Watch is one of the most indispensable devices for day-to-day usage.
