Comment by aleph_naught | Hacker News Reader

Comment by aleph_naught | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

That's what I thought when it came out initially, but after the series 4 release, I decided to get one, and I use it many many times a day:

* Apple Pay on the watch is the fastest way to pay on any NFC enabled POS; now works on Caltrain as well. * Silent haptic alarm, which doesn't wake up your partner * Passwordless macbook unlock * Automatic phone unlock when using a facemask * Overnight HR measurement, if you want to track how overtrained/rested you are * I use it to open my front door and garage door via siri when coming back from a bike ride or run (I don't need to carry my phone for this). I don't carry keys with me. * Listen to music/podcast while on a run without my phone. * Control media without taking out my phone. * Vectorized maps and gps tracking for running/cycling and uploading to strava (workoutdoors app) * Strava app * Interval timers when at the gym * Easy continuous visibility of air-quality/UV/temp-range/hours-of-sunlight-remaining on my main watch face. Useful information when planning outdoor exercise. * I occasionally do high altitude climbs, and hikes, so I'm looking forward to upgrading to a newer model with continuous elevation readouts and SpO2 readings. * Use it to ping my lost phone * Flashlight when you're in a bind * Navigation while cycling * Pick up calls when you're hands are full and you're phone isn't nearby.

etc etc etc

Also, a quick way to check the time.

That’s a bit tongue in cheek. Then again, I didn’t wear watches before; time alone didn’t seem a good enough reason. But that, combined with other benefits, works for me.

In the first months after starting to wear a watch (smart Apple or any other kind, really), I kept forgetting that it also tells the time. The habit of looking up the time on the phone was so deeply ingrained, if I tried to find out the time while in a bit of autopilot mode, I'd always reach for the phone, instead of looking at the wrist.

Yep. I didn't think I needed the always on screen, but once I upgraded checking the time is something I do all the...time.

> I occasionally do high altitude climbs, and hikes, so I'm looking forward to upgrading to a newer model with continuous elevation readouts and SpO2 readings.

I also use it for this reason, but I've found that these activities can often be much longer than my the battery can last on my S6 in airplane mode with an activity running (~6 hours).

For this reason I'm considering a watch with better battery life built for this purpose such as Garmin or Coros. The recently announced Coros Vertix 2 has a mind-blowing 140 hours battery life with full GPS tracking [1].

I don't foresee Apple reaching this level of battery performance anytime soon, specifically because of the other reasons you list why the Apple Watch is useful. I wonder if we'll see a trend of people owning multiple wearables for specific reasons, with the Apple Watch being a daily driver.

- [1]: https://mobile.coros.com/vertix2/

Add to this - it's a more convenient approve button for my 2FA app, and Audible app.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com