Greater Independence From iPhone

Steve Jobs would have not even had an issue with the fact that the Apple Watch required pairing with an Apple iPhone. As a fan of the “Apple ecosystem,” I bet that he would have downright wanted the Apple Watch to have important connectivity with other Apple Devices. And on that note, I’ll begin my discussion of the Apple Watch Series 2, which I have been wearing for a while after its debut several months ago, in 2016.

One of the “secret” functions of the Apple Watch is WiFi connectivity. You need to dig really deep into the information to understand that the Apple Watch can connect to WiFi (mostly) independently of an iPhone. This is part of a growing effort of smartwatch makers to make their devices not totally independent of phones, but able to operate autonomously without needing to be paired to a host phone device all the time. Apple made at least two major steps forward with the Apple Watch Series 2 in this direction, and one of them was its “secret” ability to connect to WiFi.

Browse through the settings in the Apple Watch and you aren’t likely to find anything that mentions WiFi. Why is this the case? Well, it is because the Apple Watch uses information from your phone (such as network names and passwords) to connect to WiFi networks your phone already has access to. That means at home, or work, etc., if you are connected to WiFi via your iPhone, you are also connected via your watch. That allows it to show you new messages and other information even when you are out of range of your phone. The idea is one additional way Apple is slowly trying to make Apple Watch customers feel comfortable using the device without having to carry their phone with them at the same time.

Another phone-independence feature that has been a lot more publicized is the inclusion of GPS into the Apple Watch Series 2 family of devices. This is primarily used for the fitness and activity functions that Apple is heavily promoting as a key feature of the Apple Watch. GPS in the Apple Watch allows you to leave your phone at home while doing things like running, biking, etc. The system automatically starts to track your journey once you tell it that you are going to start a workout. GPS is used to measure speed, pace, distance, and of course, route – which is neatly recorded into a map feature. Your route is color-coded similarly to they way car traffic is indicated in today’s smart maps. For instance, the green sections are when you went the fastest, and the red sections are when you went the slowest. For data nerds who love to track their own performance, the built-in GPS in the Apple Watch Series 2 is really useful. Let’s hope that there are some cool apps that can make the best use of it.

Intent On Becoming Your Preferred Activity Companion

The exercise and activity angle is really a big deal for Apple when it comes to the Apple Watch. In the past, I explained that this was for at least two reasons. One reason is that Apple is seeing one of the greatest areas of usage for people who wear the Apple Watch as being in sports and activity. Thus, it wants to make those elements of the wearing and hardware experience even better. That is logical because it is an efficient use of resources to expand on a market the Apple Watch is already doing well in. It’s the sexier version of the Fitbit – and by that, I mean that even if people aren’t using the Apple Watch for activity, simply wearing it is becoming a signal (like yoga pants) that “I am interested in an active and healthy lifestyle.”

Anyone who’s worn the Apple Watch for any amount of time knows how it works when it comes to activity tracking. On a basic level, the watch likes to measure how much activity you’ve had in a day – in an effort to mainly get you to walk around a bit more, stand up a bit more, and increase your heart rate more often. It does this using a series of sensors including the heart rate monitor, GPS, and accelerator. Apple Watch OS3 ups the ante by making special fitness modes a bigger part of the utility. You tell the Apple Watch what you are doing, and it’s supposed to be smart enough to track that specific activity for you. It actually works pretty well, and if you are someone who is dedicated to engaging in any of the activities the Apple Watch is designed to track, you’ll really like it.

Many people are also aware that one of the new versions of the Apple Watch Series 2 is the Apple Watch Nike+, which has a unique set of perforated straps that are more comfortable to sweat in (and includes at least one unique watch face). To be honest, I was at first skeptical if all these dedicated fitness features would help people be more active. I’m not sure if I was asking the right question, however. What helps make people more active is activity being fun and interesting. A run is only as good as the scenery, and being able to consistently run (or any other activity) is only as good as your motivation to keep doing those things. That motivation comes from a lot of places, but making exercise more fun and engaging certainly helps. It also feels good to be rewarded, or at least to achieve goals. Each of these elements is distinct, but they are part of the techniques the Apple Watch uses to help people be motivated to not only be active, but to stay active.

When I first started wearing the Apple Watch, I would get annoyed at the all the messages reminding me to stand up (even when I was doing things like driving in a car). It’s now come to the point that I sort of miss it. Sometimes I look at the watch and say “why haven’t you told me to get off my ass yet?” It is as though I have come to rely on my digital friend to inform me what to do, which is really the entire point of having a “digital assistant.” We aren’t there yet, but I can envision a time in the near future when the role of a smartwatch isn’t just to track what you are doing and give little reminders, but to more generally be your personal trainer – with the added benefit of knowing your life, your preferences, your health, and your schedule.

Water-resistance is a big part of the Apple Watch Series 2 in terms of being a strong selling point. The Apple Watch in its second-generation form is water resistant to 50 meters, which more or less translates into a watch that you can swim or snorkel in. It is probably worth mentioning that this means swimming in fresh or salt water, and also exposing the watch to cold or hot water (like a hot tub). One of the most interesting new features of the watch is actually how it uses the speaker to eject water from the speaker cavity in the case – this is a neat thing to do and never seems to grow old. Moreover, when you go swimming with the Apple watch, the screen locks since the water can actually replicate the act of touching the screen. So when you exit the water you spin the digital crown in a manner that unlocks it.

Apple is even experimenting with techniques to have the Apple Watch facilitate activity related to relaxation. This is where something like the Breath app comes in. It’s sort of like meditation for dummies, but the idea is sound. Using the app you watch the screen while performing simple breathing exercises. Say what you will about this, but I guarantee it will leave you feeling more relaxed.

Again, I see all of these “activity efforts” as being study for the ultimate result which is hardware that goes with you all the time serving as your benevolent nanny. Apple Watch and its colleague products will tell you when to move, how to move, when to sweat, when to relax, when to sleep, and keep a nice record of all your stats to share with your friends (or doctors). Privacy concerns aside, I am pretty sure most people agree this is where we are eventually headed – the real question is when. Probably sooner rather than later. With more and more connected devices and all the heavy computing being done in the cloud, smartwatches will be data collectors and data conveyors, with all the processing happening remotely. On top of that, companies like Apple will have ever greater volumes of collective data to analyze, thus further enabling it to make deductions on practices and suggestions that best suit a range of people and situations. As I noted, the ultimate goal of something like an Apple Watch isn’t to simply be an exercise gadget, but a true activity companion.

Faster Hardware, Faster Software

Did you know that the Apple Watch Series 2 is 0.9mm thicker than the original Apple Watch? Apple doesn’t make that fact very apparent, but they also don’t say that the Series 2 is the exact same size as the original either. Aside from case thickness, the watch wears the same as the original, and to be honest, most people won’t even notice the size difference. Why is the case just a bit thicker? Battery. Apple uses a slightly bigger battery since the Apple Watch Series 2 is both faster and has a brighter screen than before.

The bright screen is really nice, actually. It’s so bright I can take pictures of the Apple Watch Series 2 with a flash and still capture the screen. It’s a little thing, but differences like a brighter screen add up to a lot more wearing pleasure. Still no persistent always-on display, though. I am really, really looking forward to Apple offering that feature… and I am sure they will when they have effectively done so in an “Apple way.” This desired feature is really important because having a screen that is always on is a key way for the Apple Watch to not only offer information to the wearer, but to offer information about the wearer (their personality and lifestyle) to people who notice the Apple Watch on them.