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My Apple Watch Series 6 has been acting a bit odd lately.
On more than one occasion, I’ve received the low battery warning way before bedtime. In fact, before now, I had barely ever received that warning – unless I’d accidentally misaligned the Apple Watch on my charging stand overnight.
Bar the possibility of a rogue app eating up the battery life, there’s no conceivable reason for my Apple Watch to lose practically its entire charge before 3pm.
A quick check of the battery health indicator in Settings tells me that the Apple Watch has 91% maximum capacity remaining. I have no idea what this means, nor whether it’s anything to be concerned about.
There is, of course, the very real possibility that my Apple Watch hadn’t charged fully overnight on those days when it conked out early doors. I am, after all, using a third-party charging stand.
Regardless, this turned my thoughts back to the Apple Watch Series 7. And I need your help.
My reasons for not buying the Apple Watch Series 7
I described the Apple Watch Series 7 as “pointless” back in October. I revealed that I didn’t believe for one minute that it was the Apple Watch Tim and co. wanted.
I stand by that. I even think there’s some substance to Jon Prosser’s suggestion that there was an awful lot more to the announcement than met the eye.
However, rumours, murmurings, and half-truths aside, the Series 7 just isn’t particularly exciting.
It’s got a bigger screen (although, only just, if you have a Series 6). It’s “the most durable Apple Watch ever”. It charges 33% faster. There are five new aluminium colours.
But that’s it. Sure, the bigger screen enables some marginally more interesting watch faces and, unfathomably, a full qwerty keyboard.
And, yeah, it’s apparently crack resistant.
But I can’t get excited about any of that stuff. The fact that – until now – the Series 6 has been the most reliable, rock-solid Apple Watch I’ve owned sealed the deal for me; I had zero reasons to upgrade.
My interest has been waning
Earlier this year, I swapped my Apple Watch for a Casio G-Shock. Although the swap only lasted a month, it resulted in me continuing to wear the latter when I fancied it (most notably at weekends). Prior to this experiment, the Apple Watch hadn’t left my arm since 2015.
My interest in the Apple Watch has subsequently taken a bit of a nosedive. I track workouts only when reminded to do so, and I find notifications more of an irritant than a convenience (even after significantly reducing the number I receive).
This bothers me a bit. I was an early adopter of the Apple Watch and dearly loved its increasing utility as Apple gradually improved watchOS and made the device itself a far more focused fitness companion.
Now that my Series 6 appears to be having the odd bad day, I’m beginning to wonder if I could reignite my love for the Apple Watch by purchasing the new version. It would also be fun to find out if I was wrong, wouldn’t it?
Oh, and truth be told, I’ve never really liked the (PRODUCT)RED colour I opted for, despite the warm, fuzzy feeling the purchase gave me.
So… I need your input, please!
How is it for you?
I’m aware of a few people on my wonderful Discord server (if you fancy supporting my work, you can get access to this awesome bunch of people – and a whole lot more – via Patreon) who are really enjoying their Series 7.
I greatly trust their opinion – but I trust yours, too. So, if you’ve got an Apple Watch Series 7 and everything is groovy, I’d love to hear from you.
What is it about this version of the Apple Watch that works for you? Whether you’ve upgraded from a much earlier version or the more recent Series 6, which aspects of the latest device have either taken you by surprise or wedded you more closely to Apple’s wearable?
Get involved in the comments!
6 Comments
Mark, sadly i cannot encourage to get the Apple Watch 7. I bought an Apple Watch 6, after months/years of prevaricating on its utility. Several months in I viewed as the best thing since slide bread, but a year later, the romance is over. Th watch still works flawlessly and is a pleasure to use BUT,,,do i really need to be Pavlov’s dog responding to (albeit much reduced) notifications, do i really need to count my steps? What’s wrong with just planning to do an hour of exercise a day and using a simple watch. I am no athlete, fitness freak so i dont need it. However, the main reason to say good buy is this: it is another gadget to charge, maintain, repair, carry, have a cable for etc. I am fortunate it is not an expense issue, but it doesnt add that much extra value to my life. As they say in the classics, the things you own end up owning you…I love my macbook, iMac, ipad, phone but for me the watch was just one device to many.
Goodbye – not good buy. Freudian slip?
Typo . Goodbye – not good buy. Freudian slip?
Hi Mark. I was drawn to the article as I too am looking for reasons to get the series 7. I currently have a series 4, which I purchased when it was released and interestingly also has a battery health of 91%. I am firmly in the Apple eco-system with iMac, iPhone, iPad, 2 HomePods, AirPods Max and AirPods Pro, but I find the Apple Watch as being the one device which seems to induce stress where the other devices bring me pleasure.
To feel the constant need to not only close my rings, but essentially keep improving my performance so that my trend arrows point upwards is quite difficult for me to deal with mentally. Having hit my goals for the last 1422 days leaves me feeling controlled by the watch even on days where I am unwell or just exhausted.
I suppose the easy response to my problem is to get rid of the watch, as I exercised regularly long before they ever came out. However, the watch offers me real and practical benefits, such as Apple Pay, going for walks and runs with my AirPods connected without the need to take my phone and the ability to read messages when my phone is out of reach etc.
I agree with the comments that Nick has already made in answer to you. I think for me therefore, the issues relate to software rather than hardware. The series 4 still has no lag when using apps etc. I noticed a big difference when switching from the 2 to the 4, but this is not so much of an issue at the moment.
I think that I am more in the position of trying to justify the 7 rather than needing to replace the 4. The fact that the 7 has now been out for a couple of months and I am still undecided probably answers my own question.
Apple needs to sell the Apple Watch as more than a sidekick for your iPhone. As a few comments above, many quickly realise that charging a device every night just to count steps, tell the time and pick up a few notifications isn’t worth it.
A new chassis would be helpful. If they’re pushing punch-hole cameras on the iPhone 14 range then there is no reason the Watch cannot have one in the corner for Facetime calls. Some sort of kinetic charging tech might be nice too. Also a round option.
Software-wise the whole of WatchOS needs a big rewrite from the ground up. It has so many wasted buttons and interactions it is unreal. Does anyone really use the ‘dock’ function? Or change watch faces multiple times a day. There are better uses for the left and right-swipes and the power button. The icons aren’t recognisable enough to make the ‘flower’ arrangement useful and the a-z list looks like a bad Android launcher.
Apple is in a strong position to rebrand the Apple Watch as the solution to digital negativity. It is capable of fuctioning as the core communications device you own without the addictive nature of social media (ie it doesnt have it) and many functions can be relegated to Siri. Let us manage the device outside of the iPhone: the Watch app should be on iPadOS and the Mac. Apple could also release a lower-cost model and sell it as a new iPod for kids.
I recently purchased the Apple Watch 7 as my first Apple Watch. I felt purchasing the newest version as my first foray into the Apple Watch was a prudent choice as it will extend the longevity of my purchase.
I do feel if someone has the 5 or 6, the 7 would not be a great upgrade.
I do enjoy my 7 everyday and find it a great addition to my everyday life; especially the cellular version. There is nothing better than being able to leave the house for a walk or a quick trip to the store and not have to bring my phone.