On the first day of Spring, Apple again brings us a new selection of fun and bright Apple Watch band designs for the season. There are four different models to choose from:
• Sport Band in Denim Blue, Lemonade and Red Raspberry
• Woven Nylon in Black Stripe, Blue Stripe, Gray Stripe and Pink Stripe
• Sport Loop in Flash Light, Hot Pink, Marine Green and Tahoe Blue
• Classic Buckle in Spring Yellow, Electric Blue and Soft Pink
Photo Source: Crunchy Bagel
The situation with Apple Watch apps got some unexpected attention this week thanks to articles from noted Apple enthusiasts Marco Arment and John Gruber. In my opinion, it is good to get people thinking and talking about this again, because apps often seem to be the forgotten aspect of Apple’s sleeper-hit wearable platform. However, while I am glad to see attention being paid to this subject, I disagree with both of these articles, especially Mr Gruber’s.
This prediction is me going out on a limb. We all know that Apple is working on this screen technology, as the rumors and related patents are old news at this point. They even acquired LuxVue, a manufacturer that specializes in microLED, back in 2014. Just as with OLED, Apple will put this new technology (at least for them, in the case of OLED) on the Watch first, as the smaller screen device with less sales pressure than the iPhone makes a perfect device for an initial rollout. It’s just a matter of time as to when it shows up. Just a hunch on my part, but I think 2018 could be the year.
Apple has made it clear that they now see the Watch as primarily being a fitness tracker and health monitoring device. While it runs apps and fills several other roles, these are now its primary functions and we can see that most of their development and new features are focused on these areas. There have been a few reports that have come to light over the last few months that show both how other companies are building on the Watch as a platform and where Apple may be going next.
It may seem odd to choose a weather app as my favorite on Apple’s smallest screen, but this is actually one of the more useful categories on the Watch. Well, it should be, anyway. Unfortunately, many of the name brand watchOS weather apps fall somewhere between “meh” and flaming hot garbage right now. The Weather Channel’s app description on the App Store still refers to Glances, which have been gone for over a year now, so that should give you a good idea of the state of things.
A few weeks ago, I took a look at a couple of battery packs from Griffin and Belkin for the Apple Watch. My interest in Belkin’s Valet Charger and Griffin’s Travel Power Bank was related to the increased battery demands that LTE and Apple Music streaming can place on the Watch’s battery life. Using these new features extensively will require topping off the battery during the day at times, and what better way than with compatible portable battery pack. With watchOS 4.2 now released, everyone with an LTE-enabled Watch can use Apple Music streaming and it wouldn’t surprise me if these battery packs suddenly become a lot more popular because of it.
Another Watch-compatible battery pack caught my eye when I was researching for the original review, and I was fortunate that the manufacturer was kind enough to send me one to take a look at this week. This is the BatteryPro from ElevationLab, which is also has an MFi-certified magnetic Watch charging pad built-in. This manufacturer is well-known for their high quality accessories, most notably the DraftTable for the iPad Pro (which I will also be testing over the next week for a coming review). After spending a few days using the BatteryPro, I can assure you that it is no exception, but another high-quality and very useful accessory in the ElevationLab lineup.
One of the strengths of the Apple Watch since its release has been that it handles all of the expected tasks of a smartwatch and fitness tracker with all day battery life. I have used a Watch since day one, and have rarely had any kind of battery life issues over the last two plus years. While Apple certainly isn’t the only wearable manufacturer to pull this off, they are the only one to do so with a device that has both a reasonable size and a gender-neutral design. These are two big reasons that Apple now finds themselves at the top of the entire wearables market. However, with new features such as on-device LTE and Apple Music Streaming, that day long battery life can start to come up pretty short, pretty quickly.
Earlier this week, we got word that Apple is once again at the top of the wearables heap. Analyst firm Canalys released their quarterly report on this up and coming category of devices, showing that Apple regained the top spot they had occupied earlier this year. They had been passed up by both Xiaomi and Fitbit in the Second Quarter, before the release of the Apple Watch Series 3 and their Watch Series 1 price cut. This lead to a lot of conjecture about the state of the smartphone, and its place alongside simpler fitness bands and the like.
Before diving into the details, I will say right off the bat that Apple Music streaming on the new LTE-enabled version of the Apple Watch Series 3 works. The music sounded the same over my AirPods that it would if I were using my iPhone or iPad, which is good. Searches with Siri were performed quickly. I never had any issues with tracks skipping, even though I only had two “dots” of LTE where I was doing my testing. So functionally, it works fine and is a welcome addition to the Apple Watch. Also, it’s good to keep in mind that this feature is still in beta, so things could change a little here or there before full release.
However, when I also say that streaming Apple Music on the Watch is a mixed bag right now, I’m not kidding around. It is functional in the way that the original Apple Watch was- useful and novel, but also scattered and confusing at times. The interface and experience are spread out over two different apps, a leftover from watchOS 1, and Siri. At the end of the day, I am glad to have it, since it extends the Watch beyond the bounds of the old iPad Nano and Shuffle as a mobile music player. However, Apple Music integration doesn’t come without its share of growing pains.
There is news this week that insurance company John Hancock is offering their Vitality life insurance policy owners the opportunity to get an Apple Watch Series 3 for only $25. This is a whopping $304 off the normal retail price, which is a pretty amazing deal. So what’s the catch?
As much as I have been a fan of the Apple Watch right from the beginning, I have also been critical of Apple’s handling of Apps on watchOS from the start. Apple overplayed their hand with apps on the original Apple Watch, and when WatchKit and the setup with watchOS 1 and the OG Watch couldn’t deliver on that promise, users lost interest in the concept very quickly.
Between user dissatisfaction and the frustration of getting apps developed and working properly on a new platform, many devs quickly abandoned their efforts. Still, I keep holding out hope that the Watch will fulfill its promise as a robust platform for the right kinds of apps that are properly geared toward the small screen.