Tuesday, September 12, 2017

The Cons of Having an Apple Watch


I'll be the first to admit I have an addiction to technology. Desktop computer, laptop, tablet (with an attachable keyboard), smart phone, back-up smart phone, e-reader, fitness tracker, I have it all. This is what our generation has come to. We like to feel connected.

Do you ever find yourself purposefully looking for a reason to be on your phone? Maybe it's to avoid conversation with that person you don't like or scroll through social media because you're bored. People are becoming more reliant on technology, and avoiding face-to-face interactions and real life.

One of the "newer" pieces of technology, the smart watch, is hit the market and took off running. Everyone either wants one or already has one. Over two years, I went from a love to hate relationship with my Watch, and I want to share how.

I remember when the Apple first announced the Apple Watch. Was it the first smart watch ever? No. But after seeing enough of my Instagram "idols" flaunting their new and expensive wrist candy, I ultimately decided I needed one. After I graduated from college, I bought one as my first "adult" gift to myself.


I loved everything it could do:
  • Watch, with multiple options for face design.
  • Fitness tracker, letting you even specify the type of workout.
  • Maps, giving you turn-by-turn directions right on your wrist.
  • Phone. Yes, you could answer your phone and talk through your watch.
  • Text messages. Read, respond, and more, without even looking at your phone.
  • Music and camera remote. 
  • Notifications. Pretty much any app I had on my phone, I could access through my watch.

When I was bored, I'd find myself scrolling through Twitter or Instagram on my watch. You could even play certain games. One of the selling points of the Apple Watch is that "you don't need to look at your phone anymore", and it was 100% true. The only downside to this? You find yourself checking your watch multiple times a day, not for the time, but to see who wants to interact with you.


Have you ever thought you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket just to check it to find that there are no new notifications? That's happened to me a lot. I remember reading this article from 2013, and even before the Apple Watch became big, it states that people can hallucinate phone calls and alerts. Imagine checking your watch all the time only to be disappointed by no notifications. The watch that you just spent a pretty penny on is just as basic as a normal non-smart watch or a FitBit at that point.

Earlier this year, I decided that the Apple Watch was just too "high tech" for me. While I loved the idea of having all my notifications right under my nose, I started becoming too addicted. Why not just turn off the notifications? I could do that, but then what would be the point of having a smart watch? For someone who works a desk job and is not running around all the time, I felt that I didn't need a phone and a watch that essentially served the same purpose. Plus, it was just another charger for me to stuff in my bag when traveling, because the Apple Watch battery kind of sucks, especially if you're checking it all the time.

Ultimately, I decided that I wanted to switch back to Team FitBit. Fitness tracking was one of the main reasons why I wanted the Apple Watch, and the FitBit does just that. In the two years that I had my Apple Watch, FitBit managed to step up their game and redesign their watches, but focus more on fitness, eliminating the ability to respond to messages, answer phone calls, and waste time. Plus the battery lasts about a week.

While my lifestyle might be completely different than yours, I'm glad I've found something that works for me. If you're a smart watch user, I challenge you to turn off unnecessary notifications. You'll find that you're looking up more.

4 comments :

  1. Did you ever consider turning off notifications? The problem isn't the technology, it's the way you use it.

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    Replies
    1. I did, and as stated in the post, whats the point of having an expensive smart watch if you're just going to turn off the notifications? I prefer the look of my KS watch for basic telling of time.

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  2. This would prob have been me too! I've turned off a lot of app notifications because it was getting too distracting too!

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  3. Love this. I am so addicted to my phone already. And I'm working on it. An apple watch would be worse! Haha I do like my fitbit though but I even have text and call notifications turned off on that.

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