Why I'm buying the new Apple Watch
I’m buying the next Apple Watch.
There isn’t a “maybe” or “if/then” in that statement. It’s happening whenever Apple (AAPL) finally updates its wrist-bound device to address several of the peeves my Yahoo Finance colleague Dan Roberts justifiably takes issue with, like lackluster battery life and performance.
But unlike Dan, I never say “never,” particularly when it comes to Apple.
Whether you love or loathe Apple, it’s a well-known fact among the tech cognoscenti — or at least people who own several Apple products — that you should steer clear of first-generation Apple products. These first-generation devices that look so lustworthy often suffer from their fair share of shortcomings beneath the hood.
Remember the first iPhone, a thick slab of metal and glass throttled by AT&T’s snail-paced EDGE network? How about that first MacBook Air, a sluggish sliver of aluminum with just one USB port?
Both devices became best-selling products and redefined their respective categories: the MacBook Air’s design influenced countless lightweight laptops for years to come, while the iPhone spearheaded today’s smartphone industry. (Sorry, BlackBerry.)
I’ve no idea whether the Apple Watch will do the same for wearable devices. The company and third-party app makers have yet to create irresistible use cases, in part because the watch itself needs some major refinement.
The watch should be faster, thinner, sleeker and last longer between charges. (To me, one day, doesn’t cut it.) It would also be more useful if you could use the device separately from your phone. Apple’s purported new Apple Watch should fix many of those quibbles, save for that last part, which for now, is enough for me.
Several months ago, you see, I upgraded from an iPhone 6 to an iPhone 6s Plus, a device so large one-handed texting is only possible if you’re LeBron James after you’ve knocked back a few tequila shots (the more alcohol, the more pliable your hands — or so I’d like to think). I enjoy my Rose Gold 6s Plus the same way I would a 110-pound Bernese Mountain Dog, but by no means is my 6s Plus easy to handle all the time.
That’s why I welcome the Apple Watch 2.0. I want text and social media notifications, status updates on where my Uber is, and an easy way to track how many steps I’ve run and calories I’ve burned. I’d prefer to do all of that with a device that performs better than today’s Apple Watch, saving me from having to whip out my large phone every few minutes.
For his part, my colleague Dan Roberts, writes that he fears the Apple Watch will rob him of yet another way to distinguish himself from others.
“I’m already a cliche in how many Apple products I own,” he writes. “I have the same computer (MacBook Air), phone (iPhone 6), tablet (iPad Mini), as everyone I know. Why would I also want to have the same watch?”
A watch is a personal fashion statement, to be sure. But these days, there are so many different flavors of Apple Watch that you can fine-tune its look to a decent degree provided you’re fine with the watch itself. Stainless steel. Sure. Rose gold? Have at it. There’s even a handsome Hermés “double tour” watch strap if you’re so inclined to throw down $1,250.
So never say “never,” if Apple continues the same steady march in updating the Apple Watch the way it updated the iPhone and MacBook Air. Today’s vociferous objectors may very well prove tomorrow’s biggest fanboys.
—
JP Mangalindan is a senior correspondent for Yahoo Finance covering the intersection of tech and business. Follow him on Twitter or Facebook.
Read more from Yahoo Finance on Apple’s September 2016 keynote:
Why I’m buying the new Apple Watch