Tech analyst and commentator Ben Bajarin has had his Apple Watch strapped to his wrist since April, well before the public launch of the device. Since then it has become an integral part of his life. But could he live without it? The answer is clear after a week-long experiment:
So what did I conclude? As I pointed to at the beginning of this article, the Apple Watch is a modern day convenience and should be understood as such. It is a convenience in the same way a dishwasher or washer/dryer or a microwave is. None of the items are absolutely necessary, yet so many of their owners can’t imagine life without one. This is what my week without the Apple Watch taught me. Of course I can get by without it but, given the number of conveniences I’ve been able to quantify in the flow of my daily life, I can no longer imagine life without it.
I agree with Ben. The Watch is by no means essential but it does make life easier and, crucially, cuts down the number of times during a day that I feel compelled to pull the iPhone 6 Plus out of my pocket. The Watch keeps me up to date with what is happening, quite apart from its ability to tell the time, and allows me to answer phone calls and make quick responses to incoming iMessages. Where I am totally addicted to the Watch is in its health monitoring capabilities. It reliably measures exercise and prompts me to make health-giving choices, gently persuading me to do more and more daily walking. In two months the Apple Watch has encouraged me, by means of guile, stealth and praise, to do an average of 10,000 steps a day instead of my traditional five or six thousand. For this miracle alone I can vote it a winner.