Russ Imamura thinks I couldn’t be more wrong about Apple Watch.
Imamura was among numerous readers who took issue with my column this week in which I talked about how I’d stopped wearing Apple’s latest gadget and hadn’t missed it, because I didn’t have a compelling reason to put it back on. In contrast to my experience, Imamura and the other readers said they loved their Apple Watches and had found lots of uses for them.
“I totally disagree with your comments about the Apple Watch,” Imamura said. “In no time, I believe, you, Troy, will be taking your Watch out of storage, and, with a gleeful smile, be slapping the Watch back on your wrist!”
One way Imamura and others readers mentioned that they’d found Apple Watch useful is in helping them keep or stay in shape. The Watch’s Activity app tracks how much exercise users get, how many calories they burn and how frequently they stand.
Users can set daily goals for each, and when they reach them, the app will display closed circles. It also will remind users to stand once an hour, if they haven’t already.
“I love the ability to do the health applications and have lost six pounds just by using the goals and tracking what I am doing,” said Robb Hiller, a leadership consultant from Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Another thing many readers love about Apple Watch is that they can use it when it’s inconvenient to pull out their phones, such as when they are driving, cooking or exercising. Hiller, for example, uses his Watch as a hands-free speaker phone when he’s driving.
Bob Stevens of Menlo Park said before he had an Apple Watch, he often would miss calls or text messages while playing golf. With the Watch, he’s able to see and screen those calls and messages.
“It’s led to taking some important calls and getting text messages that are very useful to know about — things I missed in the past on the course and in places where I didn’t want to pull out my phone,” said Stevens.
Several other readers mentioned using the Watch to send or respond to text messages. When you receive a message on the Watch, it offers several pre-written responses that you can instantly send by tapping on them. You can also create your own canned messages or dictate a new one by using Siri on the device.
“I don’t have to pull out my phone to check my texts as often as I did before the watch,” said Raúl Martinez, a Sunnyvale resident who teaches statistics at California State University East Bay. “The ability (to) use customized … short messages to reply with one touch is a boon.”
Several of the readers who wrote me were 55 or older. Among the things they appreciated was the ability to adjust the size of text on the screen so that they could read it. Some were clearly watch wearers before getting device and seemed to appreciate that it offered many more features and much more information than a typical wristwatch.
A reader named Donna who lives in Brentwood said she loved that her watch shows her the time, temperature, date and her upcoming activities. A reader named David, for example, said that he owns five watches, including a Rolex, but now wears his Apple Watch every day for similar reasons. He also uses it to answer text messages and even his phone.
“I wore it for five days straight fully expecting to take it off and return it,” he said. “But after wearing my steal-and-gold Rolex for four hours I went back to my Apple Watch.”
One of the reasons I lost interest in Apple Watch was because I didn’t find any compelling apps to use. Hiller mentioned that he likes USA Today’s news app, but he was the only reader who mentioned any apps other than those that ship with the device. I still think that’s a shortcoming that will limit Apple Watch’s appeal.
Still, it was interesting to hear how other people were using the Apple Watch. I’m not convinced I need to strap mine back on my wrist, but I appreciate the fact that some people are finding it much more useful than I did.
Photo: Troy Wolverton using the Apple Watch to get directions soon after purchasing it in April. (Gary Reyes/Bay Area News Group)
