It was magical, even life-changing. And yet... so painful.
After wearing it for 30 days, I thought I should at least give it a review. Ideally I'd do this on YouTube, but I'm not there yet...
The newest Apple Watch is as advertised: Fully functional in every way. Inconceivably, it packs nearly all the power of a smartphone in a small black screen that's almost proportional to your wrist.
The sheer size of the watch face (I had the 44 mm), reminded me of the calculator watches we used to wear on our skinny wrists as kids. These were transformative in our younger years, having so many buttons to push without having to lift a single calculator.
The Apple Watch works much the same; no longer must you pull out that bulky, obtrusive smartphone to check messages... or the time. While canoeing the other day, I didn’t have to put down my paddle to reach into my pocket to answer my phone. Instead, I experienced a brief moment of technological nirvana as I answered through my watch.
Want to know when the football game is on? Just lift it to your mouth and speak.
Want to check your heartbeat? Does that too.
It’ll track you, wherever you go. With GPS capabilities, you no longer require that brick iPhone in your hand to track your workouts. Download your favourite music playlist and you’re set.
It’s no wonder these devices are popular. And pricey too. The newest Apple Watch 8 will set you back around $550. The poorer SE version, which only lights up when you turn your wrist, is around $350.
Opting for the poor man’s model, I didn’t mind the on-and-off-again function. I did, however, become rather intentional in the turning of my wrist to check the time. This might bother some people who like to glance at their watches out of the corner of their eyes, like at a meeting or (ahem) a dull conversation, when one would rather not be so intentional. Not that I would ever...
Is it worth another $200 to see the time all the time? Not for me. Besides, do I really want to carry a $500 watch on my wrist?
I started to think about that as I was walking alone in the park one day. How much technology did I have on me? My older iPhone is still worth about $400, my shiny new watch was $350, and my AirPods are worth over $100. Apple has a way of draining my bank account. I started to think about how easily the watch could be snatched off my wrist.
If you’re wondering why I’m no longer am wearing it, it wasn’t stolen. (I know you’re not wondering that – I'm pretending this is a YouTube video, where you can see the fifty-dollar Timex I have on instead.) Truth be told, I returned it. Yes, the Apple Watch was magical – it even brought me a small amount of joy. But with that joy came pain.
With all the technology packed into that little black screen, it carries a bit of weight. I opted for the 44 mm big screen, so it was a little heavier than the base model. There’s also a rather large protruding metal piece under the screen that takes your vitals, namely your heartbeat. Perhaps it was this little metal knob that dug into my nerve.
I did some research (surprise!) and found this to be a common issue among the weak-wristed. Some people went as far as to say it was the "radiation" emanating from the watch itself. In that case, throw out your smartphone, TV and laptop while you’re at it.
I’ve also got tendinitis which can flare up every now and then, so it could have played a role. But in the end, I had to ask myself, is this wonderful, fabulous technology worth the pain?
It was not. Costco gladly took back my watch with few questions – heck, they didn’t even open all the packaging.
Do I miss it? Surprisingly, I find it freeing to be without it.
No longer do I have to be careful about getting it scratched when working outside. Or worry about charging it every night. Or think about turning my wrist intentionally.
And with $350 in “new” money, I might just upgrade my phone.
These days, there's always a new technology to spend on.
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