Although the device on my wrist appeals very much to my gadget hunger and a trendy fashion style, I must admit that the true added value for my Apple Watch was limited. However, since the first iteration in 2015 a lot has improved and added. I now upgraded from a series 1 to a series 4 and the speed upgrade now makes this device a whole lot more usable and the slightly bigger screen makes interacting with it a lot easier. It now has GPS and doesn't need a phone in the vicinity to give you directions and it can now play a music playlist on your AirPods. I already was quite fond of this machine, but now I can finally say it brings enough value that I can recommend other to buy one.
Here is a list features I use the Apple Watch for:
- Unlock my Macbook computer
- Pay with Apple Pay
- Give directions, especially when walking though the city.
- Set an alarm during cooking
- Track my heart rate, route, pace and distance during running or biking activities.
- Play music directly from my Watch without the need to have my iPhone with me.
- Complete the activity rings and increase my fitness.
- Control volume when listening to music
- Use the watch as a remote shutter to take a photo
Other features or apps are interesting but I simply don't use them. Most iPhone apps com with an Apple Watch extension, but a lot of them I de-install imediately because I want to avoid that this small interface becomes cluttered. Therefor I only include apps I actually use.