Absolutely not a Linux topic, but I know that we have several members in the Linux scene who also have an iPhone, so it might be interesting for one or the other.
I've had an Apple Watch for about a week now. To be fair, it's not my first Apple Watch. I bought the first Apple Watch (Series 0) back in 2015. But I returned it to the Apple Store after a few days.
The watch was too "jerky", too "slow" and just annoying.
That was 8 years ago and it was time for a new attempt. The impetus for this was once again Apple's marketing. I really liked this year's Pride wristband with the Pride watch face.
Anyone who doesn't know me will now definitely think I'm a somewhat strange guy with purple hair and a Pride wristband - but hey. I've never really cared what others think of me.
The Apple Watch buying process
When I decided to buy a new Apple Watch, I went to our local Apple Store and got advice there. The advice and the buying process were - as always - flawless.
I have the feeling that the employees in the Apple Store don't just want to sell you the most expensive device - but really ask "what are your needs" and which product fits best.
This experience is not new to me, but I have had it every time I have been in an Apple Store in recent years.
There were 3 models of watches to choose from - which were then available in different variations.
I'll just give a brief summary here. The cheapest model is the Apple Watch SE 2 (which I bought).
It is available in different colors and in two different sizes.
Besides that, there is the Apple Watch Series 8. It also has two different sizes and slightly thinner display bezels on both sizes. In addition to the Apple Watch SE, the Series 8 has a few additional sensors to measure blood oxygen, ECG (1 channel) and "body temperature".
You have to be careful with the body temperature, the Apple Watch is not suitable as a "fever thermometer" - as the wrist, like all extremities, is usually the coolest part of the body and measuring fever there makes absolutely no sense.
The Series 8 comes standard with an aluminum frame - for an extra charge you can also buy a stainless steel version. Both again in various colors.
Then there is the Apple Watch Ultra. It is only available in a stainless steel version and only in one (very large) display size. The Ultra has a very accurate GPS and is generally equipped for certain "extreme sports".
It works at -20 to 50 degrees. It is protected against water up to a depth of 100m and is also suitable for scuba divers. The watch has sensors for depth measurement and water temperature measurement.
In addition, the small thing has an almost 90 decibel loud alarm siren to draw attention to yourself if you have had an accident somewhere and cannot get any further on your own.
It quickly becomes clear that the Apple Watch Ultra is definitely not for me. I'm not even a "hobby athlete" and for me to go mountaineering or deep-sea diving somewhere alone, you would have to give me a lot of money for it.
Since I have no need to permanently measure my blood oxygen level or my ECG. In the end, it was the Apple Watch SE 2 for me. And it has been on my wrist for a little more than a week now.
Design and workmanship
In the end, you can always argue about design. A good friend of mine would never buy an Apple Watch because she believes that a watch has to be round.
I personally like the design of the Apple Watch.
Workmanship, however, is not subjective. And typical for Apple, the watch is very well made. There are no gaps, the buttons are firm and the watch feels very high-quality.
So now the important question, what do I use the Apple Watch for?
During the week I did various things with the Apple Watch. I tracked my sleep, I did sports with it, paid for things with it and use it as a little everyday helper and I even made phone calls with it 😅
But the biggest part of the use for me is what makes a watch a watch. I read - oh surprise - the time on the watch. That works very well - the Apple Watch SE does not have an "always on display", yet the watch automatically recognizes when I want to read the watch and automatically turns on the display. I never had any problems with it.
Apple states that the OLED display can be up to 1,000 nits bright. I have not measured the brightness, but we had a few very sunny days last week and I had no problems reading the watch even in sunlight.
To be fair, I also have to say that I have a very bright watch face (with a white background). You would have to test the whole thing with a dark watch face in strong sunlight.
Sleep tracking and sleep reminder
I have come to love this function, which surprised me. I have set up the Apple Watch so that I get about 7 hours of sleep at night.
The watch tracks my individual sleep phases and how long I spent in each phase. And gives some interesting tips if you didn't have a good night's sleep, what you could change or improve.
I was really able to optimize my sleep rhythm with the support of the Apple Watch during the week and wake up more "awake" in the morning.
Sports and the Apple Watch
First of all, I have to say that I am not a sporty person. I occasionally ride my bike through the city - actually always when I urgently need to get from point A to B - because the bike is faster than public transport.
And I go swimming once or twice a week. But that has less of a sporting character and is more or less a kind of relaxation for me.
Nevertheless, I have now taken my Apple Watch with me for swimming and cycling. What's cool is that I never had to manually enter "ride a bike now" or "go swimming now".
The Apple Watch apparently automatically recognizes what kind of sport I am doing based on my movements, speed of movement, etc. and tracks it automatically. I found that very impressive.
This is what such a recording looks like:
I can see how long I was on the road, the effective distance I covered. City traffic with red lights says hello 😒.
I can track the route on a map afterwards and my heart rate is permanently measured during the training. And you can see more details everywhere - if you want to.
Anyone who has ever seen an Apple Watch up close knows the infamous 3 rings:
These three rings are permanently visible on my watch face at the bottom right. And they are extremely motivating.
The inner blue ring stands for the "standing time". It is configured to 12 hours for me. This means that I have to get up every day for 12 individual hours and walk 2-3 steps. For me as an office worker, a valuable reminder not to sit in the office chair for hours, but to get up briefly.
The watch regularly reminds you "that it's time to get up again". The middle green ring is the "training time". It is set to 30 minutes for me. The goal is that I move consciously for at least 30 minutes a day.
This doesn't have to be strength training, but can also be that I, for example, just walk a few minutes instead of taking the tram or take the bike.
The outer red ring is the number of calories burned.
The goal is to fill these rings every day. And Apple achieves it through nice animations and virtual medals that you get when you reach the goal or also reach it on several days in a row - that you subconsciously really want to reach the goal.
Which often leads me to, for example, walk up the stairs to my apartment instead of taking the elevator to fill the ring.
In addition, my rings are also shared with a good friend of mine. I see her rings, she sees my rings. This also leads to a bit of competition - who fills their rings first, etc.
The watch is then also so nice to tell you that "friend's name has closed all her rings" just to motivate me to move my lazy ass again. 😂
Paying with Apple Pay
I can keep this story very short. I have been paying with Apple Pay in every supermarket, kiosk or online for many years.
When you set up your Apple Watch, the cards stored with Apple Pay are automatically transferred to the watch and payment works without any problems.
Press the long button twice in quick succession, hold the watch to the payment terminal and et voila, it's paid. Also worked in Frankfurt without any problems. I didn't expect anything else, I never had any problems with the iPhone and Apple Pay in all the years before.
Making phone calls with the Apple Watch...
Anyone my age or a little older will probably still know Knight Rider. And as a child I always thought it was totally cool how Michael Knight (the protagonist) communicated with a car with his watch.
And yes, you can make phone calls with the Apple Watch. What is cool in Knight Rider is only partially cool in the real world. So I would never do that in public (outside on the street, in the tram, etc.) - because you look like a complete idiot.
I tested the whole thing at home. Thanks again to a good friend of mine who had to serve as a test object for pointless phone calls.
Basically, you can say that it works. I understand the person surprisingly well and the person also hears me. The call quality is much more pleasant for me than for my conversation partner.
He immediately recognized that "something is wrong" my voice sounds very tinny and strange over the Apple Watch, but he could understand every word.
If you want to have your hands free when making phone calls, the speakers directly on the iPhone or AirPods are definitely more worthwhile - as the call quality for the other person is really massively better.
The only use case where making phone calls via the Apple Watch really makes sense for me is when you are in the shower and a "super extremely urgent" call comes in that you have to answer "immediately and without delay". And yes, this example is sought after and will probably almost never happen in reality.
But the scenario gave me the opportunity to test making phone calls in the shower and that also works surprisingly well even with running water. My friend didn't notice that I was showering.
I don't know if the noise cancellation of the Apple Watch microphones is that good, or if something is being done on the software side - but it works surprisingly well.
Useful little helpers in everyday life
Media control. When I'm on the go, I actually always have AirPods in my ears and listen to music or podcasts. And I've gotten very used to controlling the volume directly on the watch and not always taking my iPhone out of my pocket.
You can also just skip a song.
Unlocking other Apple devices
You can configure the Apple Watch to automatically unlock devices (with the same Apple ID) (as long as the watch is worn on the wrist).
This works very well on my Macbook. Open the Macbook and before I get my finger near the fingerprint sensor, the Macbook is directly unlocked and I can continue working.
In theory, this also works on my iPhone - but it makes no sense in practice.
As soon as I wake up the iPhone from sleep mode, the iPhone should be unlocked via the Apple Watch. In theory, this works. In practice, however, Face ID is faster.
The Face ID recognizes my face faster than the Apple Watch can unlock the device - to even be able to test whether the function works, I had to consciously wake up my iPhone with my eyes closed.
Perhaps this is useful for people who still use an iPhone with first-generation Face ID or with TouchID. Or also for people who do not want to use biometric unlocking methods - and can thus unlock their device instead of entering a PIN/password. For me, however, the function is useless.
Battery life and handling of the Apple Watch
Apple states a battery life of up to 18 hours for the Apple Watch SE 2. And no, I have not tested this to the limit.
It was clear to me before buying that the Apple Watch has to be plugged in daily. I was more concerned with how to charge the devices.
I usually charge notebooks and iPhones overnight. Then all these devices are connected to the power and are ready for use the next day. Since I do sleep tracking with the Apple Watch, I cannot charge the device overnight.
I can only describe here how I use the Apple Watch. When I get up in the morning, the watch usually still has somewhere between 40 and 45% battery capacity.
The first thing I do in the morning is to hang the watch on its charger.
Then I do my morning hygiene. After shaving, showering, getting dressed and having a breakfast cigarette, I take the watch back on my wrist. It usually has a capacity of around 85% again.
It then stays on the wrist until the next morning, where it is again at 40-45%.
I think I will get into the habit of consciously charging the watch on the weekend, so that it comes back to 100% every 7 days.
Conclusion
Do you absolutely need an Apple Watch? Absolutely not, the whole thing is an absolute luxury product. The effective added value is limited for me. It may be that for people who go to the gym regularly, the watch in combination with the Apple Fitness+ subscription offers a greater added value.
For me, it is mainly a watch with which I see a few notifications and I have to pick up my iPhone a little less. In addition, paying and controlling the volume and music becomes a bit more convenient.
Do I want to give the Apple Watch back? No.