Two Months with Apple Watch

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I’ve had my Apple Watch now for a few days shy of two months and I’m not giving it up. Back in March, I had thought,going to graduate school and working full-time, that the value proposition of Apple Watch was not worth the expense. Then, as an incredible surprise, my awesome wife contacted my family and friends and had them go together to get me an Apple Watch for my birthday. It has been life-changing.

Others have panned Apple Watch and “broken up” with it.1 In my assessment, most of those bad experiences were caused by wrong expectations. What are the right expectations? The ones that Apple told us at the very start: time-keeping, communication, and fitness. Though I’ve written about Apple Watch each week for the last two months, I purposefully haven’t written about those tentpoles as they’re not things you can assess in a week. Now that it’s been two months, it’s time. Continue reading →

Watchscreen: Andy Faust, blogger at WatchAware

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Faust-headEach week, I feature someone’s watchscreen, highlighting how they’re using it, apps they like, how they view the product, and tips and tricks they’ve discovered. This week, I’m excited to feature Andy Faust (Twitter), a tech enthusiast and blogger at watchaware.com (a site you really ought to follow). Andy has written well-considered pieces on Apple Watch; I don’t always agree with them, but they’re always insightful and stimulating! So, Andy, show us your watchscreen! Continue reading →

Get MacID for free!

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Update: All codes have been claimed. Thanks to Kane for making this deal possible!  If you didn’t get a free code, check out MacID anyway–it’s one of my favorite apps & its Apple Watch app uniquely leverages the Watch!  Continue reading →

Apple’s Localization for China at WWDC

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(I’m taking a break from my weekly review of Apple Watch to comment on WWDC. The last in the series will be posted next week.)

As you may be aware, after spending 5 years in China and marrying a Chinese woman, I’m incredibly interested in China. In WWDC, Apple’s increasing attention to China was on full display, in a wide variety of ways, but not all obvious to Westerners. Apple is adjusting its software to solve clear needs in reaching the Chinese market. Continue reading →

Watchscreen: Kane Cheshire, developer of MacID

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The next contributor to the weekly Watchscreen series on how people are using their Apple Watches is Kane Cheshire (Twitter, Web), developer of one of my favorite apps for Apple Watch, MacID. Kane is a terrific designer and his app demonstrates brilliantly how apps can leverage the unique form of Apple Watch. So, Kane, show us your watchscreen! Continue reading →

Watchscreen: Craig McClellan, teacher and blogger

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Watchscreens is a weekly series exploring how different people are using Apple Watch in their lives. Like sharing iPhone home screens, there’s a lot to learn and discover from others in this brand-new category. McClellan-headThis week I’m glad to share the watchscreen of Craig McClellan (Twitter). Craig is an elementary school teacher and a self-described nerd. He’s combined both those passions in his excellent blog, theclassnerd.com, which has a ton of productivity ideas applicable well beyond the classroom. So, Craig, show us your watchscreen! Continue reading →

The Future of Apple Watch (WWDC and beyond)

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This is part 4 in ongoing series of reflections based on my experience with Apple Watch. Previous pieces are: Week 1: You Can’t Put Delight In a Spreadsheet, Weeks 2-3: Its Form Is Its Function, Week 4: A Foundation for the Future.

It’s that time of year again, when Apple critics, analysts, and skeptics release their expectations, analysis, and wish lists for WWDC. In this piece, I hope to approach the pre-WWDC ramp-up somewhat differently. These other approaches are based, typically, off of rumors or personal frustrations with the software. I hope to present a more timeless list of strategic wrist-centric ways where Apple Watch should mature in order for its long-term potential to be reached. Continue reading →

Watchscreen: Lewis Smith, iOS developer & photographer

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I’m pleased to introduce a new weekly series highlighting how different people are using Apple Watch, what apps they’re using, and how its fitting into their lives. Since Apple Watch is an intensely personal product, each person will find different ways to use it. Like sharing iPhone homescreens, I hope this will help you discover apps and tips and tricks along the way.

Without further adieu, let’s look at our first Watchscreen, that of Lewis Smith (Twitter, Web).Version 2 Lewis is a fantastic developer with great design sensibilities. He created the excellent World Time Widget (which I reviewed) as well as a Progress fitness app, and Tagger photography app. So,  Lewis, show us your watchscreen! Continue reading →

Apple Watch Week 4: A Foundation for the Future

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This is part 3 in ongoing series of reflections on my experience with Apple Watch the first months its out. Other pieces are: Week 1: You Can’t Put Delight In a Spreadsheet, Weeks 2-3: Its Form Is Its Function, & Week 5: The Future of Apple Watch (WWDC & beyond)

The expectations we have about a product immensely in shaping our evaluation of it, perhaps more than the quality of the actual product. If, we, as the Little Mermaid humorously did, think that the purpose of a fork is to brush one’s hair, then we will note that it frequently snags hair, has an uncomfortable handle, and is, on the whole, a failed product. If you expected Avengers to be a romantic comedy, you’d be sorely disappointed. And those who expected Apple Watch to replace their iPhone have been disappointed as well.

Can Apple Watch do everything now? No. Can it replace your phone? No. Is it bug-free? No. Is there room for improvement? Yes. Are any of those expectations appropriate for the first generation of any product? Of course not. Apple Watch is not a perfect product, but many people are forgetting that neither was the first iPod, the first iPhone, or the first iPad. Rather than evaluating whether the product is already mature, a better question is to ask whether Apple has laid a foundation on which Apple Watch can grow. The answer, I believe, is a resounding yes. Continue reading →

Apple Watch Weeks 2-3: Its Form Is Its Function

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In my first piece in this series, I wrote that the value of Apple Watch can’t be explained monetarily, but I’ve found in these last weeks that the value is hard to explain in functional terms. Part of the reason is that its delight comes from tiny moments of joy that compound over time, a compounding that outside observers don’t experience.1 But another part of the reason is that what the watch does is so different than what many expect.

This last week, I was on vacation with my family (who gave the watch to me) and at a conference where my watch was noticed (a lot!).2 Amidst the oohs and ahs and  people calling it iWatch, I was repeatedly asked the question, “What does it do?” As I answered that question, I realized that the functions of Apple Watch are unique to its form. It’s an oft-quoted maxim that “form follows function,” but in the case of Apple Watch, I believe the exact opposite is true: the Apple Watch’s form is its function. It is Apple’s discipline to allow the form to dictate its function that has set up the Watch for success in a way only Apple could. Continue reading →