Resigning from My Apple Watch: A Two-Year Trip from Impulse Purchase to Realization

The Apple Watch is now the industry standard for smartwatches. It's difficult to top the Apple smartwatch for appearances, high-end technology, or incredible software. A lot of individuals, particularly those who have already invested in the Apple ecosystem, find the Apple Watch to be a must-have purchase because of its various health functions. You may not be one of those folks, however. Although it may be the most popular wristwatch worldwide, not everyone can wear an Apple Watch. Well, I can speak for myself here.

After almost two years of use, both positive and negative experiences, I have decided to part with my Apple Watch Series 7. It may be wise to reconsider your purchase of this chic watch. After listening to me out, you may choose whether or not to get an Apple Watch. Since I'm an avid supporter of Apple, I simply want to be clear as to avoid offending any of them. I'm not suggesting Apple Watches aren't worth the money or that they're awful. I only want to express my thoughts about this wearable based on my needs and observations.

My Experience with the Apple Watch Series 7

Ditching My Apple Watch: A 2-Year Journey from Impulse Buy to Revelation — Photo courtesy of Adibri/Mohit Singh

I had intended to acquire myself a wristwatch back in February 2022. An Apple Watch was the only option available to me since I adore Apple products. I'm delighted that I purchased an Apple Watch Series 7 (41mm model). It had all the features I could ever want in a smartwatch, of course. Stylish design, comfortable fit throughout the day, basic and sophisticated health functions, and other features.When I received a new smartwatch, I was ecstatic and thrilled and used it for everything. I would do a lot of things with my iPhone, like test my heart rate, track how many calories I burned, and check my alerts. I used to even wear the watch when I slept in order to monitor my sleeping habits. This continued for around six months before becoming monotonous. With time, I began to feel that none of these elements really changed my daily routine or increased my productivity.I'm also limited to changing the faces on my Apple Watch to match my outfit, attitude, or personality right now. Did I really pay over Rs 42,000 on face replacements? I'm not sure I want to respond to this. Now let's proceed.

Why Is My Apple Watch an Optional Device?

I've had my Apple Watch for almost two years, and I can state that I don't need it as a constant companion. I'll take you through a few of my encounters and the factors that led me to reach this judgment. Making a selection based on comparable use cases or preferences might be aided by this.

I Don't Have a Strong Interest in Fitness

The ability of an Apple Watch to track your daily fitness levels and activity is one of its greatest features. The majority of buyers purchase an Apple Watch mainly for its fitness functions. Throughout the exercise, it can monitor a number of parameters, including time spent, calories burnt, heart rate, and more. If you have an active lifestyle, frequent the gym, or are a fitness fanatic, the Apple Watch may be a very useful accessory. It may assist you in tracking your development as effectively as possible.In my own words, I'm not a fitness fanatic. I don't have to monitor any kind of exercise schedule. I don't work out in a gym or follow any specific regimen, such as cardio or HIIT. Yes, I like walking every day and like to record how many steps I take. I'm tracking my steps more than ever since we have a Step Challenge going on at my office.Having said that, I can accomplish this without my Apple Watch. I can monitor my steps directly on my phone since I constantly carry it in my palm or pockets. I find it difficult to see the step count on my Apple Watch as well. I had to swipe through four screens on the Activity app.I don't think you actually need an Apple Watch if you're not a fitness devotee. For me, the Apple Watch is really just an upscale version of a conventional watch that costs more. Let me disappoint you: if you're thinking about getting an Apple Watch to help you lead a more active lifestyle, nothing will happen until you put in the work. Don't purchase a smartwatch if you are unable to.

2. I Can Utilize My iPhone

for the Most TasksThe fitness and health component negates the Apple Watch's or any other smartwatch's 80% value. Most of the items on my iPhone are immediately within my reach. I can always check my alerts, count my steps, and get other basic health information directly on my iPhone; I don't really need a wristwatch for this.Many adore and use their Apple Watches to make payments using Apple Pay. Without a doubt, it is really convenient. Simply push a button on your watch, and you're done searching for your wallet or pulling out your iPhone! Regretfully, Apple Pay isn't currently accessible in India. So, by giving up my Apple Watch, I'm not missing out on anything.

Having said that, I am unable to ignore the reality that the Apple Watch is the only device with several essential functionality. Sleep Tracking is one example of this. You must wear an Apple Watch in order to get its extensive and helpful sleep pattern information. For more insights, you may examine this data in conjunction with your heart rate and respiration statistics. To be honest, I like this function, but I think Apple still has to catch up.Currently, you can only use Apple Watch Sleep Tracking if you initiate a Sleep Focus or establish and adhere to a nightly routine. You go to bed at 11 PM one day instead of 10 PM, and the tracking gets all screwed up. Unfortunately, if you don't set your wristwatch to Sleep Focus prior to taking a nap, it won't be able to account for those midday naps or little breaks that take place outside of regular sleep routines. I understand that this is unusual, but it is what it is. I don't feel like utilizing this tracking since it's not sophisticated enough for me.I'm hoping that improved sleep monitoring in the future watchOS 11 will provide more insightful information about my sleep quality. It is important to note that According to reports, Apple is also working on a Smart Ring. A ring may replace smartwatches in popularity since it is more comfortable to sleep with and can be worn for longer periods of time. Nevertheless, it would undoubtedly be expensive and take a long time.And now for the fun part: the Apple Watch can track my heart rate, ECG, and other metrics. Nevertheless, nobody routinely makes advantage of these functions. To be honest, I don't typically utilize these functions unless I'm feeling under the weather. Yes, out of curiosity, I did measure everything on my watch, but I no longer do. I like to utilize specialized equipment, such as a blood pressure monitor, to get precise readings while I'm sick. I would like to see a doctor in serious situations and have an ECG performed.

3. My gadgets don't charge very often

Let's be honest. The battery life of an Apple Watch is poor. Tell me if this is false. After an overnight charge, the battery life of a modern Apple Watch may last up to 18 hours. This is not even close to the quality of conventional timepieces, much alone fitness trackers and bands. Actually, there are alternative smartwatches with longer battery lives available.The battery life of my Series 7 Apple Watch is also comparable. I can get by with my watch for the most part of the day, but in order to keep it ready for the following day, I have to charge it every night. This has to be a regular chore for me. I will wake up the following morning without a working watch if I fail to do it.Frequently, while I'm getting ready to go out the door in the morning, I find that I forgot to charge my iWatch. I must thus go without my smartwatch. Please refrain from telling me to charge my Apple Watch at work. I am unable to bring my watch to work and charge it for around two hours. That all occurred so often that it caused me to develop new behaviors. I now go for days at a time without caring to charge my smartwatch. These days, I seldom wear it on my wrist; instead, I keep it in my purse or drawer.Should you, like me, often neglect to recharge electronics, your Apple Watch's battery may go really low all the time. Who knows, maybe you'll become impatient and throw it in a drawer.

4. I Detest Reminders All the Time

Constant alerts and reminders, in my opinion, make it more difficult to disconnect. In the current digital age, when anybody may pass hours on a device, cutting down on screen time might be difficult. And to make matters worse for me, I have an Apple Watch. I use clever techniques like hiding applications on my iPhone, disabling alerts for certain apps, and more to control how much time I spend on screens. Since my wristwatch conveniently displays all of my iPhone's calls, reminders, and alerts on my wrist, it is much harder for me to remain offline. My attention may be drawn by even the smallest vibration.Here, many Apple Watch owners may disagree. A few of my pals believe that they are less distracted because of their Apple Watch. They feel as if they spend an hour browsing through the stuff on their iPhone when they pick it up to check for a notice. Conversely, it is simpler to glance at a notice on the wristwatch without getting sidetracked by other applications. I don't feel the same, however. In little time at all, I can go from alerts to my Apple Watch games.That's one now. Furthermore, I detest such incessant reminders; they are quite bothersome. Those Activity rings will come after you after you've established your fitness objectives. For Apple Watch, there is no such thing as relaxation, recuperation, or a day off. One day, when you shut your rings, your watch will provide you with more difficulties and intermittent reminders. I also have to deal with my wristwatch getting a ton of alerts from my iPhone. Is this not excessive?On a watch, I think it's more difficult to ignore them than on a phone. I can turn off the barrage of alerts on my iPhone by either facing it down or putting it in quiet mode. How can I, however, accomplish it on my watch? There are moments when the continuous vibration on my wrist becomes so unbearable that I set my Apple Watch to DND. Furthermore, it negates the whole point of owning a wristwatch.

Is It Too Late to Bring Back My Apple Watch?

I haven't used my Apple Watch in a couple weeks, and I have no regrets. I've been a devoted Apple customer since 2014, thus I find it difficult to categorize the Apple Watch as an optional device. It hasn't been used for a few weeks, but I didn't notice its disappearance. I'm perfectly fine without it. I can only say this about one Apple device, however. Without my iPhone, MacBook Air, iPad, or AirPods, I can't fathom my existence. I am always in need of them, every single day. I will get a panic attack if you ask me to give up on any of them.

Who Is the Ideal Apple Watch Buyer?

This isn't a discussion about whether or not Apple Watches are worthwhile, however. It's not like there can be a disagreement over it. Everything is dependent upon the needs and way of life of the consumer. If you're a fitness fanatic or someone who needs encouragement to keep up a healthy lifestyle, then you should definitely get an Apple Watch. Additionally, an Apple Watch might be quite beneficial if you have a health condition and regularly need to monitor your heart rate, electrocardiogram, or sleep patterns. Along with these are a few minor upgrades, such as the ability to listen to music, view your iPhone's alerts straight from the Apple Watch, and make payments using your wrist.Conversely, if your use case is comparable to mine, there's no need to get an Apple Watch or an alternative Apple Watch. You would purchase it on the spur of the moment, utilize all the functions with excitement at first, and then become bored. Like mine, your smartwatch may be constantly unplugged and sitting in a drawer. Why not get an inexpensive, basic fitness band if all you want to do is monitor the essentials like your step count, calories burned, and more? These days, it's easy to buy some good fitness bands and trackers that can last you many days on a single charge and include all the necessary health monitoring capabilities for less than Rs 5,000.Do you think your time with an Apple Watch is over as well? Do you have a similar story to tell? Please feel free to leave a remark below.