Tuesday Tip: Time to Buy the New Apple Watch 4

by David Gracey

 

The Apple Watch 4 was released a few months ago, back in the fall of 2018. The Fitbit Heart Rate monitor I had used during workouts had recently been acting up, so a new one was on my radar.  When Apple announced the 4, I thought it was time to take the leap.

An avid iPhone user for over 8 years, I already knew the experience of owning another Apple product would be exciting.  So I made the leap.

First and foremost, you can install pretty much every app that you have installed on your iPhone.  Most apps have a version designed to be Apple Watch compatible so they can be managed on a smaller screen.  But I found that I really only use about a dozen apps on my watch, so I’ve gotten rid of most of the non-critical apps.  I like to keep a clean screen.

 

My top 6 favorite things about the Apple Watch:

  1. Customizable watch face: the display on the Apple Watch may be customized to show something as simple as a traditional watch face with hands or something as complex as multiple apps providing various information.  For me, having several of my most commonly used apps on the home screen is the best.  I’m able to get just about all the information I need from the watch without even having to touch it. I configured my watch to display 6 different apps. Yes, time and date are one of the mini-windows I selected.
  2. Heart Rate monitor: for years, in order to get an accurate heart rate you needed to purchase a strap that is worn around your upper torso.  This strap would report your heart rate to a device worn on the wrist. In time, wrist-based monitors became more accurate. My experience with the Apple Watch is that the reading is fairly accurate. It tracks it in time so you can view your most active time of day. It also keeps up with your resting heart rate. Being able to workout without having to wear a strap is liberating.
  3. Calendar: the calendar on the Apple Watch syncs with my Outlook calendar at work. The display is configured to show my next upcoming meeting or appointment.  With a tap, I can see the entire day.
  4. Outside Temperature: the weather app installed on the Apple Watch can be configured for any city or multiple cities.  It’s very handy to glance at your wrist to find out the temperature and if you need to take an umbrella outside.
  5. Texts and emails: A super-helpful feature of the Apple Watch is that you can enable a feature to display new inbound text messages and emails right on the display. Your watch will buzz very softly (configurable) when a new message comes in.  A quick glance at your wrist will reveal the sender’s name and the first few words of the message.  If it’s worth reading immediately, you tap the message to bring up the content.  You can reply from the watch but that’s a bit more cumbersome than from the iPhone or a desktop computer.
  6. Tunes on the go: The Apple Watch connects to Bluetooth earbuds, so listening to Spotify while going for a run as never been lighter and easier.  No more iPhone to carry or wires to get tangled!

 

So if you’ve been waiting for the right time to pull the trigger on the new Apple Watch, now is the time to do it.

 

Bonus Tip:  Since you’ve made it to the bottom of my Apple Watch tip, I thought I’d share my latest tidbit.  Have you ever been in a rental car and wondered on which side of the car the gas tank is located?  I recently learned every car has the standard gas pump icon on the dashboard next to the Empty/Full gas gauge.  The location of the gas tank is on the gas pump icon!

If you look at the picture, you’ll notice a small triangle on the left or the right side of the pump.  That tells you on which side of the car you put the gas.  The car below has a gas tank on the LEFT side of the car.

 

 

David Gracey Headshot

David Gracey: Since its founding in 1998, David has grown Network 1 into a top-notch IT services company dedicated to delivering the best solutions for Atlanta’s small and mid-size businesses. His responsibilities include creating the vision and strategy for its growth and establishing the culture of Network 1.

Network 1 designs, builds and supports the IT you need to run your business more securely, productively and successfully. Whether you want to outsource all of your IT needs to a reliable, responsive, service-oriented company, or need to supplement the work of your internal IT staff, we will carefully evaluate where you are now, discuss where you want to go and implement and support a plan to get you there with as little interruption as possible.

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