Jan 11, 2022

MY REVIEW OF THE APPLE WATCH

AFTER YEARS OF ENVY, the kids got me an Apple Watch for Christmas. I wanted it for several reasons. Right away I loved it...

... then I sent it back.

Here's what I loved, and why I sent it back.

Loved:

Easy, easy to dual record bike rides in case the Wahoo malfunctions. It is sooooo simple to import the activities to Strava.
Waterproof, so I can record water sports
HR is integrated so I can get more fitness data walking, surfing, resting, sleeping etc.
Blood oxygen levels are easily checked - a thing at altitude
Glance at the weather vs opening an app on the phone.

What I really wanted was those first 3, upload all workouts and more HR data. If my resting heart rate is higher than normal I know I'm sick or stressed or overtrained. In my world, that's important.

Other cool things

Remote picture taking
Appointments at a glance
Timers... like set a timer for 20 min, then stretch
ECG monitoring
Find My Devices let me ping my missing phone
ApplePay

Unexpectedly helpful

Every hour, if I haven't moved it reminds me to stand up. For me, that means ripping off some pull ups or pushups or squats.
Alarm to wake up, it's very gentle haptic nudge is quite nice
Oh, and it's a watch.

Why did I send it back?

I sent it back because I wanted the data plan so that:

I could ride with a tiny watch vs a giant phone in a case and still make calls if absolutely necessary.
Connect more with my surroundings...

... you see any time there's a free moment I'm tempted to whip out the phone and check messages, social media, etc. Could be resting at a beautiful look out, or out to dinner with Surfergirl.

I'm weak that way.

Now, I'm a little better.

In case you're wondering... got the Series 7, small face, sport band.