Inside the Apple Watch Series 2 is their S2 chipset which is said to be up to 50% faster than the original processor. How does this translate into everyday use? Well, for one thing, I don’t really use a lot of third-party apps on the Apple Watch, as no one has yet told me about any that I must have. I do, however, use the native apps in the Apple Watch. What you’ll see when you change to different screens to switch between programs is that things operate in a more snappy way. Speaking of switching between programs, you can now do this in a much better way on Watch OS3. The long pusher on the side of the case was previously used to access a list of frequent contacts. Apple ditched that (and I don’t miss it since I never used it) in favor of a much more effective way of switching between and closing apps called “Dock.”
Dock basically works the same as app-switching in the iPhone. Pressing the pusher allows you to slide between open apps (the open ones background-refresh), allowing you to access them or close them. The only more time-consuming process of navigating through various applications in the Watch OS has now been really streamlined, with the overall operation being quicker, more efficient, and a lot more like the iPhone.
While Apple did offer a bit more variety in the area of watch faces, I am still missing that robust watch face marketplace that I’ve been hoping Apple would offer for a while now. Android Wear and Tizen-based devices are much more advanced than Apple when it comes to allowing people to experiment with the added variety of new watch faces. With that said, arguably most of the watch faces available to download for those platforms stink. Apple might have a good argument that it wants to keep quality high by releasing its own dials or more tightly controlling those types of features. It might even say that the best time to offer a wider variety of watch faces is when there is a persistent always-on display mode which allows those faces to be much more important from a fashion perspective. My guess is that will slowly open the doors to more watch faces in the future, but they really seem to be dragging their feet on a feature that seems, on the surface, relatively simple to implement. With Apple’s legion of designers, and those of its many content partners, I don’t see why offering a mere trickle of new watch face designs each year isn’t possible.
The Evolution Of The Apple Watch Edition
Most people will still buy the Apple Watch in aluminum (the “Sport” name has been ditched), and a bit fewer will appreciate the added durability and high-end feel of the steel model with the sapphire crystal and the ceramic caseback. Fewer still will pony up for the Apple Watch Series 2 version of the Apple Watch Edition, which is actually far more accessible than the original Apple Watch Edition that was in solid 18k gold (that I wrote about extensively here). The Apple Watch Edition Series 2 comes in an all-white ceramic case – a material and look that we traditional (well, modern-traditional) watch-lovers know all too well.
Ceramic isn’t exactly new to the Apple Watch. The rear of the steel or Edition Apple Watches has always been in black ceramic. Apple clearly has experience with the non-metallic material, but crafting an entire case in ceramic is much more complex from a machining standpoint than making a round part (with round holes). I am really quite impressed with the quality of the Apple Watch Edition ceramic case. Apple chose white for a few reasons. First, many colors are unstable in ceramic, with black and white being the most stable. Black is possible, of course, but with other black-colored Apple Watches, an Apple Watch Edition in black ceramic would be difficult to differentiate from other Apple Watches. That’s a big issue because, according to Apple, the Apple Watch Edition is the “ultimate expression of Apple Watch.” That means it is all about showing off a bit – and there is nothing wrong with that.
Why ceramic in the first place? Several years ago, we published this article explaining ceramic as a watch case material. You can read that for a bit nerdier of an explanation. In short, ceramic is very hard, which makes it very scratch-resistant (the color is also perfectly stable meaning that it will not change). That means that assuming you don’t crack the case with a major shock, the Apple Watch Edition ceramic will continue to look more or less brand new… years after it has been replaced with a more advanced Apple Watch. Remember that in addition to the hardness of the ceramic case, the watch is topped with a sapphire crystal, which also enjoys rather extreme scratch-resistance.
Apple didn’t simply abandon the gold version of the Apple Watch Edition, but is intent on the Apple Watch Edition generally being the platform for high-end or special executions, such as the use of different materials. This means changing over time with a series of iterations meant to showcase a more creative or extravagant side of wearing a watch. What the Apple Watch Edition really can be seen as, in my opinion, is Apple’s most direct nod to the traditional luxury watch industry which combines utility with style and artistic fascination. Apple pairs the white ceramic Apple Watch Edition to an off-white Sport Band that can further by typified by the white colored pin on the buckle. Also gone is the charging travel case that the gold version of the Apple Watch Edition came with. Instead, you get the normal charger as well as the magnetic desk dock charger.
The variety that the Apple Watch Edition adds to the larger Apple Watch family is valuable, but luxury seekers will have a hard time deciding between the Apple Watch Hermes or the Apple Watch Edition. Then again, the Apple Watch Edition (available in either the 38mm- or 42mm-tall versions) on a black or red Hermes strap might be rather nice – not sure how nice white will look with brown, though.
Apple Watch Series 2 will be sold alongside the “new” Series 1 which is essentially the original Apple Watch but with the new updated S2 processor chip. It’s not a revolution but clearly an evolution, albeit a meaningful one. Apple will continue to tweak and refine this flagship smartwatch device from a software and light hardware perspective until new technologies catch up with consumer needs and expectations in the areas of battery life, connectivity, etc.
If you don’t yet have an Apple Watch and are curious, Apple has clearly given you some more reasons to get one. If you already have an Apple Watch and are thinking about upgrading, the answer will lay in your lifestyle and how useful the new features will be for you. If you are hard on smartwatches in general then the Apple Watch Series 2 might not persuade you to change your opinion, but I do think most will agree that Apple is clearly focused on making a continually better product, even if product innovation isn’t as rapid or dramatic as people seemed to expect about a decade ago. What I do know, however, is that smartwatches are a permanent part of the consumer electronics landscape, like it or not, and they will still be here a decade from now. I am sure that ten years from now the Apple Watch will still be the smartwatch to beat.
The Apple Watch Series 2 (without extra straps) has a starting price of $369 (38mm) / $399 (42mm) in aluminum, is $549 (38mm) / $599 (42mm) in steel, and costs $1,249 (38mm) / $1,299 (42mm) in white ceramic. apple.com/watch
Necessary Data
>Brand: Apple
>Model: Apple Watch Edition Series 2
>Price: $1,299 USD as tested
>Size: 42mm tall
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Style-conscious tech-lover eager to wear the latest Apple Watch and ready to share that fact with the world.
>Best characteristic of watch: Subtle, yet meaningful improvements all around, making the class-leading Apple Watch even better. Water-resistance greatly expands wearing horizons, and more phone independence is sure to please.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Tough for some existing Apple Watch owners to make the upgrade unless they want it for specific exercise use. Still relatively little variety of watch faces. Siri is not yet a creative-thinking powerful AI… that I can make into my digital assistant slave.
