My Thoughts on Apple Watch by Karthik Sankar

My Thoughts on Apple Watch by Karthik Sankar

Apple launched the first apple watch about two years ago (April 24, 2015) and I was amazed. There were rumors of a “iWatch“ for many years prior but I passed them off as unrealistic hopes. A device that had a touch screen, could make calls, send text messages and answer questions seemed amazing. In fact, I remember reading a sci-fi book were the main character had a watch which could make video calls. I was so amazed that I immediately wanted one but I knew there was no way it would happen in real life. A year or two pass and Apple announces the Apple Watch, a device that fit the futuristic mold the rumors had created.

            Here are some of the things it you could do with it:

·         Use your finger. It had a touch screen! A watch with a touch screen!

·         Use a “digital crown”. Really this was Apple’s version of a scroll wheel. The idea was to make normal actions like zooming in and scrolling easier on such a small display.

·         Use force touch. Later rebanded as 3D touch, force touch let the watch know how hard you pressed on the screen. This often reveled hidden menu options, which let apps make larger screen elements without neglecting functionality

·         Use heart rate sensor and motion tracker. This isn’t a revolutionary feature but it definitely made the Apple Watch look like a serious fitness tracker

·         Use siri. While you could simply use your phone (which you had to carry with you in order to use the watch), using your watch allowed you to simple raise your wrist and ask siri to do something hands free. This was extremely convenient.

·         Take pictures on your phone. While this was a small under advertised feature the watch allows you to put your phone down and snap the picture with your watch. It even showed you what your camera saw so you could get everyone in the picture. The best part was the the person taking the picture could be in the picture too.

·         Use the taptic engine. Apple bragged about their new “taptic engine” during their announcement keynote. Basically, it meant you would feel a tap on wrist instead of a videration. This made the watch surprisingly good at delivering notifications since you would know you had received one without the annoying sound.

·         Switch out the bands. While not a exciting feature for me, it is good to know that you can quickly change the entire look of your watch with a band.

In conclusion:

            It's been awhile since it was announced but I still believe the Apple Watch is an amazing product from Apple.