The Watch
I received an Apple Watch for my birthday, and I have worn it daily in the three months since. In some ways I really love the watch. The calling and texting capabilities are incredibly convenient. Being able to take calls and respond to texts on the watch is especially useful when I am at home, as I can simply place my phone on the kitchen counter by the coffee machine and forget about it. Having Siri on my wrist is certainly convenient and useful as well. It also doesn’t hurt to have the weather, my calendar and email so easily accessible. I also use Apple Pay on the watch quite a bit, as using Apple pay on the watch is so much more convenient than pulling out my debit card or phone. The watch is always right there on my wrist. The battery life is surprisingly good as well. I can make it two days without having to charge it, but I do typically charge it each night. I have worn the watch all day today, and it is only down to about 82%.
However even with the watch’s fantastic utility, I can’t help but feel as if I am even more trapped in the Apple hardware ecosystem. You see, I actually paid less for my iPhone than what the watch cost, and while I am not planning to replace my iPhone any time soon, if a situation were to arise where I did need to purchase a new phone, I would very much feel compelled to stay with an iPhone for fear that the money spent on the watch would somehow be wasted. But I don’t necessarily know if I want another iPhone. I feel like they are very much overpriced for what you actually get. I kinda miss my old Android phone.
In a lot of ways, I feel like a foreigner in Apple's ecosystem. I’m not really a Mac user anymore. Sure, I have an iMac, but it is no longer being updated by Apple — not even for security updates. It is essentially a door stop that contains some music and a ton of family photos, and I probably will not replace it when it finally dies. My main machine, an old HP notebook, runs Linux. I use none of Apple's services. Everything lives in either Google's or Microsoft's cloud.
Lastly, I feel somewhat compelled to wear the watch daily — like if I wear one of my analog watches for a day or two here or there I am somehow doing myself a disservice. I know that probably sounds dumb, but it is what it is. I feel like I should maxmize the watch's use. This watch has maybe only have three to four more years before the battery gives out and/or Apple decides it is no longer worthy of security updates? Interestingly enough, my analog watches will still be ticking and perfectly relevant when that happens.