I am thinking about getting H an Apple watch for Christmas. I’m getting increasingly frustrated with him not answering his phone or text messages because he left the room or his office and didn’t have his phone with him, or had it muted and forgot.
He will fight it at first because it’s a new learning curve for him, but once he’s had it for a few weeks or months, I suspect he will really like it and wonder why he didn’t get one sooner.
Question is - what is battery charging like? How long does the watch hold a charge? Those of you have one, is it something you just plug in at bedtime like you do your cell phone, so that it becomes part of your routine that way?
Yes, I charge it every night. I use this charging dock (which isn’t necessary, but I like it) http://www.nativeunion.com/dock-for-apple-watch/ When you put the watch on its side while it’s charging it acts like a clock. I use it instead of an alarm clock now. I also like that I don’t miss texts and phone calls because the watch taps me – it’s great!
Teri, if your H likes to exercise, a Garmin watch IMO is a MUCH better option. The Apple watch with GPS has a horrid battery life! Plus, the Fenix watches look cool. And it does pair with an iPhone via Bluetooth like an Apple watch and displays the incoming text messages on the screen (hehehe, Mr. B is notorious for ignoring texts - no more!).
I love my Apple Watch. I have only had it for a month so I am still learning its functions and typical Apple user, I haven’t read most of the instructions. I will learn as I go and add something new when I have mastered the current uses. I charge it each night along with my phone and my iPad. In about 12’hours, I have used 73 % of the charge. On heavy usage days, I might recharge for 15 minutes midday; it recharges quickly.
@BunsenBurner - H doesn’t do a whole lot of exercise, other than biking and golfing and the minimal hiking we do each year. He has GPS built into his car, so never needs it while driving. And yes, the new Apple watch is waterproof; so he can wear it in the shower. If he changes and starts exercising more, then we would consider something else. But thanks, anyway.
Did not mean to derail the thread but made the suggestion because I noticed that you mentioned that your H may be uncomfortable with an apple watch. I know for sure that Mr. would not be caught dead wearing one! Hence the Garmin. I was very happy that it synchs with his calendar and other iPhone features. The true GPS function on the watch is not for directions - it calculates the distance, calorie burn, cadence, that kind of technical stuff in addition to mapping out biking or hiking routes.
In any case, it does not matter what we say… DC Rainmaker is the ONLY trusted authority when it comes to gizmos and gadgets.
Timely thread for me. I am looking at an apple watch to buy, too, and interested in what people have to say here. Why is stainless casing so much more expensive? Is it worth the money?
Oh, that’s because his life motto is, “It’s a PC world!” He just uses that as an excuse why not to get anything Apple, although both Ds and I only use MacBooks, and both Ds have iPads. He reluctantly went with an iPhone a couple of years ago when he had to get a new cell phone for work, but I suspect he likes it a lot better than his old Blackberry. But he also has an iPod, so really, he’s got two Apple gadgets now, and I think it’s time to get him a third! I don’t think he cares so much about how it looks (well, maybe a little) as compared to just regular watches. But I don’t want the daily charging to turn him off, but I think if he just makes it a part of his nightly routine, that he takes it off and puts it on the charger, he will get used to it.
^^Maybe Garmin Fenix is not a bad idea then. It looks like a regular, manly-looking watch and does everything an Apple watch does when paired with a smartphone; the messages and calendar notifications get displayed on the dial as soon as they arrive
If you buy it at REI, you can return it no questions asked… if your H does not like it.
@deb922 - well, it’s a work-issued cell phone so he really does need to be tethered to it during the day, and very occasionally after hours. His problem is he tends to step out of his office for a quick errand within the complex and doesn’t take his phone because he doesn’t think he’ll be gone long (more than 5-10 minutes). Then he runs into someone that needs to talk to him and before you know it, he’s been out of his office for an hour or more. If I, or Ds are trying to reach him about something urgent, it’s not like he has a pager or anything and can be notified. This watch can sort of serve as his pager. At that point he can decide if he wants to ignore it or not, but if we call repeatedly or text ‘it’s urgent’, then he’ll know he needs to get back to his phone to call us.
If he’s at home and I’m out, and he has his phone on silent, I have no way of reaching him if I have a question for him on my way home from running errands. Actually that reminds me, I should have him set Ds and I up as ‘favorites’; that way if we try to call him when his phone is on silent, it will ring through if it’s us. Although he might not like that if he’s in a meeting and needs to have the phone on silent. This is where an Apple watch would help.
I think the watch is a great idea. I have a Fitbit that buzzes when someone is calling me. Since I keep my iPhone in my purse, I sometimes don’t hear it. But I always feel the vibration. The only time I get confused is when it buzzes because I’ve reached 10,000 steps for the day!
" His problem is he tends to step out of his office for a quick errand within the complex and doesn’t take his phone because he doesn’t think he’ll be gone long (more than 5-10 minutes)."
Is Apple watch cellular-enabled? The way I understand it, the watch needs to be connected to the phone either via wifi or via Bluetooth. If he is out of the Bluetooth range and not connected to a wifi while away from his cell phone, neither Garmin nor Apple watch would be helpful.
I really like my Apple Watch. It uses about half plus a bit of its charge in a typical day, so I charge it every night. If I use Apple Maps to give directions, it taps on my wrist for each turn, which uses up charge fairly fast if there are a lot of turns.
My watch can talk to my iPhone anywhere in the house. But, if his workplace is large, he will get out of range of the iPhone. It uses Bluetooth.
Yea, I realize if he goes across campus, it won’t work, but if he’s just going to get some coffee, or down the all to the bathroom and gets stopped on his way to or from, the Apple watch would work. If he’s going to the cafeteria, it wouldn’t. But he would have his phone with him then. It’s the quick trips where he thinks he’s going to go somewhere close and come right back when he doesn’t take his phone, then gets distracted by someone else and takes much longer to get back to his office.
