Apple Pay/Apple Watch

[explanade]

When they first unveiled it, I was definitely against it.

Now that I've had my iPhone 6 Plus for a few months, I'm open to getting one maybe next year or the year after. Figure they will have refined it by then and maybe Apple Pay is more prevalent, in which case if I can do transactions without pulling the big iPhone out, it would be useful to have.

They could add things like GPS so it has more utility when it's not tethered to the iPhone.

Mostly, it would be out of boredom, to have another electronic toy, as the budget allows.

 

[kcowan]

Being retired, I don't have much concern about time...only when it comes to running errands (I have a hard rule of being back home by 2:15, when schools start getting out). Even when I was w*rking, I didn't really have a "set" schedule (unless we were flying, but then it was rarely a "hard time") so there just really hasn't been a reason to have wear watch. Although, maybe if I could figure out how to attach this to my arm:

That is about what I look at!

As an investor, I think wearable will replace pocket soon enough. For me, it will likely be 4 years before it happens. And then everyone will say: "Remember when we had to haul the device out of our pockets!"

 

[steelyman]

I have an iPhone and an ITouch. This morning, I thought about getting a strap to strap the Touch on my wrist and go hang in the more questionable areas of town.

If anyone looks at me strangely, I'll just say, "Size matters".

 

[steelyman]

I updated iOS on my iPhone and found a new little app "Apple Watch" that I can't seem to delete and takes up screen space.

So now I have a new "iJunk" folder for things like that.

 

[mh]

I updated iOS on my iPhone and found a new little app "Apple Watch" that I can't seem to delete and takes up screen space.

So now I have a new "iJunk" folder for things like that.

I just moved to the " furthest right screen" on my phone


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[kcowan]

Yee of little faith!

 

[audreyh1]

Yee of little faith!

LOL!!!

 

[Bikerdude]

Jimmy Kimmel explores the power of Apple.

 

[steelyman]

One of Letterman's Top 10 Lists this week was "Top 10 Complaints About The Apple Watch".

Number One:

"People who see me wearing it know I'm a jackass."

 

[Ready]

Apple Watch

I've had my Apple Watch for about 24 hours now. It's really an amazing device, and I'm definitely glad I bought it. Fitness tracking, message alerts, ability to answer phone calls anywhere in my home without having to carry my cell phone around...all very helpful and fun. And waving my watch at the Trader Joe's cashier without having to fumble for my card was very cool.

It takes a bit of effort to learn how to use it. It's not quite as intuitive as the iPhone/Ipad, and you have to fiddle around with the notifications settings to get it to behave the way you want. I'd say if you really enjoy technology and gadgets, you'll love this watch. If you find the iPhone annoying and wish you could go back to using a flip phone, you probably don't want one of these.

Has anyone else bought one yet?

 

[Midpack]

I love my iPad and iPhone (and iPod before them) and tech gadgets in general, but the watch has zero appeal for me. I stopped wearing watches years ago, and the Apple watch doesn't change that one iota. To each his/her own, glad you like yours!

 

[audreyh1]

I've had my Apple Watch for about 24 hours now. It's really an amazing device, and I'm definitely glad I bought it. Fitness tracking, message alerts, ability to answer phone calls anywhere in my home without having to carry my cell phone around...all very helpful and fun. And waving my watch at the Trader Joe's cashier without having to fumble for my card was very cool.

It takes a bit of effort to learn how to use it. It's not quite as intuitive as the iPhone/Ipad, and you have to fiddle around with the notifications settings to get it to behave the way you want. I'd say if you really enjoy technology and gadgets, you'll love this watch. If you find the iPhone annoying and wish you could go back to using a flip phone, you probably don't want one of these.

Has anyone else bought one yet?

You beat me!

I tried one on in Paris. At one of the very few stores in the world that had them available to see and buy. I was just curious about the size and fit, but plan to order one when we get home from our travels. The timing was off to order one before our trip.

We go to Colette in Paris as it is close to our downtown Paris hotel. DH is interested as this is one of the few places you can actually see an Apple Watch - not at an Apple Store. We walk by around 10 am. and there are a few people lurking outside. Store doesn't open until 11. We swing back by around 11am and this is what it looked like (see below):

A couple of days later we walk by at 3pm, and the store is busy, but the Apple Watch display is not totally jammed, so we get a good look at several watches on display. They are all out of the sport. Only the stainless steel ones are available. Sales person offers us to try them on so we do!!! Sales person says there is always a big line at the open for the Watch.

 

[explanade]

I lost my Fitbit a few days ago. Spend at least $100 on a replacement or go with Watch?

 

[audreyh1]

I lost my Fitbit a few days ago. Spend at least $100 on a replacement or go with Watch?

My Fitbit has just been a temporary place holder while waiting for the Apple Watch. And making sure the functionality was important to my lifestyle before committing further. Fitbit is missing too many features.

So - there you have my opinion.

 

[explanade]

Well I have several years of data on Fitbit and it tracks data that Apple Health does not.

But while its small, it's easy to lose. I don't wear watches but it would be harder to lose.

 

[audreyh1]

I've downloaded spreadsheets with my data from Fitbit.

But the only thing it really tracks (the Flex) is the daily steps, and how many "active" minutes in a day - pretty much just for the walking part. All the other data - weight, blood pressure, other exercises and times, etc., has been manually entered into their app. That info could be manually enetered anywhere.

They've added a lot of stuff to Apple Health recently, but I haven't checked out the details.

 

[explanade]

Mine tracks stairs claimed which I like having. Lot of other brands do not.

Wondering if you can look back through years of data.

Haven't tried yet. In the Fitbit app, I can scroll back over a year.

Apple Health shows a year view but there doesn't seem to be a way to select a specific date from several months ago. You just see a chart and can estimate the data for that date.

 

[Ready]

You beat me!

I tried one on in Paris. At one of the very few stores in the world that had them available to see and buy. I was just curious about the size and fit, but plan to order one when we get home from our travels. The timing was off to order one before our trip.

That would be a great souvenir to take home from Paris if you don't want to wait!

 

[Ready]

I lost my Fitbit a few days ago. Spend at least $100 on a replacement or go with Watch?

I have not used the Fitbit but I have a lot of friends that do. I think it's a great product for the price point, but it only does a small subset of functionality of the Apple Watch. So it just depends on what you are hoping to do with the device.

I also purchased a Mosiso smart scale for $60 from Amazon that measures my weight, BMI and body fat percentage, and automatically uploads the data to my iPhone and stores it in the Apple Health App, along with all the fitness data the Watch is collecting.

So between my scale telling me I'm borderline fat, and my watch tapping me on the wrist to stand more and get more exercise, I seem to have a lot of digital nudging in my life now to get in better shape. It's like having a personal coach/nag constantly watching you!

 

[explanade]

The Watch will measure your pulse and in conjunction with your iPhone's GPS, will log bike rides.

The Fitbit model that I had will track stairs climbed. They also have bands which will track pulse.

I like the small form factor and 2 week battery life but it is easy to lose.

 

[audreyh1]

That would be a great souvenir to take home from Paris if you don't want to wait!

I wasn't willing to pay up for stainless steel, and the U.S. pricing is better.

That's interesting about the Mosiso scale. May have to consider it.

 

[mpeirce]

The Watch will measure your pulse...

I find the realtime pulse reading is very useful to me when I'm exercising. By glancing at this I can see if I should kick things up a notch. It's also interesting to see how my pulse rate varies amongst the different activities.

 

[Katsmeow]

I lost my Fitbit a few days ago. Spend at least $100 on a replacement or go with Watch?

Spend a little more than $100 and get a Fitbit Charge HR. It is wrist based, but continuously measures your heart rate (reportedly none of the wrist based monitors are very good at measuring heart rate during weight lifting -- I use a chest strap for that). I like getting the heart rate data. It will also measures stairs and steps and you can interface various other programs with it. I record my food at MyFitnessPal which then integrates with Fitbit so I see my calorie deficit.

If you spend even more you can get a Fitbit Surge which has a GPS in it and when you exercise outside will give you a map of where you went.

They both will buzz on your wrist if you get an iPhone call (not sure if that works with Android). The Surge lets you control your music from the Surge I think (I have a Charge HR not a Surge).

The Apple Watch does have more functionality. I didn't get one even though I have an iPhone because I wasn't sure I would use the non-exercise functionality, I wasn't sure that the Apple Watch would be as good for fitness as a Fitbit, and I was concerned about battery life if doing 24/7 heart rate tracking.

 

[nash031]

I'm a gadget guy and an Apple disciple, but I can't find a good excuse for an Apple watch. Admittedly, I said the same about the iPad when it came out and now it's changed our lives (not always for the better!).

A few reasons:
- Swimming, biking, and running... I'm obviously not keeping splits in the water on an Apple watch. I train with power on the bike and I don't want to carry my phone with me on the run for GPS. I use my Garmin 401 and my powertap for the other two sports. So it doesn't provide any additional features in that regard.

- I like "accessorizing" with my various watches. The most expensive watch I own is $200, and none of my others are over $80, but when I dress to head out, I wear any one of four or five watches that are all different.

- When I go out to dinner with DW, the last thing I want is my phone on the table. The watch is equivalent, though I'm sure you can disable everything.

I'm sure I'll find some reason to get one eventually, but I can't rationalize one right now. I'm happy to live vicariously through others who describe theirs, though!!

 

[mpeirce]

My impression is that if you are a hard core exercise enthusiast you're better off with a specialized device, like the Fitbit Surge Katsmeow mentioned. It you are training for a marathon, the watch probably isn't enough.

But I think the watch is great for us low intensity exercisers. I find it useful to glance at my heartbeat when I'm walking or cycling or whatever. But I really don't care about pushing my limits or tracking exactly where I walked each day. Knowing how far is plenty for me. And it's handy to have it nudge me to keep moving. As with most Apple devices, it's aimed at the broad middle fitness folks (OK, moderately well off broad middle).

Frankly, I bought it to play with and to keep up with what's going on in technology. That's why I bought the cheapest sport model. No gold watch for me

So far both my wife and I like it like it enough to continue wearing it.